David Didau
@didau.bsky.social
Same old same old
Substack: daviddidau.substack.com/
Substack: daviddidau.substack.com/
Chapter 34 is here. All feeling a bit shady at the Synergy office … open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
I think I might be happy if I wasn’t out with them
Chapter 34 of The Second Summer of Love
open.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:10 AM
Chapter 34 is here. All feeling a bit shady at the Synergy office … open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Reposted by David Didau
The Learning Pyramid stats were new to me. I'd never thought about them all being exact multiples of 10 🤔
Not everything that feels supportive actually helps. Coloured paper and invented retention rates tell a bigger story about why bad ideas persist in schools.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The appeal of nonsense
How pseudoscience, placebo interventions and invented statistics continue to shape classroom practice despite decades of contrary evidence
open.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:52 AM
The Learning Pyramid stats were new to me. I'd never thought about them all being exact multiples of 10 🤔
Reposted by David Didau
Not everything that feels supportive actually helps. Coloured paper and invented retention rates tell a bigger story about why bad ideas persist in schools.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The appeal of nonsense
How pseudoscience, placebo interventions and invented statistics continue to shape classroom practice despite decades of contrary evidence
open.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:36 AM
Not everything that feels supportive actually helps. Coloured paper and invented retention rates tell a bigger story about why bad ideas persist in schools.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
BREAKING: The Tribune confirmed on Instagram that the man shot has died, according to two sources with knowledge of the incident.
ICE attempted to order local police from the scene, but Chief Brian O'Hara refused, sources also told the Tribune. O'Hara instructed his officers to preserve the scene.
ICE attempted to order local police from the scene, but Chief Brian O'Hara refused, sources also told the Tribune. O'Hara instructed his officers to preserve the scene.
Man shot by federal agent in south Minneapolis www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
January 24, 2026 at 4:36 PM
BREAKING: The Tribune confirmed on Instagram that the man shot has died, according to two sources with knowledge of the incident.
ICE attempted to order local police from the scene, but Chief Brian O'Hara refused, sources also told the Tribune. O'Hara instructed his officers to preserve the scene.
ICE attempted to order local police from the scene, but Chief Brian O'Hara refused, sources also told the Tribune. O'Hara instructed his officers to preserve the scene.
Not everything that feels supportive actually helps. Coloured paper and invented retention rates tell a bigger story about why bad ideas persist in schools.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The appeal of nonsense
How pseudoscience, placebo interventions and invented statistics continue to shape classroom practice despite decades of contrary evidence
open.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:36 AM
Not everything that feels supportive actually helps. Coloured paper and invented retention rates tell a bigger story about why bad ideas persist in schools.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
We’re teaching children to see struggle as signs of mental ill health. In doing so, schools risk becoming traumagenic. What if suffering is a sane response to adversity, not a condition to be treated? open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
From teaching to treatment
What teachers need to know about restoring students' confidence, meaning and agency
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 7:36 AM
We’re teaching children to see struggle as signs of mental ill health. In doing so, schools risk becoming traumagenic. What if suffering is a sane response to adversity, not a condition to be treated? open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
Ambiguous announcement: is it the student and colleagues who get access to Copilot, or Copilot that gets access to the students and colleagues?
Big announcement from @manchester.ac.uk today:
"The University of Manchester has announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft, becoming the first university in the world to give Microsoft 365 Copilot access and training to every student and colleague."
#GenerativeAI #Research #Manchester
"The University of Manchester has announced a strategic collaboration with Microsoft, becoming the first university in the world to give Microsoft 365 Copilot access and training to every student and colleague."
#GenerativeAI #Research #Manchester
World-first AI partnership between The University of Manchester and Microsoft announced
The University of Manchester becomes first university in the world to provide Microsoft 365 Copilot access and training to all students and staff.65,000 staff and students will receive full Microsoft ...
www.manchester.ac.uk
January 19, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Ambiguous announcement: is it the student and colleagues who get access to Copilot, or Copilot that gets access to the students and colleagues?
