Categories: signs-of-the-times
Tags: boredom, disability
Date: 27 January 2009 21:59:26
This morning I went to a 'workshop' (so-called) on transition from children's to adult services for kids with disabilities. It consisted of six people holding forth one after another in a darkened, overheated room, with almost illegible Powerpoint slides. Why do the same people who insist that 'chalk and talk' is no longer appropriate for the classroom, think that they can get away with a from-the-front, non-participatory presentation when teaching adults?
I was so bored that I found myself studying the various translations of 'flip chart pad' on the eponymous object in one corner. English is admirably brief and to the point, with a mere three monosyllables. French, by contrast, comes up with 'recharge papier pour tableau de conférence' which is a bit of a mouthful by any standards. Spanish is rather inviting, with 'bloc de reuniones' which sounds rather like a block party. But my favourite was definitely Dutch, which gives us 'blok voor flipoverbord'. Why does that sound like a cross between a Two Ronnies sketch and an Ikea catalogue? I'd like to 'flipoverbord' myself at times...