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Brett Handley

@physicsmrh.bsky.social

Physics teacher 🦄 Former electronic engineer and chef. Graduate of UMIST and NTU.

1367 Posts965 Follower 731 Folgt

Sailing Steve @sailingsteve.bsky.social · yesterday

Good advice!! Make noise. It's long. Read it!

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 17h ago

What does being the best footballer in the world have in common with being the president of a country? Ask your tutees what they think the answer is, but there's really only one person who'd know - it's George Weah. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Thursday 1st October
Happy 60th Birthday to former footballer George Weah who became President of Liberia in 2018.
Weah was born in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. He grew up in Clara Town, a slum in the city, raised by his grandmother. Football offered a route out of poverty and he made his debut for Young Survivors FC of the Liberian 4th division when he was 16, scoring two goals on his debut. He helped them gain two promotions in three years before moving to the Liberian Premier League, winning a league title and becoming it’s top scorer.
He was recommended to Monaco manager Arsene Wenger who brought him to Europe. He also played for PSG, AC Milan, Chelsea and Man City. He was one of the most feared strikers, scoring 360 goals in Europe’s top divisions. He won the Ballon d’Or in 1995 and is still the only African to have done so. Many consider him the greatest footballer to have never played the World Cup as Liberia never qualified, despite Weah’s contribution.
After retiring he entered politics, and ran for President of Liberia. His opponents attacked his lack of University education, but he won and served as President from 2018 to 2024 before losing his re-election bid.
Does excelling in one field prepare you for success in a different field?
What skills do you think being a leading footballer and President have in common?
Do you know of any other politicians that have had other successful first careers?

Thursday 1st October
Happy 60th Birthday to former footballer George Weah who became President of Liberia in 2018. Weah was born in a Monrovian slum, raised by his grandmother. Football offered a route out of poverty and he climbed through the Liberian leagues.
He moved to Europe in 1988 where he was a feared striker scoring 360 goals in Europe’s top divisions for Monaco, PSG, AC Milan, Chelsea and Man City. He won the Ballon d’Or in 1995.
After retiring he ran for President of Liberia. His opponents attacked his lack of University education, but he won and served as President from 2018 to 2024 before losing his re-election bid.
Does excelling in one field prepare you for success in a different field?
What skills do being a leading footballer and President have in common?

Adam Boxer @adamboxereducation.bsky.social · 2d ago

There are lots of views about how to improve our education system. Not enough of them focus on the classroom. We pursue big structural solutions, when we should be looking at how to create calm, quiet, peaceful classrooms. New post, please share! carouselteachlearnlead.substack.com/p/calm-quiet...

Calm, quiet, peaceful lessons

In the pursuit of a better education system, rather than large-scale reform, we should start by improving teaching in every classroom.

carouselteachlearnlead.substack.com

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 3d ago

Tuesday's TGT follows on from Friday's look at The Sequoia National Park & General Sherman to look at the fate of the 2nd largest tree in the world, at the time. The Mother of The Forest. Was her fate a genius idea to educate the world, or a waste of a 2500+ year old organism? bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Tuesday 29th September
The ‘Mother of the Forest’ was a giant sequoia tree in California, which was the second largest in the valley when ‘discovered’ in 1852 by Europeans during the California Gold Rush. Looking for ways to make money the European settlers felled some smaller trees (pictured, top) and transported them to Europe and America’s east coast, where they could charge people to see the large trees of the great unexplored lands of the American West.
Transporting such large trees was expensive, so instead in 1854 the Mother of the Forest had its bark completely stripped. Workers made holes in the tree using augers and inserted rods to set up scaffolding, which enabled workers to saw off the bark. Over 90 days 60 tons of bark were removed in 8 feet by 5 sections. A sample of the trees core was studied and found it to be 2520 years old.
The bark was sent to New York and then shipped on to London in 1856, where it was setup in The Crystal Palace exhibition as a hollow Giant Sequoia (pictured, below). It remained at The Crystal Palace until a fire in 1866 which destroyed many of the Palace’s exhibits. In 1908 the remaining core of The Mother of the Forest was also destroyed in a forest fire, without it’s bark to protect it.
How would you feel seeing the tree’s bark in London? Would you admire its beauty and size, or be horrified it had been stripped?
Activities like this can lead to people appreciating nature in its original location. Was it the death of this tree worth it?

