🎃 Mark Ghoulrich 👻

Hi #EduSky - it's time for my #Saturday3 and since I am now back in Asia, UK readers can get it first thing in the morning. The online discourse this week seems to have swung back from DI / Sold a Story to Alpha Schools (again). However, that's all a bit irrelevant to what's happening in schools...

A decade after it was published, I finally got around to reading Making Good Progress by @daisychristo.bsky.social and its really fantastically useful and clear in explaining assessment issues. Rather worryingly, it isn’t dated at all. Schools are still overdoing summative assessment.

Also, contained this hilarious (but also frustrating) description of primary school teachers trying to cram in the necessary items to satisfy prescriptive marking of SATs. 👏👏👏 @michaelt1979.bsky.social (Available in the alt-text if easier)

I have a genuine good faith #EduSky question. Has anyone taught off a tight script of the kind used in (capitalised) DI? The thing that confuses me is that when you start, you can’t possibly know the script by heart so do you read it? How do you then have eyes on the children?

I occasionally script key pieces of information and definitions so I don’t waffle in the moment and I even find reading those quite difficult so I genuinely have no idea how I would manage with a full lesson script.

carouselteachlearnlead.substack.comRestrain and SustainSchool leaders try to do too much. But if we want to change real classrooms, we need to hold ourselves back.

This is just great advice for school leaders from @adamboxereducation.bsky.social. carouselteachlearnlead.substack.com/p/restrain-a...

mathematizing4all.comProject Follow Through: A study so old it makes me look young“The design flaws alone [of Project Follow Through] have caused the study to be called a good example of a bad evaluation” (Kennedy, 1978, p. 11)” “So the ultimate defense of the evaluation [of Pro…

This is a fair and nuanced discussion of Project Follow Through which should be required reading if you are listening to Sold a Story season 2.

Rachel Lambert, prof at UCSB, teacher!@mathematize4all.bsky.social

A special education/math education professor on the historical legacy of Project Follow Through (not quite the same story that is being gleefully spun in media right now) mathematizing4all.com/2026/10/25/p...

This looks a fun product! One of the things I loved about living in Tokyo is that it is an intensely walkable city where you can stumble upon interesting things all the time.

David R Munson//Somewhere in Japan@somewherein.jp

Just shipped out a couple more zines! A zine all about the joy of exploring Tokyo in new ways. I'd be happy to make one for you, too. You can also get a digital version or make your own. Shares appreciated! Find out more here: aleatorist.com/how-to-get-l...

I don’t need the prize and you are not going to get me doing random posts on LinkedIn….but I am sure that this will be a great and fascinating podcast. Really looking forward to it.

Dr James Mannion@rethinkingjames.bsky.social

🧵 BIG NEWS: I'm launching a new podcast! Making Change Stick: The Art and Science of School Improvement is for anyone who has watched a brilliant new idea implemented with great fanfare, only to fizzle out with in a few short months. (And that's basically everyone in education). (1/7)

Although I do actually want one of the runner up prizes now I read it more carefully….so stayed tuned for possible random posts on LinkedIn.

Although this piece is written from a secondary school perspective, exactly the same dilemmas crop up in primary when reading a novel as a class. There might be more support for really weak readers available but it's still tough and as the piece makes clear, evidence is slight and experts disagree.

enserm.substack.comHandwriting, spelling and letting them type itPart Three of Supporting Unwilling Writers

Although I couldn't ignore the class novel piece, it bumped one from the @ensermark.bsky.social 6 part (so far!) series on reluctant writers so I am going to give that a shout-out anyway. They have all been worth reading. Here's my favourite so far... enserm.substack.com/p/handwritin...

There are many possible reasons why it failed so completely and it's impossible to be sure which ones were the most important but allowing a link between coaching and performance review seems a huge mistake. Taking many talented teachers out of the classroom may also have backfired.

daviddidau.substack.comDoes it matter who’s doing the reading?Why so much of the reading in secondary English is really listening, and what we should do about it

Finally, this just in from @didau.bsky.social was superb - an analysis of the class novel dilemma. If we think reading whole books in class is important, how do we actually get through the books in the most effective way? daviddidau.substack.com/p/how-should...

