Bodil Isaksen
@bodiluk.bsky.social
CEO at Dr Frost Learning. Helping more teachers help more kids learn more maths.
Formerly Unlocked Grads, Michaela, Teach First. Closet economist.
Formerly Unlocked Grads, Michaela, Teach First. Closet economist.
I’m obsessed with how intentional the teachers are about learning in my son’s nursery class. They’re learning rules of counting systematically. Books like this one have been seamlessly swapped into early morning reading time.
October 3, 2025 at 10:09 AM
I’m obsessed with how intentional the teachers are about learning in my son’s nursery class. They’re learning rules of counting systematically. Books like this one have been seamlessly swapped into early morning reading time.
@janemanzone.bsky.social May I trouble you for some advice? My summerborn child is chronologically due to go into Y1 in Sept, but hasn't done Reception (we're moving from NI where she was a preschooler). To what extent would you recommend out-of-year admission so she doesn't skip Reception?
July 17, 2025 at 9:56 AM
@janemanzone.bsky.social May I trouble you for some advice? My summerborn child is chronologically due to go into Y1 in Sept, but hasn't done Reception (we're moving from NI where she was a preschooler). To what extent would you recommend out-of-year admission so she doesn't skip Reception?
GCSE past paper practice on @drfrostmaths.bsky.social over the past 2 months. Spot the spike yesterday before the exam! Hope it went well for everyone today.
May 15, 2025 at 12:21 PM
GCSE past paper practice on @drfrostmaths.bsky.social over the past 2 months. Spot the spike yesterday before the exam! Hope it went well for everyone today.
Quite the name for an estate agent.
May 13, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Quite the name for an estate agent.
My 2-year-old’s first go on a pedal bike. 50% proud parent, 50% relieved my decade-old blogpost was vindicated within the household redorgreenpen.wordpress.com/2015/07/11/b...
May 4, 2025 at 12:40 PM
My 2-year-old’s first go on a pedal bike. 50% proud parent, 50% relieved my decade-old blogpost was vindicated within the household redorgreenpen.wordpress.com/2015/07/11/b...
In case you need some more headlines to depress you. Only 4 in 10 parents read to their under-5s frequently 🤯
This makes me sad. Those parents also are not the product of the all the things people criticise about school now
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
Most parents don’t enjoy reading to their children, survey suggests
Report from Nielsen and HarperCollins shows that parents see reading as a literacy skill, rather than something to encourage their children to love
www.theguardian.com
May 2, 2025 at 6:23 AM
In case you need some more headlines to depress you. Only 4 in 10 parents read to their under-5s frequently 🤯
Reposted by Bodil Isaksen
"Children learn most effectively when instruction follows an evidence‑based cycle: grounding facts in conceptual understanding, using brief timed practice to make those facts automatic, then returning to discussion and reflection to deepen that knowledge." journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....
April 29, 2025 at 6:03 PM
"Children learn most effectively when instruction follows an evidence‑based cycle: grounding facts in conceptual understanding, using brief timed practice to make those facts automatic, then returning to discussion and reflection to deepen that knowledge." journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....
I hear many concerns from police and NHS workforces, but the stress of inspections and their report cards doesn’t really feature. Have I just missed it? Is it because a school is a much smaller unit than an entire police force or NHS trust?
I ask this with genuine curiosity rather than an agenda
I ask this with genuine curiosity rather than an agenda
April 29, 2025 at 7:14 AM
I hear many concerns from police and NHS workforces, but the stress of inspections and their report cards doesn’t really feature. Have I just missed it? Is it because a school is a much smaller unit than an entire police force or NHS trust?
I ask this with genuine curiosity rather than an agenda
I ask this with genuine curiosity rather than an agenda
Couple more days to apply for this headship at a great trust
Massive job with @advschools.bsky.social
Principal at the excellent Chalk Hills Academy.
mynewterm.com/jobs/135337/...
Contact us for more information or discussion. Please RT.
Principal at the excellent Chalk Hills Academy.
mynewterm.com/jobs/135337/...
Contact us for more information or discussion. Please RT.
Principal - The Chalk Hills Academy, Luton, Bedfordshire
Closing date: 9:00am, Wed 16th Apr, 2025. View full details and apply online at MyNewTerm.
mynewterm.com
April 14, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Couple more days to apply for this headship at a great trust
Just discovered there is a Mo Mowlem playground in Belfast. Forget Nobel peace prizes, surely there is no better signal of universal high regard than having a playground named after you.
