iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

9am BST, I'm continuing our mini-series on teacher satisfaction by asking the question: what motivates us? Join me live to hear what the research says. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEPq...

youtube.com

What Motivates the Teacher?: The Saturday Breakfast Show with Darren Lester

YouTube video by Teachers Talk Radio

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

30 minutes until I am live talking about the importance of job satisfaction when it comes to teacher performance. Join me from 9am! @ttradioofficial.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVFz...

youtube.com

Satisfied Teachers Are Better Teachers: The Saturday Breakfast Show with Darren Lester

YouTube video by Teachers Talk Radio

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Just shy of 2 hours until @rogershistory.bsky.social and I go live to talk about primary language learning. Will I be able to stop enthusing long enough to let our guests talk? I hope so, because we are talking to the wonderful founders of @languageangels.bsky.social who are going to be fascinating.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I always say: If you sat the exam, they're your results. If you didn't, then they aren't. Teaching and learning is a 50/50 split, but that last push of revision and exam prep comes down to the learner and I would never want to take that away from them by suggesting their results are mine.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

I am live right now - come and join the discussion.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

German teachers! Goodbye Lenin is currently streaming for free on Pluto TV uk. Might be good if you want a rewatch before teaching It next year.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Calling all #MFLTeachers. I am looking for participants in my doctoral study about language teacher identity and career. If you teach MFL in a state school in England and would be willing to volunteer an hour to be interviewed, please get in touch.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

How much observation is too much? Tomorrow on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social, I'll be looking at the effect of too many observations on teacher mental wellbeing.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

What is the link between parental self efficacy and exam stress? This is what I am discussing at 9am tomorrow morning on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Tomorrow, I'm tackling the question of cheating, and wondering if we can reduce the temptatation to cheat by more carefully considering how we design our learning tasks. Join me live at 9am on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Tomorrow on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social, I am looking at the researched links between test anxiety and school avoidance. Join me live at 9am to be part of the discussion.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Tomorrow morning, from 9am, we will be exploring the imposter syndrome and perfectionism experienced by our high achieving pupils. Join me live on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social to take part in the conversation.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

The next show in my mini-series on exam stress will look at school-based interventions and what we can do to help our young people deal with the stress of taking examinations. Join me live on Teachers Talk Radio ttomorrow morning from 9am.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Tomorrow morning, I'm looking at the relationship between gender, performance and test anxiety ahead of the exam season beginning. Tune into @ttradioofficial.bsky.social this Saturday at 9am to see what the research says.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Student research projects continue to be popular, but how do we ensure all our pupils have adequate access to research skills. That's the topic I'm exploring this week on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social, so join me bright and early on Saturday morning!

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Tormorrow at 9am, I am talking about how teachers reply when we are asked the question Why do you teach? Join me live on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

I am live on @ttradioofficial.bsky.social talking about the importance of friendship in managing school transitions. Join the conversation now. www.podbean.com/lsw/TTradio?...

podbean.com

The Saturday Breakfast Show with Darren Lester 28-03-2026 | Podbean Livestream

Welcome.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

...and to anyone who joined in the conversation. I think this is such a great community and it wouldn't be without everyone's wonderful participation. So thank you all.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

As my semester on the #LTHEChat organisational team comes to an end, I want to thank @suebecks.bsky.social for giving me such an amazing opportunity, my co-organisers @sarune.bsky.social, @clairetimmins.bsky.social and @fransez.bsky.social for their stellar work, to all of our guest hosts...

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

A6. Journalling. I like to empty my head out onto paper, especially if it's been a tough day.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

I first learned about "glimmers" the other day and it's such a great concept! I really like the idea of applying them to the workplace and actively looking for them.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

That's a really good point that I hadn't thought of. Love this.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

A3. When needing to have "difficult conversations." These conversations don't mean that a colleague is failing in their role, just that support needs to be given to change a behaviour. But they can turn sour quickly if emotional intelligence isn't present.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

A2. A love for the job. I don't think leaders should indulge in toxic positivity, but I want my leader to as passionate about her job as she was at the beginning of her career, so that I can feel energised by that enthusiasm.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

A1. For me, a "well" community is one in which everyone feels like they belong, regardless of individual interest or passion. Everyone gels together and similariries and differences work together to help everyone thrive.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

"Activity is not the same as impact." - Jenny Webb. YES! So many things are proxies for CPD and are actually just a waste of time. This is why deliberate practice and reading the research (rather than the one pager about the book about the research) is so important. @ttradioofficial.bsky.social

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

A3. I think there needs to be more encouragement in "learning for the sake of learning." So much is boiled down to employabillity that students really only care about securing the degree to get a job. We need to get back to "learning is amazing, let's broaden our horizons."

