Cold weather Thursday rushing about. Some thoughts on reading and learning.

 We are still in the grip of the cold spell. The pavements are covered in frozen snow, so this morning again I gave up the idea of running anywhere. Besides Granddaughter Number two had invited herself over again to work on her university assignments in the relative quiet of our house, where she can always ask for advice on wording if necessary. And I knew she was planning to catch a bus juts before 9.00 which would mean her arriving here by 9.30.

So i got up and got organised before she arrived, even getting some washing done.

Later in the day, around midday, we walked round the village, following my normal running route and stopping at the co-op store for supplies of this and that. We admired the icicles again.

By mid-afternoon I was chivvying her and her grandfather to get on our way to collect Grandson Number Two from pre-school, a usual Thursday arrangement. As it was we set off later than I would have liked. In the end I was forging ahead, power-walking, leaving the other two behind discussing topics for her university assignments. I was a little concerned that the four year old might be upset that nobody was there to collect him. So I may not have run this morning but I almost ran this afternoon, as far as hiking boots allow you to run! I must have been maybe five or ten minutes late but all was well.

We crossed the road from the school building to catch a bus home. It was the time of day when our normal bus service, the 350, is supplemented with S350 buses, special school buses (hence the S before the bus number) serving the local comprehensive school. The first of these to come along - empty! - ignored my  outstretched arm and sailed past. I know from past experience that stopping for passengers not in school uniform seems to be very much at the discretion of the driver. A couple of minutes later another came along and the driver seemed quite happy to have us on board. At one point our small boy looked at a couple of teenage girls and asked us what those “small adults” on the bus. Fortunately he is still cute and charming and gets way with things like that. 

Such was my Thursday.

One of my acknowledged obsessions is with promoting pen and paper over IT in the classroom or in studying. When Granddaughter Number Two was revising for A-levels I tried to persuade her that she should make notes by hand, rather than constantly rereading, and highlighting bits of notes on her laptop. I am strongly convinced that there is a link between physically writng stuff down and that stuff getting lodged in your brain. In my experience it works for learning vocabulary and spellings as well as for more serious concepts. However, both my daughter and Granddaughter Number One are busily learning languages by Duolingo on heir phones. i wait to see how that goes.

In the meantime, here is a link to an article about children learning better, gaining a fuller understanding, from reading actual printed stuff rather than from a screen. Apparently they read paper sources more deeply.

And here’s another article, this time about schools experimenting with completely banning smartphones. Interesting stuff.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!