Back in Canada for another adventure!

I had a couple students explicitly cite Smiles and Frowns as the reason for their increased confidence speaking in front of peers. Little by little, confidence grew and they felt safe to share. One of those kids even volunteered to speak at assembly last week.

We were discussing Good Students vs Powerful Learners today, and I flashed a student's disposition profile on the board. Anonymised. Just the shape of it across 12 dispositions. Kids guessed who it was on the second try. No name. No score. Just the kind of learner they are. That's community.

I’m enjoying Bodies of Learning by Guy Claxton & Emily Poel. Humans are wired to connect. When teachers build belonging and care amongst students, kids flourish. When they don’t, they languish. Helping a class gel isn’t sentimental. It’s “good teaching for good learning.”

Some kids can’t hold the mask long enough for the adults. They’ve been told that’s a problem. But what if they’re just the most honest person in the room? When they’re done, fidgeting, calling out, done, guarantee the others are too. They’re just better at pretending. A canary. Not a problem.

And don’t get me wrong, lesson design matters. So does assessment and scaffolding, all of it. But building community? Curiosity? Resilience? Not just learning them, living them. That’s where the magic happens. When that stuff is clicking, it fills my cup. Community over compliance every day.

I’ve been sitting with students this week asking what makes a powerful learner. Many say: listens well, concentrates, gets the work done. But that, my friends, is a good student. Not a powerful learner. A few say: curious, resilient, creative. Which is more likely to change their world?

“Curiosity is not a pleasant bonus in the learning process. It is the mechanism by which deep learning actually happens.” Heck yes.

I try to greet kids at the door every day. Research shows a 20% increase in learning engagement in immediate lessons following. That’s not why I do it. I want them to hear their name, see a smile, and be greeted by someone genuinely happy to see them. Community-building one greeting at a time.

Absolutely. Skilled leaders know the value of doing with, not doing to, when it comes to change. The shift and framing are often subtle and not that far apart, but so important.

This. Meaning makers.

Digging in. “Clayton and Poel challenge outdated assumptions that separate mind and body, revealing the interconnectedness of the ‘body-mind’.

If it were simply science, you’d think we’d be beyond the experimental. Not saying it’s not science. Am saying it’s not science alone. It’s also art. Maybe mostly art. For every kid a unique set of colors. For whom a teacher’s brush must mix and make. Maybe it’s magic.

Major update: We gave Human Restoration Project a whole new look. We updated the logo, refreshed the entire brand, and rebuilt humanrestorationproject.org from scratch. The new design leans into a solarpunk feeling: warm, hopeful, a little green around the edges.

The Monarch emerged from its chrysalis. A kid noticed and squealed, a group gathered and cheered. It’s the small things, Team.

@irasocol.bsky.social shared this article on LI about a school in NSW who change instruction every two minutes to keep students on task and engaged. It is utterly ridiculous. I mean, If you aren't changing instruction every minute, can you really call yourself a teacher?

I believe this with all my heart. My challenge ATM, at new school, is convincing others. Risk aversion is real; stress of oversight, job accountability, lack of trust. But when learning comes with age—appropriate risk, challenge & support, thats where the magic happens. medium.com/age-of-aware...

Our kids' brains have been rewired and we are still teaching like they haven't. Here is what that means for our classrooms and ten things we can do about it starting Monday.

The linked article is the best I’ve read on the “science of reading” and best literacy practices. Part of the challenge of teaching reading is that reading is a complex process and different students struggle with different parts of that process, so what works for most will not work for all.

My friend Guy Claxton has this book coming out on 26 May. It's a book that challenges "the assumption that mind and body are separate, revealing the interconnectedness of the ‘bodymind’ and drawing on research in embodied cognition to rethink intelligence, learning and teaching."

“Curiosity is the engine of learning” ‘School is strange… they remove the curiosity engine and wonder why the car isn’t moving.’

Good read here from @leeannjung.bsky.social.

I slipped back into the classroom this week after 4 years. I was worried if I would still have the skills, patience, and where withal to be the teacher these kids need. But it was so enjoyable, like I never left. As much as kids have changed, kids haven’t changed. Happy teacher this week.

youtu.be/DlIoGnkv03k?... Bleak, but no lies detected. Pushing back against the standardisation of education. @covingtonedu.bsky.social @pammoran1.bsky.social @mcnuttedu.bsky.social @irasocol.bsky.social

Excellent piece from Geoff Masters on the growing push toward standardisation and scripted curriculum across Aus, UK & the US. It appears tighter prescription isn't the answer. The strongest systems invest in deep prof expertise and trusting Ts to exercise judgement in practice. Worth a read.