Tuesday 29th September
The ‘Mother of the Forest’ was a giant sequoia tree in California, the 2nd largest in the valley in 1852.
The bark was stripped from the 2520 year old tree in 1854 and shipped to London where it was set up as a hollow tree in the Crystal Palace (pictured), showing off the size of Sequoia in the American West. It was destroyed in the 1866 fire that destroyed The Crystal Palace. The remaining core of the tree died in 1908 in a forest fire, without it’s bark to protect it.
How would you feel seeing the tree’s bark in London? Would you admire its beauty and size, or be horrified it had been stripped?

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 4d ago

Monday's TGT looks at 2008 Crashgate scandal. Was it the greatest scandal in sport? If so how come hardly anyone seems to have paid a price? bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Monday 28th September
On 28th September 2008 Formula 1 held its first ever night race through the streets of Singapore. But the race is not remembered for the dramatic image of F1 cars racing through floodlit streets, it’s remembered for ‘Crashgate’.
The Renault team were having a disappointing season and qualifying at Singapore was no better. Their best driver, Fernando Alonso qualified 15th and took an early pit stop which appeared fortuitous when his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr crashed into a wall two laps later. The safety car slowed down the field and as they all needed to pit stop, Alonso was able to overtake the whole field and claim an unexpected victory.
It was over a year later that Piquet admitted he’d crashed deliberately under orders of team principal Flavio Briatore. Briatore was handed a lifetime ban from all FIA motorsport, but he challenged this in French courts and his ban was overturned and he returned to F1 in 2013.
Some have called it the worst case of cheating in sporting history given the potential consequences of a high speed crash, putting drivers, spectators and track crews in danger.
What would you do if you were ordered to deliberately crash in order to help your teammate? Would your answer change if you were threatened to be fired from your dream job?
Who carries more responsibility the team principal or the driver?
When should you refuse to follow an instruction from someone in authority?

Monday 28th September
On 28th September 2008 Formula 1 held its first ever night race through the streets of Singapore.
The race is not remembered for this milestone. Instead it is known as the ‘Crashgate’ race when Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr was ordered to deliberately crash his car at high speed so that his team mate Fernando Alonso could win as all other cars slowed down behind the safety car.
Team principal Flavio Briatore was handed a lifetime ban from all FIA motorsport, but he challenged this in court and his ban was overturned and he returned to F1 in 2013.
Given the dangers, some have called it the worst cheating in sports history.
Who carries more responsibility, the team principal or the driver?
When should you refuse to follow an instruction from someone in authority?

Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 5d ago

Johnson continues to lie, lie and lie again. I think we get the pattern.

Otto English@ottoenglish.bsky.social · 5d ago

Liar. Small boat crossings peaked under Johnson in 2022 reaching 46,000 in 2022. In current year they are 18,565 and falling. Also prior to Boris Johnson's Brexit there were none.

It's a disaster, and it can all be traced to
Labour ideology. Burnham has no mandate
from the people. He has no real ideas, and
no plan,

Johnson on X

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 7d ago

Friday's TGT discusses massive trees. The Sequoia National Park was founded 136 years ago to protect the Giant Redwoods, including the largest tree in the world and 4 others of the top 10. But you can find them in the UK too. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · last wk.

Thursday's TGT is that awesome story last week about the individual found in a Bolivian sanctuary that turns out to be the only known member of a unique species of Tiger Cat. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Thursday 24th September
In 2016 a man in Bolivia’s Nor Yungas region found a tiny kitten by the side of the road and took it home thinking it was a domestic cat. About a year later he handed the clearly wild animal named ‘Tigrino’ to the Senda Verde wildlife sanctuary, as it was clearly not a domestic cat but a tiger cat.
Bolivian scientist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz was volunteering at the sanctuary when she noticed that Tigrino’s markings did not match those of other tiger cat species. Dr Nogales-Ascarrunz investigated Tigrino’s DNA and working with other tiger cat researchers all over South America she has discovered that Tigrino is the only known member of a distinct species of tiger cat now named Leopardus tilcayo (Current Biology article / BBC News summary).
Their work also showed that there are at least five distinct species of tiger cats, not the previously thought three, and brings the number of known cat species worldwide to 44. Locals in Yungas have known about the tilcayo cats for years, though the dense forests that they live in are threatened with deforestation.
If you found a kitten by the side of the road what would you do with it?
Does a career being a research scientist studying new wild animal species appeal to you?
Does a unique species of tiger cat living in the Yungas forests make this habitat more important to protect or does it make no difference?

