Drew Thomson-Jones

🎉 Steplab Summer Reads #4

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How should we deal with school complexity? The art of creating equilibrium in a world of possibilities and constraints

New today.
open.substack.com/pub/matthewe...

I solved drwilkinsonsci's Minute Cryptic member clue!
Roughly determine the meatiest mince. (8)
Hints: 0, Letters revealed: 0
www.minutecryptic.com/custom/0b4d4...

Enjoyed ‘the French’ particularly!

These girls and everything they stand for - what a great message for young people 💙

Inset Day by Yvadney Davis

Couldn’t leave without a gallery visit. The most teaching leaning portrait in the new exhibition at the NPG was this, titled Inset Day by Yvadney Davis which rather expertly portrays every emotion felt at home that day!

Really pleased I could get to the parade at The Mall - fabulous celebration of a brilliantly united team. Some powerful messages, and simply being there and feeling that excitement will have meant a lot to so many (esp young girls aspiring for greatness!)

Comic. [3-column table with headers Period, My Favorite Part, and My Biggest Complaint] [Row 1] P: *Precambrian*, MFP: Life develops, MBC: Snowball Earth episodes [Row 2] P: Cambrian, MFP: Trilobites!, MBC: Evolution could stand to calm down a little [Row 3] P: Ordovician, MFP: Earth might have had rings, MBC: Scary volcanic eruption in North America [Row 4] P: Silurian, MFP: First land animals, MBC: Earth’s newfound mold problem [Row 5] P: Devonian, MFP: Big mountains in Boston, MBC: Yeah, sure, what those giant killer fish needed was *armor* [Row 6] P: Carboniferous, MFP: Cool forests, MBC: Bugs too big [Row 7] P: Permian, MFP: Pangea, MBC: Google “The Great Dying” [Row 8] P: Triassic, MFP: Tanystropheus [dinosaur with extremely long neck next to tiny person for scale], MBC: Damage to Canada still visible from space at Manicouagan [Row 9] P: Jurassic, MFP: Birds, MBC: Parasitoid wasps [Row 10] P: Cretaceous, MFP: Raptors, MBC: Raptors [Row 11] P: Paleogene, MFP: Pretty horseys!!!, MBC: Paleocene-eocene thermal maximum [Row 12] P: Neogene, MFP: Forests of *Dracaena* Dragonblood Trees, MBC: Zanclean Flood [Row 13] P: Quaternary, MFP: Burrito invented, MBC: Whoever picked this name for the third period of the Cenozoic

Geologic Periods

xkcd.com/3120/

This is England!

two knights are standing in the woods and one of them is saying i 've had worse . Alt: two knights are standing in the woods and one of them is saying i 've had worse .

Lucy Bronze

YouTube video by Stripe A conversation with Jony Ive

Absolutely right. Enjoyed recently watching this Q&A with Jony Ive that spoke to this in the first 10+ mins with how Apple achieved what they did, and what drives Jony as a designer. Struck a chord with my views on leadership generally. youtu.be/wLb9g_8r-mE?...

Absolutely fascinating piece about the cluster of underlying beliefs that make people hold onto education myths.

I have something similar, it brings me so much joy!

Friday 18th July Yesterday the UK Government shared plans to lower the voting age for UK Parliament to 16, from 18. This would be the biggest change to the electorate since the age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969. Currently 16 and 17 year olds can vote in council and national elections in Wales and Scotland, but elections to the UK Parliament, and all elections in England and Northern Ireland are restricted to 18+. As you might expect - this change is controversial, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner saying “I was a mum at 16, you can go to work, you can pay your taxes, and so I think people should have a vote at 16.” Whilst the opposition, Conservative shadow minister Paul Holmes said "Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in?” Questions: What do you think of these changes? The next UK General Election is likely to be in Summer 2029 (4 years time). How old will you be then? Will you be eligible to vote? If you’re able to vote in the next election do you think it will change how you think about politics or wider society in the next four years? Should 16 year olds be allowed to buy lottery tickets?

Hard to finish the week (and the term for some of us) with anything other than the news that 16 year olds will have the vote at the next GE. That means with the exception of a few summer born Yr7s. Every secondary age child now will be eligible in July 2029.
bit.ly/TutorGroupThink

Schools face ‘unsustainable’ rise in AI-generated complaints Parents’ use of AI in making complaints means schools are having to deal with complex letters loaded with references to the law, leaders warn

www.tes.com/magazine/new...