April 13, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Just discovered there is a Mo Mowlem playground in Belfast. Forget Nobel peace prizes, surely there is no better signal of universal high regard than having a playground named after you.
Shoutout to @mrjlauder.bsky.social who is consistently posting really thought-provoking education stuff here. Loads of great thinking coming from the Dixons MAT.
April 10, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Shoutout to @mrjlauder.bsky.social who is consistently posting really thought-provoking education stuff here. Loads of great thinking coming from the Dixons MAT.
Reposted by Bodil Isaksen
Anyone who has not visited her blog should definitly do so. A gloriors writer as well, funny, with a twist and full of good advice for colleagues.
The #Edu community stands to lose in many ways, not just a lovely person…
Last post just a day before the accident.
The #Edu community stands to lose in many ways, not just a lovely person…
Last post just a day before the accident.
Friends who knew Dawn Cox - either on social media or in real life may not have heard the awful news that she was involved in a serious car accident a few days ago.
I'm heartbroken to say that Dawn passed away this morning. She will be remembered with so much love.
@missdcox.bsky.social
I'm heartbroken to say that Dawn passed away this morning. She will be remembered with so much love.
@missdcox.bsky.social
April 9, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Anyone who has not visited her blog should definitly do so. A gloriors writer as well, funny, with a twist and full of good advice for colleagues.
The #Edu community stands to lose in many ways, not just a lovely person…
Last post just a day before the accident.
The #Edu community stands to lose in many ways, not just a lovely person…
Last post just a day before the accident.
Some fascinating interactive graphs here. What can we learn from the top right schools here (Swanlea School, Ark St Albans, Ark Globe, George Dixon Academy) that have well above average sustained education and employment outcomes in very high Pupil Premium contexts?
www.schooldash.com/blog-2306.html
www.schooldash.com/blog-2306.html
April 7, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Some fascinating interactive graphs here. What can we learn from the top right schools here (Swanlea School, Ark St Albans, Ark Globe, George Dixon Academy) that have well above average sustained education and employment outcomes in very high Pupil Premium contexts?
www.schooldash.com/blog-2306.html
www.schooldash.com/blog-2306.html
Be thankful you’re not the Northern Ireland Education Authority comms team today, who accidentally sent emails about everyone’s primary school places a week early. 1.1k comments on their Facebook post 😬
April 3, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Be thankful you’re not the Northern Ireland Education Authority comms team today, who accidentally sent emails about everyone’s primary school places a week early. 1.1k comments on their Facebook post 😬
Reposted by Bodil Isaksen
We've been sceptical about AI marking. Not any more!
When the facts change, we change our minds.
We think this is really big.
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/so-can-ai-...
When the facts change, we change our minds.
We think this is really big.
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/so-can-ai-...
So, can AI assess writing?
Results of our big new Comparative Judgement AI trial
substack.nomoremarking.com
March 31, 2025 at 5:56 PM
We've been sceptical about AI marking. Not any more!
When the facts change, we change our minds.
We think this is really big.
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/so-can-ai-...
When the facts change, we change our minds.
We think this is really big.
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/so-can-ai-...
This is so good, particularly on the need to slow down *so that* you can speed up later. A possible lethal mutation of ‘mastery’ (especially in secondary if you forget they’ve already had 7 years of formal education when they get to you) is never getting to the speeding up bit.
Latest on our Substack - resuming our series on designing the perfect curriculum & assessment system.
Do we need to slim down the curriculum?
Depends what you mean. In one way I think it's a good idea - and in two other ways, it's terrible.
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/designing-...
Do we need to slim down the curriculum?
Depends what you mean. In one way I think it's a good idea - and in two other ways, it's terrible.
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/designing-...
Designing the perfect assessment system, part 4: slimming down the curriculum
Do we need depth before breadth?
substack.nomoremarking.com
March 18, 2025 at 6:42 AM
This is so good, particularly on the need to slow down *so that* you can speed up later. A possible lethal mutation of ‘mastery’ (especially in secondary if you forget they’ve already had 7 years of formal education when they get to you) is never getting to the speeding up bit.
Reposted by Bodil Isaksen
🟡 🔵 This Friday is Pi Day! @DrFrostLearning.bsky.social🟣🟢
A selection of news, history and other facts about Pi you can share with your students.
How many digits of Pi do you know?
Can you approximate Pi accurately?
Find it here: buff.ly/yfzp1zX
A selection of news, history and other facts about Pi you can share with your students.
How many digits of Pi do you know?
Can you approximate Pi accurately?
