Things I learned today.

A work colleague of mine in a previous school worked as a science technician. Though she left school with hardly any formal qualifications she loved her job and really worked hard to understand the science behind the experiments she prepared. After one of my explanations she stood back and said "You know something? Coming to school is a real education!" Need I say more?

1. That the revision plan I have been pushing for some years. "Mr G's one hour special" has now been proven to work. An article in the TES shows how students were able to assimilate information very quickly from an intensive revision process. Here is the article

   http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6007908

2. That my colleagues in my department are a hard working and dedicated bunch (I knew this already but events of today reminded me....if I stopped adding qualifiers you would be able to read it) Several are in today, against doctors orders, with viral conditions that really need rest, but they know that if they are off the pressure is put on the rest of us, so in they trundled
3. That students come up with the best ideas. For years I have got my students to measure the strength of self-made electromagnets by how many paper clips they can pick up. Two year 8 students today decided to use a miniture plotting compass and see how far away an electromagent will make the needle flick when its turned on? Brilliant! Far more sensitive than paper clips.