Matt Perks
@dodiscimus.bsky.social
11-18 physics teacher, now at University of Southampton in Initial Teacher Education. School governor. Mostly edu-guessing.
By teaching, we learn!
By teaching, we learn!
It's definitely out a bit. I've ridden several of these routes in S. Wales and long sections of roman road are unmistakeable on the satellite map and on the ground.
November 7, 2025 at 9:41 PM
It's definitely out a bit. I've ridden several of these routes in S. Wales and long sections of roman road are unmistakeable on the satellite map and on the ground.
The published rankings for PISA are for UK whereas PIRLS are for England. The confidence intervals mean that there is no statistically significant difference between similar rankings. For example, there are only 8 education systems with scores significantly above England in PISA 2022 (not 13).
October 19, 2025 at 6:47 AM
The published rankings for PISA are for UK whereas PIRLS are for England. The confidence intervals mean that there is no statistically significant difference between similar rankings. For example, there are only 8 education systems with scores significantly above England in PISA 2022 (not 13).
(That is not a rhetorical Q - I can see arguments both ways).
October 12, 2025 at 6:22 AM
(That is not a rhetorical Q - I can see arguments both ways).
I don't have any access to the IT Support end of things.
The Grammarly marketing webpage refers to "opting in" but I don't know whether that's just a simple on/off toggle or something that can be fine-tuned.
www.grammarly.com/edu
The Grammarly marketing webpage refers to "opting in" but I don't know whether that's just a simple on/off toggle or something that can be fine-tuned.
www.grammarly.com/edu
October 12, 2025 at 5:59 AM
I don't have any access to the IT Support end of things.
The Grammarly marketing webpage refers to "opting in" but I don't know whether that's just a simple on/off toggle or something that can be fine-tuned.
www.grammarly.com/edu
The Grammarly marketing webpage refers to "opting in" but I don't know whether that's just a simple on/off toggle or something that can be fine-tuned.
www.grammarly.com/edu
... it's a written speech not off-the-cuff, and this is the context, which has both university and FE in the same paragraph.
October 1, 2025 at 5:51 AM
... it's a written speech not off-the-cuff, and this is the context, which has both university and FE in the same paragraph.
Best I can do. That 48% figure and assertion that 2012-2016 half of primary children couldn't swim 25 m, is not comparable.
Difficult to draw any conclusions given inevitable impact of Covid, I think.
Really needs 2012-2016 data.
Difficult to draw any conclusions given inevitable impact of Covid, I think.
Really needs 2012-2016 data.
September 27, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Best I can do. That 48% figure and assertion that 2012-2016 half of primary children couldn't swim 25 m, is not comparable.
Difficult to draw any conclusions given inevitable impact of Covid, I think.
Really needs 2012-2016 data.
Difficult to draw any conclusions given inevitable impact of Covid, I think.
Really needs 2012-2016 data.
Feels more like this than this.
September 27, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Feels more like this than this.
My son's school switched to Arbor over the summer. Still can't pay for anything (think the school is just covering all catering costs as a deficit atm), see the account balance, see his report, etc.
Even when it's not doing this.
Even when it's not doing this.
September 22, 2025 at 8:32 PM
My son's school switched to Arbor over the summer. Still can't pay for anything (think the school is just covering all catering costs as a deficit atm), see the account balance, see his report, etc.
Even when it's not doing this.
Even when it's not doing this.
The quotes from the data very much illustrate the problems I see in trying to navigate these GenAI issues.
I particularly like this one (swearing)👇
I particularly like this one (swearing)👇
September 15, 2025 at 7:37 PM
The quotes from the data very much illustrate the problems I see in trying to navigate these GenAI issues.
I particularly like this one (swearing)👇
I particularly like this one (swearing)👇
... this quote is a good example of the fundamental misunderstanding many of us (including me, sometimes) have about what GenAI is, how it works, and therefore what it can and cannot do.
September 15, 2025 at 7:05 PM
... this quote is a good example of the fundamental misunderstanding many of us (including me, sometimes) have about what GenAI is, how it works, and therefore what it can and cannot do.
The research on whether or not practical work in science generates long-term interest in the subject has nothing to do with this learning = memory thing. It is mostly pre-2010 and I'm pretty sure those involved would fiercely reject 'learning = memory'.
Similar authors:
Similar authors:
September 9, 2025 at 1:33 PM
The research on whether or not practical work in science generates long-term interest in the subject has nothing to do with this learning = memory thing. It is mostly pre-2010 and I'm pretty sure those involved would fiercely reject 'learning = memory'.
Similar authors:
Similar authors:
Some gratuitous, hopefully useful, advice for trainee teachers, some of whom will be starting today, and others over the next week or two.
dodiscimus.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/k...
dodiscimus.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/k...
September 1, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Some gratuitous, hopefully useful, advice for trainee teachers, some of whom will be starting today, and others over the next week or two.
dodiscimus.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/k...
dodiscimus.wordpress.com/2018/09/05/k...