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

A2. As a linguist, I think valid assessment boils down to "how well can you interpret, understand and use the language you're learning?" I think we've done a lot of damage by encouraging closed books exams and restricting the use of dictionaries, because assessment should reflect real world use.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

A1. I think so. I think knowledge is constructed through conversation, both with others (in terms of reading and citing articles) and myself (in the academic writing process). I'm not sure how knowledge can be created without engagement in both.

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Reposted by Darren Lester

Classics for All Southwest @classicsforallsw.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Are you interested in running a classics trip but don't know where to start? We've got you! Sign up to this free CPD event by Friday 6th March to find out the best ways to take your classics teaching out of the classroom. bit.ly/4d4O24d

bit.ly

CfA Programmes Event - Registration Form

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

I have concerns about teaching research ethics. If we endorse LLMs which are trained on data gathered without consent, how can we be taken seriously when we tell them it's necessary to gain consent when collecting data for dissertations?

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

It's interesting to think about it from the "other" side. Algorithms aren't going anywhere, and is the manipulation of them as a rhetorical device really any different to appeals to emotion or rule of three? It feels a bit shady when you start to think of "persuasive" being akin to "manipulative."

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Different disciplines might require different extents. ITT, for example, should explicitly teach it so that our teacher trainees are aware of the impact on their own students. But anyone who advocates algorithm use needs to make sure their students are fully informed of what they're building.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

A4. If you are encouraging the use of algorithms in your course (through media, AI etc) then you have an ethical responsibility to make sure students are fully informed.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

but where the humanities are suffering fewer young people are aware of how people manipulate the algorithm to amplify their voices. (2/2) #LTHEChat

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

A2. Classicist bias incoming, but I think this is where students would benefit more from rhetoric training. It happens as part of the English Language A Level and can be part of the classical languages A Level (1/2)

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

If you've been on the internet for a while, you'll know the acronym tl;dr. (Too long, didn't read). We used to use it extensively back in the day when we didn't want to wade through people's posts. I learned a new acronym this afternoon. AI;dr. It may be my favourite one ever.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Thank you so much, @jacquithijm.bsky.social. This has been fascinating to think about, and I think these questions will stay with all of us for a while.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

I love this way of seeing it. Something else for me to print out and stick to my desk!

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

I think that's hit the nail on the head. We are the intitution in the here and now and while we won't be around forever, we make up the experience these specific cohorts of students will have.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

(Am I having an existential crisis?!)

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

A6 #LTHEChat I think this is a really layered question. Frankly, I don't know if I need to matter. I think my subject matters, I think being the best model as a linguist/classicist as I can be matters, but I also know my job can be done by anyone with my same qualifications.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

That's a really good point. We assume that they are "digital natives" and want to do everything online, but they do often find it easier to actually speak to someone. And that applies to everything from wellbeing to assignment briefs to "where is the library?"

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Oh, and it being a discussion for the sake of a discussion (rather than a grade) is really important. Especially for those who are coming from being "big fish in small ponds" at school, having an online space where they can make their voice heard and not be graded on it might help a lot.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

I think that would work really well. They could then be paired with someone they're more likely to gel with and who could, potentially, become a long term academic mentor for them beyond their undergrad studies.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

A5 #LTHEChat I think discussions like this are invaluable. Through your questions, I feel like my point of view is valued, and I like that we're all coming from different disciplines and sides of Higher Ed and having a cross-cultural conversation.

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Darren Lester @mrdlester.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Just before we were assigned our thesis supervisors, we were asked to write a list of what we expected from our supervision. The allocator took those in and, while I have no idea if she used them when she was allocating, it was good to feel like my idea of what "care" I need was taken into account.

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