I quite like Rod Liddle’s column every week in the Spectator. He usually makes me laugh. Sometimes out loud! This week began as no exception. In ‘My daughter’s end-of-term report confirms that she is being taught by alien reptiles‘, he got the ball rolling by deprecating the ‘vacuous propaganda’ emitted by teacher training institutions before… Continue reading A Liddle knowledge is a dangerous thing!
Sounds-Write Course in Alicante: 20th – 26th August 2011 For details of this innovative course, which allows you to combine a full training course with a wonderful holiday in one of Spain’s loveliest regions, download the brochure. Learn to Teach Reading and Spelling – and have a holiday! Take the opportunity this summer to combine… Continue reading Sounds-Write training course
I noticed that npr (National Public Radio in the USA) devoted half an hour’s air time yesterday to the subject of the summer ‘recess’. Although they have a longer summer break than we have here, research in the USA indicates that ‘all kids, regardless of the income level of their family, experience over two months… Continue reading When school’s out for summer
Sadly, Warwick Mansell’s piece in Monday’s Guardian rehearses all those old chestnuts about phonics teaching that have been discredited time without end. Although it makes some pretence at balance, it is shot through with the kind of ignorance about what phonics teaching is that one would normally find in the TES. Mansell tell us that… Continue reading Alas poor Warwick!
Two stories on the blogosphere worth browsing are: John Bald’s response to attacks on phonics in the TES (17 06 2011). One such condemnation can be found in a letter from Professor Colin Richards, Spark Bridge, Cumbria, entitled ‘One man’s jihad is just another man’s phonics’. Who is the humorist Colin Richards and I wonder… Continue reading Doing the rounds
Two weeks ago, I took time to have a look at Singapore approach to teaching maths at a one-day professional development course for teachers of maths. It was delivered by Dr Yeap Ban Har, who, according to the website mathz4kidzblog, worked for the ‘National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore for more than… Continue reading Singapore maths
Here‘s a super series of shorts giving a history of English in ten minutes. Man! Don’t ya just love the Open University! For those interested in debates around language, the OU’s Open Learn also offers a range of discussions.
I didn’t realise that we have our own version of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Apparently, The Times newspaper has been running the Times Spelling Bee competition, now in its third year. Having already come through the locals and the semi-finals, the eleven finalist teams fought out the Grand Final in the O2 Arena. The… Continue reading The Times Spelling Bee
This morning’s Today programme carried a short piece featuring Alex Bellos, author of the highly entertaining Alex’s Adventures in Numberland. Alex has been asked about his favourite number so many times, he decided to set up an online survey to find out if people have favourite numbers and what they are. Although he doesn’t have… Continue reading Off piste – favourite number
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