Christian Moore-Anderson
@cmooreanderson.bsky.social
● Biology Teacher (11–18)
● Author of Teaching Meaning, Difference Maker, and Biology Made Real
● Interested in enactive cognitive science in teaching
Blog: rb.gy/dyi5a
● Author of Teaching Meaning, Difference Maker, and Biology Made Real
● Interested in enactive cognitive science in teaching
Blog: rb.gy/dyi5a
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
This is happening "because the currency of scholarship—publication—is becoming increasingly detached from the notion that publication is meant to add to the sum of human knowledge. In other words, publication has increasingly become an end in itself."
February 18, 2026 at 10:03 AM
This is happening "because the currency of scholarship—publication—is becoming increasingly detached from the notion that publication is meant to add to the sum of human knowledge. In other words, publication has increasingly become an end in itself."
Knowledge isn't the same as understanding. We can know something yet still not understand it.
This is perhaps at the heart of the well established epistemological system, currently under threat.
dynamiclearning.substack.com/p/disentangl...
This is perhaps at the heart of the well established epistemological system, currently under threat.
dynamiclearning.substack.com/p/disentangl...
Disentangling Knowledge and Understanding
In which I ramble on a bit about nuance
dynamiclearning.substack.com
February 18, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
I 1000% agree with this but, at the risk of being a pedant, feel the need to note many students might need to be apprenticed into doing this. Many Ss will be coming from high schools where AP and state testing means just sitting around & talking about books is a rather new experience for them.
It’s going to sound quaint, but the best way to resist an AI takeover of the humanities is to assign physical books, sit around, read them, and argue about ideas. Academic has become such a competitive arena, that we ourselves are trained to look for the winning angle, instead of the best education.
February 18, 2026 at 2:30 AM
I 1000% agree with this but, at the risk of being a pedant, feel the need to note many students might need to be apprenticed into doing this. Many Ss will be coming from high schools where AP and state testing means just sitting around & talking about books is a rather new experience for them.
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
Another tell is asymmetry.
They demand nuance from others but offer none themselves. Complexity is framed as weakness, disagreement as bad faith.
Debate becomes a loyalty test, not a shared attempt to get closer to the truth.
There are many politicians that act like this, unfortunately.
They demand nuance from others but offer none themselves. Complexity is framed as weakness, disagreement as bad faith.
Debate becomes a loyalty test, not a shared attempt to get closer to the truth.
There are many politicians that act like this, unfortunately.
February 18, 2026 at 5:59 AM
Another tell is asymmetry.
They demand nuance from others but offer none themselves. Complexity is framed as weakness, disagreement as bad faith.
Debate becomes a loyalty test, not a shared attempt to get closer to the truth.
There are many politicians that act like this, unfortunately.
They demand nuance from others but offer none themselves. Complexity is framed as weakness, disagreement as bad faith.
Debate becomes a loyalty test, not a shared attempt to get closer to the truth.
There are many politicians that act like this, unfortunately.
Great podcast episode by @drewperkins.bsky.social with @natwexler.bsky.social
wegrowteachers.com/beyond-expli...
wegrowteachers.com/beyond-expli...
The ThoughtStretchers Podcast: Beyond Explicit Instruction, The Importance of Elaboration
Drew Perkins welcomes Natalie Wexler to the podcast to discuss her latest work and the evolving conversation around explicit instruction.
wegrowteachers.com
February 16, 2026 at 6:07 AM
Great podcast episode by @drewperkins.bsky.social with @natwexler.bsky.social
wegrowteachers.com/beyond-expli...
wegrowteachers.com/beyond-expli...
Could Bluesky being the meeting point for teachers looking beyond reductive EduCognitivism?
How do we get more people to join here and discuss?
LinkedIn is such a swamp for discussion.
How do we get more people to join here and discuss?
LinkedIn is such a swamp for discussion.
February 16, 2026 at 5:37 AM
Could Bluesky being the meeting point for teachers looking beyond reductive EduCognitivism?
How do we get more people to join here and discuss?
LinkedIn is such a swamp for discussion.
How do we get more people to join here and discuss?
LinkedIn is such a swamp for discussion.
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
@cmooreanderson.bsky.social @counsellc.bsky.social @suecowley.bsky.social @didau.bsky.social @barbarableiman.bsky.social @realgeoffbarton.bsky.social @debrakidd.bsky.social
February 15, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
Happiness and life-goals
open.substack.com/pub/ofgodsan...
open.substack.com/pub/ofgodsan...
Chapter 1: Happiness and life-goals
Those who know me, might well laugh at the idea that I might try to write something about ‘a good life’.
open.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Happiness and life-goals
open.substack.com/pub/ofgodsan...
open.substack.com/pub/ofgodsan...
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
The best example of this is a hilarious PPT slide from @ofstednews.bsky.social about toilet training as a series of 'knowledge items' that had to be memorised in a correct sequence. Great way to show that they don't understand toilet training. @thepetitioner.bsky.social do you still have a copy?
February 15, 2026 at 8:28 AM
The best example of this is a hilarious PPT slide from @ofstednews.bsky.social about toilet training as a series of 'knowledge items' that had to be memorised in a correct sequence. Great way to show that they don't understand toilet training. @thepetitioner.bsky.social do you still have a copy?
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
The other day, @agittner.bsky.social prompted me to describe how I would teach a concept.
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
February 13, 2026 at 8:02 AM
The other day, @agittner.bsky.social prompted me to describe how I would teach a concept.
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
Now, this is up my street!
Yet, I'd've liked stronger final claim:
We bring forth a world in drawing distinctions: this *is* the nature of knowledge.
You can't remove yourself from your distinctions.
Although, in conversing a community can create standards to bring forth "objective" distinctions.
Yet, I'd've liked stronger final claim:
We bring forth a world in drawing distinctions: this *is* the nature of knowledge.
You can't remove yourself from your distinctions.
Although, in conversing a community can create standards to bring forth "objective" distinctions.
New on Substack: New post: Why does dividing curriculum into knowledge components feel so unstable? Because we're imposing localist structure on a distributed system. The brain doesn't store knowledge in pieces. profbeckyallen.substack.com/p/curriculum...
Curriculum Is a Localist Model of a Distributed Mind
The problem with dividing knowledge into pieces
profbeckyallen.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 7:07 AM
Now, this is up my street!
Yet, I'd've liked stronger final claim:
We bring forth a world in drawing distinctions: this *is* the nature of knowledge.
You can't remove yourself from your distinctions.
Although, in conversing a community can create standards to bring forth "objective" distinctions.
Yet, I'd've liked stronger final claim:
We bring forth a world in drawing distinctions: this *is* the nature of knowledge.
You can't remove yourself from your distinctions.
Although, in conversing a community can create standards to bring forth "objective" distinctions.
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
A great thread on learning and curriculum and SO, SO relevant to English too. Curriculum is about thinking and doing in the subject, growing through connections, and 'knowledge made, not given' (Harold Rosen).
The other day, @agittner.bsky.social prompted me to describe how I would teach a concept.
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
February 13, 2026 at 5:51 PM
A great thread on learning and curriculum and SO, SO relevant to English too. Curriculum is about thinking and doing in the subject, growing through connections, and 'knowledge made, not given' (Harold Rosen).
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
Is anyone else having ‘Research shows’ fatigue in their student body?
My classes yesterday were muttering about ‘if they hear ‘research shows…’ again etc’
My classes yesterday were muttering about ‘if they hear ‘research shows…’ again etc’
February 14, 2026 at 7:41 AM
Is anyone else having ‘Research shows’ fatigue in their student body?
My classes yesterday were muttering about ‘if they hear ‘research shows…’ again etc’
My classes yesterday were muttering about ‘if they hear ‘research shows…’ again etc’
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
I love this approach to teaching and it resonates with what I do in RS. Today Y7 learned about literal and metaphorical interpretations of the Biblical creation story - but that built upon ways of thinking about religions and worldviews that we began in lesson 1 , an understanding of...
The other day, @agittner.bsky.social prompted me to describe how I would teach a concept.
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
February 13, 2026 at 5:26 PM
I love this approach to teaching and it resonates with what I do in RS. Today Y7 learned about literal and metaphorical interpretations of the Biblical creation story - but that built upon ways of thinking about religions and worldviews that we began in lesson 1 , an understanding of...
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
Please enjoy our research paper on how Bluesky is the preferred home of academics of all stripes, including professors of rare moths. (Yes, we actually have lots of entomologists here).
academic.oup.com/icb/article-... 🧪
academic.oup.com/icb/article-... 🧪
February 12, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Please enjoy our research paper on how Bluesky is the preferred home of academics of all stripes, including professors of rare moths. (Yes, we actually have lots of entomologists here).
academic.oup.com/icb/article-... 🧪
academic.oup.com/icb/article-... 🧪
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
Excellent🧵with another refreshing interrogation of (over-simplified) cogsci thinking.
How learning happens incrementally over time as students develop meaning through immersion in the discipline.
How learning happens incrementally over time as students develop meaning through immersion in the discipline.
The other day, @agittner.bsky.social prompted me to describe how I would teach a concept.
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
February 13, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Excellent🧵with another refreshing interrogation of (over-simplified) cogsci thinking.
How learning happens incrementally over time as students develop meaning through immersion in the discipline.
How learning happens incrementally over time as students develop meaning through immersion in the discipline.
