My heart has never been in definitions. It was set against them in Africa 20 years ago, when I was…
Using Comparative Judgement to Rank the Importance of Concepts
If you haven’t heard of comparative judgement (CJ), it is the latest fashionable way for judging the quality of student…
Science: A Great Source of Metaphor…
Have you got time to read two very short science texts? Both of them are surprising and wonderful. First text: a…
A Little Knowledge is a Many-Splendored Thing
We’ve been thinking about knowledge and reading a lot recently. Christine Counsell has given the leaders of my trust reading…
Primary Topics, Reading and Knowledge
Reading comprehension is about knowledge. It is about vocabulary and ideas. Primary schools, including ours, invest considerable curriculum time on…
The Leyden Jar – 1745
I have reached the key object in my “History of Electricity in 10 Objects”: the Leyden jar. Philosophically, the Layden jar has…
Imaginary Ice Block Discovered in School Field Causes Writing and Reading
The whole of this blog centres on a mean trick (and I feel bad about it), which has produced something special,…
The Dangling Boy – 1730
Anyone who has had the opportunity to charge small children to thousands of volts will appreciate the skill and showmanship…
A Kitchen Museum of Electrical History
Since Easter I have been reading about electricity. I think it is the hardest topic to teach. Circuits are…
Guericke’s Sulphur Sphere
It seems reasonable to suppose that if the Earth has a fitting and appropriate attractive potency it will also have…
Reading for Learning 