For most practical skills there are three levels of competence: nothing, something, everything. (“Everything” is usually called expertise, or fluency.) Take, for example, playing a musical instrument, or speaking a foreign language. If you have never picked up a trombone or spoken a word of Mandarin you are at the first stage: nothing. That’s where… Continue reading Nothing, something, everything
You always have time to pee. This is a lesson I have tried to teach my children throughout their young lives (although I usually say “You always have time to do a wee”). Last year I told them two stories, one personal and one that was in the news, about people who didn’t think that… Continue reading You always have time to pee
I thought I knew what an adverb was: anything ending in “-ly”, which describes a verb (happily, sadly, strangely). But there’s so much more to it, as I learnt from my 9 year old daughter’s homework at the weekend. She had to include “Time Adverbials” in her piece about how the school canteen works. Thank… Continue reading Word of the Week: adverb
This is a test of my ability to teach, and my students’ ability, and willingness, to learn. You can work out the day of the week for any date in history if you can do the following 3 things: add 4 numbers together; divide numbers by 4 and by 7; learn a 12-digit sequence. If… Continue reading How to work out the day of the week from any date (takes 10 minutes)
The Compartments 