New blog post.
Part 1 of a trilogy on AI, curriculum and professional judgement.
AI can generate a lesson quickly, but it cannot build a curriculum. Planning starts with sequence, not prompts.
Read here: bit.ly/T4s4126
#Education #Teaching #Curriculum #PrimaryEducation #AIinEducation #TaskDesign
I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with @marymyatt.bsky.social for this Chalk Learning Chalk Talk session. Our conversation explored design for learning and, as we discussed, perhaps more accurately, high quality and beautiful design for all.
open.substack.com/pub/chalklea...
A surreal moment today.
Learning to Lead Computing is now at number 6 in Teacher Training on Amazon, alongside Tom Sherrington and @olicav.bsky.social Teaching WalkThrus.
Very grateful.
Take a look here: bit.ly/L2LCo
#LearningToLeadComputing #PrimaryComputing
Yes indeed! And for those who have quite literally become our Xs thanks to @mrmict.bsky.social I've just rebooted my Facebook profile. Find us both in the various @computingatschool.bsky.social inspired groups.
Messages like this mean a lot.
It’s always great to hear that ‘Learning to Lead Computing’ isn’t just being read, but being referred to as leaders shape their curriculum.
This is exactly what @compscitsui.bsky.social & I wanted!
Get it here: bit.ly/L2LCo
#Computing #PrimaryComputing #teachers
We continued our #science work this week in #Year6 by building on learning about evolution. Retrieval moved from paragraph to sentence to word on fossils. Then children tested a hypothesis with an inheritance model before a stick or twist task refined their thinking. #PrimaryScience #TaskDesign
We continued our #Computing work this week by exploring AI bias.
Children first ‘generated’ images from different prompts, then analysed biased AI images to spot stereotypes, omissions and assumptions.
A strong step in developing critical digital literacy. #AILiteracy
Thanks Richard, you never know if successful we could create a secondary arm. 😉
Pleased to share I’ve made the final 24 for the 2026 Let Teachers SHINE Awards with my project, LoopED: Animated Science.
Short GIFs to make tricky science concepts visible, revisitable, and easier to talk about.
#LetTeachersSHINE #PrimaryScience #CurriculumDesign #BentonParkPrimary
My wife’s dance school Division Dance Company (Newcastle upon Tyne) is fundraising for their final show in a professional theatre.
Claire McGrath, my wife, champions arts 🎭 in schools and has taught them since age 4.
If you can, please donate: www.gofundme.com/f/division-d...
We brought our Ancient Civilisations learning together in #Year6.
#Retrieval task on the Shang, Yellow River, bronze, oracle bones, and why dynasties rise and fall. Then a Diamond 9 on what makes a civilisation successful, with paired talk then written justification.
#PrimaryHistory #TaskDesign
We continued our #Computing work with #Year6 in OctoStudio, using retrieval to revisit events, the level variable, and conditionals.
Then we planned and innovated our maze game by changing sprites, interactions, and the reward or challenge. #PrimaryComputing #TaskDesign
#Year6 #Computing OctoStudio games with collisions, variables and simple conditionals.
#Retrieval revisited sprites and how they touch → state (level variable) → outcome (screen and rules). Next time: bug routine, trigger → change → expected → fix.
#PrimaryComputing #TaskDesign
Our #History in #Year6 was the Shang Dynasty through oracle bones.
#Retrieval linked to ancient civilisations sequence.
Children matched oracle bone questions, justifying overlaps.
We ended by discussing strengths and weaknesses of oracle bones. #PrimaryHistory #TaskDesign #EduSky
Year 6 #Science on dispersion.
The #Retrieval was True, False and Fix on light and shadows to spot misconceptions.
Then a prediction from a diagram and GIF. We defined dispersion as white light splitting into the visible spectrum and linked it to rainbows.
#PrimaryScience #TaskDesign #EduSky
Y6 History: Indus Valley.
#Retrieval: Sumer + wheel, moving from what to why.
Vocab task was to work on defining and using: significant, legacy, innovation.
Main task modelled source+image connection, then the children applied it to drainage engineering.
#PrimaryHistory #EduSky #Teachers
Y6 shadows after QuBuild. Retrieval: light travels in straight lines (tick and explain).
Diagram annotation for key terms.
Three Heads prediction on distance, then tested it.
Explanations used distance, light spread and shadow sharpness.
Next: colour. #PrimaryScience #Year6 #EduSky #Retrieval
First go with QuBuild in Y6 light. Visual prompt + starter question, then pairs generated 3 questions through distance, position and object.
Purposeful talk, clear curiosity vs investigable.
Next time: free round first, then refine to testable.
#PrimaryScience #TaskDesign #Science #EduSky
Sumerian innovations. #Retrieval revisited why rivers mattered.
Then shifted to “What did this enable?” irrigation → surplus etc.
Finished with map reasoning on trade with Egypt/Indus & growing power.
#Year6 #PrimaryHistory #TaskDesign
Started our new #Year6 #Science unit on light by going backwards before forwards.
#Retrieval revisited transparent, translucent, opaque, then a simple pinhole setup made straight line travel visible.
We finished by applying this to real world examples.
#PrimaryScience #TaskDesign
My article “Coding for Understanding” is in Teach Primary.
cdn.teachwire.net/e-mag/Teach-...
I argue for teaching coding as reasoning, building conceptual understanding before finished work @teachprimarymag.bsky.social
#TeachPrimary #PrimaryComputing #ComputationalThinking #TaskDesign #PRIMM
The final step, it has been long overdue… but The Xodus is complete.
Computing in #Year6 today:
#retrieval on mis/dis/malinformation, then a quick critique of a webpage for readability and user experience. We bridged back to #Year5 variables, then an unplugged If…Then…Else… treasure hunt using conditionals.
#PrimaryComputing #DigitalCitizenship #ComputerScience
I would love to buy some more to have a fleet 😂 but they’re like gold dust!
A quick new year update.
This week we will notify our first Chalk Ambassadors, then announce the cohort publicly next week.
They will help shape, test and share Chalk’s curriculum-led visual learning.
More next week.
#Chalk #ChalkAmbassadors #TaskDesign #Curriculum #TeacherCommunity #EdTech
Yeah I have decided to deactivate this week once my data is available to download. It’s just become an even greater cesspit than it was before!
Year 6 history, spring, lesson one:
spaced #retrieval on ancient civilisations, then a zoom out question on what makes a civilisation successful.
We finished by exploring why rivers keep showing up & touched on how this supported their success.
Start as you mean to go on.
#PrimaryHistory #Year6
A long time coming but the jump was needed!
Recent CPD from @claresealy.bsky.social helped me reframe a question I get asked often: how do we assess meaningfully in the wider curriculum?
I’ve written up my thinking here:
mrmict.com/2025/12/30/r...
#EduSky #education #teachers #assessment #teaching
Recent CPD from @claresealy.bsky.social helped me reframe a question I get asked often: how do we assess meaningfully in the wider curriculum?
I’ve written up my thinking here:
mrmict.com/2025/12/30/r...
#EduSky #education #teachers #assessment #teaching