David Didau
@didau.bsky.social
Same old same old
Substack: daviddidau.substack.com/
Substack: daviddidau.substack.com/
Reposted by David Didau
Autonomy sounds like liberation, but the Greeks had a clearer view: freedom wasn’t being unwatched it was upholding the law for your self. Now, in classrooms and staffrooms alike, that’s the promise and the price.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The promise and the price of autonomy
Why guidance, not premature independence, is the real foundation of freedom
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Autonomy sounds like liberation, but the Greeks had a clearer view: freedom wasn’t being unwatched it was upholding the law for your self. Now, in classrooms and staffrooms alike, that’s the promise and the price.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Autonomy sounds like liberation, but the Greeks had a clearer view: freedom wasn’t being unwatched it was upholding the law for your self. Now, in classrooms and staffrooms alike, that’s the promise and the price.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The promise and the price of autonomy
Why guidance, not premature independence, is the real foundation of freedom
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Autonomy sounds like liberation, but the Greeks had a clearer view: freedom wasn’t being unwatched it was upholding the law for your self. Now, in classrooms and staffrooms alike, that’s the promise and the price.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Chapter 17 - There she goes again racing through my brain open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Chapter 17 - “There she goes again racing through my brain”
The La’s, “There She Goes”
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Chapter 17 - There she goes again racing through my brain open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Reposted by David Didau
We have a webinar for teachers in Aus & NZ on 2 Dec.
You'll take part in some live Comparative Judgement of real students' writing, & see if you agree with the AI!
We will also share details of our national assessment projects which DECIMATE workload!
www.nomoremarking.com/events
You'll take part in some live Comparative Judgement of real students' writing, & see if you agree with the AI!
We will also share details of our national assessment projects which DECIMATE workload!
www.nomoremarking.com/events
November 24, 2025 at 2:00 AM
We have a webinar for teachers in Aus & NZ on 2 Dec.
You'll take part in some live Comparative Judgement of real students' writing, & see if you agree with the AI!
We will also share details of our national assessment projects which DECIMATE workload!
www.nomoremarking.com/events
You'll take part in some live Comparative Judgement of real students' writing, & see if you agree with the AI!
We will also share details of our national assessment projects which DECIMATE workload!
www.nomoremarking.com/events
Reposted by David Didau
Brave New World
We haven’t ended up in Orwell’s nightmar but instead have drifted into Huxley’s. This piece draws on Neil Postman’s writing as well as new cognitive research to show how distraction is hollowing out the very capacities democratic life depends on open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
We haven’t ended up in Orwell’s nightmar but instead have drifted into Huxley’s. This piece draws on Neil Postman’s writing as well as new cognitive research to show how distraction is hollowing out the very capacities democratic life depends on open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Brave New World: the republic of distraction
How Neil Postman’s warnings about attention reveal the intellectual cost of our digital age
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Brave New World
We haven’t ended up in Orwell’s nightmar but instead have drifted into Huxley’s. This piece draws on Neil Postman’s writing as well as new cognitive research to show how distraction is hollowing out the very capacities democratic life depends on open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
We haven’t ended up in Orwell’s nightmar but instead have drifted into Huxley’s. This piece draws on Neil Postman’s writing as well as new cognitive research to show how distraction is hollowing out the very capacities democratic life depends on open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Brave New World
We haven’t ended up in Orwell’s nightmar but instead have drifted into Huxley’s. This piece draws on Neil Postman’s writing as well as new cognitive research to show how distraction is hollowing out the very capacities democratic life depends on open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
We haven’t ended up in Orwell’s nightmar but instead have drifted into Huxley’s. This piece draws on Neil Postman’s writing as well as new cognitive research to show how distraction is hollowing out the very capacities democratic life depends on open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Brave New World: the republic of distraction
How Neil Postman’s warnings about attention reveal the intellectual cost of our digital age
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Brave New World
We haven’t ended up in Orwell’s nightmar but instead have drifted into Huxley’s. This piece draws on Neil Postman’s writing as well as new cognitive research to show how distraction is hollowing out the very capacities democratic life depends on open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
We haven’t ended up in Orwell’s nightmar but instead have drifted into Huxley’s. This piece draws on Neil Postman’s writing as well as new cognitive research to show how distraction is hollowing out the very capacities democratic life depends on open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
I listen to Its Your Time Your Wasting with @didau.bsky.social & @trivium21c.bsky.social but peaked too soon & listened to it Sunday. Been a difficult week to be honest. I've cried for about 20% of it. The other 80% I've worked. I did walk 10km Tues though.
