Free Articles

This page contains many articles I've written over the years in pursuit of learning, reflection, and personal development.

Themes include productivity, wellbeing, teaching, defusing bullying, culture, heritage, facilitation & more.

You will find that some of these posts are originally published on LinkedIn.

Blog: Text

A Curriculum for Skills and Economic Growth in Chitral

Sumbella

Mar 302 min read

A Curriculum for Skills and Economic Growth in Chitral

[#education + #Chitral] The week before, I visited beautiful, expansive, mountainous Chitral, way north of Pakistan. For the education...

Strategies for Enhancing Wellbeing in Teaching Workshops

Sumbella

Mar 302 min read

Strategies for Enhancing Wellbeing in Teaching Workshops

[#teaching, learning & #wellbeing] Let’s talk about feeeeeelings! They are a most important ingredient affecting motivation and...

Sumbella

Mar 302 min read

Empowering Teachers in PD Sessions

[#teaching, #learning & #PD] That's x3 MENA resources orientation webinars down, and 4 to go - for this week. I wanted to share a...

From Cambridge to Peshawar: Celebrating the Legacy of the Printing Press

Sumbella

Mar 302 min read

From Cambridge to Peshawar: Celebrating the Legacy of the Printing Press

[#Cambridge + the #PrintingPress] Today, visiting a small, nondescript bookshop in the main bazaar of Peshawar, I remembered my visit...

A Week of Learning and Laughter in Cambridge

Sumbella

Mar 282 min read

A Week of Learning and Laughter in Cambridge

[#Cambridge + #Worktrips] I feel it is rather a good problem to have when your cheeks hurt from laughing, smiling and talking so much at...

Sumbella

Mar 282 min read

Creative Room Arrangements for Facilitation

[#facilitation: rethink the room] When I enter a classroom or new workshop room, one of the first things I do is to scope them out....

Heritage and Inclusion: My Parents' Journey

Sumbella

Mar 282 min read

Heritage and Inclusion: My Parents' Journey

[#heritage + #inclusion + #howpeoplemeet] I’m often asked how it came to be that I’m half English and half Pashtun, e.g.: how did your...

Cultural Traditions: Journey with Garland Welcome

Sumbella

Mar 281 min read

Cultural Traditions: Journey with Garland Welcome

[#travel + #culture] To be greeted with #garlands (and how I no longer find it awkward): When I was younger and we visited family in...

Sumbella

Mar 282 min read

Gift Giving Across Cultures

[#travel + #gifts + #culture] The art of multicultural gift giving (and why I need a designated gifts suitcase). Now that I’ve picked...

Sumbella

Mar 281 min read

Embracing the Spirit of Eid al-Adha

[#wellbeing + #breaks + #eid #aladha] Happy eid :) The UAE is an Islamic country, and one of the perks of working there - whether you’re...

Sumbella

Mar 282 min read

Motivational Cheers Across Languages

[#teachers + #languages + #motivation] We all need a little motivation - especially at the end of any kind of project or phase. You know,...

Sumbella

Mar 282 min read

Choosing Between Online and In-Person Workshops

[#facilitation👩🏻‍🏫] What’s more impactful: online or in person workshops? For me, the answer isn’t always one or the other. Like so...

Sumbella

Mar 282 min read

Experiential Learning in Banff: Insights from a Horse Ride

[#learning + #travel 🇨🇦🍁] Put me in a museum for a few hours and I’m unlikely to be able to tell you much about what I learned....

Sumbella

Mar 281 min read

Geordie Accent: Fun Tips from Newcastle

[#teachingandlearning #english #accents] How to sound like you’re from Newcastle: When I started teaching English I developed a deep...

Sumbella

Mar 282 min read

Indicators of a Good Online Workshop

[#facilitation] ‘So what does a good online workshop look like for you?’ - I was asked this question the weekend before by Alex Gray for...

Sumbella

Mar 281 min read

“A change is as good as a rest.”

[#quoteoftheday + #update] “A change is as good as a rest”. Apparently, this is a quote originating from the Victorian era. Hello from...

Tech Success: Enhancing Training Sessions with Teams

Sumbella

Mar 252 min read

Tech Success: Enhancing Training Sessions with Teams

[#facilitation + #tech] Hello fellow #teachers in #MENA who are working today (Sunday) too! I just finished delivering two training...

Sumbella

Mar 252 min read

Turning Nerves into Excitement

[#facilitation + #nerves] There is a particular concept I’ve had validated by friends and colleagues over the years, and it is this:...

Sumbella

Mar 242 min read

Facilitation Reflections

[#facilitation + #learningoutloud] One of my first non-teaching roles was with Oxford University Press, and the first country I was...

The Value of Competition: Insights from the Race

Sumbella

Mar 241 min read

The Value of Competition: Insights from the Race

[#business + #competition] The photo in this post is from a race from last December. I was hugging my competition, this total pro of a...

Blog: Blog2