Tag Archives: learning in context

The end of Bloke School?

Posted on June 20, 2015 by

When my friends decided to return their kids to school, my eldest boy was angry and upset. His (probably legitimate) complaint was that we would never see them again. This is not the first friend he has lost. His great … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

On the tools

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

We have been taking things pretty easy from a purely academic point of view lately. Even though our year runs to a general kind of plan, it is not rigidly fixed. We are actually ahead of schedule on the bits … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Across Bali to Pemuteran

Posted on February 18, 2015 by

We have been spending some time in Pemuteran on the north west coast of Bali. I meant to post this a few days ago, but the internet connectivity was not up to it. Going from Ubud to Pemuteran, we spent … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Life experiences, Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

In and around Ubud.

Posted on February 12, 2015 by

It is a struggle to pick my boys up and carry them around anymore. They are both extremely large for their age and also very articulate. I often forget that at six and four years old, they are still only … Continue reading →

Posted in Life experiences, Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The opening days of Bali

Posted on February 7, 2015 by

So we are over at Bali. Simply getting here was an adventure in itself. It was an eighteen hour day of driving, hanging out in airports, and a six hour flight. Despite a few dramas, the boys handled it a … Continue reading →

Posted in Geography, Life experiences, Nature, Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The importance of being relevant

Posted on December 7, 2014 by

I quite like worksheets myself. They look so organised when planning a curriculum. You can see exactly what you have covered, and what you plan to practice next. There is a real sense of accomplishment when the book of worksheets is … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bark canoes

Posted on November 15, 2014 by

Last week was largely spent in an aside, looking at traditional boats of the Pacific. The whole thing was fueled by the sudden appearance of a fleet of ocean going canoes. Outside of our field trip, we also spent quite … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The vaka

Posted on November 7, 2014 by

Our usual routine was thrown into disorder this week when I stumbled onto the news that a fleet of Pacific Island ocean going canoes were due to arrive at the harbour. The Pacific Islands largely sit on the sidelines of … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life experiences | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Arrawarra fish traps

Posted on October 18, 2014 by

Stone age cultures seem to get a raw deal from historians. This is probably because they leave no written records, and relatively few archaeological remains. Also, they lived a lifestyle with almost no cultural commonality to people alive today, which makes … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dangerous toys

Posted on October 7, 2014 by

‘Take a look at this piece of wire. It’s a very heavy gauge, nearly as thick as your finger. It’s very strong. We can hardly bend it. But now look. If we put it into the bolt cutters and give … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching and learning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments