Ed Durbin

Yeah. I worry that this is where the big bucks are going to be in the next few years.

How will the challenging and adapting of the AI output happens with what knowledge will the children be critiquing the LLM? At some point they need to actually know something and, you know, be able to recall it fluently

I have to say I find this alliance of well-meaning progressivism and AI pretty terrifying. Beyond how weakly formulated it all is - what is critical thinking? What is grappling? - it doesn’t seem to want to meaningfully engage with the issue of knowledge at all, apart from reheating Blooms taxonomy

A-Level History Coursework: 8 Traps Students Fall Into (and 8 Ways to Avoid Them) Writing an extended piece of coursework, or non-examined assessment (NEA) as part of A-Level History is no easy task. In fact, it's probably...

How do we get students to write analysis like historians in their #history coursework?

Here are 8 of the most common traps they seem to fall into, with 8 suggestions of how to avoid them

istorikteach.blogspot.com/2026/02/a-le...

#EduSky #historyteacher

Sensible. I suppose the point I would make is that these are not arguments for abandoning a pedagogy that requires students to think hard a lot but rather for flexible adjustments for some students within that, based on need.

Just to be clear, are you saying learning is cognitive labour that sone young people should be doing less of?

I’m sure - I was thinking more about my future self!!

I think partly it’s about the cognitive load of novelty - once you’ve got established routines it’s not exhausting - I liken it to the difference between driving for an hour as a learner and driving your commute for the 1000th time

I don’t think so - only in the sense that thinking hard is harder than not thinking hard

And tbh I’m not sure I’ve got an answer to that!

Right. When I first went to Ark Soane I was completely convinced but major concern was “how are we going to get teachers who are 60 doing this for 5 hours a day?”

I think it is also underrated how much more intense (for teachers) “explicit direct instruction” is as a mode of instruction - especially if you are new to it

Right. I found this study when I was looking for data about something else but then saw the teacher numbers!

Hard to imagine things have got better since 2017 either

There is good data to support this:

www.cardiff.ac.uk/__data/asset...

Kneel downs and Hail Marys looking for DPI

New England should take a knee on every play from now on

Reminds me of RH Tawney:

www.education-uk.org/documents/ta...

I’m sure are you right.

I guess I take the old-fashioned view that senior journalists at respected publications should think somewhat hard about things before putting them in the public domain!

True I’m sure

Haha right!

Right. Which isn’t to say that schools can’t do a better job of so many things - like, for example, making sure kids remember the things they do get taught into adulthood.

As I get older and crankier, I’ve come to view any take that starts with “this thing that is very important to me in my adult life or career should be on the national curriculum” as immediately disqualifying.

You get it from all across the political spectrum and it’s enraging

Think it’s more depressing than that. It’s about convenience.

No, I don’t want to have to help my child learn stuff at home.
No, I don’t want my child upset because you put them in DT for no HWK
I’ve suddenly discovered something that’s important to me, why didn’t you say something sooner?

Haha yes this is a perfect summary

Takes 5-10 seconds to google this:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c66...

And then look up what “non-statutory” means

You think wrong!

Certainly; and I suppose it’s nice of the person to just say it out loud

It’s revealing of such an warped view of education in which schools exist to teach children the mundane functional details of the adult world.

“And today Year 8, this is how to maximise clubcard savings during the big shop…”

Wearily is the word. I wonder if other sectors endure this sort of inane and ill informed commentary?