Ian Cushing
@iancushing.bsky.social
2.3K followers 790 following 250 posts
Reader in Critical Applied Linguistics, Manchester Metropolitan University. Documenting and dismantling linguistic injustice in schools. Editor, Critical Studies in Education. https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-ian-cushing
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iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
iancushing.bsky.social
thanks so much Arlette, i hope you are well :) I was teaching about your amazing work just yesterday!
Reposted by Ian Cushing
christianilbury.bsky.social
We're hosting Lavender Languages from 2-4 September 2026. Save the date! Plenaries and a formal announcement to be follow shortly...
iancushing.bsky.social
thanks so much alberto, hope you enjoy it :)
Reposted by Ian Cushing
abruzos.bsky.social
Looks great! Adding it to my to-read list.
iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
Reposted by Ian Cushing
iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
Reposted by Ian Cushing
zaranosaur.bsky.social
Alright, I want to make sure my team are booked and busy this autumn and so I’m offering a special discount for Bsky users only

Send us an enquiry via the web form or via email with the code ‘BSKYBELOVEDS’ for a tasty 15% discount off all interview, focus group, and workshop transcription services
aat-transcribes.bsky.social
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Reposted by Ian Cushing
floracornish.bsky.social
Great bargain for all transcription needs! Spend your money wisely and ethically at the same time
zaranosaur.bsky.social
Alright, I want to make sure my team are booked and busy this autumn and so I’m offering a special discount for Bsky users only

Send us an enquiry via the web form or via email with the code ‘BSKYBELOVEDS’ for a tasty 15% discount off all interview, focus group, and workshop transcription services
aat-transcribes.bsky.social
Hey there!

Did you know that we’re a disabled-led, disabled-majority social enterprise specialising in supporting research through human-only transcription services?

We’ve masses of research experience, and about 1/4 in us have PhDs.

Click here for more info & to get a quote 👇🏻
iancushing.bsky.social
i hope this article gives hope to any teachers who are confronted with ideologies of the 'word gap' in their schools. despite the stubbornness of this deficit concept, there are always spaces for resistance 💕 ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
Reposted by Ian Cushing
zackpolanski.bsky.social
I’ve written to Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper demanding urgent action to ensure the safety of the Global Sumud Flotilla. 52 boats carrying aid and peace activists to Gaza.

The UK must act to assure their safety.

Israel is committing a genocide. All eyes are on this flotilla.
Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP
Prime Minister

Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Foreign Secretary

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

24th September, 2025

 

Dear Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, 

I am writing to you with urgency regarding the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which is currently attempting to bring desperately needed aid to Gaza. The flotilla is made up of 52 boats, carrying humanitarian supplies and peace activists determined to support civilians facing unimaginable suffering.

Reports have already emerged of explosions, unidentified objects being dropped near the vessels, drones circling overhead, and communications being jammed. These are deeply concerning developments. We know from past experience that when Israel smears peace activists with unfounded claims of links to Hamas, it is often a precursor to violent attacks.

The UK Government must make it absolutely clear that these boats, carrying only aid and peaceful activists, must be treated safely and in line with inte
iancushing.bsky.social
follow the thing methodologies normally trace the global flows of food products. here i use that methodology to trace the global flow of an idea - the word gap - and how teachers get positioned as consumers who have the ability to both reproduce and resist dominant ideologies about language.
iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
Reposted by Ian Cushing
clarefeeneyuk.bsky.social
A compelling article by @iancushing.bsky.social

Schools don't have to subscribe to language deficit views.

In one school a leader 'had run whole-school training on asset-based pedagogies, which included a sharp critique and rejection of dominant word gap narratives.'
iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
iancushing.bsky.social
thanks so much Barbara :)
Reposted by Ian Cushing
barbarableiman.bsky.social
A brillliant, fascinating article by @iancushing.bsky.social about the word gap concept - but also about the whole ecology of our current education system, uncovered by tracing the experiences of one teacher and what these reveal about the system as a whole.
iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
Reposted by Ian Cushing
drannd.bsky.social
The Word Gap ™️ is something most teachers learn by osmosis. Given that what we think it means is not correct, we need to unlearn it, and dig at the biases that made it so attractive and idea in the first place.
iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
Reposted by Ian Cushing
timinwinchester.bsky.social
A really great read about the tyranny of the "word gap"; like a "zombie statistic", it refuses to die, despite its troubling & misleading origins. The article reminds me of www-tandfonline-com.soton.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.... which shows how such thinking plays out in practice.
iancushing.bsky.social
new article published open access in Reading Research Quarterly 💫

Follow the word gap: the social life of a deficit concept
doi.org/10.1002/rrq....

i trace how deficit ideologies associated with the 'word gap' get reproduced - and rejected - in teacher education and schools.
Reposted by Ian Cushing
iancushing.bsky.social
what does ‘misbehaviour’ sound like? in new open access work i ask this question in the context of school discipline policies, looking at how ideologies of ‘im/proper language’ and ‘im/proper behaviour’ coalesce and get co-constructed with one another. doi.org/10.1080/0962...
Reposted by Ian Cushing
covingtonedu.bsky.social
And by explicitly rejecting 'behavior as communication', the deficit framing of 'misbehaviour' precludes any curiosity or empathy about why kids with developing brains & bodies might disengage, intentionally or not, with systems designed by adults to serve the obscure purposes of adult society.
risu.bsky.social
Tom Bennett is in the news again talking about strict behaviour policies and many of these are linked to tech to monitor etc.
So here again is Ian’s work that explains how much of these policies are ableist and racist or discriminatory. Tom’s #rED25 lacked focus on the marginalised as usual
iancushing.bsky.social
what does ‘misbehaviour’ sound like? in new open access work i ask this question in the context of school discipline policies, looking at how ideologies of ‘im/proper language’ and ‘im/proper behaviour’ coalesce and get co-constructed with one another. doi.org/10.1080/0962...