Here is the Open Letter signed by education leaders from across Australia that the News Corp Australia rejected. Stop ranking Australian schools using NAPLAN scores because NAPLAN was not designed to measure the quality of schools.

Unfolding with I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of. I use the "I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of" prompt everywhere. Why is it so powerful? How and why does it transform the way you see and think? I was invited to join the Here We Are project to reflect on being present in this wild and…

This was my last week at Nature Play SA after four great years. I’m taking an extended summer holiday break before heading back to the classroom in 2026. Absolutely loved my time at NPSA, we did meaningful work & the role came along at a great time post-Covid, but I’m ready to get back to teaching.

Time spent playing outdoors has declined 50% in a generation. That’s half the joy, half the adventures, half the memories. Play isn't just fun, it is essential for healthy child development 💚

Nature journaling, the research suggests, can deliver excellent benefits across grade levels. Not only can it teach critical thinking skills, but it improves focus and connects students to the outdoors. 🌳 🧵1/11

Oh my goodness. Have yourself a day, Bluejays #WantItAll

This past week was really challenging at times in the classroom—but at the same time, I kept reminding myself to not give into that challenge with my own actions. Something that helped? Having some "uplift moves" in the tool belt as a teacher. Here are four of my favorites:

Asking questions is brave—especially for kids in a world of AI, bias, and peer pressure. In this post, I share 7 play-based ways to help students practice curiosity, take risks, and feel safe wondering, experimenting, and learning together.

Adelaide hit by two fast-moving tornadoes this morning. Didn’t have that on my Friday bingo card…

Somehow, I’ve managed to work four weeks in the past two weeks. I think that might be a new record.

Anyone recognise this guy? Love working with Ss from SA’s new Technical College which helps year 10-12 Ss to fast-track qualifications into early years education. These Ss have a noticeably different relationship with nature compared to past generations. Trying to bridge that nature connection.

SA public education is undergoing a transformational systems change led by CEO, Prof. Martin Westwell. Good for anyone looking for a good news story, about how a shared focus on knowledge, dispositions and capabilities can create meaningful learning. www.thelearningfuture.com/the-learning...

South Australia has seen some 120,000 sea creatures die and wash up on local beaches in the past few months due to an Algal Bloom. The algae involved, which is naturally occurring, may have been caused by a marine heatwave. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to dilute or dissipate the bloom.

10.

I am very proud to finally get this up and out into the world.

Smiles and Frowns @montesyrie.bsky.social

Ran a PD today around educators having permission to play, and we made 5-minute-fires. Everyone spent 10mins trying different techniques to spark their fires, no luck. I was invited to have a go 💥 first time up, I throw a spark like a boss. Boom. Fire. Applause. That will never happen again 😂

Today’s Odd One Out brought to you by my kids’ curiosity. Just your standard Sunday morning breakfast at our house discussing exoskeletons and arthropods 😂

Learn to Nature Journal! Nature journaling offers numerous benefits, including enhanced observational skills, improved mental and emotional well-being, and a deeper connection to the natural world. It can also boost cognitive functions like critical thinking and creativity. Additionally, nature…

Finished up an 8 week nature journaling pilot with upper primary students this week. It was so much fun and learners actually engaged with the program even more than we hoped. I don’t get out of the office too often these days, but these fab young people made me miss the classroom!

Australia & France share top spot on this unwanted measure. It's interesting to watch some states in AUS trying to 'explicit instruction' their way out of this. EI has a place, but alongside developing dispositions & capabilities, fostering curiosity, creativity etc www.nature.com/articles/d41...

“I did it! I made fire!” Imagine being 12 and making a fire for the first time. The was so much challenge and persistence as learners used flint and steel to spark a flame. We explored the connection between emus and fire to the Tjilbruke Dreaming Story, at the nearby sacred Tulukutangga.

We tried doing a soundscape journal entry this week, tuning into nature by listening through the noise.

This is a classroom. This is a really good classroom. It supports health and wellbeing, curiosity, agency, challenge, and countless other dispositions, skills and areas of impact and knowledge.

This was the best classroom I visited this week. Imagine being 5 years old and meeting and playing in this space for bush kindy. Gorgeous.