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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Despite the best efforts of schools, people don't seem so smart. Perhaps it is because we have been stuck between flawed models of education. I take a look at what has been tried, and where things have fallen flat. enserm.substack.com/p/the-curric...

enserm.substack.com

The Curriculum Nobody’s Built

Part Four: What is the point of school if everyone is so dumb?

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Katy Soar @kjsoar.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Read all about the occult afterlife of ancient mystery cults in a piece by me and the magical @mjpcuervo.com

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Stuart Farmer @stuartphysics.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Another excellent post by @ensermark.bsky.social on the also excellent Curriculum Reform Handbook from Learning First’s Ben Jensen and @heatherbellaf.bsky.social. Good advice for curriculum-makers at all levels from classrooms to government agencies.

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Heather Fearn @heatherbellaf.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

This is a super summary of some of the most practical messages, for any curriculum writer, in our new Learning First, Curriculum Reform, Education Leader’s Handbook. Thanks @ensermark.bsky.social

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

*** NEW POST *** Refections on Learning First's new Curriculum Reform Handbook - lots to take away whatever your role in curriculum development and this first post just scratches the surface. Great work from Ben Jensen and Heather Fearn. enserm.substack.com/p/getting-cu...

enserm.substack.com

Getting curriculum right

Five lessons from Learning First’s Curriculum Handbook

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Its new Julia Jacklin album release day - and it is fabulous! open.spotify.com/album/1nkNzp... I think you are a fan @bennewmark.bsky.social?

open.spotify.com

The Gem - Album by Julia Jacklin | Spotify

Julia Jacklin · album · 2026 · 10 songs

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

What impact does education actually have on peoples' lives and their beliefs? What difference do we make in schools? I took a look at the evidence - and it wasn't what I was expecting enserm.substack.com/p/education-...

enserm.substack.com

Education and the Climate Emergency

Part Three: What is the point of school if everyone is so dumb?

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

*** NEW POST *** Can we educate our way out of a climate emergency? Sadly, research suggests that we use our education to pursue status rather than truth - and that’s a problem. enserm.substack.com/p/education-...

enserm.substack.com

Education and the Climate Emergency

Part Three: What is the point of school if everyone is so dumb?

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Zoe Enser @greeborunner.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I've been reflecting on this since joining @suttontrust.bsky.social as a north west ambassador. Geography does matter and we need to understand why

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Mark Goodrich @markgoodrich.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Finally, this is outside my usual area of interest but this blog by @ensermark.bsky.social on the global teaching of geography (and its neglect in the USA) was just so fascinating. If you haven’t read it yet, you should! enserm.substack.com/p/are-americ...

enserm.substack.com

Are Americans Lost?

What Happens When Geography Goes Missing

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Matthew Evans @head-teach.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I’m enjoying this series of posts. Thanks @ensermark.bsky.social

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

*** NEW POST - PART TWO *** Continuing my quest to try and answer the question, if people forget so much of what they learn in school, what is the point of it all? In this part, I turn to the sociologists for answers. enserm.substack.com/p/sinister-s...

enserm.substack.com

Sinister Sociology of Schooling

Part Two: What is the point of school if everyone is so dumb?

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

*** NEW POST *** Something has been troubling me - to put it bluntly, how do we defend education in a world where people seem so stupid? A comment on my last piece has sent me down a research rabbit hole that I am not yet out of. enserm.substack.com/p/where-is-k...

enserm.substack.com

Where is Kazakhstan?

Part One: What is the point of school if everyone is so dumb?

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Thank you - I think your inbox is closed here so have tried LinkedIn

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

What is really interesting is seeing old me (2019) being used to critique the work that less old me (2023) did - I was the author of Ofsted's Geography subject report - whose findings present me (2026) certainly stands by :-) I'd love to read the paper itself - is it freely available anywhere?

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Hello! Lovely to hear from you. I wish I could claim that I came up with the idea of research-washing but that seems unlikely - I am sure other people must have pointed out the practice before.

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

enserm.substack.com

Where is Kazakhstan?

Part One: What is the point of school if everyone is so dumb?

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I thought so - I've spent the last couple of days drifting down various rabbit holes.

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Thank you - it was interesting reading...

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Mark Goodrich @markgoodrich.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

A deeply fascinating look at how geography is taught in different countries with particular reference to its dire state in the USA. Would love to see this for some other subjects.

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

*** NEW POST *** What happens to a country when geography is devalued as a subject? A sobering look at the state of geography in American schools. enserm.substack.com/p/are-americ...

enserm.substack.com

Are Americans Lost?

What Happens When Geography Goes Missing

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

*** NEW POST *** What happens to a country when geography is devalued as a subject? A sobering look at the state of geography in American schools. enserm.substack.com/p/are-americ...

enserm.substack.com

Are Americans Lost?

