I’ve been exploring binary with Year 8s and thought they might like to have a look at the weird world of Cellular Automata. There are lots of resources out there but I couldn’t find one that helped them create their own easily. So I made this in Google Sheets. It’s pretty simplistic but essentially there are 2 steps. Step 1) … Read More
What cathedral are you building?
I’ve been on a school trip to York these last few days. As you’ll know if you’ve been there, the Minster dominates the city. On a walk round the city walls, I was chatting with a 10-year old about the 250 years it took to build, from 1220 and 1472. We spoke about how many generations of one family it … Read More
Jaron Lanier, BUMMERs and Being Human
I’ve just finished reading Jaron Lanier’s 10 arguments for deleting your social media accounts. Some are more persuasive than others, but they’ve made me decide to delete my Facebook account for 2020. The arguments are all linked and as follows: You are losing your free will thanks to the addictive nature of much of it and the behaviourist focus of … Read More
3 Men and a Donkey – Notes on hiking Le Stevenson in the Cevennes
I’ve just got back from hiking Le Stevenson with a donkey and thought I’d jot down some notes while they’re still fresh in case it helps anyone else. What is Le Stevenson? In September 1870, Robert Louis Stevenson was waiting for his American sweetheart to finalise her divorce and to kill time set off with a donkey to hike through … Read More
What Shaolin Monks Taught Me About Teaching
The best teacher training I have ever had was from a 34th Generation Shaolin Warrior Monk, Shi Yan Jun. Over the years, I have had in-school training such as INSETs, after-school twilight sessions, teacher observations (given and received). I have had off-site training run by battle-hardened professionals but sweetened with coffee, fancy biscuit and lecture notes. And I have followed … Read More
Last day on Lesvos
Very belated, but as promised for Anna-Karin, here is my last diary update from Lesvos. Bit odd rereading the retsina-y scrawl. Feels a lifetime away. Looking at the Calais eviction happening soon has made me think about another trip. ============= My last full day. New Year’s Day. I have a headache but it feels like a routine now. Struggling with … Read More
Evelyn Waugh’s Letter “This is quite true”
Video source missing
Superman Pants
My diary entry from my first day in the Moria Clothes Tent, Lesvos. —- Today was superman pants. They just arrived. The women and children queuing on one side the men on the other, startled, slow, shivering and in shock. I really wasn’t ready for it. The questions, Farsi, Arabic, the same questions again and again, some missing a shoe, … Read More
Trying to help
Had a bit of a rush of blood to the head. Am off to Lesvos after Christmas to help out with the refugees for a week. Tickets and hotel booked. I’m not actually doing it to raise money. I’m paying for it myself and to be honest, I may well end up staying in my hotel bedroom trying to get … Read More
MIST – Educational Videos for Maths and Science
Outside the day job, I’ve been working away trying to repurpose an old project called MIST (Mentored Investigations into Science and Technology) and is essentially a set of videos and lesson ideas for maths and science at the primary level. I’ve also put up a number of “cheat sheets” for those teaching science over on TES. Version one of the … Read More