Joel Kenyon
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joel120193.bsky.social
Joel Kenyon
@joel120193.bsky.social
Teacher 👨‍🏫 | Head of Science 🧑‍🔬 | Hinterland Lover ⚛️ | Source Provider 📝 | Writer at inquestion.co.uk 🖋️ |
Completely agree. Love that.

Although, why can't teams or Google classroom be used instead?

Most schools already pay for this anyway, the machine just looks like a gimmick.
November 30, 2025 at 1:04 PM
My skepticism is that a pupil isn't going to treat it like a lesson unless they have the buy in... But if they had the buy in there is another underlying cause to not coming into school.

For pupils who are unwell, I can really understand it, but yes, there are much cheaper alternatives than this.
November 30, 2025 at 1:03 PM
I would also be curious about their cost.

The machine itself is from a private org, so profit is involved.

Surely there are better ways to spend this money that would be addressing the root cause of their lack of attendance?
November 30, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Obviously it would be unethical to do a study on this where these variables were controlled for, but it is exactly this as to why I'm skeptical.

I've taught pupils who have been out of school for 2 years and then come back. If I gave them this and they came back, I could claim it was this machine.
November 30, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I agree with the illness part, fully makes sense.

However, when it comes to attendance, yes, giving the pupil this could make them come back to school, but how do we know they wouldn't anyway?

Was it just the act of engaging them that brought them back in, or this?
November 30, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Oh no, same here! But I get the premise.

Logically it sounds right but in practice it doesn't often work that way
November 30, 2025 at 12:51 PM
We continuously talk about the impact covid had on pupils development, but having them watch via a camera is exactly the same, of not worse.

This isn't fixing the root cause of the problem and is a very downstream approach for poor attendance or SEND.
November 30, 2025 at 12:49 PM
I get it with illness but if your aim is for pupils with poor attendance to come back to school, surely this sends the message that they can just stay home?

This essentially replaces learning with a video. Which is less effective.

Reminds me of Covid which for many was a complete waste of time.
November 30, 2025 at 12:49 PM
What would you do if one appeared in your classroom?
November 30, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Love this!
November 30, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
I've shared this before but always happy if it finds a new audience somewhere, and I hope the author would be too. It's pretty old but some students, particularly if they're linguists, love it.
November 30, 2025 at 10:36 AM
There is this idea that if KS3 is taught really well, you don't have to reteach a lot of it in KS4.

But, I spend a lot of my time essentially teaching KS3 content whilst adding on X, Y and Z.

I think etymology makes this transition a lot easier.
November 30, 2025 at 10:35 AM
This is why etymology is so important.

When it comes to me teaching polymers and monomers, imagine how much easier it would be if the students already knew what the prefix meant from their RS lessons!
November 30, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Unfortunately, this is true.

With KS3, I have some time I can dedicate to literacy, in KS4, I really don't have much.
November 30, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Oooo I like this!

Will be stealing it!
November 30, 2025 at 7:19 AM
You'll be glad to know I will now be quoting Macbeth when I teach omnivore, carnivore and herbivore to my Year 11s 😅
November 30, 2025 at 7:16 AM
On this, I have always wanted to introduce more links to actual literature when it comes to etymology but I would have to sit with an English teacher for hours.

As part of world book day a few years ago, I read Issac Asimov to students because of the word robotics.
November 30, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Thanks so much.

Completely agree. I remember a CPD on "everyone is a teacher of literacy" with another science teacher saying that in science we can't do that.

But science is up there with the easiest of subjects to add literacy to. Almost every word in science can teach 10 more.
November 30, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Chloro is my favourite one at the moment.

Group 7 is an interesting one.
Fluorine comes from flow, the same root as the word fluent.

I said to the pupils last week, continue learning etymology and you'll be fluent in understanding science.

Even they groaned 😅
November 30, 2025 at 7:07 AM
I'm jealous! I would have loved to have done Latin in school.
November 30, 2025 at 7:02 AM