Thursday 24th September
A ten-year-old tiger cat living in a sanctuary in Bolivia named ‘Tigrino’ has been identified by scientist Dr Paola Nogales- Ascarrunz as the only known member of a unique species known locally as tilcayo and given the species name Leopardus tilcayo (BBC News).
Using the cat’s DNA, Paola and other South American scientists found there are five species of tiger cat, not the previously thought three. Though the dense Bolivian forest habitat of the tilcayo are at threat from deforestation.
If you found a kitten by the side of the road what would you do with it?
Does a career being a research scientist studying new wild animal species appeal to you?

Physics @physics.bsky.social · 2w ago

There are about 8 x 10⁶⁷ ways to arrange a 52-card deck. Even if every person on Earth shuffled one every second for billions of years, we wouldn't come close to exhausting the possibilities. Thoroughly shuffle a deck and that exact order has almost certainly never existed before.

A graphic showing five hand-drawn heart playing cards (8, Ace, Jack, King, and Queen) fanned out. To the right, the mathematical expression '52!' is written in large bold text, followed by ' 8.0658 x 1067'.

Steven (with a PH)@sjksalisbury.bsky.social · 2w ago

Christening a baby is nothing like christening a ship. I know that now. Once again I can only apologise.

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 2w ago

Monday's TGT continues Friday's space probe theme. This time looking at why the Galileo probe was deliberately crashed into Jupiter in 2003? I can imagine the mixed emotions of the scientists on the project. Ask your students if they can too? bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Monday 21st September
On this day 2003, NASA Scientists deliberately used the last of fuel in the Galileo probe to deliberately accelerate it into the atmosphere of Jupiter at nearly 50,000 m/s so that it was destroyed.
It was an unusual end to a space mission, especially one that had been a huge success, but its success was part of the problem.
Galileo, named after the Italian astronomer who first identified four of Jupiter’s moons in 1610, was launched in 1989 to study Jupiter and its moons. Reaching Jupiter in 1995, it had been in orbit of Jupiter for 8 years and amongst other discoveries had found that Europa had a salty liquid ocean beneath its icy surface and thus had the potential for supporting life.
The Galileo probe had not been sterilised before launch and so, although remote, there was a small chance that it contained Earth microbes that may have survived the journey. Rather than risk contaminating Europa as Galileo’s orbit would gradually decay it was decided to eliminate the risk entirely crashing Galileo into the Jovian atmosphere.
If you had been working on Galileo for more than 14 years how would you feel about its destruction?
Would it matter if there is life in the ocean under the ice of Europa?
Are there any environments on Earth that we shouldn’t contaminate?

Monday 21st September
On this day 2003, NASA Scientists deliberately crashed the Galileo probe into Jupiter so that it was destroyed.
Galileo had spent 8 years orbited Jupiter studying its moons. It had found that Europa had a salty liquid ocean beneath its icy surface with the potential for supporting life.
Galileo had not been sterilised before launch, so rather than risk it crashing into Europa and contaminating it with Earth microbes, it was destroyed in the Jovian atmosphere
If you had been working on Galileo for more than 14 years how would you feel about its destruction?

Hoodlum 🇺🇸@nothoodlum.bsky.social · 2w ago

Mark Carney: “I would now like to inform you that the teleprompter has ceased to function. Unlike a certain world leader, I do not view this as a conspiracy.”

Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 2w ago

Kicking myself because I am struggling to learn student names this term. Just reminded myself that I am teaching almost 300 students that I've ever met before. It will take time!

Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 2w ago

well, that's made my day :-)

Emo Philips @emophilips.bsky.social · 2w ago

If you live in Bozeman, Osage Beach, St Louis, Peoria, Champaign, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Eau Claire, Detroit, Cleveland, Youngstown, Massillon, Providence, Portsmouth, Boston, Uncasville, Baker City, Boise, Savannah, Charleston, and/or Myrtle Beach, please gently click www.emophilips.com/events

Events - Emo Philips

Comedian & Mammal

emophilips.com

Eddie Burfi @eddieburfi.bsky.social · 2w ago

Just look at the glee on Nigel Farage’s face as he watches a Piddington resident cry about the overt racism she, her Caribbean heritage husband, and their two children have felt in the village during the referendum. Time and again he’s showing us exactly who he is.

AladdinNoons @aladdinnoons.bsky.social · 2w ago

Farage thinks it’s hilarious bsky.app/profile/eddi...

Eddie Burfi @eddieburfi.bsky.social · 2w ago

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 2w ago

Absolutely horrendous for this woman and her family.

Roland Smith@rolandmcs.bsky.social · 2w ago

Very nice to hear a sane voice from Piddington. Serious respect to this woman, who is apparently already being othered by more bigoted villagers.

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 2w ago

I'm not surprised but I'm truly disgusted that this narrative of "dangerous fighting age men posing a threat to women and children" is genuinely doing the rounds on the media with almost no push back at all. This is 1930s level stuff.

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 2w ago

TGT ends the week with the first picture ever taken of the whole of the Earth and moon in a single frame, by Voyager 1 on its way to Jupiter & Saturn in 1977. It gives me the feels. Ask your students how it makes them feel. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Friday 18th September
Voyager 1 is a space probe launched on 5th September 1977. 13 days after launch on 18th September it was 11.66 million km away as it turned its camera back to look home and took this picture. It was the first time that the whole of the Earth and Moon were photographed together in a single frame.
From this vantage point the Earth and Moon look like close neighbours, but they are 384,000 km apart on average. A distance so large that you could just about line up all seven of the other planets of the Solar System between them, including all the gas giants.
This photo wasn’t Voyager 1’s mission objective, merely a happy bonus on its way to study Jupiter in 1979 and Saturn in 1980, sending back thousands of images of the gas giants and their moons. There would be more bonus photos too as its cameras looked back again in 1990 from a distance of 6bn km from Earth for a ‘Family Portrait’ mosaic picture of all the planets including the Pale Blue Dot as Voyager left our solar system.
Why do you think NASA scientists turned the cameras around to look back home?
How does this photo make you feel?

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 2w ago

Front-loading the means of participation is probably the easiest quick win for helping ADHD students in the classroom. That student who cant seem to help enthusiastically shout out answers… FLMOP stops it almost immediately.

Adam Boxer@adamboxereducation.bsky.social · 2w ago

Lots of behaviour advice is bad. FLMOP isn't. It's a concrete and tangible strategy that any teacher can use to improve behaviour in their classrooms. Read and share 🙏🙏🙏 carouselteachlearnlead.substack.com/p/flmop

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 3w ago

Handel's Hallelujah Chorus is one of those pieces of music that every young person recognises, but they have no idea why. On the anniversary of Handel's rapid completion of Messiah, explain why they know this spine-tingling choral classic. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Monday 14th September
On this date in 1741 composer George Frideric Handel finished his Messiah after 24 days of swift composition. It is an oratorio (a musical composition with dramatic text for choir, soloists and orchestra. Similar to an opera, but with minimal staging).
It was first performed in Dublin in April 1742, then London a year later, and initially wasn’t very successful, but it become one of the best known and most frequently performed choral works.
Messiah tells the story of Jesus as the Messiah from the King James Bible. Part 1 tells of his life, Part 2 the Passion of Jesus and the famous Hallelujah Chorus, Part 3 covers resurrection and Christ’s glorification in heaven.
The original manuscript is preserved in the British Library. The Royal Choral Society have performed Handel’s Messiah on Good Friday at the Royal Albert Hall every year since 1876. (4 min video of Hallelujah Chorus).
Handel was born in Germany and moved to England in 1712, becoming a British citizen in 1727. When he died in 1759 he was given a state funeral at Westminster Abbey, where he is buried in Poet’s Corner (pictured).
How does Hallelujah Chorus make you feel? Do you want to hear more of Messiah?
Why do you think Handel was give a state funeral?