Data's scarce but my feeling is that it isn't that different in English schools although we might get out of mediocre more often. I think Michael's right that to teach really well is hard and needs a lot of effort and prep. (Incidentally, I think that is even more true of inquiry learning).

ammaramerhbi.substack.comThe Limits of Scale: Why a Massive Teacher Coaching Program Produced Zero GainsEducational leaders frequently rely on instructional coaching to improve teaching quality and retain staff.

My next choice is a bit dispiriting (although coaching sceptics like @adamboxereducation.bsky.social will feel vindicated). A study on a US school district (reported here by @ammarmerhbi.bsky.social) showed *zero* gains from a statewide coaching programme. ammaramerhbi.substack.com/p/the-limits...

substack.comDirect Instruction is the American DefaultBut not the version that researchers want.

So, I chose 3 pieces which were all much more rooted in real schools and real problems. First up, I was recently introduced to the writing of @mpershan.bsky.social and this week, he produced a great piece of writing on what's actually happening in US schools... substack.com/home/post/p-...

substack.comSolitude Deprivation: Why Sometimes It’s Important to Be AloneA two week experiment in ending my social media addiction!

Seems a bit weird sharing this excellent piece of writing on social media but I guess we are all the intended audience so here goes!

Claire Harley@claireharley.bsky.social

Solitude Deprivation - why it's so important to be alone. substack.com/home/post/p-...

frasernelson.substack.com“Lawless Britain”: an updateThis morning’s figures show a scarcely-believable trend: crime down 78pc from its peak and British streets the safest for decades

Fraser Nelson is doing a lot of penance for his editorship of The Spectator and long may it continue….

Roland Smith@rolandmcs.bsky.social

Fraser Nelson commendably points out to the Right that their narrative of 'lawless Britain on the verge of civil war' is the inverse of the truth. And the big rise in immigration has coincided with a big drop in crime. frasernelson.substack.com/p/lawless-br...

Welcome to my very occasional #BookSky thread on books which are not about education but I think are worthwhile for teachers to read. Today, it’s this little masterpiece: Everything is Obvious *Once You Know the Answer How Common Sense Fails

1. I ordered this book because someone on Bluesky recommended it. Can’t remember who but 🙏 ! 2. I was particularly interested because my director of studies for law, David Fleming @trinityhallcamb.bsky.social always had a disdain for “common sense” which stayed with me.

He sadly died a few years back but the book is older so I like to think that he had the chance to read it and enjoy an academic treatment backing up his long-standing hunch….

This might sound a bit theoretical but we likely do this all the time in school. If a child gets a certain grade, it’s easy to think that’s what they were always going to get (good or bad). If a lesson goes badly, we assume it was badly designed and always going to end up that way.

It was full of lots of other thought-provoking issues which will really cause you to examine any claims based on “common sense” very closely in the future. A couple of final things…

But the other school takeaway for me was “creeping determinism”, related to the better-known phenomenon of hindsight bias. In hindsight bias, we tend to adjust our previous views in the light of what actually happened…so if a new initiative was successful, we naturally had expected it to succeed.

You can correct this by getting people to keep records of their predictions (although who can imagine schools doing that!?) but creeping determinism is an even more deceptive cognitive trick in that we tend to treat as inevitable that which has happened.

The most relevant part for the #EduSky world was probably the sections dealing with simple and complex systems. Watts makes the point that situations involving lots of people are inherently complex systems (and therefore unpredictable).

Of course, this made me think of classrooms and schools and a recent debate I heard between @adamboxereducation.bsky.social and @paulkirschner.bsky.social on the inherent complexity of the teacher’s role. Watts is team Kirschner on this.

Of course, it was the opposite of the actual finding but it shows how easy it is for us to regard something we have discovered as “common sense” and then find lots of reasons to explain it.

