Clarkkent

Isn't belote that impenetrable card game that old men play in cafes and involves much shouting and table banging?

LAST EDITED ON 17-Dec-03 AT 06:51 PM (GMT) >And at Christmas on boxing >day at 9pm, there is >the countdown of '100 greatest >musicals' with the second part >on Saturday 28th December at >8.25, both on Channel 4, >and the whole thing repeated >at 2.50pm on the Sunday >afternoon on C4. Don't >mean to sound defeatist, but >as these are voted for >by viewers (I voted for >'West Side Story') what's the >betting that the top two >will be 'Moulin Rouge' and >'Chicago', both of which I >love, but people tend to >only remember the most recent >films in these polls. I love musicals but hate programmes like this, largely for the same basic reason as Amelie - that the majority of voters are ignorant of the history of all but the last few years of the form and are not acquainted with earlier examples, but also because there are no satisfactory criteria for anyone making such judgements. I would not want to distinguish between, say, "West Side Story", "My Fair Lady" and "Carousel" - but my reasons for liking each of these are entirely different. What about the historical (and developmental) importance of "Show Boat" and "Oklahoma!"? Or the dazzling partnership of Rodgers and Hart? Where will Cole Porter or Stephen Sondheim end up? And will there be any French musical in the list? I think this is lazy television!

Yesterday I heard a programme on Radio 4 about the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and his development of a theory on children's learning. I did study piagetian learning theory as an undergraduate and, although his ideas were not always supported by experimental research, I was impressed by by the child centred approach. According to Britannica: "Piaget's concept of ... developmental stages caused a reevaluation of older ideas of the child, of learning, and of education. If the development of certain thought processes was on a genetically determined timetable, simple reinforcement was not sufficient to teach concepts; the child's mental development would have to be at the proper stage to assimilate those concepts. Thus, the teacher became not a transmitter of knowledge but a guide to the child's own discovery of the world." Some of Piaget's most important research was done when he was at the Sorbonne. It is interesting to note - from comments on this forum: - that the French education system largely ignores Piaget but his beliefs have had some influence in England, - and that there are English parents who believe that their children will receive a better education in France.