Calilasseia wrote:Looks like we could get along very well, if you were repelled by Michael Behe ...

Well it's a long story.... let me put it this way, I'm repelled by what he stands for now. I wasn't always so aware of what he and his ilk are up to.

I try not to impute motives, since I know only too well how deeply rooted self-deception can be.

campermon wrote:

Ironclad wrote:Run! The school inspector is on site!

Emmeline is lovely. I wish she could have inspected me...

campermon wrote:

Ironclad wrote:Run! The school inspector is on site!

Emmeline is lovely. I wish she could have inspected me...

I'm still lovely but I'm retired now, although I'd love to have inspected you (ooh matron!) but my expertise is in primary education not proper scientists like what you are!

Just to clarify, I only did OfSTED inspections as a small part of my work, which after my own headships was predominantly evaluations, advice and support to school leaders. The most rewarding work is developmental and you don't get much of that as an inspector.

Welcome to the forum TopCat!

Emmeline wrote:Welcome to the forum TopCat!

Fanx

Not sure I'd want all of my teaching techniques inspected by a Guv'mint inspector. I'll tell you about the Learning Tool (TM) sometime...

TopCat wrote:

Emmeline wrote:Welcome to the forum TopCat!

Fanx

Not sure I'd want all of my teaching techniques inspected by a Guv'mint inspector. I'll tell you about the Learning Tool (TM) sometime...

Campers is the expert on teaching science - he runs a department where students make genuinely impressive progress and his staff think he's cool & fab, which he is here too.

Welcome TopCat.
Speaking of cats, you can read some of my best work in the LOLcats threads.
Just kidding, sort of.

Emmeline wrote:
Campers is the expert on teaching science - he runs a department where students make genuinely impressive progress and his staff think he's cool & fab, which he is here too.

I managed to promote myself out of a job - I'm now i/c data / standards for the school and act as advisor for the science department.

campermon wrote:I managed to promote myself out of a job - I'm now i/c data / standards for the school and act as advisor for the science department.

Might yet be picking your brains.

My current project is teaching chemistry GCSE to a home-ed student, so whereas with my other tutees over the years it's been a question of fixing the problems acquired at school, now I have nowhere to hide.

I have to plan the lessons myself, set and mark the homework, and do some practicals with her that are interesting enough for her to be motivated to do the book learning, yet not so interesting that it poisons her, lacerates her, or blows up her parents' house.

Top tip: turns out you need a different type of bunsen to get a proper flame with CampingGaz.

campermon wrote:

Emmeline wrote:
Campers is the expert on teaching science - he runs a department where students make genuinely impressive progress and his staff think he's cool & fab, which he is here too.

I managed to promote myself out of a job - I'm now i/c data / standards for the school and act as advisor for the science department.

Excellent news and well deserved!

TopCat wrote:

campermon wrote:I managed to promote myself out of a job - I'm now i/c data / standards for the school and act as advisor for the science department.

Might yet be picking your brains.

My current project is teaching chemistry GCSE to a home-ed student, so whereas with my other tutees over the years it's been a question of fixing the problems acquired at school, now I have nowhere to hide.

I have to plan the lessons myself, set and mark the homework, and do some practicals with her that are interesting enough for her to be motivated to do the book learning, yet not so interesting that it poisons her and/or blows up her parents' house.

Top tip: turns out you need a different type of bunsen to get a proper flame with CampingGaz.

Quite a challenge!

Give us a shout if you need some resources.

Emmeline wrote:

campermon wrote:

Emmeline wrote:
Campers is the expert on teaching science - he runs a department where students make genuinely impressive progress and his staff think he's cool & fab, which he is here too.

I managed to promote myself out of a job - I'm now i/c data / standards for the school and act as advisor for the science department.

Excellent news and well deserved!

I'm not so loved now! I've taken the standards we had in the sci dept (proper, rigorous assessment and recording etc.) to school level i.e. when we collect school wide data, I make sure it is valid. It is amazing how some of the reported grades have dropped in some subjects!

campermon wrote:
Quite a challenge!

Tell me about it!

Give us a shout if you need some resources.

Ok, well I'm using Jim Clark's IGCSE book as the main text, backed up currently with some other revision guide that has some quite decent exam-style questions in it. Jim Clark is the ChemGuide guy, excellent as a 'bare essentials' resource for A Level, explains things pretty well generally.

For practicals I'm mostly making them up (admittedly after much research on YouTube) - so far I've done freezing point depression due to dissolved salt (with graphs, noting the extended period of warming at the melting point due to latent heat of fusion).

Also heating hydrated copper sulphate to drive off the water and hence calculate the number of molecules of water of crystallisation (we did get 5 ). Can you believe you can get a pretty damn decent electronic scale for seven quid???

Next up will be some acid/base/indicator stuff, a titration and a distillation. I plan to make some dry ice from a fire extinguisher and chuck it into some dilute NaOH solution with some universal indicator, should be fun. Also, once we've distilled some water, I'll get her to grow some crystals in it.

No lectures about safety needed, I hasten to add, trust me, I'm extremely cautious.

Any other resource ideas will be *very* gratefully received, whether for book learning, practicals, or lab gear suppliers.