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Chris Graham

@chrisgraham.bsky.social
2.2K followers 2.1K following 91 posts

🌿Biology teacher and sustainability lead at a sixth form college 🌳Trying to build plant and nature positivity in students and society as a whole 🪴Sustainability in schools - action for change, a voice for change, teach for change

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Reposted by Chris Graham
Chat Biology @chatbiology.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
It is @greencareersweek.bsky.social 💚 Check out our post full of useful links and an environmental careers story from @head-in-the-clouds.bsky.social Did you have a #GreenJob before teaching? How are you celebrating this week? Let us know below! #GCW2025 #GreenCareers #GreenSkills
chatbiology.com
Green Careers Week
From Biology Field Trip to a Green Career When I was at school, my original plan was to study Accountancy. It seemed sensible and a financially secure career path. Then came my A-level Biology field trip. It was one of those rare weeks of blistering sunshine on the coast of Wales, and I loved every minute of it. Being outdoors, surrounded by nature, collecting data with the sea breeze in my hair (I had more hair back then) — I was completely in my element.
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) @saps-news.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Plants, Sustainability & Science Education🌱🌎🍎 Join us with @chrisgraham.bsky.social for a session at the Secondary Science Festival at Bedford College on 8th July. For more info & to book, use the QR code. 📲 @cleapss.bsky.social @fieldstudiesc.bsky.social @stemlearning.bsky.social
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) @saps-news.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Are you looking to build your confidence in microscopy? Join us in partnership with @associationscied.bsky.social on 04/06 for a twilight event (1/3). Suitable for teachers with all levels of experience🔬🌱🧑‍🏫 For more: www.ase.org.uk/events/build... @stemlearning.bsky.social @royalsocbio.bsky.social
Course outcomes.Dandelion. Credit: Pixabay. Dandelion under the microscope. Credit: Chris Graham.
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
Check out the new L3 certificate in sustainability: teach.ocr.org.uk/level-3-cert... I’m developing the teaching resources for it for OCR and I’m teaching it at Hills Road Sixth Form College in Sept 2025. I love the spec they’ve come up with - such a useful qualification for students. #EduSky
teach.ocr.org.uk
Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability
We've created a new Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability for students aged 16 to develop applied subject knowledge and transferable skills.
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
🌱It's International Plant Appreciation Day!🌿 Support the plants & community that inspire you. Please consider making an unrestricted gift—it provides flexible support, ensuring resources go where they’re needed most: crm.botany.org/makeadonation Share your plant story! #LetsGoPlants #IamaBotanist
This image shows 8 BSA members near or holding plants and smiling. Text: “International Plant Appreciation Day, April 13, 2025. Support BSA with an Unrestricted Gift Today!” The image also includes the BSA logo.
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Have a look at this newsletter for what I’ve been doing to support students learning how to use microscopes. 🔬 Lots of other great stuff too. 🌳
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) @saps-news.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Looking for guidance teaching #Microscopy? 🔬🌱 Chris' latest article also featured in @associationscied.bsky.social School Science Review is available here with a presentation to download: www.saps.org.uk/growth-hub/t... #plantsci @chrisgraham.bsky.social @stemlearning.bsky.social
Cluster of sclereids (stone cells) in pear tissue, stained with toluidine blue to show lignin (x400 magnification).
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Chat Biology @chatbiology.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
In case you missed it the amazing @chrisgraham.bsky.social will be joining us for #ChatBiologyLive 🙌🏻
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Looking forward to meeting some of my biology education heroes in person for the first time, catching up with others and meeting new people. Excited to have the opportunity to talk. 💚🌳💚
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
The #CANBill simply says that we will - do what we say we’re going to do - be informed by experts and by the people. I, and many, will feel a massive betrayal if this doesn’t pass its second reading today. @teamlabouruk.bsky.social @conservatives.bsky.social @libdems.org.uk @greenparty.org.uk
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
One of the many really interesting points that Hannah writes about in her book ‘Not the end of the World’. There is lots that needs to be done but there is hope. Hope that comes from data like these, past successes and the growing awareness of a need for action and participation in this action.
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Does this image mean that we need to reduce global emissions by about 60% to stop increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Does this count as ‘Net Zero’? It’s from: drawdown.org/drawdown-fou... What would figures look like for 2024? #Sustainability
Image showing relative contributions of different emissions sources to the atmosphere and then how much natural sinks take out of the atmosphere (about 40% of what goes in)
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Check out the Wild Check report from the FAO (www.fao.org/newsroom/det...). There are some great examples and data about the importance of plants and it shows how connected we are to ecosystems even though we usually feel quite separated from the rest of nature. #ITeachBio🧬 @saps-news.bsky.social
fao.org
The Wild Dozen: Prized as ingredients, vulnerable wild plants face surging demand
A new FAO report raises awareness about the need for their sustainable use
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
I’m exploring setting up savings accounts for my children (8, 9, and 11) and would like to choose a bank/building society with strong sustainability credentials. Does anyone have any advice?
