Abe Moore
@arbay38.bsky.social
Radical advocate of children. Dad, teacher, coach. My orbit involves student agency, experiential learning, community, and outdoor learning. My views, not reflective of my employer.
I had a couple students explicitly cite Smiles and Frowns as the reason for their increased confidence speaking in front of peers. Little by little, confidence grew and they felt safe to share. One of those kids even volunteered to speak at assembly last week.
Monte Syrie@montesyrie.bsky.social · last mo.When a connection on Instagram reaches out and shares his success with and adaptation of Smiles and Frowns. Again, and always, Smiles and Frowns is THE best thing I have ever done over my 30-year career in the classroom. 🙂
We were discussing Good Students vs Powerful Learners today, and I flashed a student's disposition profile on the board. Anonymised. Just the shape of it across 12 dispositions. Kids guessed who it was on the second try. No name. No score. Just the kind of learner they are. That's community.
I’m enjoying Bodies of Learning by Guy Claxton & Emily Poel. Humans are wired to connect. When teachers build belonging and care amongst students, kids flourish. When they don’t, they languish. Helping a class gel isn’t sentimental. It’s “good teaching for good learning.”
Some kids can’t hold the mask long enough for the adults. They’ve been told that’s a problem. But what if they’re just the most honest person in the room? When they’re done, fidgeting, calling out, done, guarantee the others are too. They’re just better at pretending. A canary. Not a problem.
And don’t get me wrong, lesson design matters. So does assessment and scaffolding, all of it. But building community? Curiosity? Resilience? Not just learning them, living them. That’s where the magic happens. When that stuff is clicking, it fills my cup. Community over compliance every day.
Abe Moore@arbay38.bsky.social · last mo.I’ve been sitting with students this week asking what makes a powerful learner. Many say: listens well, concentrates, gets the work done. But that, my friends, is a good student. Not a powerful learner. A few say: curious, resilient, creative. Which is more likely to change their world?
I’ve been sitting with students this week asking what makes a powerful learner. Many say: listens well, concentrates, gets the work done. But that, my friends, is a good student. Not a powerful learner. A few say: curious, resilient, creative. Which is more likely to change their world?
“Curiosity is not a pleasant bonus in the learning process. It is the mechanism by which deep learning actually happens.” Heck yes.
Cameron Paterson@cpaterso.bsky.social · last mo.“A mind that arrived overflowing with questions has learned, systematically, to keep them to itself.” The challenge is ensuring we don't extinguish the curiosity, creativity and questioning they arrive with in the first place. katypurviance.substack.com/p/schools-pu...
I try to greet kids at the door every day. Research shows a 20% increase in learning engagement in immediate lessons following. That’s not why I do it. I want them to hear their name, see a smile, and be greeted by someone genuinely happy to see them. Community-building one greeting at a time.
Absolutely. Skilled leaders know the value of doing with, not doing to, when it comes to change. The shift and framing are often subtle and not that far apart, but so important.
Cameron Paterson@cpaterso.bsky.social · 2mo agoWe talk a lot about the need for middle leaders to be skilled in leading difficult conversations. But I’m coming to the conclusion that most “difficult conversations” are really the result of weak change leadership. When change is constant, the ability to lead it prevents conflict from escalating.
Digging in. “Clayton and Poel challenge outdated assumptions that separate mind and body, revealing the interconnectedness of the ‘body-mind’.
Bevan Holloway@bevanholloway.com · 4mo agoMy friend Guy Claxton has this book coming out on 26 May. It's a book that challenges "the assumption that mind and body are separate, revealing the interconnectedness of the ‘bodymind’ and drawing on research in embodied cognition to rethink intelligence, learning and teaching."
If it were simply science, you’d think we’d be beyond the experimental. Not saying it’s not science. Am saying it’s not science alone. It’s also art. Maybe mostly art. For every kid a unique set of colors. For whom a teacher’s brush must mix and make. Maybe it’s magic.
Major update: We gave Human Restoration Project a whole new look. We updated the logo, refreshed the entire brand, and rebuilt humanrestorationproject.org from scratch. The new design leans into a solarpunk feeling: warm, hopeful, a little green around the edges.
The Monarch emerged from its chrysalis. A kid noticed and squealed, a group gathered and cheered. It’s the small things, Team.
@irasocol.bsky.social shared this article on LI about a school in NSW who change instruction every two minutes to keep students on task and engaged. It is utterly ridiculous. I mean, If you aren't changing instruction every minute, can you really call yourself a teacher?
