Collins Schools

Notes from the history of Maths: Size matters…

Notes from the history of Maths: Size matters…

On January 25th 2013, in Orlando, Florida, a computer running as part of the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) discovered the latest, largest known prime number.

4 min

Applying maths to the real world

Applying maths to the real world

The activities this month are aimed at helping children see the application of mathematics in the real world, while at the same time discovering things about some different parts of the world.

3 min

Secondary Chemistry – Superstuffs: Cellulose (Part 1)

Secondary Chemistry – Superstuffs: Cellulose (Part 1)

Since pre-historic times one substance has provided mankind with fuel, shelter, clothing and many other useful materials.  That substance is cellulose.

4 min

Secondary Chemistry – Superstuffs: Cellulose (part 2)

Secondary Chemistry – Superstuffs: Cellulose (part 2)

The nineteenth century dominance of cotton persuaded many chemists to explore the properties of cellulose.

5 min

Sociology – Class activities to beat the New Year slump!

Sociology – Class activities to beat the New Year slump!

The start of the spring term is always tricky- the sixth form tend to be a combination of stressed about UCAS and sluggish from the holidays, with the view that the exam ‘isn’t for months yet’.

3 min

‘Daredevil vs the Hulk? It’s just comma-sense!’

‘Daredevil vs the Hulk? It’s just comma-sense!’

“You think using full stops is hard!?” I asked one group of GCSE re-sit students the other day as they grappled with just two simple tips on what to look for when locating the end of a sentence – those being,...

5 min

Secondary English – Escaping the Ego-sphere

Secondary English – Escaping the Ego-sphere

It may sound like something out of Dr Who but, if anything, the Ego-sphere is the polar opposite of the Tardis.  It might look pretty big from the outside but it’s an extremely limited dimension when you are stuck inside it. 

4 min

Chemistry: Superstuffs – calcium carbonate

Chemistry: Superstuffs – calcium carbonate

Is calcium carbonate really a superstuff? We meet it in chemistry lessons as a white powder that fizzes in acids giving off carbon dioxide. It doesn’t seem special and yet it is closely involved with the evolution of life, the...

4 min

Secondary History – Evidence

Secondary History – Evidence

Look at the evidence! When examining cartoons, pictures or drawings, students often find it difficult to see beyond the obvious, which is usually staring them right in the face. How do you train them to search for all the evidence...

3 min

Secondary All – Back to School Icebreakers

Secondary All – Back to School Icebreakers

With the start of a new academic year fast approaching, now is a good time to be thinking about what to do in those first lessons back. Despite how busy you will inevitably be and how little time you will...

4 min

End of Term: Ideas for the last lesson

End of Term: Ideas for the last lesson

As the summer break finally approaches, many teachers will be thinking about what to do with their classes for the last lesson. Often both my students and I can summon up little more than the required energy for sweets and...

3 min

Not so Nobel - reactions of the inert gases

It was the evening of 23rd March 1962.  Neil Bartlett was in his lab at the University of British Colombia in Vancouver. Everyone else had gone home, including his student. It had taken longer than expected to set up the...

5 min