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
Just read @hannahritchie.bsky.social ‘s book in 2 days (unheard of for me!). So quick because: 1) it’s very easy to read 2) it’s fascinating and I couldn’t put it down 3) we’re at the grandparents house and they’re entertaining the children. Lots to reflect on - highly recommended 💚🌳💚
Front cover of Hannah Ritchie’s book ‘Not the end of the world - How we can be the first generation to build a sustainable planet’
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Can’t wait for this. Hoping it will give me more ideas for enthusing my students about the nature around them. 💚🌳💚
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Let’s hope that this and other efforts lead to a real focus on sustainability and nature connectedness in education in the next stages of the process 💚🌳💚
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
In honor of National Tree Week in the UK here’s one of my favourite autumn sights. I give you the elegant branches of a naked hornbeam. Such a pleasing and distinctive pattern and shape it warms my heart when I see one.
A hornbeam without leaves outside our college’s sports and tennis centre.
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Matt Livesey @mlivesey.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Great PhD opportunity at @uniofexeter.bsky.social & Natural England to help tackle one of the current big questions in UK conservation - “How does gamebird release and management affect the population stability and recovery of UK bird species?” www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin....
exeter.ac.uk
Award details | Funding and scholarships for students | University of Exeter
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) @saps-news.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
"Education has a responsibility to make the future as bright as possible for our students. A big part of that is about addressing the climate & biodiversity crisis..." @chrisgraham.bsky.social seconded to SAPS Find out more about #BiologyForABetterTomorrow here: buff.ly/3Z5Q6le 🌱💚🌏 #plantscience
buff.ly
Home | Biology for a Better Tomorrow:Creating a Resilient Environment
‘Biology for a Better Tomorrow’ is a comprehensive digital series created in partnership with the Royal Society of Biology and Content With Purpose (CWP). This series delves into the vital work of bio...
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Gatsby Plant Science Education Programme @gpsep.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
We're delighted to see this series 'Biology for a Better Tomorrow' - a digital series from the RSB highlighting, in this video, the vital role of plants in biology. Featuring our very own Chris Graham and Dan Jenkins! #Bioscience #BiologyForTomorrow
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Chat Biology @chatbiology.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
We are so excited to announce that Chat Biology Live is a go! All the event information can be found here: buff.ly/3UZMlv7 Please share as much as possible Tickets will be on sale soon, we hope as many of you can join us as you can! #EduSky #iTeachBio 🧬 #SciTeachUK
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Thanks Kathy 💚🌳💚
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
This is me: Sustainability and education: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... Teaching classification and evolution using plants: www.saps.org.uk/growth-hub/t... Ideas for plants throughout biology: www.saps.org.uk/growth-hub/g... Ecological literacy: contentwithpurpose.co.uk/rsb/biology-...
contentwithpurpose.co.uk
Inspiring Ecological Literacy | Biology for a Better Tomorrow
Chris Graham
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Snails have a scraping ‘tongue’ called a radula. They use it to scrape up yummy algae. Here’s evidence of a snail dinner party. You can see how they sweep their heads left and right making tracks like a mountainside road. The wonder of nature! 💚🐌💚
Algae on a paving slab containing feeding tracks made by snails where they have cleared the algae with their radulas.
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Helen Harden @helenharden.bsky.social · 07/11/2024
So much in the programme. Basically, ASE conference is equivalent to months of high quality professional development, networking (and socialising) compressed into 3 days. If you can reach Nottingham in a day trip I recommend booking a day attendance to see for yourself! #ASEconf2025
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 02/11/2024
I’m ‘topping the billing’ at the @associationscied.bsky.social annual conference this year! Looking forward to talking about the work I’ve been doing with SAPS (www.saps.org.uk). There will be dandelion seeds, zooming chloroplasts and more…what a way to start the conference.
The first 7 talks listed for the ASE’s 2025 conference and I’m top of the list!
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 29/10/2024
One of my favorite things about autumn is finding these green islands in fallen leaves. 🍂 Their story is summarized here: www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2015/10... I also love how the track starts narrow and gets wider as the caterpillar grows. So many wonderful stories in nature 💚
Fallen brown beech leaf. One section remains green and contains the track of a leaf mining caterpillar.