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
This looks very interesting indeed - CC @cmooreanderson.bsky.social
@olicav.bsky.social
@literacyengine.bsky.social
@mrbates.bsky.social
#VisualLiteracy
@olicav.bsky.social
@literacyengine.bsky.social
@mrbates.bsky.social
#VisualLiteracy
After taking 7 years to write and draw, my new graphic novel, Speaking in Pictures, about language, cognition, comics, and visual communication is out in less than a week! At long last! www.visuallanguagelab.com/sip
February 13, 2026 at 12:24 PM
This looks very interesting indeed - CC @cmooreanderson.bsky.social
@olicav.bsky.social
@literacyengine.bsky.social
@mrbates.bsky.social
#VisualLiteracy
@olicav.bsky.social
@literacyengine.bsky.social
@mrbates.bsky.social
#VisualLiteracy
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
What makes information processing in biological systems radically different from information processing in AI?
Here I claim that information processing in living systems is NECESSARILY qualitative because organisms love life & avoid death !
Because they have an end, the have an end, a goal: life!
Here I claim that information processing in living systems is NECESSARILY qualitative because organisms love life & avoid death !
Because they have an end, the have an end, a goal: life!
The No Body Problem: Intelligence and Selfhood in Biological and Artificial Systems osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
February 13, 2026 at 8:44 AM
What makes information processing in biological systems radically different from information processing in AI?
Here I claim that information processing in living systems is NECESSARILY qualitative because organisms love life & avoid death !
Because they have an end, the have an end, a goal: life!
Here I claim that information processing in living systems is NECESSARILY qualitative because organisms love life & avoid death !
Because they have an end, the have an end, a goal: life!
The other day, @agittner.bsky.social prompted me to describe how I would teach a concept.
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
February 13, 2026 at 8:02 AM
The other day, @agittner.bsky.social prompted me to describe how I would teach a concept.
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
I found it almost impossible.
And, it had me wondering why, a full time biology teacher, head of biology, & someone who has written so much on biology education, couldn't do it easily.
Here's my answer 🧵
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
I'm partway through this episode now, and if you're interested in philosophy of biology it's a lot of fun!
Hear Carrie Figdor interviewing me about my book here open.spotify.com/episode/7drX...
Ellen Clarke, "The Units of Life: Kinds of Individual in Biology" (Oxford UP, 2025)
open.spotify.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:16 AM
I'm partway through this episode now, and if you're interested in philosophy of biology it's a lot of fun!
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
🧵So, what works when teaching reading comprehension in the classroom? To a whole class?
I dedicated a entire chapter of my Phd thesis to exploring the literature on this.
In fact, we do not know a lot about what works when teachers teach, to whole classes.
1/8
I dedicated a entire chapter of my Phd thesis to exploring the literature on this.
In fact, we do not know a lot about what works when teachers teach, to whole classes.
1/8
February 12, 2026 at 7:18 PM
🧵So, what works when teaching reading comprehension in the classroom? To a whole class?
I dedicated a entire chapter of my Phd thesis to exploring the literature on this.
In fact, we do not know a lot about what works when teachers teach, to whole classes.
1/8
I dedicated a entire chapter of my Phd thesis to exploring the literature on this.
In fact, we do not know a lot about what works when teachers teach, to whole classes.
1/8
Randall Beer's iconic diagram:
Engagement with the world happens through the body.
See Ezequiel Di Paolo "Picturing Organisms in their Environment".
Engagement with the world happens through the body.
See Ezequiel Di Paolo "Picturing Organisms in their Environment".
February 12, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Randall Beer's iconic diagram:
Engagement with the world happens through the body.
See Ezequiel Di Paolo "Picturing Organisms in their Environment".
Engagement with the world happens through the body.
See Ezequiel Di Paolo "Picturing Organisms in their Environment".
Reposted by Christian Moore-Anderson
When Musk said the "cumulative sum of human knowledge has been exhausted" for training AI, what he was really saying is that he would not pay for digitisation, and had reached the limits of useful data he could scrape for free. The GenAI house is built on sand.
Right, another key thing that historians do is working with important records that have not been digitized.
And the vast majority of the world’s records *have not been digitized* and thus do not exist in any format that LLMs/AI can work with.
And the vast majority of the world’s records *have not been digitized* and thus do not exist in any format that LLMs/AI can work with.
it's literally impossible for an LLM to do a historian's job
it's not even LLMs sucking it's that they need data input to do anything and where's that data supposed to be coming from without historians
never met a computer that can dig through a thousand year old book in a library
it's not even LLMs sucking it's that they need data input to do anything and where's that data supposed to be coming from without historians
never met a computer that can dig through a thousand year old book in a library
February 12, 2026 at 9:15 AM
When Musk said the "cumulative sum of human knowledge has been exhausted" for training AI, what he was really saying is that he would not pay for digitisation, and had reached the limits of useful data he could scrape for free. The GenAI house is built on sand.