November 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I listen to Its Your Time Your Wasting with @didau.bsky.social & @trivium21c.bsky.social but peaked too soon & listened to it Sunday. Been a difficult week to be honest. I've cried for about 20% of it. The other 80% I've worked. I did walk 10km Tues though.
Reposted by David Didau
#FridayFive is the feeling a sort of maudlin pre Christmas mood.
1. Goodbye England. Laura Marling.
2. A Long December. Counting Crows
3. Winter Valley Song. Fountain of Wayne.
4. Flume. Bon Iver.
5. Pocahontas. Neil Young.
1. Goodbye England. Laura Marling.
2. A Long December. Counting Crows
3. Winter Valley Song. Fountain of Wayne.
4. Flume. Bon Iver.
5. Pocahontas. Neil Young.
November 21, 2025 at 4:34 PM
#FridayFive is the feeling a sort of maudlin pre Christmas mood.
1. Goodbye England. Laura Marling.
2. A Long December. Counting Crows
3. Winter Valley Song. Fountain of Wayne.
4. Flume. Bon Iver.
5. Pocahontas. Neil Young.
1. Goodbye England. Laura Marling.
2. A Long December. Counting Crows
3. Winter Valley Song. Fountain of Wayne.
4. Flume. Bon Iver.
5. Pocahontas. Neil Young.
NEW chapter of Second Summer of Love out now...
Chapter 16 - “I try to discover a little something to make me sweeter…” open.substack.com/pub/secondsumm…
Chapter 16 - “I try to discover a little something to make me sweeter…” open.substack.com/pub/secondsumm…
https://open.substack.com/pub/secondsumm…
November 21, 2025 at 9:38 AM
NEW chapter of Second Summer of Love out now...
Chapter 16 - “I try to discover a little something to make me sweeter…” open.substack.com/pub/secondsumm…
Chapter 16 - “I try to discover a little something to make me sweeter…” open.substack.com/pub/secondsumm…
Reposted by David Didau
Thank you to @adamboxereducation.bsky.social
and @laurastam for the final kick of inspiration yesterday morning to get this blog about mini-whiteboards finally out of my head and into the world.
Mini-Whiteboards: A Long-Overdue Rant (and Love Letter)
open.substack.com/pub/theeduca...
and @laurastam for the final kick of inspiration yesterday morning to get this blog about mini-whiteboards finally out of my head and into the world.
Mini-Whiteboards: A Long-Overdue Rant (and Love Letter)
open.substack.com/pub/theeduca...
Mini-Whiteboards: A Long-Overdue Rant (and Love Letter)
A Slice of Primary Leadership
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Thank you to @adamboxereducation.bsky.social
and @laurastam for the final kick of inspiration yesterday morning to get this blog about mini-whiteboards finally out of my head and into the world.
Mini-Whiteboards: A Long-Overdue Rant (and Love Letter)
open.substack.com/pub/theeduca...
and @laurastam for the final kick of inspiration yesterday morning to get this blog about mini-whiteboards finally out of my head and into the world.
Mini-Whiteboards: A Long-Overdue Rant (and Love Letter)
open.substack.com/pub/theeduca...
Reposted by David Didau
Why do some schools buck the national trend for disadvantaged pupils while others struggle to shift the dial? We Are In Beta have produced the most thoughtful attempt yet to answer that question. I dig into their findings,and consider what “best” ought to mean.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
What can we learn from the 'best' schools?
Signals, noise, and the difficulty with knowing 'what works'
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Why do some schools buck the national trend for disadvantaged pupils while others struggle to shift the dial? We Are In Beta have produced the most thoughtful attempt yet to answer that question. I dig into their findings,and consider what “best” ought to mean.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Why do some schools buck the national trend for disadvantaged pupils while others struggle to shift the dial? We Are In Beta have produced the most thoughtful attempt yet to answer that question. I dig into their findings,and consider what “best” ought to mean.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
What can we learn from the 'best' schools?
Signals, noise, and the difficulty with knowing 'what works'
open.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Why do some schools buck the national trend for disadvantaged pupils while others struggle to shift the dial? We Are In Beta have produced the most thoughtful attempt yet to answer that question. I dig into their findings,and consider what “best” ought to mean.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Next chapter of Second Sumer of Love is out now open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Chapter 15: “A heaven, a gateway, a hope”
New Order, “Temptation”
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Next chapter of Second Sumer of Love is out now open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Reposted by David Didau
Just finished listening to “it’s your time you’re wasting” with @trivium21c.bsky.social & @didau.bsky.social who were talking about favourite Shakespeare quotes. Mine is “You taught me language, and my profit on’t Is I know how to curse.”"