I believe this with all my heart. My challenge ATM, at new school, is convincing others. Risk aversion is real; stress of oversight, job accountability, lack of trust. But when learning comes with age—appropriate risk, challenge & support, thats where the magic happens. medium.com/age-of-aware...
Our kids' brains have been rewired and we are still teaching like they haven't. Here is what that means for our classrooms and ten things we can do about it starting Monday.
10 Ways to Begin Counteracting the Rewiring of your Students’ Brains
He tells me he is bored. As if that is the only reason I need in order to understand why being part of the learning is not the priority. An honest answer, but also one wrapped up in so many questions. What does boredom mean to you? I hear myself say that this is school, it cannot compete with a screen and it was never meant to.
pernillesripp.com
The linked article is the best I’ve read on the “science of reading” and best literacy practices. Part of the challenge of teaching reading is that reading is a complex process and different students struggle with different parts of that process, so what works for most will not work for all.
Nick Covington@covingtonedu.bsky.social · 4mo agoSeems like kind of a big deal: "Researchers call this ability to implicitly pick up patterns and apply them the 'self-teaching mechanism,' or 'statistical learning'—and many say it’s underrecognized within the science-of-reading movement." www.educationnext.org/cost-of-over...
My friend Guy Claxton has this book coming out on 26 May. It's a book that challenges "the assumption that mind and body are separate, revealing the interconnectedness of the ‘bodymind’ and drawing on research in embodied cognition to rethink intelligence, learning and teaching."
BODIES OF LEARNING
bodiesoflearning.org
“Curiosity is the engine of learning” ‘School is strange… they remove the curiosity engine and wonder why the car isn’t moving.’
Cameron Paterson@cpaterso.bsky.social · 5mo ago“Schools are deeply, systemically, structurally antithetical to curiosity.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y7w...
I slipped back into the classroom this week after 4 years. I was worried if I would still have the skills, patience, and where withal to be the teacher these kids need. But it was so enjoyable, like I never left. As much as kids have changed, kids haven’t changed. Happy teacher this week.
youtu.be/DlIoGnkv03k?... Bleak, but no lies detected. Pushing back against the standardisation of education. @covingtonedu.bsky.social @pammoran1.bsky.social @mcnuttedu.bsky.social @irasocol.bsky.social
A World-Class Education System?
YouTube video by heartandsoulscholar
youtu.be
Abe Moore@arbay38.bsky.social · 6mo agoExcellent piece from Geoff Masters on the growing push toward standardisation and scripted curriculum across Aus, UK & the US. It appears tighter prescription isn't the answer. The strongest systems invest in deep prof expertise and trusting Ts to exercise judgement in practice. Worth a read.
Excellent piece from Geoff Masters on the growing push toward standardisation and scripted curriculum across Aus, UK & the US. It appears tighter prescription isn't the answer. The strongest systems invest in deep prof expertise and trusting Ts to exercise judgement in practice. Worth a read.
Is Tighter Prescription the Answer? - World Class Learning Systems
Discover the role of scripted lessons in education and whether they truly enhance learning and student achievement.
worldclasslearningsystems.com
Here is the Open Letter signed by education leaders from across Australia that the News Corp Australia rejected. Stop ranking Australian schools using NAPLAN scores because NAPLAN was not designed to measure the quality of schools.
Unfolding with I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of. I use the "I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of" prompt everywhere. Why is it so powerful? How and why does it transform the way you see and think? I was invited to join the Here We Are project to reflect on being present in this wild and…
Unfolding with I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of.
I use the "I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of" prompt everywhere. Why is it so powerful? How and why does it transform the way you see and think? I was invited to join the Here We Are project to reflect on being present in this wild and precious life. I hope you enjoy this audio deep dive into INIWIRMO! What is the thought behind these three prompts? Listen now
johnmuirlaws.com
This was my last week at Nature Play SA after four great years. I’m taking an extended summer holiday break before heading back to the classroom in 2026. Absolutely loved my time at NPSA, we did meaningful work & the role came along at a great time post-Covid, but I’m ready to get back to teaching.
Time spent playing outdoors has declined 50% in a generation. That’s half the joy, half the adventures, half the memories. Play isn't just fun, it is essential for healthy child development 💚
Nature journaling, the research suggests, can deliver excellent benefits across grade levels. Not only can it teach critical thinking skills, but it improves focus and connects students to the outdoors. 🌳 🧵1/11
