What a whirlwind at #ukge2026 for play-group.org and games in education. Reflections and comments to come after a short regen phase…

Just in time for #UKGE2026 the new website for PLaY group is up at play-group.org !

Free strengths-based leadership training for Postdocs! 📢📢 Travel expenses of up to £30 per person for delegates from the Universities of York and Sheffield can be reimbursed. Find out more and register here: whiterose.ac.uk/event/unpack... #Postdoc #PostdocTraining

Hah! This cutie managed to do a failed backflip trying to catch the frisbee this morning. Good illustration of learning from failure - she immediately did it again 😝

Excited to receive my new custom Lego minifig today! Bike rather than train travel but - do you think it looks like my picture? #lego #minime

Went on a glorious family bike ride and picnic yesterday - paying for it today in mild sunburn and headaches 🤪🤦‍♀️ #shouldknowbetter

From Play to Practice: Rethinking Project Management through Playful Learning As part of the ESRC-Funded RE:PLAY Project, we recently piloted a playful learning approach to project management within an engineering module at Coventry University. Working collaboratively with RE:PLAY Fellow Neil…

Excited to be evangelising about play and games through Playful Learning at York! www.linkedin.com/posts/taps-m...

There are worse commutes…! #York Railway bridge with a view over the Ouse

Sunday’s crowning glory - tiny trifles. Play and creativity can be applied to ‘how can I use these squashed raspberries?’ too! I used to love ready steady cook 😝

Today I am living the glamorous life of an academic, sounding impressive in small doses of speaking about ideas but with most of my time devoted to completing forms and swearing at my computer

C’est fini

499 days of Greek with Duolingo… not even half way to ‘beginner’ yet 😝

Well the essays have come in and it’s time to start assessing what students have written about #ethics, inequality, #sustainability and #business. So far, I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised! They have read scholarly things!

Seasonal dogs dressed to impress!

Just two dogs, holding paws.

You know what I love about games? #Fairness. It’s so British to take turns, like queuing. With kids you have to be caring to start with though, and spend time supporting their capabilities to enable them to play fairly as grown ups! #bluey

I think the puppy might be wrecked…

Old dog and little dog playing nice together! #puppy #dogparent

Home from a fun #playlearn25 with masks, crime scenes, recipes, magic and improv. Most crucially so many opportunities to connect with other playful learning people! Whimsical, intellectual or light-hearted, it’s all an aid to stimulating ideas 😊

Wonderful session from @playbrarian.uk on inclusivity for autistic players in playful learning. Approve individual play! Explain rationale! Facilitate different platforms for engagement #playlearn25

Hey #AcademicSky - Do you use #boardgames or #cardgames in #LTHE? Or management #training?- we want to hear all about it! I am guest editing the journal of play in adulthood with @lizcable.bsky.social - drop us a line! www.journalofplayinadulthood.org.uk/news/

Who’s going to UK Games Expo? I’m going to be in the Games in Education seminar and networking on Sunday, come join me! www.ukgamesexpo.co.uk/events/2871-...

Beautiful sunshine and beaches are calling!

Nitpick of the day: it’s ’en masse’ a French phrase translated to ‘in a group’ in English not ‘on mass’ like atop a Christian religious service

Starmer’s proposals to reform disability welfare support are narrated in ways that recognise the #dignityofwork, however this is expressly focused on work as #employment. I expect the push will be for employers to bear more of the costs of #care for employees with disabilities. (1/2)

Taking #IWD as an opportunity to say - worker #dignity is not just about basic respect for rights, it’s about enabling global #autonomy; real meaningful options for workers in choosing their futures. This may mean providing workers with different support while also tackling systematic inequities

You too can now be the proud owner of a shelf like this… #dignity #work #care - now in print! message me if you want a copy at special mates rates.

Been in the marking mines, came back to find loads of new followers! Thanks for following everyone! Posts likely to be about worker dignity, pedagogy, autism parenting and dogs

Off to Manchester tomorrow to talk about #workplacedignity at AMBS. Trying not to overdo it on the #ethics literature and keep it interesting! Gonna be all about #care though 😁

My new approach to grading essays: step 1 - check the references, step 2 - check the references

I find reading my own #writing *really* cringe. Not a great perspective in academia! #AcademicSky

I have never really been about fan fiction, but having read Ann Christy’s awesome work about Silo 49 from the world of Hugh Howey’s Wool, I’d love to see novellas about ‘minor’ characters in the worlds of popular fantasy novels #BookSky

Today’s hard frost has stopped all work (by professional pavers) in my garden, so as I WFH with my marking I’m dreaming of springtime

Uh-oh, hubby down with man-flu. Deterrent protocols activated! #flu #lemsip #vitamins

I have always loved making things to quiet the mind. This holiday I have been needle felting this lovely chap from Yorkshire. Almost done! #craft #felt #christmas www.featherfelts.co.uk

Best Xmas present received for sharing a work-from-home space: noise cancelling headphones!

A busy day today of NO INTERNET- a 😱 #horror we survived only through mobile phone signal

Well, the bio is from 2018 but otherwise, the forthcoming #dignity book has a webpage! www.routledge.com/Rethinking-D... #AcademicSky #dignity #status #work

I realise it’s late, but I have come around to classic feminism in de Beauvoir and have a new appreciation for her arguments about work and autonomy. Today this relies as much on good management in organisations as political policy. #choice #dignity #work

2x final revision lectures given today! Now time for marking, writing conference abstracts, and new ideas for 2025! #AcademicSky

Finally finished the author queries list! And I learned the AQA standard for citing translated publications #referencing #everydayisaschoolday

A lovely bow on the moon on tonight’s dog walk!

Is there anything worse than reviewing author queries? Planning a dispute over the Oxford comma… but hey! Monograph coming out soon! (probably)

Excited to discover that @uoylibrary.bsky.social have created a pack to locate fellow York people 😁

Home from holidays but not yet back at work… #diy then? Plenty of shelves to put up and walls to paint!