Andrew Jones FCCT

Can sarcasm in the classroom ever be justified? Originally written for and published in SecEd Magazine 14 January 2026. I remember when I was in year 10 my PE teacher clearly had an issue with my long hair. In the early-1990s, and as a self-desc…

Should we ever be sarcastic to pupils, even if we mean no harm?

Some personal reflections below 👇. This blog was originally written for @seced.bsky.social

#education #teaching #edusky #sarcasm #uked share.google/D4hRkPJYPL0h...

WPfTT TeachMeet 2026: Democratic professional learning and evidence-informed practice January’s TeachMeet at The Reach Free School, which attracted over 200 external attendees from 22 different schools, marked an important moment for professional learning within and beyond the Watfo…

Some reflections on running a successful TeachMeet. 200 attendees from 22 schools. 7 mini-keynotes and 35 display stalls.

Democratic professional development privileging teachers' experiences of what actually works. #education #edusky #uked #TeachMeet #teach

mrjoneswhiteboard.blog/2026/02/19/w...

I am quite pleased with this ResearchGate metric, considering my main job is teaching in a school.
#education #edusky #research

👉 share.google/iFoLcUnUKsPp...

👇

Thanks. I hope it's interesting and relevant.

The pedagogical imagination: Linking knowledge, experience and social context In recent years, teaching has increasingly been framed as a technical and scientific enterprise. Policymakers and educational organisations promote ‘evidence-informed’ practice rooted largely in co…

How might C. Wright Mills’ sociological imagination reshape teachers’ practice? If we connect students’ lived experience to wider social forces, could pedagogy become more contextually responsive?
#education #edusky #uked #sociology
mrjoneswhiteboard.blog/2026/02/14/t...

Thanks - I will have a read.

I think I need to know more about enactive cognitive science. Is it phenomenological or realist?

Yiyun Li | To Remember in America When I was at nursery school in Beijing in the 1970s, there was a teacher who seemed to find tireless pleasure in...

An excellent and moving blog from the @lrb.co.uk. 👇

www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/fe...

Telling tales: Do personal anecdotes belong in the classroom? - SecEd Can personal stories in the classroom improve engagement & memory? Research & tips for using anecdotes in teaching

Worth reflecting on: how teacher anecdotes shape engagement in the classroom. 👇 #education #teaching #edusky #uked
www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/best...

Telling tales: Do personal anecdotes belong in the classroom? - SecEd Can personal stories in the classroom improve engagement & memory? Research & tips for using anecdotes in teaching

Do #teachers telling anecdotes in lessons help pupils to learn or are they just entertaining? @jonesedu.bsky.social delves into the research behind #storytelling in the classroom & gives us some practical tips for using stories & anecdotes effectively: buff.ly/4GvR7jh #teaching #education #pedagogy

Epiphenomenal empiricism and the limits of ‘what works’ in education In contemporary education policy, teacher development programmes and popular notions of ‘best practice,’ the rise of the ‘science of learning’ and the broader ‘what works’ policy agenda…

Epiphenomenal empiricism and the limits of 'what works' in education.
Why focusing on measurable outcomes can miss deeper causes in teaching and learning. #education #edusky #uked
Read: mrjoneswhiteboard.blog/2026/01/30/e...

Can sarcasm in the classroom ever be justified? - SecEd The pros and cons of sarcasm in classrooms – its risks, impact on students, and what teachers should consider

Teacher sarcasm: bonding or bruising? What the research says & practical guidance. Written for @seced.bsky.social. 👇

#education #uked #edusky #teaching

www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/best...

A week next Tuesday!👇

I have upset people by using the terms 'edu-influencer' and 'populist pedagogy,' but I think those phrases are relevant in discourse on the purpose of teaching, schools and education as well as how we appropriate, understand and package research methodologies.

Nothing is meant to be offensive.

I liked your blog.

I think the current positivist approach to evidence-based practice often downplays teacher experience and 'expertise' is largely prescribed from the outside.

The partnership I work with incorporates both. We have non-positional leadership research programmes to facilitate that.