What Happens When Geography Goes Missing

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

As in, looking to make the curriculum more disciplinary?

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Paul Cochrane @mrdissent.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Scotland currently going down this route. Interesting.

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

*** NEW POST *** Wanting the curriculum to reflect the subject discipline is a laudable goal - but there are some challenges ahead, and most of them are out of teachers’ hands. enserm.substack.com/p/what-could...

enserm.substack.com

What Could Go Wrong With a Concept-Led Curriculum?

Part Four: The challenges to overcome

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

6 years since @greeborunner.bsky.social and I published this as part of @teacherhead.bsky.social In Action series. I still get asked to lead CPD on it, to help teachers decide how activities can be designed with learning in mind or to support independent study. www.amazon.co.uk/Fiorella-May...

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

*** NEW POST - PART THREE *** Talking about geographical concepts is all well and good, and they can pretty up a curriculum map no end, but what difference can they make, or should they make, to the teacher in the classroom? I take a look. enserm.substack.com/p/concepts-i...

enserm.substack.com

Concepts in the Geography Curriculum

Part Three: Concepts in the classroom

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

enserm.substack.com

Concepts in the Geography Curriculum

Part Three: Concepts in the classroom

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

*** NEW POST - PART 2 *** Having explored what geographical concepts are, this next post looks at how a curriculum built around concepts looks different to one that was not - and why it matters. enserm.substack.com/p/concepts-i...

enserm.substack.com

Part Two: Concepts in the Geography Curriculum

How do we build a curriculum with concepts in mind?

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

enserm.substack.com

Part Two: Concepts in the Geography Curriculum

How do we build a curriculum with concepts in mind?

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

*** NEW POST *** The direction of travel would suggest that geographical concepts will play a bigger role in the new National Curriculum for England - but can anyone agree what they are, let alone how teachers in the classroom might actually use them? enserm.substack.com/p/concepts-i...

enserm.substack.com

Concepts in the Geography Curriculum

Part 1: What Do We Mean by a Geographical Concept?

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Stuart Farmer @stuartphysics.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

A significant issue in curriculum making identified by @ensermark.bsky.social “A curriculum can print “key concepts” at the top of every unit and still not have settled what one is, let alone what to do with it.” enserm.substack.com/p/concepts-i...

enserm.substack.com

Concepts in the Geography Curriculum

Part 1: What Do We Mean by a Geographical Concept?

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

enserm.substack.com

Concepts in the Geography Curriculum

Part 1: What Do We Mean by a Geographical Concept?

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Mr E @theniceman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

What you outline here with made up cities to exemplify concepts seems very close to how Ofsted tell us to teach languages. For them language should be just to exemplify and practise the grammar. Not to communicate actual meaning.

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

*** NEW POST *** In this post I take a look at things I see in geography lessons that raise red flags - not because of what they tell me about an individual teacher, but what they tell me about the approach taken in a department or school. learningtoteachgeography.substack.com/p/an-inspect...

learningtoteachgeography.substack.com

An Inspector’s Eye on Geography Lessons

Mark Enser, author, consultant, and former HMI Lead for Geography

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Alastair Gittner @agittner.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I liked this and lots of parallels to science lessons.You can struggle though with the paucity of "science capital."I taught in a school roughly 20 miles as the crow flies from Kinder Scout and Bleaklow.Wanted to talk about peat moorland. None of my 20 low priors had even heard of them nor visited

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Dr David Preece @doctorpreece.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I think we remember things as practitioners, and sometimes can forget that many trainees/ECTs will be doing something for the very first time. Whether it's a parents evening, or setting up for Open Day, or any number of things, we think that "here's what we really do" is really valuable to share!

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Dr David Preece @doctorpreece.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

An absolute pleasure - privilege to get your perspective on it, and wonderful to see the thoughts shared. We're always welcoming a diverse range of authors - whether it's your first time, or you've written excellent books! - and ideas that make sense for early career teachers! Get involved!

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Dr David Preece @doctorpreece.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Some of this is why we launched the Learning to Teach Gg space - we recognise that lots of what's being written is 'cutting edge' rather than pragmatic advice about how the day works for a new colleague, and we wanted to share and make that best practice work. But there were some great ones!

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Dr David Preece @doctorpreece.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

An absolute privilege to get @ensermark.bsky.social's input giving a wise inspector's perspective on what makes great geography teaching within a department and curriculum context! We reckon this is a great one to read with your Department as part of your development planning!

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Thank you, sir. Do you remember the "how i teach..." posts that we did back in the day, when we were young and carefree? I'd love to see these back from those teaching a full timetable today.

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Ben Newmark @bennewmark.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Fascinating post on the nuts and bolts of teaching. More of this sort of thing please! The copying point is interesting - might explore this in a post myself..

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Mark Enser @ensermark.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Thank you @doctorpreece.bsky.social for inviting me to contribute to Learning to Teach Geography.

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