Chapter 31. The Sun Rising. Post rave bliss.
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Feel the sun rising on your skin, feel the heat, the warm within
Chapter 32
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Chapter 31. The Sun Rising. Post rave bliss.
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
We’re teaching children to see struggle as signs of mental ill health. In doing so, schools risk becoming traumagenic. What if suffering is a sane response to adversity, not a condition to be treated? open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
From teaching to treatment
What teachers need to know about restoring students' confidence, meaning and agency
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 7:36 AM
We’re teaching children to see struggle as signs of mental ill health. In doing so, schools risk becoming traumagenic. What if suffering is a sane response to adversity, not a condition to be treated? open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
NEW The freedom trap open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The Freedom Trap
What we get wrong when we talk about freedom, choice and autonomy in schools
open.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:57 AM
NEW The freedom trap open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
NEW The freedom trap open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The Freedom Trap
What we get wrong when we talk about freedom, choice and autonomy in schools
open.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:57 AM
NEW The freedom trap open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Chapter 29: Here you do, way too fast - the gang approach the rave open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Chapter 29: “Here you go, way too fast don′t slow down, you're gonna crash”
The Primitives, “Crash”
open.substack.com
January 11, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Chapter 29: Here you do, way too fast - the gang approach the rave open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
NEW Why some stress is good for us
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
From distress to eustress: why some stress is good for you
Three principles for teachers to think effectively about how to optimise stress levels in the classroom
open.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 7:20 AM
NEW Why some stress is good for us
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Chapter 28 let’s make lots of money open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Chapter 28: “I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks, let’s make lots of money.”
Pet Shop Boys, Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)
open.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:04 AM
Chapter 28 let’s make lots of money open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Reposted by David Didau
Behaviour changes only when people see several socially close others doing the same thing.
Weak ties create visibility. Strong ties create safety.
Confusing the two is why so many change efforts fail. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Weak ties create visibility. Strong ties create safety.
Confusing the two is why so many change efforts fail. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Is the 'myth of the influencer' really a myth?
A response to Adam Robbins' critique of seed groups.
open.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:17 AM
Behaviour changes only when people see several socially close others doing the same thing.
Weak ties create visibility. Strong ties create safety.
Confusing the two is why so many change efforts fail. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Weak ties create visibility. Strong ties create safety.
Confusing the two is why so many change efforts fail. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Behaviour changes only when people see several socially close others doing the same thing.
Weak ties create visibility. Strong ties create safety.
Confusing the two is why so many change efforts fail. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Weak ties create visibility. Strong ties create safety.
Confusing the two is why so many change efforts fail. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Is the 'myth of the influencer' really a myth?
A response to Adam Robbins' critique of seed groups.
open.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:17 AM
Behaviour changes only when people see several socially close others doing the same thing.
Weak ties create visibility. Strong ties create safety.
Confusing the two is why so many change efforts fail. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Weak ties create visibility. Strong ties create safety.
Confusing the two is why so many change efforts fail. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Chapter 26 of SSOL - the gang turn up at a steam fair. Hilarity ensures
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Chapter 26: “Dirty cash I want you, dirty cash I need you”
Adventures of Stevie V, Dirty Cash (Money Talks)
open.substack.com
January 4, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Chapter 26 of SSOL - the gang turn up at a steam fair. Hilarity ensures
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
NEW Herd immunity and the limits of peer influence
Herd immunity works until the system keeps re-infecting itself.
Why a few influential students can tip norms and why no seed group survives adult inconsistency 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Herd immunity works until the system keeps re-infecting itself.
Why a few influential students can tip norms and why no seed group survives adult inconsistency 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Herd immunity and the limits of influence
What Elizabeth Paluck’s research reveals about cultural change and why schools have struggled to implement it effectively
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:25 AM
NEW Herd immunity and the limits of peer influence
Herd immunity works until the system keeps re-infecting itself.
Why a few influential students can tip norms and why no seed group survives adult inconsistency 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Herd immunity works until the system keeps re-infecting itself.
