If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left.
”That quote is widely attributed to physicist Albert Einstein. But there's no evidence that the Nobel prizewinner ever said it. Or, indeed, that he ever said anything about bees. In fact, it may not be a massive shock to learn that the quote’s provenance probably lies with a different man: one who wrote a book about bees.
But, regardless, it’s a quote that has stuck on the internet and in people’s consciousness. If someone had asked you – prior to your picking up this article – about the prospect of bee extinction, I am willing to bet a not inconsiderable sum that you’d have had a feeling of slight impending doom, even if that exact quote didn’t come to mind. Search Google and you’ll find page upon page lauding bees as hardworking, adaptable and essential to the survival of humankind. If ever you are in need of some PR, you could do worse than find out who’s doing the publicity for bees.
And it is my assertion that teachers need to work to evoke that same sort of feeling – create a buzz, if you will – among parents, government and the population at large. Put simply: all teachers need to be queen bees.
Because, if not, teachers risk becoming pandas instead. I assume that, at this point, people will shrug their shoulders and ask: “What’s wrong with that?” Fear not, gentle reader: I shall tell you exactly what is wrong with that.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 11, 2019 من TES.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 11, 2019 من TES.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Try not to get hung up on linguistic convention, chic@s
Languages are like water – they take the easiest route. And, like gender, they are fluid. That is why, as world languages evolve to reflect cultural change, a revolution is under way in the use of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ terms, writes Heather Martin
Three simple psychology tips for better behaviour
When a pupil is acting up, their motivations are often hidden from view. It’s possible that teachers themselves are partially at fault for setting the wrong tone in their interaction with others, writes Lekha Sharma, who suggests ways to remodel a school culture
This research could be music to your ears…
Schools should resist putting additional time and resources into yet more English and maths lessons and instead give children’s learning a research-evidenced boost by encouraging them to join a band or an orchestra, says Martin Leigh
Minority (school) report
Predictive technology – powered by increasingly complex algorithms – is finding its way into schools, promising to pre-empt misbehaviour, violence or mental health issues before they happen. But does it work, and is its use ethical, asks Simon Creasey
Giving school a spin again
In a bid to improve parental engagement, one Edinburgh school is putting parents in their children’s shoes to experience a typical modern school day – and the results are breathtaking, finds Emma Seith
Averting Pupils' Social Stigma By ‘Poverty Proofing'
Do your school policies unintentionally ‘out’ children from disadvantaged backgrounds? One charity says such occurrences are all too common and have proposed ‘poverty proofing’ as the solution. Lucy Edkins investigates
A Plant-Based Diet Of Learning
Aware of the mental health benefits of green-fingered working, Nigel Cox helped to set up an outreach course at his college to support people recovering from substance abuse and other personal challenges
Social And Emotional Skills In The Early Years
Children who are able to focus their attention, manage their behaviour and interact positively with others from a young age experience better learning outcomes later in life, finds Irena Barker
How Centralised Detentions Get Pupils' Attention
By adopting a consistent whole-school approach to rewards and sanctions, we achieved a marked improvement in attitudes to learning – and reduced teachers’ workload, says Calvin Robinson
Homework Truths
With some studies claiming that homework has little or no impact on pupil achievement, schools have been tempted to cut back on it or ban it altogether. But we shouldn’t write homework off, warn two gurus of UK education research. Steve Higgins and Lee Elliot Major argue that the evidence on homework has been misrepresented – and out-of-school study can, in fact, have a major impact on learning outcomes