Tag: firthofclyde

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Dear Neighbours

clydemacgregor

First time blogging in a while – I have scads of recipes and some nifty photos, plus another project car (and the saga therein!) to share. But first, I wanted to share with you a letter to my next door neighbours. I will go into things in more detail later, but suffice it to say that I have moved with my family to a neat little bungalow which is right across from the local RCMP detachment. We have been here for over two years now, and it has been a peacable time. The RCMP make fine neighbours overall, as most … Continue reading Dear Neighbours

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Cherry Square (with a delicious secret)

clyde

Hullo, all! Here’s a pretty little recipe for cherry tart squares, and as the title says, there is a wee secret to the sweet, creamy crust. Gluten free, true – that’s no secret though, as all my posts are. May, the secret is, the crust is made from mashed potatoes! An enticing blend of coconut flour, coconut milk and potatoes, with some tapioca starch to bind it and nice honey (or plain white confectioners’ sugar if you prefer) makes for a delicious taste complement to the tart and sweet cherry mixture. First thing- boil the living heck out of some … Continue reading Cherry Square (with a delicious secret)

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This is the Army, Mister Jones- No Reading Method, but Gramophones!

clyde

This is the Army, Mister Jones- No More Reading, but Gramophones! By Clyde MacGregor Again, we find language conscripted into service for the military, much as my previous essay (which can be found at firthofclyde.home.blog) outlined. Then it was World War I, and T.E. Lawrence had used language to change the tide of war. In discussing the Reading and the Audio-Lingual Approach, we find that language is once again on the front lines. It is interesting to note that the generals who advocated the later Audio-Lingual Approach were themselves taught by the Reading Method. They were American, by and large, … Continue reading This is the Army, Mister Jones- No Reading Method, but Gramophones!

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The ‘i + 1’s Have It- Comprehension Theory and Teaching

clyde

By Clyde MacGregor Language has been on a strange journey in the past century. As a result of a few pesky steam engines, suddenly everyone was travelling everywhere, and language had to hop to attention! It was conscripted to fight on both sides of two World Wars. It was used to open the minds of an entire generation to cultural variety and spiritual growth. It was used to sell, sell, sell, manipulated to drive up product sales. It was written on protest signs. It was broadcast on the airwaves. It was used purely as a logic-oriented transmission; it was a … Continue reading The ‘i + 1’s Have It- Comprehension Theory and Teaching

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The Wonder of DIY Environmental Monitoring Devices

clyde

I thoroughly recommend anyone who is good with a solder iron (and aware that they should wear a fume mask or use a hood with it!) to check out KitHub. Not only can you pick up one of Safecasts’ Geiger Counter kits, you can get kits to inspire the little ones (or the whimsical adults in your life) to create and invent basic tools. (I thought the mask whose light illuminates from the charge on the wearer’s face was particularly inspiring for kids). These projects are an amazing way to introduce technology-based science to children, and to tech-phobic adults. The … Continue reading The Wonder of DIY Environmental Monitoring Devices

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Hippies, Beatniks and Squares, Oh My

clyde

By Clyde MacGregor Didn’t everyone just have an Opinion in the Post-War Era? Cognitive behaviorists were convinced any subject could be inserted into the minds of their subjects, like magnetic tape on a reel of a computer, or a punch card into an input slot. Meanwhile, enterprising members of the counterculture were asserting that it was freedom and inclusivity, immersion and exploration that would teach people, not through rules or repetition or force. These teachers advocated learning as a pleasant by-product of a conducive classroom experience, full of creativity and right-brained activities. Noam Chomsky, a Canadian, put all those push … Continue reading Hippies, Beatniks and Squares, Oh My

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A Girl, and a Boy, and a Camel

clyde

Thoughts on Language Acquisition and Traditional Methods In the winter of 1545, a little girl had just lost her mother. Her father had married a new wife, and this little girl was in dire danger, for her father was a king, who might decide to cast the girl out- or worse. In a desperate attempt to prove her love- and her usefulness- to her father, she translated a work on religion, penned by her new mother, Catherine Parr. This little girl had been raised with William Grindal’s grammar translation teachings of language. The girl performed three flawless, hand-written translations of … Continue reading A Girl, and a Boy, and a Camel