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Teaching about Turkish St. George and his Libyan dragon

As today is St. George's Day I decided that I would do special lessons with my Year 8 and 9s today as a one off. I often do the same on Valentine's Day if the chance arises.
Like most patron saints, George has an interesting back story. Martyred for his Christian faith by the Romans on 23rd April 303, the Turkish George became the patron saint of soldiers during the crusades. He was then adopted by Richard the Lionheart as a 'good luck charm' and became associated with England, although it wasn't until Edward III that George had official English recognition, as the patron of the Knights of the Garter.
From the crusades the myth grew about St. George slaying a dragon, oddly enough in Libya. The story had turned George into a knight of the crusades and has him rescuing a princess from the dragon. As a result all of the locals (Muslim) converted to Christianity. It is likely that this story was a piece of war propaganda as the Christian 'west' fought the Muslim 'east' in Palestine.
So now you know. Happy St. George's Day!

Filed under  //   Education  
Posted April 23, 2012
 

Government changes Free School agreement to ban creationist schools

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via evolutionnotcreationism.org.uk

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed a new revision of the model funding agreement for Free Schools by the Government in order to preclude ‘the teaching, as an evidence-based view or theory, of any view or theory that is contrary to established scientific and/or historical evidence and explanations.’ This highly significant change has been made in order to ban creationism from being taught in Free Schools, and prevent creationist groups from opening schools. The change follows the BHA coordinating the ‘Teach evolution, not creationism!’ campaign, which called for this precise change.

In September, the BHA came together with thirty leading scientists and science educators including Sir David Attenborough, Professor Richard Dawkins and Professor Michael Reiss, and five national organisations to launch ‘Teach evolution, not creationism!’, which called on the government to introduce statutory guidance against the teaching of creationism and garnered significant press coverage.

TAKE ACTION!
Join over 20,000 others in sign the BHA’s government e-petition, ‘Teach evolution, not creationism’, at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1617

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Filed under  //   Education   Religion & Philosophy  
Posted January 11, 2012
 

Examiners get certificates too!

Click here to download:
award.doc (37 KB)
(download)

Filed under  //   Education  
Posted June 3, 2011
 

Education in the ConDem firing line - I did warn people.....

School gate

Everyone knew that education was going to be one of the first targets in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition's attempts to make £6 billion a year of public savings. The onslaught is already under way with a leaked e-mail from David Bell, the top departmental civil servant in the new Department for Education, instructing a whole range of educational organisations and quangos to make no new announcements, sign any contracts or publish policy documents. The Building Schools for the Future work has also been put on hold.

The re-badging of what was previously known as The Department for Children, Schools and Families as simply the Department for Education along with the abolition of its rainbow logo might be seen as sensible rationalisation in hard times but Michael Gove is not a supporter of Children's Trusts, of Children and Young People's Plans or, in the wider context, of Pupil Voice in schools. Initiatives to encourage healthy eating and more exercise, breakfast and after-school clubs and sports and leisure strategies now look marginal. The declared intention to refocus on teaching and learning is not the same as declaring that every child matters, and this Conservative notion of education sounds rather like something which is done to people rather than engaged with.

Read more at labourlist.org

Filed under  //   Education   Politics  
Posted May 19, 2010