Schools teach maths the wrong way
The idea that what should be a beautiful and fun subject is being destroyed by schools is not mine: a mathematician has expressed it much better. Personal experience seems to confirm it. (more…)
Journalists eat spin on organic food
I assume that everyone who is interested knows by now that the headlines claiming that a Food Standards Agency study showed that “organic food was not healthier” were grossly inaccurate. I want to know why journalists did not even read the first paragraph of the report itself, let alone any real analysis of the report itself, before reproducing the Food Standard Agency’s spin. (more…)
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What do the army do? Fat soldiers and the meaninglessness of BMI
According to The Observer, the army has a problem with soldiers who do not get a minimum of two hours of physical exercise a week. I know accountants who get more than that. What exactly do the army do with their time? (more…)
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Teachers against learning
I have always had doubts about how well IT is, or even can, be taught in schools. It seems to reach its very worst in the case of a teacher who confiscated a pupil’s property to prevent them learning about a technology the teacher seems to have some sort of ignorant grudge against.
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Against women
Stumbling and Mumbling lists seven things that are wrong with women. While some will no doubt be offended, can someone explain how it is any worse than the common suggestions that men are worse at communicating, multi-tasking etc., as Flip Chart Fairy Tales points out. In addition, there is the logical link between what women are supposed to be better than men at, and what women are supposed to be worse than men at. (more…)
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Moving to Galle
After over five years of living in Colombo (the capital of Sri Lanka) we have had enough and are moving to Galle. Colombo has become less and less pleasant to live in, we are not quite ready to go back to Britain, and we really like Galle. (more…)
School is hell
I never enjoyed school, but I enjoy, and have always enjoyed, learning. I would undoubtedly have done better if I had been simply taught to read and given a large pile of books, rather than being sent to school — even the extremely good school I went to.
Lies we tell children
After having a go at Paul Graham yesterday for writing outside is area of (considerable) expertise, I am eating my words a little by responding to just such an essay by him. It is true that many people do lie to children. This is what I think we should do.
I have a No TV too
Like Oliver Steele and his family, we have a No TV. I have had one so long that I find it hard to imagine life without it, so I find it harder to assess the benefits than he does. (more…)
Don’t eat killer fruit!
One of the reasons given by The Guardian for the failure of a scheme to encourage children to eat more fruit, is that schools are reluctant to give children fruit with stones because they might choke. What is even more amazing is that the journalist writing it could let this idiocy, and the disturbing reasons for it, pass with absolutely no comment. (more…)
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