Andrew Duval

@ai This was pretty much Judith Harris’ conclusion in The Nurture Assumption (50% nature, 50% nurture, but the nurture isn’t parents, it’s peer group) (and parental “nurture” is basically expressed genetics)

After 13 years, I can distill all parenting advice to one variable: your kid’s closest friends.

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@HTSNovak Hey sorry I didn’t notice this before; I don’t go on X much anymore. But I love seeing classes playing FS; that applause during the winner reveal is the best. 😊 so glad you’re enjoying it. Find us on IG or TT if you ever want to get in touch!

I’m constantly searching for innovating writing opportunities for 7th grade ELA students. They loved Frankenstories which offers writing prompts that are part collaborative, part competitive, and completely motivating. Wow, 7th graders have amazing writing skills!

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@teaching_bliss @_Frankenstories Hey sorry I only just noticed this; not active on X that much anymore. But I’m so glad you’re enjoying Frankenstories. And the brain slug prompt is a fun one. I made that to use with my own y7/8 class and we finally got to do it this week. FYI We’re more active on IG & TT!

@_Frankenstories for the win today! If you teach ELA and you haven’t tried it yet…RUN! The kids loved it and I laughed so hard all day reading about how someone’s life was taken over by a parasitic brain slug. #teachingisbliss

@JasonHellerman Hey Jason, do you still have the scripts for that human vs bot screenwriter test you did back in Oct? The one about the bodyguard and pop singer? I wanted to use that whole test in a teaching workshop about recognising AI writing, but the PDF links are dead.

@_cturner @EliDukes_ @ben_m_somers Oh I work on a writing game you might like: Frankenstories.org (best played co-op)

Since the people are asking, here's stack😆 @EliDukes_ @ben_m_somers - IXL for state standards language arts, social studies, and science. We layer this with lots of explanation and real-world examples so it's not entirely rote. If I develop more credence for academics and memory (unlikely) we might boost this with spaced repetition (ex. Remnote). - Moonrise for real-world spaces, experiences, and community. For example, they did market day last week and my son made $100 selling his paintings. They are both at the local museum today, and this afternoon we have digital art. - Synthesis Tutor for math. My kids love Synthesis and it seems far more applied and real world than something like IXL. I'm considering boosting this with Math Academy now that my son is old enough, but that's only because he's interested in engineering. I generally find math to be over-indexed as an academic discipline. - For sports, we combine Moonrise (golf, tennis, rock climbing) with local leagues (baseball, basketball). - Current plan is to follow GA requirements for a standardized test every 3 academic years. No pressure for these tests. It's mostly to gauge how well they are retaining information. For us, 3 academic years is roughly 1-1.5 calendar years. We're going to be adding in a writing component for both this year. 9yo is a good writer and reads a ton, so it hasn't been a major focus. But now he's interested in publishing a book, so we'll likely take a dual approach where he publishes a book at Moonrise and has a daily writing session for 15-30 minutes, coupled with review and feedback.

At current pace, my kids are on track to finish high school academics by age 13. That's with two hours per day of personalized online learning for less than $30/mo.

And you can find the originals plus more recent Halloween games from classes around the world here in the Frankenstories Hall of Fame: frankenstories.writelike.org/games/hall-of-…

You can read them for fun or use them as mentor texts and inspiration for your own class writing (noting that these stories were collaboratively improvised under time pressure and are presented as-is, typos and all). Download the PDF here: writelike.org/news/article/9…

English teachers looking for spooky microfiction to read in class, I made a collection of some of my favourite Halloween Frankenstories.

@Kourtne92612007 @_Frankenstories @CWChamps That’s so good to hear, Kourtney! We live for stories like this! 🫶

Had a blast making a @_Frankenstories narrative with each one of my 5th grade writing classes today! It was our last day of launching our narrative unit and making a story that we voted on each part piece by piece! So fun! @CWChamps #wearewayne

@patio11 It’s one of the rare cases where the core game loop perfectly matches the skill you want kids to learn and then it offers a meaningful progression. (It’s telling they were never able to repeat the success how hard it is to find that match.)

There is something a little magical about giving your kids Dragonbox for the first time and watch them just intuit some of the rules of algebra, based on good game design.

@TheRealEGS I think going to therapy is mostly about discovering that your unique personal struggles are in fact a sidebar in chapter 6 of a textbook somewhere

@paulg I read Judith Harris’ The Nurture Assumption 20 years ago and still think about it often (parents have a big effect, just not in the way you might think)

I retweeted this because I don't want to believe it. It's therefore important to investigate this phenomenon, because I probably have a bias against seeing it.

@sharplm Yes, true, but being too leery of it means you overlook the value it can provide in synthesising information from multiple sources to answer very niche queries. Needs contextual risk assessment, fact-checking, and hopefully citations as standard in future.

@_AndrewDuval Good suggestions. As a Research Assistant, its findings need to be carefully assessed to make sure they are accurate

I'm exploring new forms of AI-augmented learning. Examples include: Possibility Engine (AI generates alternative ways of expressing an idea), Socratic Opponent (to develop an argument), and Guide on the Side (to navigate physical and conceptual spaces). Any other suggestions?

@Austen @paulg ("It has Andy's signature, but it's in Milo's handwriting and written in first person (as in, 'I do not have to go to swimming lessons anymore'), so I'm checking if the letter is real, but you let Milo write it as a literacy exercise—or if Milo somehow, uh...")

@Austen @paulg Of course, I sign. He departs, seemingly satisfied and impressed with my magic, while I pat myself on the back for excellent parenting. Week later, my wife gets a call from his 1st grade teacher: "Just checking about this letter permanently excusing Milo from swimming."

Four year old: “Dad, I was just wondering, what is your absolute most favorite color?” Me: “Um, blue?” Four year old: “Perfect. Because I was just thinking: If we bought a chameleon, it would be really cool, because then we could turn it blue just like you like.”