Chris Lynch

Educator | Coach | Mentor | Passionate about making learning interesting and relevant for both children and adults | Melbourne

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

@TheKouk Building approvals on the slide in Victoria - Channel 9 news tonight- I’m confused Stephen

[Judianna @Judianna]

Monopoly - I didn't know this!

(You'll never look at the
game the same way again!)

Starting in 1941, an increasing number of British Airmen found themselves as the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown was casting about for ways and means to facilitate their escape...

Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that end is a useful and accurate map, one showing
not only where stuff was, but also showing the locations of 'safe houses' where a POW on-the-lam could go for food and shelter.

Paper maps had some real drawbacks -- they make a lot of noise when you open and fold them, they wear out rapidly, and if they get wet, they turn into mush.

Someone in MI-5 (Similar to America 's OSS) got the idea of printing escape maps on silk. It's durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads, and unfolded as many times as needed, and makes no noise whatsoever.

At that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that had perfected the technology of printing on silk, and that was John Waddington, Ltd. When approached by the government, the firm was only too happy to do its bit for the war effort.

By pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the popular American board game, Monopoly. As it happened, 'games and pastimes' was a category of item qualified for insertion into 'CARE packages', dispatched by the International Red Cross to prisoners of war.

Under the strictest of secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old workshop on the grounds of Waddington's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees began mass-producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany or Italy where Allied POW camps were regional system). When processed, these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that they would actually fit inside a Monopoly playing piece.

As long as they were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also managed to add:
1. A playing token, containing a small magnetic compass
2. A two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together
3. Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian, and French currency, hidden within the piles of Monopoly money!

British and American air crews were advised, before taking off on their first mission, how to identify a 'rigged' Monopoly set -- by means of a tiny red dot, one cleverly rigged to look like an ordinary printing glitch, located in the corner of the Free Parking square.

Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an estimated one-third were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly sets... Everyone who did so was sworn to secrecy indefinitely, since the British Government might want to use this highly successful ruse in still another, future war.

The story wasn't declassified until 2007, when the surviving craftsmen from Waddington's, as well as the firm itself, were finally honored in a public ceremony.

It's always nice when you can play that 'Get Out of Jail' Free' card!

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

Australian experts urge government on age verification pilot program https://t.co/gJcZczGQR4
Great initiative- let’s support it as another way to protect our kids

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

These free online modules look to be great value

[Trevor MacKenzie @trev_mackenzie]

The questions we ask matter.

The spaces we create matters.

If our aim is to nurture student-centred learning, then a step we must take is to decenter ourselves.

Sometimes the most powerful move we can make for our learners is to get out of their way.

[Trevor MacKenzie @trev_mackenzie]

And:

Who are my learners & what are their stories?

What experiences do they bring to the classroom to make learning richer for all?

What questions can I ask to surface the unique qualities & identities of everyone in the room? How can I help make this safe for all?

[Trevor MacKenzie @trev_mackenzie]

And

How am I creating space in the curriculum for students to co-design & co-construct w/ me?

How is my classroom an invitation to learning? How is it a space for students to explore & discover
the curriculum & in doing so, explore & discover themselves & the world around them?

[Trevor MacKenzie @trev_mackenzie]

Keen on inquiry? Take a moment & consider...

Am I doing something for my students that they should be doing for themselves?

How am I making learning equitable for all students?

How am I being responsive to the unique needs & interests & identities of everyone in my classroom?

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

@kelly_moore80 Dear children I loved the stories I could see- wish I could read ALL of them

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

@SFXMary @shazbailey1 So great to see professional educators being given the opportunity to improve their craft

[Sharron Davies HoL MBE @sharrond62]

French and Dutch publishers stand firm on Roald Dahl rewrite row https://t.co/awYu3khTCg

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

#RoaldDahl tampering with Dahl’s writing impinges the concept of intellectual property - political correctness gone crazy! To whom are the publishers pandering? And why? What is their agenda?

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

@SFXMary This letter is inspiring Sophie - how wonderful if it reflected all students experiences- says much about the culture being promoted at the school

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

@mattives_ Love seeing the faces of kids in learning action- great strategy being used

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

Wow impressive content & generosity in sharing Thankyou

[Tim Evans 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇪🇸🇭🇰🇦🇪🇨🇳 @edTechEvans]

To facilitate our Digital Citizenship program, I have collated @CommonSenseEd's curriculum alongside relevant @Seesaw activities, here:
https://t.co/4duhiLM4yG
Feel free to use/edit/share...
#DigitalCitizenship #EdTech

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

@Mj0401Mary Very powerful statement with people central - both small & tall

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

@SFXMary Congrats to all the kids who applied and well done successful candidates

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

@KathrynMorgan_2 Really interesting read- thanks for posting

[Kathryn Morgan @KathrynMorgan_2]

Super interesting article exploring teacher PD in schools👇🏻

“For a long time, educational researchers have been searching for the Holy Grail: an effective method of educating teachers which would positively influence daily teaching practices in schools…” https://t.co/kthXjNr7kL

[Chris Lynch @chfrly]

A really worthwhile 20 min watch

[Trevor MacKenzie @trev_mackenzie]

Just sent out a video to my newsletter friends as I share some strategies & plans for how I start a year in inquiry. Our initial moves, decisions, & interactions w/ our students says much about the learning that will follow.

Sign up for the newsletter: https://t.co/Q9XjNSVLp1

[Trevor MacKenzie @trev_mackenzie]

Just sent out a video to my newsletter friends as I share some strategies & plans for how I start a year in inquiry. Our initial moves, decisions, & interactions w/ our students says much about the learning that will follow.

Sign up for the newsletter: https://t.co/Q9XjNSVLp1