Apparently this letter recently won an award for being badly punctuated, the irony being that it was a letter written by a group of academics protesting against Gove’s proposals for a new core curriculum. Can you spot them?
A badly drafted letter complaining about the decline in standards…
Posted: May 6, 2013 in Teaching Ideas0
Now I’m posting stupid ‘insightful’ pictures…
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Posted: May 6, 2013 in Uncategorized
One way or another, we’re all lifers
I’m using this as a great example of presentation.
The best way I have found to getting through the arduous process of repetitive paperwork.
25 minutes working with a ticking clock. This is called a pomodoro.
5 minutes break
Repeat three more times.
30 minute break after the fourth.
Etc.
What I like about it is the continual reference to time and targets, especially in terms of ending the activity. Let’s say I have 24 reports to write. I estimate how long one will take me. Let’s say 8 minutes. So then I can work out that i need 8 pomodoros, which is 4.5 hours. Then I can say, that’s too long, adjust 8 minutes to 5 per report, and then voila, 5 pomodoros, or 3 hours. Much more reasonable. And less depressing.
Related articles
- Get more done using the Pomodoro Technique (westminsterdnl.wordpress.com)
These actions are a great way of testing your understanding of various punctuation marks. I got them from David Didau’s book The Perfect Ofsted English Lesson, who in turn got them from Phil Beadle.
FULL STOP – throw a short, right-handed punch at the air in front of you. Make the noise, Ha!
COMMA – with your right arm bent so that your hand is in front of your face, make a short twisting motion at the wrist to signify the comma shape. Make the noise, Shi!
SEMI-COLON – do the full stop punch, then the comma shape directly underneath it. Make the noises, Ha! Shi!
COLON – follow the full stop punch immediately with one directly beneath it. Ha! Ha!
QUESTION MARK – separate the curly bit into three cutting movements with the hand: one horizontal left to right, one curved around, and one vertical coming from the bottom of the curved one. Then at the bottom of the shape you have just drawn in the air, bung in a full stop punch. Shi! Shi! Shi! Ha!
EXCLAMATION MARK – a long vertical slash, from top to bottom, followed by a full stop. Shiiiii! Ha!
SPEECH MARKS – stand on one leg, extend your arms diagonally to the skies and wiggle your index and middle fingers in an approximation of speech marks. Haeeee!
APOSTROPHE – with your right arm fully extended to the air, wiggle your index finger. Flap your tongue up and down to create a blubablubabluba sound
ELLIPSIS – three punches along a horizontal line. Ha! Ha! Ha!
…there was a teacher. And he worked in a space named E21 and he arrived in the morning and he did teach. And in the afternoon he left E21 and he did not teach. Then Providence led him to this place, and he saw that it was good. He saw that E21 was a mind-space, that he could teach and learn and be in E21 whenever he wanted. And that was good.
E21@thelangton 