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 27/09/2024
Biology teaching, plants, responding (however I can) to the climate and biodiversity crisis are my kind of things. If any, or all, of these are your thing too then you might like my article in Teaching Times here: www.teachingtimes.com/the-importan... #iTeachBio #GreenSky #Edusky 🌎🌳
teachingtimes.com
The Importance Of A Plant-Rich Education - TeachingTimes
It has never been more important for young people to gain an understanding of plants and their importance, yet they remain under-represented in biology and other subjects. Dr Chris Graham offers his a...
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Chat Biology @chatbiology.bsky.social · 02/09/2024
Hello! 👋🏻 We are very excited to be part of this new community and hope you will join us for our weekly #chatbiology discussions on Tuesdays at 8:30pm! ⏰ We will be up and running next week so come join us to chat all things biology! 🌱🧫🧬🔬 In the meantime our website is here: chatbiology.com
chatbiology.com
Chat Biology
Welcome As a group of teachers we created the Chat Biology platform as a way of discussing teaching ideas and sharing excellent resources. This website is a hub where you can find everything you need ...
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 28/08/2024
My next step for sustainability at college is to run a CPD group about exploring ways we can include contexts related to sustainability within our A-level teaching. We’re advertising the groups tomorrow. Hopefully there are some enthusiastic colleagues keen to choose this option. #EduSky
My slide advertising my sustainability CPD option
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 22/08/2024
Thrilled to be running our first ever ‘new staff induction’ sustainability session this afternoon as I start my new ‘1 day a week’ Sustainability Lead role. Feels like we’re really starting to embed sustainability at an organisational level. Lots more still to do though.
Title slide for the session saying ‘Sustainability at Hills Road, Chris Graham - Sustainability Lead’.
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Reposted by Chris Graham
Nic Wilson @nicwilson.bsky.social · 19/08/2024
The nature writing starter pack keeps growing. Please share it so we can create more connections and a bigger community on Bluesky. More suggestions always welcome... go.bsky.app/NXoPc6D
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Reposted by Chris Graham
STEMyBanda @stemybanda.bsky.social · 13/08/2024
New to BlueSky! Would love to connect with Sci educators, researchers and STEM/STEAM people! #SciTeachUK
bsky.app
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 13/08/2024
Any tips on remembering (or having conveniently to hand) relevant hashtags to add to posts? #edusky #edsky #iteachbio #scienceteachinguk #sciteachuk #eduk ???????
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 13/08/2024
Interesting section of the Teacher tap article today. Can we agree that an education in ‘Sustainability’ should be a key component of ‘basic skills’ given the predicament humanity finds itself in? #edusky #iteachbio #scienceteachinguk
Screenshot of a section of the ‘function of schools’ Teacher tap article on 13/8/24
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 09/08/2024
Here’s one way to help open students’ eyes to the wonder of the biology in the world around them everyday and to increase their plant awareness. My article is published here: www.ase.org.uk/resources/sc... And available to all from the SAPS website here: s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/assets.saps....
P1 of Graham, C. (2024) Kitchen classification. School Science Review. 391, 20-22. https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/school-science-review/issue-391P2 of Graham, C. (2024) Kitchen classification. School Science Review. 391, 20-22. https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/school-science-review/issue-391P3 of Graham, C. (2024) Kitchen classification. School Science Review. 391, 20-22. https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/school-science-review/issue-391
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 09/08/2024
Here for chat about: ☀️Sustainability 🪰Biodiversity 🌳Love of nature 📚Education 🔬The wonder of biology Particularly the cross over between them. How do I find my people? (Thankfully found some already but keen to make the most of BlueSky and share making the world a better place)
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 13/02/2024
Just published! Hope you like it. Hope it helps encourage us all to work together for a brighter future for all. Very grateful for the opportunity to write it. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... #ITeachBio
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 02/01/2024
If anyone is going to the ASE conference this week and is interested in chatting about biology education, plants, sustainability, curriculum design etc. it would be great to meet. I’m talking at 14:15 on Thursday about getting more plants into classification and evolution. #iTeachBio #UKEd
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 25/12/2023
Enjoying this Christmas tradition. So far… 🌳a good tone set by the leader ‘A year of two stories’ - a strong call for action. 🔴 fascinating sphere packing. 💚 thoughtful ‘No planet B’. 🫘 intriguing communicating lentils. … looking forward to the rest of it.
Front cover of the Christmas NewScientist magazine.
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Chris Graham @chrisgraham.bsky.social · 24/12/2023
Just joined Bluesky. Looking for people to follow. Anything to do with nature, sustainability or biology teaching. Would be grateful for any suggestions to help me find my feet. Thanks in advance. 💚🌳🐞💚
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