On the Tyne (no fog)

Categories: Glaciation, Advanced Higher, Geography General

Been down in Newcastle today at a course aimed at helping us set up and maintain our Malawi school link. I feel as if I have more ideas than when I went, but will actually have to be a bit ruthless as to which ones I take to the Head, as the link could become hard to manage. Passed the Tyne Bridge while, in true geography teacher tradition, getting lost, and enjoyed the train journey down through Edinburgh and along the coast. I'm on my way back freeloading on National Express's wi-fi :-)
Tomorrow, I have two doubles, one with Higher, and one with Advanced. With Higher, we'll be looking at the formation of glaciers, and you should know what some of the terms below mean now;
ablation
accumulation
neve
crevasse
warm based
cold based
In case you don't, or simply can't remember, I'm going to use the Bosson and ask a few questions- How can the Bosson be advancing yet apparently retreating at the same time? If ice freezes to objects, then how can ice move? How can ice turn a corner?

I also used Alan P's year in the life last session as an easy whiteboard drag and drop, and will probably do so again, and providing I've enough left over from the Alps tuck shop, will again use Mars Bars to show ice movement, crevasse formation etc. Who knows, I may even throw in a good old fashioned chalk board diagram (can't think of another way to show a bergschrund). We should then be ready to look at glacial erosion, which should be the easy bit for most of you. I'll probably ask one of you to give me the formation of a corrie, intermediate style, so that I can show you how to get better marks for the same question at Higher. I'm also flagging up the Fettes website just now, as it's also about our case study area for rural land resources.
With Advanced Higher, I'm trying to get you started thinking about studies and issues much earlier this year, so thought I'd do Ollie's online handout with you earlier, and may talk to you about the use of twitter for fieldwork safety and record keeping while out and about. After doing this, we'll get back to some of the mapping I left you.
s3 are just about ready to start Glaciation, so will ask the Jeff Daniels question....more tomorrow