‘Can’t we just watch a video?’ ‘But it’s the last lesson / week / term though Sir!’ As soon as the students get a sniff of the summer hols the questions come thick and fast. ‘We’re playing games in other classes though’ ‘Can’t we have a fun lesson?’ What? Our lessons are always fun… It […]
Author: Paul_Bateson
Memorability of stories
Using stories to engage learners across the curriculum (***Warning: ‘Of Mice and Men’ spoiler alert***) ‘Oh. My. God.’ shrieks one student loudly and skids her book across her table, as other reading books drop and hit desks and there are outtakes of breath and loud sighs and ooohs and ahhhs and chatting and exclaiming erupts […]
Travel Blog #22 – Philippines – Siargao Island
We travel to the port of Tagbilaran by bumpy tricycle, take the boat back to Cebu, a local ferry across the estuary again to Mactan home of Lapu Lapu, a jeepney up the road, call my Dad for his birthday, some quick food at the mall and in a cheap but nice hotel near the […]
Travel Blog #21 – Bohol
Most of the Philippines’ provinces slowly bowed down and surrendered to the Spanish, all but Mactan Island, led by Chief Lapu-Lapu, adjacent to Cebu Island. This is where we are to take our boat to Bohol. He led his people to fight against the invasion, killing Ferdinand Magellan in a battle, no less, and slowing the Spanish […]
Travel Blog #20 – Philippines – Manila, Legaspi and Cebu
The only thing I know about the Philippines as we fly from Bali is that there was once a famous boxing match in the capital, ‘The Thriller in Manila’; and that when we were booking our trip the lad in STA said it was ‘the next big thing’. We almost kind of stuck on three […]
Travel Blog #19 – Bali, Gili and Me
Surfs up dude My only experiences of surfing before now was East Coast England – cold water surfing. Wet suit. Wet suit hood, shoes, gloves, and chilly bum bums. Scarborough. Bamburgh. Cayton Bay. Beadnell. And I’d loved it, but it was cold, And I wasn’t very good, and it’s at least a two hour drive […]
Travel Blog #18 – Bali
Are you, like, even a traveller yah? If you don’t go to Bali ? With white sand beaches, yoga retreats, surfer dudes, palm groves and waterfall walks it promises to be the perfect instagram opp stop. And blooming eck there’s a lot of insta action. Search #bali or #yogaubud and there so many picture perfect […]
Travel Blog #17 Thailand revisited – Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Bangkok
Thailand is the classic cliche travelers destination, from the original 70s hippies on the banana pancake trail (so called as locals began to make banana pancakes as for western travellers as an antidote to traditional Thai brekkies), to ‘The Beach’ inspired hedonists of the 90s; all full moon parties, cocktail buckets and mushroom shakes, to […]
Vietnam 3 – blog #16 Phong Nha, Ninh Binh / Tam Coc, Bac Ha, Sapa, Hanoi
Rural rides. Cool Caves, The hills and Hanoi. It’s fun that’s a fact. (See below haha) Another exciting prospect of Vietnam was the prospect of rural reclusivity for us. After the joy of walking in Nepal right at the start of our trip, and though we had seen beautiful scenery and enjoyed some stunning beaches […]
Travel Blog #14 I was there man – Hue / DMZ
As I mentioned in the last blog, think of Vietnam and we think of the US / Vietnam war of 1960s/70s. Sweaty jungles and muddy faced soldiers. But I don’t know my history and I also want to look into the war for myself. We watched ‘full metal jacket’ on a YouTube clip (no Vietnam […]