Brett Handley @physicsmrh.bsky.social · 3w ago

If you had a few million quid kicking around, you could say " I'll give £36 million to help child poverty" Or you could say, "I'll give it to support the NHS." But if you say I'm giving it to a party, then it's very clear what you want that cash to achieve .. it's all about you.

Ed Finch @edfinch.bsky.social · 3w ago

Yes, it's happening! Save the date and look out for the ticket link coming soon. #BrewEdBrum - Cherry Red Café, central Birmingham, November 28th.

Flyer for #BrewEdBrum - at Cherry Red Cafe near Birmingham New Street on November 28th. Tickets on sale soon.

Barnsley Museums @barnsleymuseums.bsky.social · 3w ago

We're getting close to 2,000 followers. If you share this post we will share something from our collections. We'll do the same for any new followers too.

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 3w ago

Felt 25th anniversary of 9/11 was too big a legacy to ignore on TGT. But I wanted to find something positive. We did Steve Buscemi a couple of years ago, so instead discuss the boatlift of nearly half a million people to safety. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Friday 11th September
A lesser known aspect of the 9/11 attacks on New York which happened 25 years ago today was the boatlift which evacuated 1000s to safety.
As thousands of people ran from smoke and dust covered Manhattan Island that morning their geographical reality became clear as they reached the waterfront.
Bridges, tunnels and trains were being shut as officials feared they may also be targets of attack so a signal went out on marine radio channels “All Available Boats”.
Within 20 minutes 100s of boats of all sizes; ferries, tugboats and private vessels headed towards the danger. There was no plan, Captains and crews simply loaded people onto their boats and took them across the Hudson or New York Harbour, then they went back for more. One ferry captain did 20 round trips in 9 hours. Between 400,000 and 500,000 were taken to safety. The largest water-evacuation in history. At Dunkirk in WWII 338,000 were evacuated over 9 days. During 9/11 it was over a single day.
If you had owned a boat nearby that morning would you have sailed towards the danger?
Can you think of other examples of people heading towards danger rather than running away from it?
Does emergency always bring the best out of people?

Friday 11th September
A lesser known aspect of the 9/11 attacks on New York which happened 25 years ago today was the boatlift which evacuated thousands to safety.
As people ran from smoke and dust covered Manhattan Island that morning their geographical reality became clear as they reached the waterfront.
As other transport options shut a radio message went out for “All Available Boats”. Within 20 minutes 100s of boats headed towards the danger. There was no plan; crews simply loaded people onto their boats and took them across the Hudson or New York Harbour and went back for more.
Around 450,000 were taken to safety in one day. More than Dunkirk, in a single day.
If you had owned a boat nearby that morning would you have sailed towards the danger?

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 3w ago

Truly disgusting social media post from one of Brexit's most influential backers.

Arron Banks

Going through Heathrow today, there wasn't one
white face in security or airport services. The
Home office is staffed by the type of people we
are trying to keep out! What hope?

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 3w ago

If you would like to add your voice to tens of thousands of people thanking RNLI volunteers for their work, 38 Degrees have organised this open letter to express public support (at a time when a hateful fringe have been intimidating & abusing RNLI volunteers) act.38degrees.org.uk/act/rnli-tha...

An open letter in support of the volunteers and staff at the RNLI

This is a disgrace. Brave RNLI volunteers being called scum for risking their lives to save others at sea is just plain wrong. So I've signed an open letter of thanks for the RNLI letting them know th...

act.38degrees.org.uk

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 3w ago

🔥 WATCH: “Trump lies and lies. None of what he said is true. For 25 years Trump has lied about 9/11 to put himself in the story and make himself the hero.” Best-selling author @jeffpearlman recounts Trump’s sick, narcissistic lies about 9/11 and other tragedies.

Nick Langley @nicklangley.bsky.social · 3w ago

Never seen the numbers on one of these go up so fast. Could be faster though. act.38degrees.org.uk/act/rnli-tha...

An open letter in support of the volunteers and staff at the RNLI

act.38degrees.org.uk