When you know you’ll find it difficult to do something later, you have to do all you can to smooth the decision to start. Laying out my clothes for the inevitable #winter #cycling #training and reducing #behaviouralfriction

The big project to rule them all is still ongoing but I also spent a bit of time dabbling in #tunisian #crochet I found it a lot more fiddly than regular crochet but I’m rather pleased with this neat and regular outcome.

This is such a rich piece of half term reading from @carlhendrick.substack.com. Scaffolding is more complex than it might first appear. The contingency rule is hopelessly reductive, and instead tutors must make "uncertain judgements" about support #edpsychs carlhendrick.substack.com/p/we-need-to...

I've started sharing reflections on instagram through "EdPsych Corner" about neuroaffirming social connections and wanted to share here too, starting with how I love this quote. Belonging isn't just about being there, it's about being valued, noticed & able to take part in ways that feel authentic 💫

"A common misconception is that relational behaviour management means children behave only for teachers they like. While liking helps, RBM pushes further..." Superb stuff from @philbanks.bsky.social thebelongingcollective.blog/2025/09/16/c...

What an intro!

A superb article about the invidious inconsistent nature of academia's approach to AI: “This threatens fundamental academic values, but teach it to your students or they will suffer." and "it would be wrong to copy somebody else's material; but we want you to use AI to copy somebody else's material"

And this is why I cover my backpack with a hi-vis waterproof cover (and also, although not tested in this study, why I have daytime flashing riding lights). #cycling

This is a beautifully nuanced reflection on the degree to which effective use of AI requires the user to generate the right question, design a decent prompt, and then evaluate the answer (and perhaps further iterate the prompt). It doesn’t work to just offload “thought” to the AI model.

“AI intensifies rather than innovates”

Claims of the novelty of AI and its potential for innovation in education always make me wince a bit because really it continues a bunch of long-running tendencies in the sector. It’s an *intensifier* rather than an innovation. Some examples… www.forbes.com/councils/for...

There are some good recommendations in y/day's Select Cttee report. Until curriculum flexibility and accountability is sorted, there's a risk that SEND practice is inconsistent with other drivers to which schools must respond. committees.parliament.uk/committee/20... #edpsychs

A really great read about the tyranny of the "word gap"; like a "zombie statistic", it refuses to die, despite its troubling & misleading origins. The article reminds me of www-tandfonline-com.soton.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.... which shows how such thinking plays out in practice.

@pepsmccrea.bsky.social likes to say that "Attention is the gateway to learning". This is a fascinating read about how attention cueing can reduce the impact on learning that is traditionally associated with IQ and SES. hobbolog.wordpress.com/2025/06/02/m...

One third of parents have asked for SEND assessments. This is not about individual children, teachers or schools but about a systemic problem. Desperately hoping for some wisdom and relief from the SEND review. #edpsychs www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Proposal for how to fix family wise error rates. For every uncorrected p value you must add an extra letter to the claim. “Eating chocolate maaaaaaaaay be associated with lower rates of stroke”

There’s a lot of stuff said about self-care and managing work related stress. But it really is pretty straightforward.

Oh, the rich life of an #academic. I've just been invited to join a tour of the "Knitting Reference Library Collection" in an allied university. I'd dearly love to go, but have teaching commitments that pm. I've already warned my students that I may be slightly grumpy and distant that afternoon....

You join us live from Danny Dyer’s birthday drinks.

On today's #cycle #commute I overtook the same SUV (occupancy, n = 1) 3 times, at junctions & traffic lights, across 10km, taking ~ 25 mins This was through semi-rural and suburban areas, (see map), not a dense urban environment. People on bikes don't slow up your commute. Drivists do. #traffic

Some traditions are worth upholding. Here are (most of; sadly we couldn't all fit in one screenshot) the 2025 @suedpsy.bsky.social new year one #edpsychs trainees, ready to be abandoned in the sub-Arctic, and hoping to make it out successfully.

Occasional observations from my #cyclecommute If it’s raining, best to check that the waterproof cover is properly covering your rucksack. Otherwise you might end up wearing wet underwear all day. Just thought that might be helpful to someone. #cycling

I’m not ashamed to say that I felt a bit teary as I read this. This is the sort of country I want to live in. One where we care about others.

Such great advice. It not only reduces words, but also helps the reader understand the text.

Thank Goodison for that. #efc

Frantic sound of people tightening guy ropes and tent pegs as we await a mountain storm in our #Annecy campsite #camping

Is there a better place to eat takeaway pizza? I think not. #annecy #holidays

Reached 100 subscribers over on Substack today! 🔵⚽ Thanks for taking the time to read my Everton features, all of the shares and nice comments over the last month. You can sign up at the link below and each new article will be sent direct to your email. ellbretland.substack.com

What with it being our @suedpsy.bsky.social trainees’ #graduation tomorrow, I thought it was time for Hartley to make an appearance. He was knitted/born in 2020 when we had to start virtual COVID graduations. @unisouthampton.bsky.social

My #crochet content has been a bit light recently (mammoth project underway and won’t be complete for months) so here’s a bear I did manage to finish. Say hello to Sven.

My @suedpsy.bsky.social trainees gave me an end of year gift in honour of the time I accidentally brought a block of cheese to work instead of my packed lunch! #cheese #muppetry

I’m just planning my summer holiday reading.

Yes. The notion of “diagnosing” SEMH is just bananas. And this sentence is very powerful too. “exclusion isn’t just about who’s out, it’s also about how we define who’s ‘in’.”

Proud Dad. My son passed his viva with minor corrections today. We have another EP in the family! #edpsychs (Couldn’t find a doctoral tam gif!)

Genuinely curious. Why do so many people refer to #ChatGTP rather than #ChatGPT?

Interesting and concerning. The “meet individual needs” lobby is important. But we mustn’t let it drown out the “fix the system” lobby. And if MPs get lobbied too hard by the former, there’s a risk of no real systemic change.

1. The ambivalence of people like me on SEND reform must be confusing and might even appear pig-headed. On the one hand pointing out how broken the current system is and on the other appearing resistant to radical reform that might improve things.

Two articles about children and SEN and budgets in the Guardian today. It feels like we’re standing on the edge of an important time. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This really neatly encapsulates the problem with inclusion and accountability. “The current accountability measures are driving a wedge between what is right for the school and what is right for the students.” #edpsychs

Schrödinger’s cyclists being both too fast and too slow at the same time, according to how drivers find them most annoying.

No words necessary. #cycling #TDF2025 Image from @sanluca.bsky.social

Hmm. I may have overestimated my potential vegetable intake when I made my lunch this morning.

This looks like really important work. We need a contextual and not a within/child lens to understand persistent achievement differences. #edpsychs

There's no comparison, is there? John Lennon: "Give Peace a chance." Rod Stewart: "Give Farage a chance."

Sometimes, the easy jokes are the best ones.

Shut up about poverty? No we absolutely shouldn’t. Great words from @phoenixedsarah.bsky.social

Strong agree.

“I didn’t see you.” The driver’s explanation for driving straight at me during my #cycle #commute. Yeah thanks. Is that supposed to make me feel better? I guess I must have been in that dirty great blind spot directly in front of her windscreen.

What if therapy is not about fixing, but is actually about uncovering all of the ways you make sense? #ifstherapy #queerhealing

Worklife balance: Topsy and I had a week away cycling in the Spanish hills. 710 km ridden and 12510 metres climbed. Now all ready for the oncoming thesis viva examinations. #cycling #edpsychs