On Wednesday 15 March, we were excited to welcome acclaimed economist and presenter of the BBC’s Radio 4’s More or Less, Tim Harford. Mr Harford spoke to students in Years 7 and 8 about his new book for children nine and over: The Truth Detective. Mr Harford has written nine books for adults, including How To Make the World Add Up, and following a question from a student, he states that this recent book has been the hardest to write so far.
Harford used references from his book throughout the talk, but he was careful not to reveal all for the nearly one hundred (including myself) who had pre-ordered the book. He enlightened us with useful knowledge about graphs and correlations, and then went on to describe the three Cs, three useful words to expand your detective awareness. They were: Calm, Context and Curious. Calm – don’t feel stressed when there is so much information, remember that if you stay calm, you will be able to notice the hidden clues and let in the right information to you brain. Context – don’t just skim a text, try to find what is hidden in the subtext and use your knowledge of inference to ensure you are making a rational decision. And Curious – even when you have your own distractions, always stay curious of the world around you!
We would all like to say a massive thank you to Mrs Hackett, who arranged the talk and of course, Tim Harford! Tim’s book, The Truth Detective, is out now.
Written by Lexie Conway (L4 Aesc)
