Today I Learned

Every October, we're told to wear pink and go for breast screening, but that message skips over something more basic. Many women have spent their whole lives feeling uneasy even talking about their own breasts, let alone examining them. So before we ask women to be proactive about breast health, how do we first help them feel comfortable with their bodies and confident enough to speak up? To unpack this, we sat down with Dr Karen Christelle, Family Medicine Specialist, who walks us through the fears, family dynamics and healthcare blind spots standing in the way.Image Credit: PexelsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every child learns differently. But does every classroom make room for that? At The Alice Smith School, inclusive learning is built into the curriculum, from play-based learning that lets children explore and discover, to translanguaging, which treats every language a child speaks as a strength. But what does that look like day-to-day? And how can a curriculum be designed to help every child thrive? In the second instalment of our three-part series marking the Alice Smith School's 80th anniversary, we put that question to Alan McCarthy, Primary Principal, and Helen Jones, Vice Principal and Head of Juniors, both at the Alice Smith School.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What should access to adequate housing look like for Malaysians? We’re covering this in conjunction with World Habitat Day, but it is also a time where owning a house or renting a place that is affordable and isn’t the size of a shoebox is becoming increasingly out of reach for many people. So, what is the ideal situation and how can Malaysia get there? That’s what we’ll unpack with our guest Theebalakshmi Kunasekaran, research associate at Khazanah Research Institute. Image Credit: PexelsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From its early beginnings to its 80th anniversary, The Alice Smith School has remained committed to the not-for-profit model, and is the oldest and only British international school in Malaysia to operate this way. But what does that actually mean in practice? How does it shape the way a school is run day to day, and where does the money go when there’s a surplus? With our guests from The Alice Smith School, we’ll unpack how the not-for-profit model works, and how it allows the school to invest in an environment that prioritises inclusion, diversity and opportunitySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you turn an ordinary tree into a bonsai? And at what point does a small tree become a work of art? We get a beginner’s guide to bonsai, from shaping and caring for these miniature trees to the patience and artistry behind them. We also find out what suiseki is, and look back at Malaysia’s first time hosting the World Bonsai Convention.Image Credit: PexelsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.