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MrsM

@educiting.bsky.social
768 followers 774 following 208 posts

Secondary English Teacher (UK) Deputy HOD, KS4 lead; Examiner; Reading/Oracy lead; MA Women and writing; CELTA, MA English in Education; BBC Bitesize writer and reviewer #UKEd #EduSky #UKteaching #EdUK

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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Summer reading: Been on my TBR pile for a while. Really enjoyed it. Recommend. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Book cover: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Sorry forgot alt-text. The image is the front page of the novel Clear by Carys Davies.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
A beautiful gem of a book - just 154 pages. Highly recommend.
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Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation @brinkerhoffpoetry.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
"Give me a little less with every dawn." @marjorielotfi.bsky.social performs John Burnside's "Prayer" in a film directed by Savannah Acquah, from our new series created with @writersmosaic.bsky.social. www.brinkerhoffpoetr...
brinkerhoffpoetry.org
Marjorie Lotfi performs "Prayer" by John Burnside
Give me a little less with every dawn:
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ImpactWales @impactwales.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
📢COMPETITION📢 My book "Closing the Disadvantage Gap in Schools: A Visual Workbook" is finally here & I'm giving away 2 copies. To win all you have to do is like a share this post before June 1st & I'll pick 2 winners. Find out more about the book here: amzn.to/3YK7sDD
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Unofficial Guardian (UK) Bot @guardian-uk-rss.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
The best recent poetry – review roundup
theguardian.com
The best recent poetry – review roundup
Invisible Dog by Fabio Morábito; Indeterminate Inflorescence by Lee Seong-bok; The Epic of Cader Idris by Samatar Elmi; A Kiss for the Absolute by Shūzō Takiguchi
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Alex Quigley @alexjquigley.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
This Department for Education short course on ‘Supporting reading in secondary school’ is an excellent free resource with useful video to build understanding for this crucial area: www.gov.uk/government/p...
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WritersMosaic @writersmosaic.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
‪In the first of our new series of films in collaboration with the @brinkerhoffpoetry.bsky.social the poet @marjorielotfi.bsky.social reads from 'The Hebridean Crab Apple'. The film is directed by Savannah Acquah bit.ly/42EqUTq
bit.ly
The Hebridean Crab Apple | WritersMosaic Magazine
The Hebridean Crab Apple by Marjorie Lotfi —   mysterious lonely apple tree on uninhabited Hebridean island baffles scientists   This, I understand: the instinct to cling, at any cost, to the place yo...
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Emma Turner FCCT @emmaturner75.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Powerpoint and IWBs - time to reclaim analogue teaching. My latest blog. thinkingflexibly.com/2025/04/19/p...
thinkingflexibly.com
Powerpoint and IWBs – It’s time to reclaim analogue teaching
When was the last time you taught an individual lesson without using an interactive whiteboard, without PowerPoint, without pre prepared digital resources? When was the last time you did this for a…
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The Poetry Society @poetrysociety.org.uk · 18/04/2025
✍️ #NaPoWriMo is here with the challenge to write a poem a day! Throughout April, The Poetry Society will be featuring poetry writing prompts created by poets that we've worked with recently through competitions, publications and projects.
A poetry prompt by Alison Brackenbury that reads: (quote by William Blake: Ah! shall the Dead live again?) From the dead, who would you most like to know more about? Someone close, who left that cryptic letter? The uncle nobody mentioned? The woman in a biography - in a single footnote? Begin to tell their story. You may find your own.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Thanks - now thinking an A level trip to Bath would be nice!
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Love these. Where’s the exhibition, Chris?
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Claire Stoneman @clairestoneman.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
*New post* This time on systems and school leadership. Beguiling events and how systems can fool school leaders birminghamteacher.wordpress.com/2025/04/17/b...
birminghamteacher.wordpress.com
Beguiling events and how systems can fool school leaders
A system is a black box Of which we can’t unlock the locks, And all we can find out about Is what goes in and what comes out. – Extract from the poem ‘Beguiling Events’ by Kenneth Boulding, e…
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Christian Moore-Anderson @cmooreanderson.eurosky.social · 18/04/2025
New post⤵️ ▸The fad's purpose is what it does◂ ...and not what its authors thought it would do Educational fads seen through systems theory (AKA cybernetics). Please share (tough for bloggers recently) #UKEd #EduSky #EruditePedagogy #Cybernetics cmooreanderson.wixsite.com/teachingbiol...
cmooreanderson.wixsite.com
An (edu) fad's purpose is what it does
Not long ago a drive emerged against "fun" lessons. The push was to rid the focus on fun and return it to subject knowledge itself. Soon followed the argument that students had to accept boring lesson...