What’s yours? And yes, I do want Martin say it out loud
What’s yours? And yes, I do want Martin say it out loud
November 15, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Just finished listening to “it’s your time you’re wasting” with @trivium21c.bsky.social & @didau.bsky.social who were talking about favourite Shakespeare quotes. Mine is “You taught me language, and my profit on’t Is I know how to curse.”"
What’s yours? And yes, I do want Martin say it out loud
What’s yours? And yes, I do want Martin say it out loud
Reposted by David Didau
Retrieval practice is both necessary and insufficient. This week’s essay explores the tension between the zeal of retrievalism and the philosophical worry that recall tells us nothing about truth. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The limits of retrieval practice
Why retrieval practice strengthens memory, why it cannot explain learning on its own, and why both extremes miss the point
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Retrieval practice is both necessary and insufficient. This week’s essay explores the tension between the zeal of retrievalism and the philosophical worry that recall tells us nothing about truth. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Retrieval practice is both necessary and insufficient. This week’s essay explores the tension between the zeal of retrievalism and the philosophical worry that recall tells us nothing about truth. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The limits of retrieval practice
Why retrieval practice strengthens memory, why it cannot explain learning on its own, and why both extremes miss the point
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Retrieval practice is both necessary and insufficient. This week’s essay explores the tension between the zeal of retrievalism and the philosophical worry that recall tells us nothing about truth. open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Reposted by David Didau
NEW: Good schools make good trachers
If teachers don’t always improve with experience, the problem isn’t them. It’s the environment. Schools that get better do so because they make feedback clearer, practice more deliberate, and culture more trustworthy.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
If teachers don’t always improve with experience, the problem isn’t them. It’s the environment. Schools that get better do so because they make feedback clearer, practice more deliberate, and culture more trustworthy.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Good schools make good teachers
What kind domains, wicked traps and school culture mean for improvement
open.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:24 AM
NEW: Good schools make good trachers
If teachers don’t always improve with experience, the problem isn’t them. It’s the environment. Schools that get better do so because they make feedback clearer, practice more deliberate, and culture more trustworthy.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
If teachers don’t always improve with experience, the problem isn’t them. It’s the environment. Schools that get better do so because they make feedback clearer, practice more deliberate, and culture more trustworthy.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
NEW: Good schools make good trachers
If teachers don’t always improve with experience, the problem isn’t them. It’s the environment. Schools that get better do so because they make feedback clearer, practice more deliberate, and culture more trustworthy.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
If teachers don’t always improve with experience, the problem isn’t them. It’s the environment. Schools that get better do so because they make feedback clearer, practice more deliberate, and culture more trustworthy.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Good schools make good teachers
What kind domains, wicked traps and school culture mean for improvement
open.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:24 AM
NEW: Good schools make good trachers
If teachers don’t always improve with experience, the problem isn’t them. It’s the environment. Schools that get better do so because they make feedback clearer, practice more deliberate, and culture more trustworthy.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
If teachers don’t always improve with experience, the problem isn’t them. It’s the environment. Schools that get better do so because they make feedback clearer, practice more deliberate, and culture more trustworthy.
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
Latest chapter of SSOL out now open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Chapter 14
“Yellow is the colour of sun rays” Soul II Soul, “Keep On Movin’”
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Latest chapter of SSOL out now open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Reposted by David Didau
Chapter 13 of The Second Summer of Love has just dropped!
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Chapter 13
“Everybody's looking for a meaning, everybody's doing their own thing” Coldcut, “People Hold On”
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Chapter 13 of The Second Summer of Love has just dropped!
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
open.substack.com/pub/secondsu...
Reposted by David Didau
Thanks for this David and @trivium21c.bsky.social . It was a really helpful overview.
November 7, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Thanks for this David and @trivium21c.bsky.social . It was a really helpful overview.
The new Curriculum & Assessment Review is a curate’s egg: good in parts. There’s real promise in its vision for English but much depends on whether its promise of clarity helps students think more deeply, or just grind towards ticking a new set of boxes
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
The Curriculum & Assessment Review: A curate's egg
Good in parts: The Curriculum and Assessment Review offers welcome ideas but whether they amount to real change or just better packaging remains to be seen.
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:48 AM
The new Curriculum & Assessment Review is a curate’s egg: good in parts. There’s real promise in its vision for English but much depends on whether its promise of clarity helps students think more deeply, or just grind towards ticking a new set of boxes
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...
open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...