C.E. Jottings

Scope-Netbuddy merger

Well, I hadn't heard of it, so perhaps you haven't either. "Earlier this year, Netbuddy – the online community .... for parents of disabled children – became part of the national charity Scope. The idea was to create a new online community for parents of children with a wide range of impairments, and disabled people who want to connect with others too. "Our new online community has now launched, and it brings together the best of Scope’s existing forums with... Read more →

The power of the internet. An awful news story. How should one respond?

The power of the internet? The awfulness of a near-local news story of the organised abuse of children? How should one respond? As I begin writing this at 07.15am, this blog has had 47 visitors in the past 8 hours and 45 minutes, according to the Feedjit 'Live Traffic Feed'. 42 of these visited just one particular post from May 2012: "Belated farewell to Dr Sonia Sharp - heading down under to Victoria." These 42 visitors come from across the... Read more →

Skatepark for wheelchair users

OK. Arguments for and against from conductors, please. Would you have one in your centre? "A skatepark designed specifically for wheelchair users is being planned by a children's charity." BBC News "Petersfield wheelchair skatepark planned" Read more →

This website is trash - beware; be warned. Look elsewhere for conductive education

Let me speak plainly. This website is trash http://conductive-world.com/about-us.html Trash. It is a parasite feeding off thoroughly reputable sites. Those behind it are thieves, charlatans and plagiarists. They have nothing intelligible of value to say about conductive education. Be warned. Be wary. Beware. Read more →

What can we learn from the 9th drop?

Wonderful item on BBC Radio 4 Today. Report on an experiment begun in 1927 to test the viscosity of pitch. (at about 2hrs 18 mins in). "At room temperature pitch feels solid - even brittle - and can easily be shattered with a blow from a hammer. It's quite amazing then, to see that pitch at room temperature is actually fluid!" "In 1927 Professor Parnell heated a sample of pitch and poured it into a glass funnel with a sealed... Read more →

Can non-cognitive skills be measured? Are any skills 'non-cognitive'?

On Twitter, Sam Freedman (@Samfr) asked "Can non-cognitive skills be measured? Are any skills 'non-cognitive'?" His questions arose in response to an interesting Summary of a Report on the Thomas B Fordham website: Non-Cognitive Ability, Test Scores, and Teacher Quality: Evidence from 9th Grade Teachers in North Carolina Andrew Saraf / January 24, 2013 The teacher-evaluation debate follows a well-worn path: Traditional evaluation systems (in which upwards of 99 percent of educators are deemed “effective”) are meaningless, argue reformers. New... Read more →

When is a community centre NOT a community centre?

A recent decision of the Valuation Tribunal in respect of Paces Campus raises a question which might have wider interest and application. First, let me tell you a little about the Campus, as factually as I am able. Paces, a charity founded by and working with children and adults with cerebral palsy and their families, first occupied the premises of the former High Green Comprehensive School in 1997, under a Licence to Occupy from Sheffield City Council. Our expressed intent,... Read more →

Sometimes 'An Unexpected Ass-Kicking" is just what we need

Here's a cheering story about "potential" though the word isn't once used. So different from the view of potential as something that has to be "unlocked" or "untapped", as if potential is something we have inside ourselves: a view that has so debilitated the collective educational mind thoughout my professional lifetime. There's much else but I particularly liked: “That’s the problem with a lot of people”, he continued, “they don’t try to do stuff that’s never been done before, so... Read more →

Why so quiet, lately?

There's not been a lot I've felt inspired to comment on, to be honest. Not the we've not been busy at Paces. Quite the contrary! On top of delivering excellent services (of course), there's an enormous amount of work going on overhauling the whole organisation (governance, financial systems, management), a constant questioning of what we do, why and how. Adults' services, particularly, is an area we are focused on. And supporting families. And trying to work out how we can... Read more →

Two phrases. Opposite poles. What do they mean for education and upbringing?

Two phrases have been rattling around in my head. I'm just going to share them with you - and maybe come back later to expand on my own thoughts. The first is ... "educated beyond their intelligence"; The second is .... "the transformability of human potential". To put them both into their immediate contexts (emphases mine). The first is from an (otherwise forgetable) article in the Guardian "What's the point of social mobility?" by Zoe Williams: " ... my new... Read more →