Why a few influential students can tip norms and why no seed group survives adult inconsistency 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
Your tolerances not your values set your culture.
On norms, status and why what we permit matters more than what we proclaim 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
On norms, status and why what we permit matters more than what we proclaim 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Culture eats values and vision statements for breakfast
Why culture is learned through imitation, tolerated behaviour and informal influence rather than assemblies, policies and good intentions
open.substack.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:56 AM
Your tolerances not your values set your culture.
On norms, status and why what we permit matters more than what we proclaim 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
On norms, status and why what we permit matters more than what we proclaim 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
Substack from @didau.bsky.social on culture. daviddidau.substack.com/p/culture-ea...
You know your culture is real when it’s inconvenient and you do it anyway. If you make excuses or exceptions then it’s not culture, not values, just bluster.
You know your culture is real when it’s inconvenient and you do it anyway. If you make excuses or exceptions then it’s not culture, not values, just bluster.
Culture eats values and vision statements for breakfast
Why culture is learned through imitation, tolerated behaviour and informal influence rather than assemblies, policies and good intentions
daviddidau.substack.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Substack from @didau.bsky.social on culture. daviddidau.substack.com/p/culture-ea...
You know your culture is real when it’s inconvenient and you do it anyway. If you make excuses or exceptions then it’s not culture, not values, just bluster.
You know your culture is real when it’s inconvenient and you do it anyway. If you make excuses or exceptions then it’s not culture, not values, just bluster.
Your tolerances not your values set your culture.
On norms, status and why what we permit matters more than what we proclaim 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
On norms, status and why what we permit matters more than what we proclaim 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Culture eats values and vision statements for breakfast
Why culture is learned through imitation, tolerated behaviour and informal influence rather than assemblies, policies and good intentions
open.substack.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:56 AM
Your tolerances not your values set your culture.
On norms, status and why what we permit matters more than what we proclaim 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
On norms, status and why what we permit matters more than what we proclaim 👇
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
We obsess over how to teach reading and forget to ask why.
If literature trains attention, judgement and endurance, perhaps we should be more concerned with selecting books, that have the power to enrich, making time to read them, and stop over-explaining.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
If literature trains attention, judgement and endurance, perhaps we should be more concerned with selecting books, that have the power to enrich, making time to read them, and stop over-explaining.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reading for betterment
Beyond pleasure: how reading can make us better people
open.substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 6:40 AM
We obsess over how to teach reading and forget to ask why.
If literature trains attention, judgement and endurance, perhaps we should be more concerned with selecting books, that have the power to enrich, making time to read them, and stop over-explaining.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
If literature trains attention, judgement and endurance, perhaps we should be more concerned with selecting books, that have the power to enrich, making time to read them, and stop over-explaining.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
We obsess over how to teach reading and forget to ask why.
If literature trains attention, judgement and endurance, perhaps we should be more concerned with selecting books, that have the power to enrich, making time to read them, and stop over-explaining.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
If literature trains attention, judgement and endurance, perhaps we should be more concerned with selecting books, that have the power to enrich, making time to read them, and stop over-explaining.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reading for betterment
Beyond pleasure: how reading can make us better people
open.substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 6:40 AM
We obsess over how to teach reading and forget to ask why.
If literature trains attention, judgement and endurance, perhaps we should be more concerned with selecting books, that have the power to enrich, making time to read them, and stop over-explaining.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
If literature trains attention, judgement and endurance, perhaps we should be more concerned with selecting books, that have the power to enrich, making time to read them, and stop over-explaining.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Carl used knock out a corker every year or so on his old chronotope blog but the discipline of writing regularly on Substack has demonstrated what a consistently superb thinker he is.
I started a Substack in February and have been surprised and humbled in equal measure at the response. Here are the most read posts this year. Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest. carlhendrick.substack.com/p/the-learni...
December 28, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Carl used knock out a corker every year or so on his old chronotope blog but the discipline of writing regularly on Substack has demonstrated what a consistently superb thinker he is.