CATEGORIES

Seabourne Alpha An Aggregate Dredger

Michael Nicholson builds a model of a ship he worked on as a teenager.

The Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition Highlights

John Arrowsmith gives his first impression of this year’s Midlands exhibition at The Fosse.

Lowestoft Model Engineering Exhibition 2019

Julie Williams takes us on a quick tour of this year’s LOWMEX.

Upscaling Can Change The Game

Mark Rudall reflects on how something not much larger than a model can get you and the whole family on the water.

A Bird Automaton

John Moorhouse designs and constructs a singing bird automaton in the shape of a violin.

Quarter Scale Bentley BR2 Rotary Aero Engine

Mick Knights completes his aero engine.

Walchaerts Valve Gear For Sweet Pea

Initially, it was my locomotive friend John who gave me the idea of fitting a Walchaert’s gear to his Sweet Pea, which is fitted with a Hackworth gear at present and doesn't run particularly well.

Making and Using Wax Chucks

Tony Bird demonstrates an unusual but effective method for work holding.

We Visit the Wrexham & District Society of Model Engineers

John Arrowsmith ventures deeper into GWR territory to find a club with a healthy younger membership.

Backplate for Myford 254 lathe

Robert Walker finds himself having to make a backplate for a newly purchased chuck.

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

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

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

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

Is Instinct Becoming Extinct?

Amid the fear of accountability, the rise of evidence-informed practice and increasing curriculum constraints, is there any room left in the classroom for a teacher’s gut instinct about what might be best for the children in front of them? To find out, Ed Finch and his school carried out an experiment: what if every teacher was allowed to do anything they wanted for a day? And what would that tell us about the role of experience in how we teach today?

Behaviour Matters, But Relationships Matter More

To create a positive learning environment, we need to stop viewing students in an adversarial light, says Margaret Mulholland

Garrett 4CD Tractor In 6 Inch Scale

This article has been written to guide the builder through the construction of the 6 inch scale Garrett 4CD tractor designed by Chris d’Alquen. The writer has previously built a 4 inch scale Garrett and a 6 inch scale Foden wagon so has the benefit of considerable experience in larger scale modelling. Most machining can be done in the average home workshop but the supplier from whom the castings and drawings are currently available is able to provide a machining service for the largest items if required.

Lathes And More For Beginners

The possibilities for use are endless!An example of work is a simple Tee-piece made from 3⁄8 inch diameter brass.

Brass, Steel And Fire

A Special Exhibition at the NRM

Muncaster's ‘Simple' Entablature Engine

Oil cups (fig 15) Start with some 6mm diameter brass, face off, reduce a length to 4mm and thread, (you can add a small undercut so that the flange pulls down tight onto the boss) and drill the hole.

Beam Compass

I made the locking rings (part 3) and the adjusting ring (part 8) from 1 inch diameter aluminium turned down to 22mm diameter for a length of at least 40mm to make all four rings.

The Elusive Wimshurst Machine

It eluded me for 80+ years and not many interesting things do - everybody should have at least one.

A New GWR Pannier

I think the next job on the Pannier Tank is to make the slide bars and cross heads (fig 15).

Simple Tweaks Can Light Up The World Of Science

Scientific cultural capital is like a candle, writes Beth Budden – and making small changes to the learning environment can help the subject to burn brightly for pupils who might otherwise struggle to see its relevance to their lives