Right - your three-minute warning. Just enough time to grab a cuppa' and get comfortable before @GavinWilliamson makes his announcement on replacing GCSE and A-level exams this year

@GavinWilliamson .@GavinWilliamson says this isn't a decision the government wanted to take. 'Our schools have not suddenly become unsafe, but limiting attendance essential when Covid rates are climbing'
@GavinWilliamson He will set out the contingency plans he'd 'prepared but hoped to have never implemented'
@GavinWilliamson 'We're far better placed to cope with disruption than last march', Williamson adds we're better at delivering online learning and they will support parents
@GavinWilliamson Williamson says if parents feel they aren't getting suitable remote education they they should raise concerns first with the headteacher, and "failing that report the matter to Ofsted".
Ofsted will inspect schools where it has concerns
@GavinWilliamson Williamson says they've learnt lessons on exams. 'Although they are the fairest way, the pandemic means it's now not possible to have them this year. GCSEs, A-level and AS levels will not go ahead. We'll put our trust in teachers not algorithms'
@GavinWilliamson Breaking: Williamson says a 'form of teacher assessed grades' will be used this year, with training and support for teachers to 'ensure these are awarded fairly and consistently across the country'.
However details will need to be 'fine tuned'.
@GavinWilliamson Williamson says 'understandably concern' about free school meals. Extra funding to support schools to provide food parcels or meals to children. Where schools can't do this, there will be a national voucher scheme for every eligible child can access FSM will school remains closed
@GavinWilliamson He says mass testing 'won't be wasted'. Still used on teachers and staff.
Williamson adds: 'Testing is going to be the centre of our plan to return schools back to the classroom as soon as possible'
@GavinWilliamson .@GavinWilliamson says: 'The moment the virus permits all our children will be back in school. 'Until then we have put in place the measures we need to make sure they continue to progress.'
And that's that (well, on to Qs now)
@GavinWilliamson . @KateGreenSU says wherever Williamson goes, incompetence follows.
She says she wanted exams to go ahead, but said a Plan B had to be in place.
Also 'failed to show leadership' on BTECs - leaving it up to schools
@GavinWilliamson @KateGreenSU Williamson has pledged to get 750k of laptops out by the end of next week (I think he might have said earlier how many have already gone out, but it was 500k before Xmas)
@GavinWilliamson @KateGreenSU Williamson seems to be getting quite emotional in his address to parliament: 'I will give everything to ensure schools are the first things to be open because that is what is best for all children'
@GavinWilliamson @KateGreenSU OK - finally - some details on when we'll get the details:

Ofqual will launch a "detailed" consultation on the plans next week. It will run for two weeks.
@GavinWilliamson @KateGreenSU Williamson says he would like to thank the NEU and Unison for recognising the fact the advice they gave their members on Sunday was incorrect and they've now withdrawn that advice.

More from Education

I held back from commenting overnight to chew it over, but I am still saddened by comments during a presentation I attended yesterday by Prof @trishgreenhalgh & @CIHR_IMHA.

The topic was “LongCovid, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis & More”.
I quote from memory.
1/n
#MECFS #LongCovid


The bulk of Prof @Trishgreenhalgh’s presentation was on the importance of recognising LongCovid patient’s symptoms, and pathways for patients which recognised their condition as real. So far so good.

She was asked about “Post Exertional Malaise”... 2/n

PEM has been reported by many patients, and is the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS, leading many to query whether LongCovid and ME/CFS are similar or have overlapping mechanisms.

@Trishgreenhalgh acknowledged the new @NiceComms advice for LongCovid was planned to complement... 3/n

the ME/CFS guidelines, acknowledging some similarities.

Then it all went wrong.
@TrishGreenhalgh noted the changes to the @NiceComms guidance for ME/CFS, removing support for Graded Exercise Therapy / Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She noted there is a big debate about this. 4/n

That is correct: The BMJ published Prof Lynne Turner Stokes’ column criticising the change (Prof Turner-Stokes is a key proponent of GET/CBT, and I suspect is known to Prof @TrishGreenhalgh).

https://t.co/0enH8TFPoe

However Prof Greenhalgh then went off-piste.

5/n
When the university starts sending out teaching evaluation reminders, I tell all my classes about bias in teaching evals, with links to the evidence. Here's a version of the email I send, in case anyone else wants to poach from it.

1/16


When I say "anyone": needless to say, the people who are benefitting from the bias (like me) are the ones who should helping to correct it. Men in math, this is your job! Of course, it should also be dealt with at the institutional level, not just ad hoc.
OK, on to my email:
2/16

"You may have received automated reminders about course evals this fall. I encourage you to fill the evals out. I'd be particularly grateful for written feedback about what worked for you in the class, what was difficult, & how you ultimately spent your time for this class.

3/16

However, I don't feel comfortable just sending you an email saying: "please take the time to evaluate me". I do think student evaluations of teachers can be valuable: I have made changes to my teaching style as a direct result of comments from student teaching evaluations.
4/16

But teaching evaluations have a weakness: they are not an unbiased estimator of teaching quality. There is strong evidence that teaching evals tend to favour men over women, and that teaching evals tend to favour white instructors over non-white instructors.
5/16

You May Also Like

राम-रावण युद्ध समाप्त हो चुका था। जगत को त्रास देने वाला रावण अपने कुटुम्ब सहित नष्ट हो चुका था।श्रीराम का राज्याभिषेक हुआ और अयोध्या नरेश श्री राम के नेतृत्व में चारों दिशाओं में शन्ति थी।
अंगद को विदा करते समय राम रो पड़े थे ।हनुमान को विदा करने की शक्ति तो राम में थी ही नहीं ।


माता सीता भी हनुमान को पुत्रवत मानती थी। अत: हनुमान अयोध्या में ही रह गए ।राम दिनभर दरबार में, शासन व्यवस्था में व्यस्त रहते थे। संध्या को जब शासकीय कार्यों में छूट मिलती तो गुरु और माताओं का कुशल-मंगल पूछ अपने कक्ष में जाते थे। परंतु हनुमान जी हमेशा उनके पीछे-पीछे ही रहते थे ।


उनकी उपस्थिति में ही सारा परिवार बहुत देर तक जी भर बातें करता ।फिर भरत को ध्यान आया कि भैया-भाभी को भी एकांत मिलना चाहिए ।उर्मिला को देख भी उनके मन में हूक उठती थी कि इस पतिव्रता को भी अपने पति का सानिध्य चाहिए ।

एक दिन भरत ने हनुमान जी से कहा,"हे पवनपुत्र! सीता भाभी को राम भैया के साथ एकांत में रहने का भी अधिकार प्राप्त है ।क्या आपको उनके माथे पर सिन्दूर नहीं दिखता?इसलिए संध्या पश्चात आप राम भैया को कृप्या अकेला छोड़ दिया करें "।
ये सुनकर हनुमान आश्चर्यचकित रह गए और सीता माता के पास गए ।


माता से हनुमान ने पूछा,"माता आप अपने माथे पर सिन्दूर क्यों लगाती हैं।" यह सुनकर सीता माता बोलीं,"स्त्री अपने माथे पर सिन्दूर लगाती है तो उसके पति की आयु में वृद्धि होती है और वह स्वस्थ रहते हैं "। फिर हनुमान जी प्रभु राम के पास गए ।