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Barbara Bleiman @barbarableiman.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
A really brilliant blog on writing in secondary English by my colleague @andrewemc.bsky.social. A must-read in my view! www.englishandmedia.co.uk/blog/the-wri...
englishandmedia.co.uk
The writing paradox - starting with the whole
Exploration of the importance of starting writing with a sense of the whole in mind as a challenge to the dominance of sentence-led writing pedagogies
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
10. Vocabulary Explainers Use in: Science, Geography, Languages, etc. What: Pupils explain a key term or concept in their own words and use it in context. Impact: Deepens word-level understanding, especially for tier 2/3 vocab. Example: • “Define and explain ‘photosynthesis’.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
9. Group Explain or “Pop-Up Presenting” What: One group explains a topic to the class from memory or with short prep. Impact: Promotes collaboration, confidence, and ownership of revision.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
8. Hot-Seating Use in: English, History, Languages What: One student takes on the role of a historical figure, character, or expert; others ask them questions. Impact: Encourages empathy, recall, and understanding of motivations.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
7. Debate and Discussion Use in: Humanities, Science, English, RE What: Pupils explore arguments for and against a viewpoint, using evidence. Impact: Develops critical thinking and evaluative skills. Example: • English: Jekyll is good; Hyde is evil - to what extent do you agree?
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
6. Oral Quizzing in Pairs or Groups Use in: All subjects What: Students quiz each other using pre-written or self-made flashcards or question banks. Impact: Peer teaching and retrieval in one activity. Variation: Add a challenge — explain your answer, not just state it.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
5. Verbal Problem-Solving Use in: Maths, Science, Computing What: Pupils talk through the steps of solving a problem as they do it. Impact: Makes thinking visible and supports reasoning. Example: • “Talk me through how you’d solve this equation.” • “Explain what each part of the circuit is doing.”
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
4. Think, Pair, Share — with Oracy Prompts What: After individual thinking, students pair up and verbally explain or justify their thinking. Impact: Encourages metacognition and deeper thinking. Sentence starters to support: • “The key idea here is…” • “This links to…” • “One challenge is…”
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
3. Just a Minute (No Hesitation, Repetition, or Deviation) What: Students speak for 60 seconds on a topic without pausing or repeating themselves. (Allowed: key topic words!) Impact: Improves fluency and consolidates vocabulary. Example: • Geography: “Speak for 1 minute about coastal erosion.”
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
2. Verbal Retrieval Practice Use in: All subjects What: Pupils talk through what they remember about a topic before checking notes. Impact: Boosts memory and independence. Variations: • One-minute recap • “What can you remember about…?” round-robin • Mind map from memory — then explain it aloud
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
1. Teach It to Someone Else (Feynman Technique) What: Students explain a concept, process, or topic to a peer as if they’re teaching it to someone younger or unfamiliar. Impact: Strengthens understanding and highlights misconceptions. Example: • Science: Explain how osmosis works.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
10 techniques for oracy-based revision strategies. Please share. I’d love some feedback.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
As a new #oracy lead in a secondary school, I’ve been thinking about Oracy based #revision techniques. I thought I’d share ten of my favourites here as we hit the final weeks before exams. 🎓 🍎 #edusky #uked #gcse #Alevel Let me know if you find them useful!
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Barbara Bleiman @barbarableiman.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
A really good blog on the power of poetry in schools - with important messages for implementation both now and in the discussions about a newly reformed curriculum. Applies to both primary & secondary. @piecorbett.bsky.social childrenspoetrysummit.com/2025/03/27/p...
childrenspoetrysummit.com
Pie Corbett: Poetry – Why and How?
There is a new national curriculum in the offing and the Department for Education is producing guidance on teaching writing. A good time to ask why we should teach poetic writing? My first taste of…
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Enjoyable day at Voice 21’s Speaking Summit in London. Particularly good to hear from teachers enacting an oracy education.
Slide showing importance of oracy education - confident speakers and agile communicatorsSlide showing one school’s implementation plan. Year 1 explicitly teach oracySlide showing how to harness oracy to elevate learningSlide showing links between speech and language struggles and exclusion from school.
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SF Said @whatsfsaid.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
My favourite children's book of the year: SAFIYYAH'S WAR by Hiba Noor Khan. Absolutely beautiful & brilliant; every school & library should have a copy. To which end, I am giving away FREE COPIES TO SCHOOLS & LIBRARIES! Repost & follow to enter; closes 25th Jan 2025! #BooksOfTheYear #books #giveaway
Cover of Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan, showing two children running through the Paris night, over the roof of a moque
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Bert’s Books @bertsbooks.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
Festive Giveaway! RT and follow by 5pm on Friday 27th December. I’ll pick one lucky person from all entrants on Twitter and Bluesky. One lucky person can pick either shelf 1, 2, 3 or 4 from my Bertvent books of the year as a New Year treat! UK only.
