Bill Scott's blog
Thoughts on learning, sustainability and the link between them
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People and Planet? Petulance and Pique more like
The girls and boys who run People & Planet have always tended to take themselves rather too seriously, falling into the trap of thinking that their Green League has had far more influence than it really has; they have also been far...
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Hefce in the firing line as new report criticises its support for learning enhancement
There's a new report from the HEA on: The Role of Hefce in Teaching and Learning Enhancement: A Review of Evaluative Evidence. It does not make good reading. This report was commissioned by the HEA in 2013 at Hefce's request, with the...
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Pandas and the Scottish education system – both found wanting
I watched the TV debates between the YES and NO campaigns for the break up of the UK out of a sense of duty – in part to see how many mentions sustainability got. Well, I heard two – sort of. First,...
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Shock Horror – The Telegraph discovers that plants can be poisonous
It's good to be back. The Daily Telegraph, every-ready to bash the BBC, has splashed an hysterical story about corn cockle [Agrrostemma githago] seeds being distributed in packages c/o Kew Gardens and the Countryfile programme. You'd think the country...
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Coming out – and signing off, pro tem
I finally said it out loud, and in a reasonably public place: that I think of zoos, safari parks and the like, as little better than prisons. This view has been a long time coming but I know when it...
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Creating a Learning Society in Edinburgh
Joseph E. Stiglitz will deliver the 2014 RSA Scotland Angus Millar Lecture on the topic of Creating a Learning Society. The RSA’s blurb says: It has long been recognised that most standard of living increases are associated with advances in...
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Blackberries causing moral panic in Islington
Committed urban types, happily back in London after a rare foray into rural parts, are said to be worried that the early sightings (and tastings) of ripe blackberries are harbingers of early-onset climate change. The panic was enhanced, no doubt, because...
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The UN looks to end poverty – but not yet
The outcomes of the UN General Assembly Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is now available. There are 17 SDGs and 169 targets, including 62 targets in relation to implementation. These proposals will now be submitted to...
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The Sage of Twickenham and the circular economy
When Vince Cable, the widely-acknowledged Sage of Twickenham, was asked a question in parliament the other week about the circular economy, he showed absolutely no understanding of what the term means. Dear me! What do they get up to all...
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A small town in Germany
I was at the University of Vechta in Lower Saxony on Monday making a presentation at the start of a summer school on Empirical Research on Education for Sustainable Development – Themes, Methods and Trends. I was the warm-up act for what...