June's Topic

2011-06-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

After careful consideration I have decided that I am going to make this month all about salary caps in professional sport. There are two main reasons for doing this:

1: Rugby League - I am, and always have been, a massive Rugby League fan. I was sceptical when the salary cap rule was brought in (20/20 rule, no more than 20 squad members on more than £20,000 a year) but in the subsequent years it has been a huge success. I want tosee if this is the case in other sports.

2: Footballer's Wages - If there is one subject likely to unite the British public it is that of the Premiership Footballer's salaries. I want to present a balanced argument on whether salary capping would be beneficial to all professional sports, including football.

I've had a look at some preliminary readings and I've selected a few texts to have a go at... I'm all ready to make me an expert on Salary Caps in Professional Sport...

What is 'Make Me an Expert?'

2011-05-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

If three is the magic number then four is better. It seems to me that four is the number of intelligence - we have More 4, BBC 4, Radio 4, and my father once told me that if you read four books on one subject then you're an expert.

I want to test this theory. I propose to read 1 book a week, 4 books a month, thus making me an expert on a given topic in a month. By the end of 2011 I should be an expert on 7 topics, by this time next year I will be an expert on 12 topics.

The logistics
Please note my use of the word 'topic' and not 'subject'. I am not proposing that I could understand physics in a month, or even one branch of the topic, but I do think I can know a small part of it for example - a moon of Jupiter.

I am also not going to focus solely on topics that interest me, although they will be a part of it. I already have a 2.1. degree in English Language from the University of Manchester as well being due to complete a Masters in Education this summer so I want to challenge myself with topics away from my current knowledge base (Dialect, the History of Language, Grammar, Semantics, Socio or Psycho linguistics, Language Acquisition, or Secondary Education).

But why?
Because I believe, as an educator, and as a human, that knowledge is power. To be a good educator and an intelligent person I strongly believe that you should have a thirst for knowledge, a passion for learning and a hunger for wisdom... FEED ME SEYMOUR!