The sheer amount of effort that goes into making Christmas special in primary is amazing! Primary colleagues are unreal! Enjoy your break!

Just trying this very Christmassy drink!

Another excellent blog from @dylanpkane.bsky.social on the narrow learning of maths apps….it reminds me of the kid I taught who could ace TTRS but initially couldn’t apply his knowledge outside the app. open.substack.com/pub/fivetwel...

I have been saying how brilliant this is for over a decade and it feels like this is a he year when the who’s world has caught up.

I see this same phenomenon in the UK as well.

My probably unique #ChristmasEve ritual - making a big vat of miso soup whilst listening to @katerusby.bsky.social!

In the hope that there will be some #BookSky people around in the run-up to Christmas, I am seeking recommendations for the best single volume history of what is normally known as the #Vietnam War. I have read quite a lot on the Secret War in Laos but need more context. Reposts / tags welcome. 🙏

I feel like I say this every week but it was just another great and fascinating episode. @adamboxereducation.bsky.social and @amymayforrester.bsky.social - congratulations on a great term of podcasts! (PS - can you get Liz English on this platform. Loads I would like to ask her!)

Another one of these scary fake AI citation stories. This is is clearly a nightmare for scholarship going forward but there is something I am puzzling over…

Hi #EduSky - it's my last #Saturday3 before Christmas and first up is this fascinating blog on Basil Bernstein by @jonesedu.bsky.social. I have to confess that I had not heard of him but this explains how he anticipated a lot of cogsci and yet was quite different. bsky.app/profile/jone...

Tough life out here in Laos.

Put this in the box of bad ideas from people who don’t understand education.

Why isn’t Josh Tongue bowling at the tail?! #Ashes

This is true but one of my strongly-held opinions is that most UK voters *really* don’t get any voting systems that are not first past the post and always want to make it a 2 horse race. It’s why minor parties always did badly in first preference SV votes for London mayor.

Particularly good episode with lots of great thinking on assessment and how it can be effective. Also, I learnt a new Japanese word - kyozaikenkyu - meaning knowledge of instructional materials. If this whetted your appetite for Japanese words in an educational context….

It’s interesting to me that I have seen almost nothing on this article by Dominic Wyse or the linked research in relation to reading. #EduSky theconversation.com/englands-syn...

I have never done a buddy read before (or read any Pratchett) but this is proving a lot of fun with comments gradually being revealed. The ebook is still only 99p if you want to join in.

Sounds a great opportunity for the right person.

Very sorry to hear about your friend but the answer to your question is “yes”. 1) Lots of education accounts with a broadly liberal viewpoint (politically) are still active there. 2) Design choices by Musk push that content and suppress other content.

I saw this earlier but missec the free link. Extraordinary story.

Hi #EduRunners! Some of you haven’t even gone to bed on Saturday and I have done a 10K on Sunday!

These lists by Sam are always brilliant and this is no exception.

It’s raining. Really quite hard. This may not seem surprising to you but it is Lao in the dry season and this is *not* meant to happen.

Hi #EduSky! I am early with my #Saturday3 this morning whilst my family guests recover from jet lag. First up, is this post from @joel120193.bsky.social on using etymology in science which I meant to include last week. bsky.app/profile/joel...

I have finally written another Substack, many months after my last one! It's on two of my favourite topics - Japan and schools so it goes on a bit. A tl:dr summary follows. open.substack.com/pub/markgood...

Today’s taxi decoration: 1 Buddha image (small), two Crayon Shin-chan models (large) and 2 fake plants.

This is a great blog from @dylanpkane.bsky.social on high accountable teacher full of excellent insight on what great teaching looks like. I just want to riff a little on one bit…. open.substack.com/pub/fivetwel...

These are always great so if you in / near London, do check them out!

Not only is this an outstanding thread in its own right but I also have to admire the way @beijingpalmer.bsky.social gets in references to Patrick Leigh Fermor and Robertson Davies.

Another superb post on the intricacies of something which should be in every classroom. This time, it is the visualiser!

20 hours left for this and EduSpots just needs a couple of K for full match funding! It is an incredible charity where money goes a huge way because it’s led by community volunteers. Goes even further when DOUBLED by @biggive.bsky.social #BigGiveChoice #ChristmasChallenge Donate below. 👇 👇 👇

An important blog here from Amy Coombe about the difficulties of balancing reading catch-up with preparing for GCSEs. open.substack.com/pub/amycoomb...

Always good to hear about exciting new reads from contemporary writers.

Oh, another middle-aged man gets a Substack. Who is it this time? 👀 👀 👀 open.substack.com/pub/keirstar...

So #Edurunners, today I went to a running event which was basically #Parkrun reinvented for central Vientiane. Casual 5K run ✅ Pacers / tail walkers ✅ Guy with Shokz headphones ✅ Finished at coffee shop ✅ Sadly, only dog 🐶 did not run but just hung out at the coffee shop.

Hi #EduSky - there's a bit of an international flavour to my #Saturday3 this week. The best thing I read all week was this blog on improving schools through dialogue by US educator @rodjnaquin.bsky.social. A great reminder that top-down CPD isn't what makes real change. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Completely missed this excellent blog by @claresealy.bsky.social when it came out. Amazing to me that many primary schools still do formal lesson observations when they are better alternatives. thirdspacelearning.com/blog/why-my-...

This sounds great - must visit next time I am in London….

Excellent piece by @iandunt.bsky.social on Bluesky and that other place. Recognises that Bluesky is far from perfect….but you own your feed. open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...

Potentially very significant. Left wondering again why UK authorities don’t act.

Interested in the #EduSky take on this.

A must-follow for #Advent to see if he can keep it for the full 24 days!

C’mon Root. My nerves are shredded here. #Ashes

The other cool thing about this is that you can go back and look at your 2024 and 2023. Looked at 2023 and let me tell you any #EduSky people complaining about engagement should have been here then!

I was not surprised by my top word! Check out your 2025 Bluesky Harvest from @anisota.net! anisota.net/harvest/

Celebrating 50 years of Lao PDR! My phone doesn’t really do justice to how loud these fireworks were.

Such an important topic given that pupils happiness at school decreases sharply at this transition and never properly recovers.

Well worth doing if you can’t get to an actual indie bookshop!

Three things I really liked about this blog. 1) The way @adamboxereducation.bsky.social frames hearing from every child as an ethical duty rather than because it will lead to good outcomes (although it will do that too). open.substack.com/pub/carousel...

If people are interested in joining this, I have just discovered that Hogfather is currently only £0.99 on Amazon and Kobo!