My last non-fiction blog looked at thinking and asked ‘should thinking be on the curriculum? Yes, it definitely should. I ended that last blog by relating thinking to problem solving. So let’s explore thinking and problem-solving as a further dimension within my mastery theme. This week it is half term and my Year 3 (age…

In this series of blogs I am thinking about how to use language more effectively: to help breathe life and dimension into fiction. Synonyms are different words with same or similar meanings. It occurs to me as I write, how easy it is to repeat the same words all the way through a piece of…

We are still exploring mastery: and my last two blogs have been about the notion of ‘individualism’. A recent article by Dr Neel Burton, in the Spring edition of Families Magazine, explored ‘Why thinking should be a curriculum subject.’ This writer makes a valid point. Why are we not teaching our children to think? My…

Last week I blogged about trying to run before I could walk: trying to fill in the details of my story before I had a proper outline and structure. I also considered how to create three dimensional (as opposed to flat) characters and plots, building also on previous discussions about making fiction (even magic) believable….

My blog last week focused on mastery as the ultimate goal of knowing the child – and of each child knowing one’s self as an individual learner. So what are these little boxes into which schools and society seek to place children? How do these boxes operate against mastery by detracting attention from the individual?…