I actually don’t think I’ve had an AI generated complaint (that I’m aware of, and I deal with plenty!) Lots of AI generated job applications, and more time spent on student (mis)use of AI with NEA work.

Not sure of solution w/ complaints - need that avenue open.

I’m a governor at one of those schools, and I can confirm it’s pretty brutal. Well, balancing the budget is brutal anyway, this just makes it all the more difficult.

YouTube video by Christopher Sykes The complete FUN TO IMAGINE with Richard Feynman

The world is a large scale mess of jiggling things, if you look at it right

Love Feynman and his neverending enthusiasm!

youtu.be/P1ww1IXRfTA?...

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4-panel comic. (1) PERSON 1: This stick is one meter long. PERSON 2 WITH SHORT HAIR: Cool. PERSON 3 WITH WHITE HAT: That’s a nice stick. (2) PERSON 1: This rock weighs one pound. PERSON 2: I’d believe it. PERSON 3: Looks like a normal rock. (3) PERSON 1: This battery is one volt. PERSON 2: Seems fine. PERSON 3: Might need a recharge. (4) PERSON 1: This capacitor is one farad. [2 and 3 leaning away attempting to shield themselves] PERSON 2: *AAAAA! Be careful!!* Person 3: Put it down!!

Farads

xkcd.com/3106/

Comic. [planets and astronomical bodies in various shapes with comments pointing to them] Typical Exoplanet System: Giant planet orbiting so close that it’s actually rolling on the star’s surface; Hot Jupiter; Mini Neptune; Planet that could be habitable, if there’s a form of life that hates water but loves acid and being on fire; Cold Jupiter; Potentially habitable void; Hot Mars; Planet that may actually be in the habitable zone, according to a very optimistic modeling paper by some desperate postdocs; There’s a pulsar here but it’s probably fine; A waterworld paradise with beautiful oceans and warm— Wait, no, we just got new measurements, it’s a hellish steam oven; Mini Pluto; Earthlike data artifact; Wet Saturn; Either a gas giant or a fist-sized rock, depending which calibration method you use; Faint dust cloud that will cause several papers to be retracted; Somehow this whole system is smaller than the orbit of Mercury?!; Planet whose surface may host conditions suitable for rocks

Exoplanet System

xkcd.com/3103/

I don't know exactly what it means that my quintessential early-adopter uncle is only halfheartedly talking about the potential of AI, mainly just because it's the new tech thing & he's the new tech guy, while my Luddite father is now using ChatGPT daily, but it feels both significant & not good

Tweaked slightly for simplicity. Now submitted.

I created a Minute Cryptic for you to solve: Untruth in official Parthenon sculpture. (6)
Give it your best shot!
www.minutecryptic.com/custom/70a63...

7. Plan those lessons. Write those reports. Write those emails and mark those tests. All these things are processes which change us. If there's no point don't get AI to do it. Just don't do it. Make time for humans to do the important things.

Uriah Rennie, first black referee in Premier League, dies aged 65 * Trailblazing official battled rare neurological condition * Rennie oversaw more than 300 top-flight matches Uriah Rennie, the first black Premier League referee, has died at the age of 65. The Jamaica-born official grew up in Sheffield and oversaw more than 300 top-flight matches, starting with his breakthrough appointment as Derby hosted Wimbledon in August 1997. The game was, however, abandoned due to floodlight failure. The Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association posted on X: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former chair and trailblazing referee, Uriah Rennie. Uriah made history as the Premier League’s first black referee, officiating over 300 top-flight matches between 1997 and 2008. He broke down barriers, shaped our football community and inspired generations to come. Our thoughts are with Uriah’s family and friends at this difficult time.” Continue reading...

Uriah Rennie, first black referee in Premier League, dies aged 65

Big split primary to secondary?

Such a brilliant read- timely reminder for us all

I'm pretty angry about how these have been pushed on kids and families but once it's been done I don't think banning works as the kid has become affected by placebo and nocebo. I think the best position is "we won't facilitate this for kids who haven't got them already and here's why.."

Super thread. Thanks for sharing, Laura.

The privilege of being straight is that you never have to look for these symbols. You don’t have to wait for someone to clock you or your partner, and wait to see how they’ll react.
It is easy when you’ve had that privilege to eye-roll about symbolism and how unnecessary it feels…