If Sunblest from Iceland doesn't satisfy a craving for floppy white, at a bargain price, nothing can. Not quite KwikSave 12p loaf and 10p beans during the bean wars, but it's close.
August 31, 2025 at 3:12 PM
If Sunblest from Iceland doesn't satisfy a craving for floppy white, at a bargain price, nothing can. Not quite KwikSave 12p loaf and 10p beans during the bean wars, but it's close.
If it's any consolation my Y10 son has friends in Wales (still using A*-G) who got GCSE results today, and he hasn't a clue what their letters mean 🤷
Graphic from ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/02/g...
Graphic from ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/02/g...
August 21, 2025 at 5:56 PM
If it's any consolation my Y10 son has friends in Wales (still using A*-G) who got GCSE results today, and he hasn't a clue what their letters mean 🤷
Graphic from ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/02/g...
Graphic from ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/02/g...
I think you can see this in the PISA data. Tendency for bigger gaps between low-SES and high-SES on PISA test result in countries with more separation. (Of countries we're discussing, UK has highest Gini co-efficient and Denmark lowest).
www.oecd.org/en/publicati...
ifs.org.uk/data-items/g...
www.oecd.org/en/publicati...
ifs.org.uk/data-items/g...
August 17, 2025 at 9:21 PM
I think you can see this in the PISA data. Tendency for bigger gaps between low-SES and high-SES on PISA test result in countries with more separation. (Of countries we're discussing, UK has highest Gini co-efficient and Denmark lowest).
www.oecd.org/en/publicati...
ifs.org.uk/data-items/g...
www.oecd.org/en/publicati...
ifs.org.uk/data-items/g...
I wonder about causal claims here, though. Here's youth unemployment across the OECD. Obviously you'd expect exceptions but is it generally true that countries on the right are Bildung-rich and those on the left Bildung-poor?
August 16, 2025 at 9:27 AM
I wonder about causal claims here, though. Here's youth unemployment across the OECD. Obviously you'd expect exceptions but is it generally true that countries on the right are Bildung-rich and those on the left Bildung-poor?
If recent deterioration reflects curriculum over the last ~15 years, then is curriculum choice the explanation for earlier deterioration and improvement in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s?
August 16, 2025 at 8:18 AM
If recent deterioration reflects curriculum over the last ~15 years, then is curriculum choice the explanation for earlier deterioration and improvement in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s?
... "turn this information into a food web diagram".
It still isn't completely right but Co-Pilot (GPT but not yet 5.0) does much better prompted like this.
It still isn't completely right but Co-Pilot (GPT but not yet 5.0) does much better prompted like this.
August 15, 2025 at 8:59 PM
... "turn this information into a food web diagram".
It still isn't completely right but Co-Pilot (GPT but not yet 5.0) does much better prompted like this.
It still isn't completely right but Co-Pilot (GPT but not yet 5.0) does much better prompted like this.
For this particular assignment, cut and paste in ten seconds is rather a good way to handle it.
Gemini 👇
Gemini 👇
August 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
For this particular assignment, cut and paste in ten seconds is rather a good way to handle it.
Gemini 👇
Gemini 👇
Ah, this is fantastic 👇
Only thing is that I don't think students are baffled - at least not at university.
Only thing is that I don't think students are baffled - at least not at university.
August 7, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Ah, this is fantastic 👇
Only thing is that I don't think students are baffled - at least not at university.
Only thing is that I don't think students are baffled - at least not at university.
Just do not understand how this sticks. There are a few nasty exceptions and it's currently not obviously continuing to fall, but even so, we're waaay less likely to be the victim of crime than 10, 20, or 30 years ago.
August 7, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Just do not understand how this sticks. There are a few nasty exceptions and it's currently not obviously continuing to fall, but even so, we're waaay less likely to be the victim of crime than 10, 20, or 30 years ago.
I was joking, a little.
5 years on, Alice is half-wishing she hadn't taken the damn job. Maybe a few years dealing with unreliable trains and rising ticket prices would have been better than all those hours sat in traffic in an over-priced car, though 😉
5 years on, Alice is half-wishing she hadn't taken the damn job. Maybe a few years dealing with unreliable trains and rising ticket prices would have been better than all those hours sat in traffic in an over-priced car, though 😉
August 6, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I was joking, a little.
5 years on, Alice is half-wishing she hadn't taken the damn job. Maybe a few years dealing with unreliable trains and rising ticket prices would have been better than all those hours sat in traffic in an over-priced car, though 😉
5 years on, Alice is half-wishing she hadn't taken the damn job. Maybe a few years dealing with unreliable trains and rising ticket prices would have been better than all those hours sat in traffic in an over-priced car, though 😉
Am reading Osborne et al. (2022) now.
Very clear establishing the problem.
Running into an issue here, though.
Very clear establishing the problem.
Running into an issue here, though.
August 1, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Am reading Osborne et al. (2022) now.
Very clear establishing the problem.
Running into an issue here, though.
Very clear establishing the problem.
Running into an issue here, though.