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Ben Preston

@prestonscience.bsky.social
460 followers 378 following 144 posts

Hopeful mycophile & basic birder. Biology and science teacher in Stoke-on-Trent. Does it help learning, meaning-making, and connection? Lifelong nature lover 🌳 🐜 May be occasional dog or moss pics

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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
1. The Bottlenose Whale. Flanders and Swan. 2. Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay. Otis Redding. 3. ‘93 Till Infinity. Souls of Mischief. 4. Bad Kingdom. Moderat. 5. Waltzing Mathilda. The Pogues #FridayFive
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
From our upstairs window, half an hour ago. Where was it? Somewhere near Nottingham or Derby? Spooky as I couldn’t hear it and it wasn’t raining here at the time!
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I honestly think we’d be fine if Harry Potter hadn’t existed
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
So is LOTR children’s fiction? I don’t remember any sexytimes
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Film you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, or Ghibli
static.klipy.com
Tank Of Gas Blue Brothers
ALT: Tank Of Gas Blue Brothers
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Yes
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Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 27/07/2026
Bill Oddie has died aged 85. We'll certainly be thinking of this quote today. #Humanist #Nature #Birdwatching #Humanists #HumanistsUK #BillOddie
My please to people would be... take off those earpieces so you hear nature and, of course, birdsong. you may not realise how precious it is until it's gone. Bill Oddie. Comedian, broadcaster, and naturalist.
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Ditto 😂😂😂
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Yes please
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Love that 1. You went to CogSciSci and 2. You got to visit my old school! Look forward to hearing about it when you’re safely back north of the border
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
Not to mention superscript and subscript if you leave out the shift key
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
Honestly it’s a stunning spot, yes 10 mins from where I live in Leek! I’m up there most weekends as you can see :)
View of rocks on the Roaches, and Hen Cloud, in the low winter sun. Location: Staffordshire, UK
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Poking through the dusting of snow up on the Roaches, in the Peak District National Park Staffordshire, UK #moss
Orange moss sporing bodies poking up through snow on moorland
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Correction: unnecessarily strung out. Still enjoyed it all though :)
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
I thought it was fine but couldn’t help feeling the whole last season felt like an unnecessary add on
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
2026 ≈ 2025
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
I finally made the Christmas jumper I wanted. Bit smudged, might improve it and give it to my brother
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
Genius. I’ll be making that
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Wordle puzzle created by DrW 4/6 ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ 🟩⬛🟩⬛⬛ 🟩⬛🟩🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 www.nytimes.com/games/create... 🙏
nytimes.com
Wordle Puzzle Created By DrW
Choose a word for friends to guess, then share your own puzzle.
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
You should hear Tim Minchin’s opening song 😂 But I won’t sing it to you cos you have to go to his gig to hear it
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Ben Rogers @benrogersedu.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Inspired by The Writing Revolution, here's a physics version of but, because, so: readingforlearning.org/2025/06/26/a...
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Love that 🤣
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Ben Newmark @bennewmark.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
1. A story. Please read. Reposts hugely appreciated on this. You'll see why in a bit. I was born in Pakistan and lived there until I was 4. My parents worked there as doctors. While we were there we were very close to a couple called Christine and Mike Miles.
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Ben Newmark @bennewmark.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
New from me. Would getting rid of EHCPs make things better? Maybe. But the risks are huge. bennewmark.wordpress.com/2025/06/02/e...
bennewmark.wordpress.com
EHCPs, J S Mill and the Tyranny of the Majority
A few years ago, in the Golden Era of Edu-Twitter, Berny Andrews and I suggested the Department of Education needed a team of philosophers. We were only half joking. Very often the success or failu…
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
I think a lot of science teachers would also be sympathetic to this cause
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Niki Kaiser @nikika.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
A fascinating keynote to start the day at #cogscisci from @drgarethbates.bsky.social He argues that now is the right time to push back a bit and dig underneath (and dissect) the science of learning Looking in detail at Ebbinghaus and that famous curve (which actually wasn't a curve)
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
You smashed it. Thank you.
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Really pleased I made the effort to get to #CogSciSci today (and thank you @mrarobbins.bsky.social for letting me in 😇) Great to connect with like minded, hardworking folk obsessed with how to teach well, with a healthy science bias. And to put the world to rights with @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social