The first half of the book is full of challenges to your thinking, showing how some common sense notions might not based on much at all or on a circular reasoning. It’s uncomfortable reading at times but also quite liberating.

edjefferson.comLocal Wikipedia: The Encyclopedia For Local PeopleWikipedia, but only for things a half hour walk from you.

The basic thesis is outlined in an anecdote at the outset about American soldiers who served in WWII. When told of a survey finding that country men found it easier than those from towns to adjust, people were unsurprised and found lots of reasons to explain this.

🎃 Mark Ghoulrich 👻 reposted

John Self

@john-self.bsky.social

This is genuinely really good

Ed Jefferson@edjefferson.com

Had this idea in lockdown, half-built it, forgot about it, remembered it again, though might as well finish it.

writing4pleasure.comDoes sentence combining improve children’s writing? What the studies actually showStudies involving ‘sentence combining’ show that children get better at sentence combining-related activities and tasks. Whether they go on to write better compositions of their own depends on some…

This was a great review of research on sentence combining. Interesting to read alongside the recent @ensermark.bsky.social piece on this.

Ross Young@writingrocks.bsky.social

Does sentence combining improve children’s writing? What the studies actually show writing4pleasure.com/does-sentenc...

@biggreenbooks.bsky.social

Someone on here was making a point about teachers seeing the same things come round in a regular cycle and it has just occurred to me that adaptive teaching is basically assessment for learning… #EduSky

🎃 Mark Ghoulrich 👻 reposted

Big Green Books

It's #buyastrangerabook day! @melissaschuh.bsky.social will buy TWO people a book each! Let Melissa know the kinda stuff you enjoy reading. She will then offer you a choice of 4 books, based on your literary tastes. Choose your favourite, Melissa will buy it for you! Get in touch! UK only.

Dr. Melissa Schuh@melissaschuh.bsky.social

I’ll #BuyAStrangerABook 🤗 (two strangers! Since I completely blanked last week due to exam week) Personalised recommendations are my thing, so don’t forget to mention what kinds of things you like to read and I’ll suggest accordingly 📚 @biggreenbooks.bsky.social

🎃 Mark Ghoulrich 👻 reposted

Oliver Mills

@olivermills.bsky.social

I am consiering retraining as a secondary maths teacher. Have any other primary teachers made the same transition? I am aware of the NCETM route but wanted to know how realistic it is. RTs appreciated, especially if have a network involved in teaching.

I learned a lot from this book but they should delete the “[sic]” in this passage in the next edition.

alexquigley.co.ukThe problem with reading agesLet's begin with a familiar scenario of a pupil struggling with reading. Amelia is in year 7 but she is finding the leap to secondary school tricky. She has a good group of friends, but she is findi...

Very useful post from @alexjquigley.bsky.social on the problems with using "reading age" as a primary way of assessing reading competence. Also explains what SAS means and how this differs with age. alexquigley.co.uk/the-problem-...

I’d also like to express my appreciation for him using a photo from Unsplash (with credit) rather than the naff AI images which cover so many #edu posts at the moment.

theguardian.comMy critics think speaking fluently is vital for fee-paying pupils, but not for anyone else. Here’s why I reject that | Lucy PowellWe are accused of dumbing down, but that’s nonsense: this is levelling up. All the evidence shows helping children articulate improves their life chances, says Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell

This is well-expressed from Lucy Powell. However, it is striking how instrumental ot is - speaking well seen as important for the workplace. Feels like those who see oracy more as listening to children’s voices are going to be disappointed. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This is correct but it may be letting Facebook off a bit lightly. Lowe is doing bug numbers there as well and it’s probably reaching more people. The really frustrating thing about X is that it’s very vulnerable to a government and opinion-former exodus and yet…

Leonardo Carella@leonardocarella.bsky.social

Elon Musk's radicalisation machine is the main reason why civil war talk is a thing in Britain. Without it, Lowe would be a nonentity: there's no organic demand for Restore's fascism; It's been manufactured, and now "what needs to happen will be incredibly painful" is in the high single digits.