4 shelves of books:
Shelf 1: A Curtain Twitcher's Book of Murder; Sandwich; The Other Valley; Orbital; Sometimes People Die; The List of Suspicious Things
Shelf 2: Ink Ribbon Red; Falling Animals; All the Colours of the Dark; Freakslaw; Leading Man; William
Shelf 3: Anyone's Ghost; Bored Gay Werewolf; The Betrayal of Thomas True; Guilty By Definition; The Pairing; The Actor
Shelf 4: The Last Murder at the End of the World; The Examiner; The Husbands; Helle & Death; Death on the Lusitania; The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Time with family 🌲
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
Simple, clear, useful! Thanks for sharing.
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Douglas Wise @dowise.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
Simple worksheet to help students reflect on the characterisation of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth www.douglaswise.co.uk/blog/charact... 👑 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
I enjoyed this - humans at the heart of English. Seeing the writer is an interesting idea - hopefully, forces us to be diverse too in our choice of writers! I guess I’d say you don’t need the writer to engage with the text but if it allows a more holistic and human way in I’m all for that!
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Chris Curtis @xris32.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
NEW BLOG: Looking at writers - does he ever stop smoking? learningfrommymistakesenglish.blogspot.com/2024/12/look... #engchat #engchatuk
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Release by Isabel Galleymore
Image of poem Release by Isabel Galleymore
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Flies by Alice Oswald in her collection: Falling Awake.
Image of poem Flies by Alice Oswald
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Loving myself in a land that doesn’t love me by Roger Robinson and Johny Pitts from Home is not a place.
Image of poem Loving myself in a land that doesn’t love me by Roger Robinson and Johny Pitts in Home is not a place.
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Enough by Suzanne Buffam (originally shared by John McCullough)
Image of poem Enough by Susan Buffam
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Poetry: For Edexcel A level English Lit pupils compare 21st century poems: an Unseen poem compared with a studied poem from Poems of the Decade. It gives me the wonderful excuse to wander round gorgeous recent poems. Here’s four more I’ve discovered recently mini 🧵 🎓🍎#TeamEnglish #poetry
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
Sorry forgot to hashtag properly! The scientific paper they were discussing was published in Nature www.nature.com/articles/s41... #UKEd #UKEduBlog #EduSky #AcademicSky #TeamEnglish #AI #Poetry
nature.com
AI-generated poetry is indistinguishable from human-written poetry and is rated more favorably - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - AI-generated poetry is indistinguishable from human-written poetry and is rated more favorably
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0… On BBC R4 Inside Science (14 Nov) they read two poems - one was AI. To me it was blindingly obvious - but I like poetry, I read it and teach it. The example was very Hallmark card - perfect rhyme scheme, cliched imagery, dull. Worth listening to the discussion! 🎓 #EduSky
bbc.co.uk
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Claire Harley @claireharley.bsky.social · 30/10/2024
If you'd like to write for us, please complete this short form: forms.office.com/r/PrBAwZhBcK #UKEd #UKEduBlog #EduSky #AcademicSky
forms.office.com
Microsoft Forms
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 28/10/2024
📌
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Elizabeth Draper @draperel @draperel.bsky.social · 19/10/2024
Such an interesting & valuable piece on the limits of ChatGPT /Large Language Models when it comes to the meaning to be found in the ‘multiple functions’ of silence, ambiguity… #EduSky #TeamEnglish
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Jaz @jaz.sh · 03/09/2024
Some numbers from the past 96 hours compared to a 96 hour period a week ago: 13M likes -> 104.6M likes 1.4M follows -> 100.8M follows 1.3M reposts -> 11M reposts 26k new users -> 2.11M new users This really drives home how insane the increase in activity around here has been Welcome to Bluesky :)
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MrsM @educiting.bsky.social · 31/08/2024
Another 🔥 poem to add to teaching Unseen Poetry at #AlevelEnglishLit 🎓🍎 #TeamEnglish For me (teaching Edexcel) I would compare it with from #PoemsoftheDecade A Minor Role by UA Fanthorpe Theme: illness.
Text of poem Elephant by Suzanna Fitzpatrick from September issue of Dust poetry.
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🚀 Dr Fi Coley (The Ed Psych Coach) @fionacoley.bsky.social · 31/08/2024
Back-to-work blues? Sunday scaries? New-year nerves? 😟😢😱😳 #edpsychs #edusky Here’s a few tips for an uplifting return to work: 🧵 @pippatep.bsky.social @ephoughton.bsky.social @viola-jane.bsky.social @edpsydan.bsky.social @edpsy.bsky.social @maxpurpose.bsky.social @aspenpsychology.bsky.social
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Becky Francis @beckyfrancis.bsky.social · 30/08/2024
I am delighted to have our panel announced, and to be working with such a fantastic group schoolsweek.co.uk/revealed-12-....
schoolsweek.co.uk
Labour curriculum and assessment review panel named
Academy trust leaders, a SEND consultant and exams expert among those appointed
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