The 2020 Annual National Convention of TESOL-SPAIN took place last week at the University of Salamanca. Image: Fernando Vázquez Yáñez/Creative Commons My personal highlight was a talk on “Positive Language Education” by Sarah Mercer, head of English Language Teaching at the University of Graz in Austria. She began by posing two questions that formed partContinue reading “The deeper purpose of education”
Author Archives: Graham Jones
Breaking barriers within education
Next month the University of Salamanca will host the TESOL-SPAIN 43rd Annual National Convention. The theme of the convention — Breaking barriers: make it happen, make it matter! — “invites us to reflect on the powerful forces that contribute to modern life, including the emergence of Artificial Intelligence with its unforeseeable impact on our lives.Continue reading “Breaking barriers within education”
Eclipse waiting: a project for the 2020s
Worldwide, the 2020s will bring us 22 solar eclipses: seven total, seven annular and eight partial. (An annular eclipse occurs when the moon is too far away to cover the sun completely — the sun becomes a ‘ring of fire’ surrounding the black disk of the moon.) Image: Jordan Lye The most high-profile spectacles includeContinue reading “Eclipse waiting: a project for the 2020s”
Helping African children become radio astronomers, and other stories
Image: NASA/EOS/GSFC I’ve written a piece for EarthSky about last month’s International Astronomical Union Symposium on Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: https://earthsky.org/human-world/iau-symposium-diversity-inclusion-astronomy The article focusses on two stories from two continents. Ikechukwu Anthony Obi — from the Center for Basic Space Science at Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency — is finding cleverContinue reading “Helping African children become radio astronomers, and other stories”
The top ten ephemeral moments in the sky
As part of the build-up to next week’s Mercury transit, I’ve put together a list for Sky & Telescope on the top ten fleeting phenomena in astronomy… https://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/top-ten-ephemeral-moments-sky/ At Number 10: An Overhead Pass of the International Space Station. Image: Bob King. Coming soon: there will be a lovely ‘ephemeral moment’ at the end ofContinue reading “The top ten ephemeral moments in the sky”
Physics at the movies
The November 2019 Physics World is a special issue on “Physics at the movies – the science behind the scenes”. Among the highlights: Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe talks to friend and physicist Jess Wade about what it’s like as an actor to work with visual effects (VFX), from 3D body mapping to green screensContinue reading “Physics at the movies”
Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Japan, along with most of the Asia-Pacific region, will miss out on next week’s transit of Mercury. The country will, however, be hosting an International Astronomical Union (IAU) symposium on “Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion — a roadmap to action within the framework of the IAU 100th Anniversary”. The event will be held overContinue reading “Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion”
How ‘the little stuff’ helps language learners
Later this month the Japanese publisher CosmoPier is bringing out a special magazine on foreign TV dramas that can help people learn English. I was asked to write a piece about the BBC comedy The Office. How can The Office help learners improve their English skills? I quoted the show’s creators, Ricky Gervais and StephenContinue reading “How ‘the little stuff’ helps language learners”
Gracias a San José de Jáchal
Our livestream concluded with an eclipsed sun setting behind the Andes. Thank you to everyone in San José de Jáchal, Argentina, who helped us deliver a fabulous timeanddate.com livestream of last week’s total solar eclipse. The support we received from the Municipalidad de Jáchal was simply incredible; we’re especially grateful to Domingo Martinez and MatíasContinue reading “Gracias a San José de Jáchal”
Wish you were here? 7 chances to experience totality in the 2020s
My latest piece for Physics World is a travel guide to the seven total solar eclipses of the 2020s. Link: https://physicsworld.com/a/wish-you-were-here-seven-chances-to-experience-a-total-solar-eclipse-in-the-2020s/ Luxor, on the banks of the River Nile in Egypt, will enjoy 6 minutes 22 seconds of totality on 2 August 2027. (Image: Mahmoud Algazzar)
