Posted in ICT, Words on Nov 27th, 2007 2 Comments »
I got caught out tonight by my youngest son (17) who asked me if he could have some of his friends round on Friday night for a “wee night”. I thought I was being funny when I asked why he wasn’t having a “big night in?”.
He looked at me with pity as only 17 year old [...]
Posted in Assessment, Conferences, Learning and teaching, School visits, Self-evaluation, Using data, Words on Sep 25th, 2007 4 Comments »
I had a great visit this week to King’s Meadow Primary School in Haddington. At the beginning of my visit I had a chat with Headteacher Donald McGillivray about boy’s writing. Donald has done a fascinating analysis of boys’ attainment across the school and the statistics show that boys’ writing is of a much lower standard than [...]
Posted in Communication, Head Teachers, Ideas, Leadership, Personal Lessons, Words on Sep 3rd, 2007 4 Comments »
It was during a conversation this afternoon about how leaders communicate with colleagues that I used a completely throwaway remark about “pinging” and listening.
What I meant by this was that we need to engage with our colleagues if we are to really understand the impact that our strategies are having.
However, on saying the words the [...]
Posted in Communication, Performance Indicators, Social media, Using data, Words on Aug 23rd, 2007 No Comments »
So often in education we focus upon the hard data - figures -statistics - numbers.
So it’s really useful sometimes just to stop and listen to people’s stories.
If you want to read an interesting story about a mother’s perspective on her child sitting his Standard Grades a year early tune into guineapigmum.
Posted in Words on Apr 6th, 2007 2 Comments »
I was taken by this verse on a gravestone I came across in South Leith Parish Church. It reads:
The spider’s most attenuated thread
Is cord, is cable, to man’s tender tie
On earthly bliss; it breaks at every breeze.
The grave belongs to Mrs Janet Burns who died on the 15th June 1812.
I’ve tracked the poet down as [...]
Posted in Community Learning, Words on Apr 6th, 2007 1 Comment »
I took a wander down the Water of Leith walkway yesterday with my camera - I should point out that I’m on holiday.
On my way back up Constitution Street towards Leith Walk I passed South Leith Parish Church.
These four words seemed to jump out at me as I walked past.
What a great way to characterise [...]
Posted in Ideas, Words on Mar 31st, 2007 5 Comments »
I received an e-mail from Alan Coady this week telling me about how he’d listened to an interesting guest on Desert Island Discs this week – a doctor called Raymond Tallis. The line that made him prick up his ears was “you don’t need many thoughts, just fundamental ones.”
Alan went on to reflect upon the similarities between the [...]
Posted in Ideas, Words on Feb 25th, 2007 9 Comments »
A thought popped into my head during the PT conference when one of the groups was talking about transition from primary to secondary school. They were reinforcing that it needs to be much more than just making it a smooth transfer for children from one thing to another - but that primary and secondary education should be seen [...]