Mark Roberts
mrenglishteach.bsky.social
Mark Roberts
@mrenglishteach.bsky.social
Director of Research; Writer; English teacher.
Minute Cryptic - 28 November, 2025
"Log location if returning by sub" (9)
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November 28, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Minute Cryptic - 27 November, 2025
"Praise for animating Kate Winslet in "Flushed Away"" (5,4)
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November 27, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Minute Cryptic - 25 November, 2025
""Ludicrous!" I interjected. "Ludicrous, ludicrous!"" (10)
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November 25, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
"When teachers turn up the classroom pressure cooker, the research picture suggests that most students will experience more test anxiety, have lower motivation & perform more poorly on tasks as a result." @mrenglishteach.bsky.social in @tesmagazine.bsky.social www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
Do ‘fear appeals’ really motivate students to work harder?
Warning pupils about the consequences of not putting effort into their studies can backfire, writes Mark Roberts, who shares some alternative approaches to motivate classes
www.tes.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
"How can teachers motivate learners effectively - even within a pressurised school environment?" @mrenglishteach.bsky.social in @tesmagazine.bsky.social : www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
Do ‘fear appeals’ really motivate students to work harder?
Warning pupils about the consequences of not putting effort into their studies can backfire, writes Mark Roberts, who shares some alternative approaches to motivate classes
www.tes.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Minute Cryptic - 24 November, 2025
"Unlocking kindness, insight and humility, starts with reflection!?" (5)
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November 24, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
Attempting to motivate students with warnings like ‘you won’t get a decent job without good GCSEs’ can backfire, says @mrenglishteach.bsky.social – here, he shares some alternative approaches
Do ‘fear appeals’ really motivate students to work harder?
Warning pupils about the consequences of not putting effort into their studies can backfire, writes Mark Roberts, who shares some alternative approaches to motivate classes
www.tes.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:35 AM
The most difficult element of writing to master is structure. Anyone can stumble across a lovely word or a stylistic flourish. But structure requires big picture thinking and the grind of coherence and cohesion. Outsource your writing to AI and that's where I suspect you'll struggle most long-term.
November 20, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Minute Cryptic - 20 November, 2025
"Ancestors of polar, grizzly, panda and teddy counted out loud" (9)
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November 20, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
The government will need to tackle the causes of disadvantaged boys' low attainment in the early years if it is to meet its new school-readiness targets, an @instituteforgovernment.org.uk report warns
Focus on disadvantaged boys to hit school-ready target, DfE told
Successive governments have failed to tackle entrenched inequalities in early years outcomes for boys from low-income backgrounds, IfG report warns
www.tes.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
Fear appeals. We've all been guilty of them. I recognise I resort to them far too often as a parent. But as @mrenglishteach.bsky.social makes clear in a @tesmagazine.bsky.social piece today, they are not very effective in motivating people to change behaviours...
www.tes.com/magazine/tea...
Do ‘fear appeals’ really motivate students to work harder?
Warning pupils about the consequences of not putting effort into their studies can backfire, writes Mark Roberts, who shares some alternative approaches to motivate classes
www.tes.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:38 AM
My latest for @tesmagazine.bsky.social looks at what happens when teachers try to motivate students through fear appeals:
November 20, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
A new national analysis finds no evidence that boys perform or behave better with male teachers in elementary school. This challenges a widespread belief: hechingerreport.org/proof-points... via @jillbarshay.bsky.social
Do male teachers make a difference? Not as much as some think
A teacher's gender doesn’t matter for young boys, national study shows
hechingerreport.org
November 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Minute Cryptic - 19 November, 2025
"Splatter half-baked waffles" (8)
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November 19, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Genuis clue!

Minute Cryptic - 18 November, 2025
"Shape of _ountain" (4)
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November 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Minute Cryptic - 17 November, 2025
"Girl swapped clothes with boyfriend for a lark, perhaps?" (4)
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November 17, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Minute Cryptic - 16 November, 2025
"Former partner ate mostly quinoa for special date" (7)
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November 16, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Minute Cryptic - 15 November, 2025
"Warm fluid, cold air" (7)
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November 15, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Got this but not for the reason I thought...

Minute Cryptic - 14 November, 2025
"One is, in every way, a pig" (5)
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November 14, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Minute Cryptic - 13 November, 2025
"Horseshoe slipped in awkward canter for horseman?" (7)
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November 13, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Minute Cryptic - 11 November, 2025
"See outspoken farmers pouring heart out. They live off the land?" (9)
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November 11, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Minute Cryptic - 10 November, 2025
"Black sheep beginning to moo if it's confused" (6)
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November 10, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Minute Cryptic - 9 November, 2025
"NOO! SNOW AT 180º? Time to get drenched" (7)
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November 9, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Mark Roberts
Are we approaching a Turing Test for Teaching? A deep dive into the evidence on AI tutoring. carlhendrick.substack.com/p/the-algori...
November 8, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Minute Cryptic - 7 November, 2025
"Water-deprived pharaoh dies after mixing up directions to Eden" (8)
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November 7, 2025 at 7:43 AM