Reforming Education

Sharing education theory, research, practice and opinion. Recognising teaching and learning as true complex systems, and voicing the need for change.

[James Mannion @RethinkingJames]

🔥 New episode of #repod 🔥

The Great Grading Scandal

Dennis Sherwood (@noookophile) on why 1 in 4 grades is WRONG - and what we should do about it

Video, audio, show notes: https://t.co/u65YWNvOwD

Trailer:

#edutwitter #podcast

[Reforming Education @refedorg]

GCSEs and A levels: How we can improve uptake of languages in schools | TES … or as Stewart Lee might put it: ‘The Fox’s Guide to Chicken Security’. https://t.co/TYZQDmGc53

[Reforming Education @refedorg]

@Phil_Baty @BritishCouncil Is it entirely surprising the British Council should vocalise concern over the importance of learning a language (or buying a language course)?

[Joe Seaton @AtRiskTeachers]

Excerpt from a recent interview on @TimesRadio, reminding @GOVUK of their responsibilities to the Afghan allies we abandoned 2 years ago. Hopefully @RishiSunak was listening. #BritishCouncil teachers are still stuck in 🇦🇫 & 🇵🇰. Let's get them to safety. #AtRiskTeachers

[Dan Wuori @DanWuori]

I want to talk about trust and attachment in young children. And there’s no video here for good reason.

Several of you have recently tagged me to ask my thoughts on trending videos depicting parents engaging in one appalling behavior or another - in pursuit, apparently, of social media likes.

In one trend, parents pretend to be FaceTiming with their child’s new kindergarten teacher and call their child over to meet her. When they get to the phone, the child comes face to face with a photo of a scary looking adult (which in some cases appear to be mugshots of women deep in the throes of drug addiction, if, in fact, they are real at all). The children are almost always alarmed. Often they cry.

During one of the biggest transitions in their young child’s life (the start of school), these parents have chosen to stoke anxiety rather than provide comfort.

Other recent trends have involved parents in throwing slices of American cheese at their toddlers - or, more recently, unexpectedly cracking a raw egg on their child’s forehead during a joint cooking activity.

Obviously I’m not going to uplift any examples here. But I do want to address the harm these kinds of behaviors create from a developmental perspective.

The years of early childhood are a time during which trust and attachment are (ideally) formed. With love, attention, and responsive caregiving, young children learn that their world is safe. They develop self worth and self esteem. These are prerequisites to both learning and healthy development.

But the key to developing trust is consistency.

And the behaviors in these videos - even if rare and anomalous - serve only to undermine healthy attachment between parent and child. They provide children with data points that suggest their parents can be unexpectedly and arbitrary cruel. They are a violation of hard earned trust.

Some will argue that these are just jokes in good fun. They aren’t. They are the deliberate infliction of trauma, however brief, for the amusement of strangers. It should go without saying that this isn’t good for children.

Please. Don’t. Just don’t.

[James Mannion @RethinkingJames]

Are looking for your podcast fix this Bank Holiday? Check out this fascinating coversation with behaviour specialist and volcano of positivity Adele Bates (@AdeleBatesZ) on self-care, self-regulation and dealing with challenging behaviour.

https://t.co/q8wY9qmjt6

#edutwitter

[James Mannion @RethinkingJames]

The modern school is a mish-mash of precedents and ideas, cobbled together in a haphazard way over centuries

In this fascinating conversation, @GuyClaxton and @RethinkingJames discuss the need to revive the radical critiques of the 1970s

Watch here: https://t.co/NfxqBarm6p

[James Mannion @RethinkingJames]

Have you ever wanted to set up your own school?

In this episode, @RethinkingJames spoke with four inspiring women - @Rethinking_Kate, @kathsoweni, Hayley Peacock @Atelier21School and Lucy Stephens @new_school_uk - who have done just that.

Listen here: https://t.co/x0KsZhK1Oi

[Naomi Fisher @naomicfisher]

Families tell me that when their children miss any school, the minutes are totted up and they're told that they represent 'missed learning'. Five days over a term is 'a whole week of lost learning'. Here's why this is wrong. 1/

[Rupert Wegerif @rupertwegerif]

Wonderful to hear from Rebecca Hammer about assessing creativity and use of AI in the IB. Live now.

[Dr Penny Hay 🇪🇺🕊💚🌳🐝🦋🌹🌈 @PenAHay]

The Possibility Studies Manifesto call to action, ‘education needs to rise to the challenge of helping students and teachers go beyond the world as it was and as it is and enrich it with imaginations of how it can and should be.’ #imagination #arts

[Nicola Kelly @NicolaKelly]

This story is the reason I left the Home Office.

Almost ten years ago, I was sitting on the immigration desk in press office when we got word that a BBC Panorama documentary was about to air which exposed English language test cheating on a massive scale.
https://t.co/Iu7cIfEz0W

[James Mannion @RethinkingJames]

Listen to talk about the relevance and positive impact of introducing a coaching culture in schools – not only for students, but also for teachers and headteachers.

👉 https://t.co/QnSDNH85v2

#edutwitter

[Steven Strogatz @stevenstrogatz]

Reasonable people can disagree about how to help all kids learn math. But the attacks on @joboaler show how ugly the #mathed wars can be: "The first death and rape threats I received came after Tucker Carlson shared my name and image on his Fox News Show." https://t.co/GfGytPuwDI

[rob kelsall @rob_kelsall]

In all my years. Never have I seen such insensitivity.

@Ofstednews I would welcome a meeting to discuss this.

[Rethinking Assessment @rethinkassessmt]

Inspiring blog by Emily Reid @CChangeNW on how creative pedagogies and practices can transform lives and change communities. Excited to be supporting the collaborative to develop their learner profiles @LucasLearn @ace_national @RethinkingJames @HFCMAT https://t.co/d5KyPlsW3x

[Melissa Benn @Melissa_Benn]

I greatly enjoyed this conversation. Could have tidied up my books - in the background - a bit😂

[James Mannion @RethinkingJames]

Check out this glossary of 250 learning terms, with the aim of helping myself and others develop more nuance in our discussions about learning: https://t.co/vPrdDp4125

#edutwitter #blog

[James Mannion @RethinkingJames]

"There is a lot of dismissal.
People say 'Oh, it'll happen... They'll get there.'
I 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆 that phrase..."

New episode of #repod

S3E7: Fiona Cuthbertson (@keystone_) on lobbying for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (#SEND) reform

https://t.co/mgzEdNTnZp