Find it here: buff.ly/yfzp1zX
March 12, 2025 at 4:30 PM
🟡 🔵 This Friday is Pi Day! @DrFrostLearning.bsky.social🟣🟢
A selection of news, history and other facts about Pi you can share with your students.
How many digits of Pi do you know?
Can you approximate Pi accurately?
Find it here: buff.ly/yfzp1zX
A selection of news, history and other facts about Pi you can share with your students.
How many digits of Pi do you know?
Can you approximate Pi accurately?
Find it here: buff.ly/yfzp1zX
✅ relates to an actual book
✅ easy and cheap for parents
✅ children engage with a great story
This is how to do world book day!
✅ easy and cheap for parents
✅ children engage with a great story
This is how to do world book day!
March 5, 2025 at 11:04 AM
✅ relates to an actual book
✅ easy and cheap for parents
✅ children engage with a great story
This is how to do world book day!
✅ easy and cheap for parents
✅ children engage with a great story
This is how to do world book day!
Well reasoned article here with research rather than platitudes behind it. Surely pen and paper will be making a comeback - at least it should if it’s *learning* that we really care about.
Excellent column by @sarahoconnorft.ft.com on generative AI and universities:
Students must learn to be more than mindless ‘machine-minders’
Generative AI is a tempting short-cut that can prevent those at university from gaining foundational skills
www.ft.com
March 4, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Well reasoned article here with research rather than platitudes behind it. Surely pen and paper will be making a comeback - at least it should if it’s *learning* that we really care about.
Reposted by Bodil Isaksen
Excellent column by @sarahoconnorft.ft.com on generative AI and universities:
Students must learn to be more than mindless ‘machine-minders’
Generative AI is a tempting short-cut that can prevent those at university from gaining foundational skills
www.ft.com
March 4, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Excellent column by @sarahoconnorft.ft.com on generative AI and universities:
Reposted by Bodil Isaksen
Just in case anyone else is looking for recommendations for books to read to young children.
Grabbing a few favourites off the shelf (ours are now 7 and 4 but all of these were being used from 2 up to about 5). First up is an absolute favourite.
February 26, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Just in case anyone else is looking for recommendations for books to read to young children.
Reposted by Bodil Isaksen
The famous International Ecstasy Units
February 25, 2025 at 7:11 PM
The famous International Ecstasy Units
Reposted by Bodil Isaksen
Links to all the picturebook list blogs i have done… aiming to add a few more and update soon. #PicturebookPage
smithsmm.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/y...
smithsmm.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/y...
Year 1-Year 6 Picturebook lists so far… (links)
Here are a list if the picturebook lists I’ve put together, hope they’re helpful Year 6 list 1… Why Picturebooks? -10 picturebooks forYear 6 #picturebookpage Year 6 List 2… …
smithsmm.wordpress.com
January 11, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Links to all the picturebook list blogs i have done… aiming to add a few more and update soon. #PicturebookPage
smithsmm.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/y...
smithsmm.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/y...
Serendipitously (or algorithmically?) discovered @smithsmm.bsky.social ‘s #picturebookpage hashtag shortly after this post - full of gems. 🙏
Relatedly, I’m finding it surprisingly hard to find good kids books. Amazon top 100 goes “Julia Donaldson, Julia, Julia, book about poo, Julia, poo, celebrity book about poo, Julia”. I love Julia Donaldson but c’mon…
Caitlin Moran wrote a piece in the Times today in which she described the Mr Men books as “narratively abominable” and I was SO PLEASED at this having been articulated. Whatever fuzzy feelings you have about them, they’re *terrible* to read out loud to a child. In desperate need of an edit. SORRY
February 26, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Serendipitously (or algorithmically?) discovered @smithsmm.bsky.social ‘s #picturebookpage hashtag shortly after this post - full of gems. 🙏
Relatedly, I’m finding it surprisingly hard to find good kids books. Amazon top 100 goes “Julia Donaldson, Julia, Julia, book about poo, Julia, poo, celebrity book about poo, Julia”. I love Julia Donaldson but c’mon…
Caitlin Moran wrote a piece in the Times today in which she described the Mr Men books as “narratively abominable” and I was SO PLEASED at this having been articulated. Whatever fuzzy feelings you have about them, they’re *terrible* to read out loud to a child. In desperate need of an edit. SORRY
February 26, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Relatedly, I’m finding it surprisingly hard to find good kids books. Amazon top 100 goes “Julia Donaldson, Julia, Julia, book about poo, Julia, poo, celebrity book about poo, Julia”. I love Julia Donaldson but c’mon…