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Christian Moore-Anderson @cmooreanderson.eurosky.social · 24/05/2025
Your weekend read ↓ Why questioning in lessons often fails (and what to do about it) #EduBlogUK #EduSky #UKEd
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
David Didau has just published a post on this topic (£) - in summary, it’s not about which approach is better, but how it is implemented, that makes the real difference open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com
Does setting disadvantage the most disadvantaged students?
What does the evidence really tell us?
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
I like the idea of shared resources that are focused on well-crafted questions. Then teachers can focus on planning their explanations and the way they ask and get responses to those questions… food for thought with gained time around the corner!
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Well that is always the fear! I’m sure you’re doing a great job though and it’s the quality of teaching and team culture you’re no doubt improving that will have the biggest impact anyway, I reckon!
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
…the cost of not being able to tailor teaching to different “abilities”. Overall results have been improving, particularly for lower prior attainers. And that feels like where the biggest leverage is in terms of most difference to the lives of our students. *In this school context*!
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
As I say, it’s a context dependent choice. In the school I’m moving to, the setup is different, but the school culture is also world’s apart. My focus has always been on biggest impact for the lowest prior attainers & most disadvantaged, so the benefit of keeping mixed groups has outweighed…
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
That’s the main reason. Over the years I’ve seen so many students get stuck in a mindset of “they’re the smart ones”, and teachers inadvertently lowering their expectations. We do have some small nurture groups, but otherwise everyone’s mixed up.
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
We also stick with mixed ability - KS3 are timetabled in mixed teaching groups for several subjects including science. It’s best for our context, to avoid the students’ “I’m in bottom/top set” mindset. However I think you make the choice based on your context and school culture. Happy to discuss!
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
My first action in my current post 7 years ago was changing from end of topic tests to just two summative assessments per year, allowing everyone to focus on teaching better and improving the quality of low stakes, frequent retrieval practice in every lesson. No complaints, results much better now👍
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
My first action in my current post 7 years ago was changing from end of topic tests to just two summative assessments per year, allowing everyone to focus on teaching better and improving the quality of low stakes, frequent retrieval practice in every lesson. No complaints, results much better now👍
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Shaun Allison @shaun-allison.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
How we’ve tried to make professional development more regular and relevant open.substack.com/pub/shaunall...
open.substack.com
Mind The Gap
How can we support a more regular and relevant approach to teacher development?
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Sam Strickland @strickomaster.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
New Blog Subject Knowledge - Our Greatest Treasure samstrickland384843542.wordpress.com/2025/04/20/s...
samstrickland384843542.wordpress.com
Subject Knowledge: Our Greatest Treasure
My reasoning for writing this blog is to champion the cause and case of subject knowledge. Some will question why. Some will cite but that’s so obvious isn’t it or shout out but of course subject k…
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
This year’s birthday cake
Birthday cake decorated with candles and the words “Tax wealth not work”
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Pritesh Raichura @priteshraichura.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Extraordinary blogs with lots of excellent ideas.
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Movies you’ve watched more than six times, gifs only
media.tenor.com
two men sitting at a table with a candle and a napkin
ALT: two men sitting at a table with a candle and a napkin
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
If you feel like you’re competing with everyone, of course you’ll get stuck in “us vs them” thinking. But are you? Or are we actually, mostly, on the same side? I wrote about the myth of competition. open.substack.com/pub/explaini... Any feedback, here or in the comments, welcome 🙏
open.substack.com
You are not in competition with everyone else
The challenge of overcoming the myth of competition, so we can build something better for everyone.
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
I wonder who’s profiting from the use of the AI tools they’re no doubt using to identify offending material 🤔
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
I was just reading about this open.substack.com/pub/gidmk/p/...
open.substack.com
The Problem With Vaccines
When a public health intervention is literally too good.
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
A bit like Joe Rogan
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Couldn’t work out how to find one that I’d used so made my own. Hope it helps! go.bsky.app/4mX1QYn
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Look out for good “starter packs” I’ll see if I can find you a good one
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Ben Preston @prestonscience.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
📌
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