Gert Biesta, Mooney Simmie and Stephen Ball write well on this. Despite the social media influencers and consultants, academia still has a vibrant and diverse debate on this even if ITT programmes have become very narrow in focus.

My EdD is examining the first point. What's worrying - at times - is the dismissive voices of popular edu-commentators - many of whom present at researchEd - when you challenge that. Some of the recent pedagogical discussions on LinkedIn are good examples of this narrow view of research.

Completely agree. I think my use of progress is related to increased practitioner engagement with research - that's not to say that the engagement is as good or as holistic as it should be (I do suggest that towards the end of the blog, the article is more critical).

Pedagogical prophet? Revisiting David Hargreaves’ 1996 vision for a research-based profession ‘Teaching is not at present a research-based profession. I have no doubt that if it were, teaching would be more effective and more satisfying. … It is this gap between researchers and practi…

1996: Prof David Hargreaves said education research was “private” and “esoteric”. Teachers needed evidence of “what works, with whom, under what conditions”. 30 years later we have progress, but is it also narrowing? #uked #edusky #education #research

mrjoneswhiteboard.blog/2026/01/16/p...

Can sarcasm in the classroom ever be justified? - SecEd The pros and cons of sarcasm in classrooms – its risks, impact on students, and what teachers should consider

#Teachers using sarcasm? Harmless humour or a risk to classroom culture? Andrew Jones – @jonesedu.bsky.social – explores the impact of sarcastic remarks on students, #teacher-pupil relationships & professionalism, offering guidance on when (if ever) it has a place in #schools: buff.ly/jXp8MUh

WPfTT TeachMeet – Tuesday 27 January (4pm - 5.30pm)
📍 The Reach Free School
Join us for an evening of sharing and learning, with over 30 stalls/displays from schools across the area. You are very welcome to attend simply to browse, talk and pick up ideas. See the QR code to sign up. #uked #edusky

WPfTT TeachMeet – Tuesday 27 January (4pm - 5.30pm)
📍 The Reach Free School
Join us for an evening of sharing and learning, with over 30 stalls/displays from schools across the area. You are very welcome to attend simply to browse, talk and pick up ideas. See the QR code to sign up. #uked #edusky

Pedagogía, poder y claridad: el desafío de Bernstein a la instrucción explícita. - Colectivo DIME Bernstein analizó cómo la pedagogía visible, el lenguaje y el poder condicionan el acceso al conocimiento. Una reflexión crítica sobre la instrucción explícita y la justicia educativa.

"Pedagogía, poder y claridad: el desafío de Bernstein a la instrucción explícita"

Nueva entrada en la Sección de @chussiabaleston.bsky.social 

 

Edumyths: Are we too quick to debunk the disputed? Originally written for SecEd Magazine and published on 19 November 2025. Last year, I was somewhat bemused to read a directive from a leading initial teacher training (ITT) provider warning one of …

Are some “edumyths” being dismissed too quickly? A short reflection on nuance, evidence and what it really means to say something is debunked. Originally written for @seced.bsky.social.
#edusky #education #edusky #uked

mrjoneswhiteboard.blog/2026/01/02/e...

@colectivodime.org Cool! A recent blog translated into Spanish👇.

Linked here: share.google/M3yUbrjc24to...

#education #pedagogy #learning #teaching

Happy new year from Amaravati Buddhist Temple.
#Buddhism #TeamRE

My article “Pedagogical Prophet? David Hargreaves’ 1996 Vision for a Research-Based Profession: A 2024 Reality Check” is published in PRISM Vol. 7 No. 1 (2025). A review of progress toward a research-based teaching profession. #education #edusky #uked

openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/prism/articl...

Hi #EduSky - it's my last #Saturday3 before Christmas and first up is this fascinating blog on Basil Bernstein by @jonesedu.bsky.social. I have to confess that I had not heard of him but this explains how he anticipated a lot of cogsci and yet was quite different. bsky.app/profile/jone...

Since ancient times, #homework has been seen as an effective way - if done properly - to improve #student outcomes.

Evidence from @britishlibrary.bsky.social 👇. Backed up by some modern research 👇.

#education #edusky #uked #teaching