Curios of the week #21

Clippings, endnotes and other ephemera

Image via AI

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When I posted last week’s curios, I was on my way to the All Schools cross country championship in Bundoora. After a successful morning there, I had my arm twisted into going to the DFO South Wharf shopping centre on Melbourne’s South Bank. At shopping centres, I spend most of my time standing outside stores, looking at tweets or reading the news. This is what I did. However, I also bought some kitchen equipment and a pair of Converse. So it wasn’t all bad.

DFO is a tricky place to get to, so we have a sneaky way in around the back and park in an underused car park beneath the highway. There, I spotted a once desirable sports car that appeared to have been abandoned. Dust and twigs had gathered under and around the wheels and some unknown actor had written, ‘save me,’ on one of the rear windows. It struck me as a powerful metaphor for something education-related, I’m just not sure what. Your suggestions are welcome in the comments.

This week’s curios include two great podcasts, some learning styles research, a study conflicting with a prediction of cognitive load theory, undead vampires and much more.

Podcast of the week, part one

Listen to me talk about explicit teaching in the Marking the Role podcast with Phil Dye.

Direct instruction: It's back to the future for Australian education

Dye also interviews teachers at Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy and Blue Haven Public School in New South Wales.