Jason Lesser

@dylanwiliam We are missing everyone Dylan, but we are all so close to seeing it: culture is the only thing that raises achievement, progress etc. When pupils are liberated by a school that says 'we will carve out and then protect your ability to show brilliance' they will flourish and thrive

I and ChatGPT have surveyed a dozen or so definitions of "High Quality Instructional Materials" and none of them require that they are actually effective in raising achievement. Are we missing something?

Thank you to @af_english123 whose engaging PowerPoints were adapted to create many of the slides.

Literacy Intervention Resources - Free We know from cognitive science that the more you know, the easier it is to learn more AND free up cognitive load for higher order thinking. Literacy intervention in Year 7 is therefore essential. Here is what I made: dropbox.com/scl/fo/wd7viuf…

@CV_Dalcher Well this is SO disappointing. Seeing you rightfully trying to counteract antisemitic lies last week and now you yourself are spreading extremely misleading and dangerous 'Europe must purge the foreign enemy within' rhetoric a few days later. You are radicalised, seek help.

Thought I’d do a thread on the not-so-slow demise of Europe, but it’s gonna be one rambling post. Today, yet another Spaniard informed me that: 🚨 she’s afraid to talk about islam or muslims in public 🚨 she’s worried about her kids and wants to get them out of Spain 🚨 she’s tired of paying money for Paris Climate Accords, and Ukraine/Russia wars, and people on the dole, and elite politicians flying around to Davos conferences 🚨 if she lived in the States, she would have voted for Trump So far, I’ve talked to cops, young mothers, retired journalists, part-time expats, full-time expats, business owners, and random people on the street. They are ALL fed up. And I don’t blame them. I’m currently reading Doug Murray’s STRANGE DEATH OF EUROPE, and while most of it is nothing new, it’s the first time I’ve seen all the events that led to the backfiring of EU immigration policy in one place. From Lampedusa, to Channel boats, to ‘grooming’ gangs, to victims of rape *literally* apologizing because the men who attacked them now need to return to a dangerous country, to little girls crying to Prime Ministers about being deported, to utter lack of integration/assimilation, to billions of Euros and pounds being thrown away, to blasphemy laws, to the neighborhoods that are now de facto no-go zones… This is insane. And it didn’t happen yesterday. It was happening ages ago (I first noticed myself in the late 80s in Naples, Italy). And we’re not supposed to talk about it because some of our friends and colleagues might call us ‘far-right’? Because some progressive suck-up to ‘multiculturalism’ might call us racist? Let me make something clear: I’m old. I’ve been around the block more than a few times. I travel a LOT. I’ve lived in multiple countries. And I read. What I see happening is this: Europe is going to become (even) more Muslim and (even) less European. I see not social pressure against blasphemy, but the force of the law against blasphemy. I see more neighborhoods where the police won’t go, and more places where women are uncomfortable (to say the least), and more schools / libraries / events required to celebrate ‘diversity.’ So I have a question for all those nice progressive ‘I ❤️ multiculturalism’ wankers: When it finally does happen, what are YOU going to tell your kids? That you ‘didn’t know’? That you ‘thought you were doing the right thing’? That you ‘just wanted to be kind’? That you ‘were afraid of being called names’? Go on, then, call me names. Sign some letters. Whisper behind my back. You’ve all made me immune to that (and I thank you for it!) 😊 But I really do want to know: WHAT will YOU have to say when your culture is finally finished?

I *really* hope the Auschwitz Museum doesn’t mind, but I’m going to put up snapshots of their online materials because 1) People don’t bother with links 2) There are FAR too many people out there saying the Holocaust never happened 🧵 1/

A few thoughts on this Holocaust Memorial Day My Granny told me that she first realised that something was wrong when someone in her local grocers ordered “A kilo of potatoes, Heil Hitler” and no one laughed.  My Grandpa - a doctor in Berlin - recalled the letter from a patient who said that he hoped Dr Rosenberg would understand that he could no longer be seen coming through the front door of his surgery but he would now come in through the back where he couldn’t be seen. What he didn’t say - of course he didn’t - was that he was quite prepared to allow a Jew to treat him and potentially keep him alive but he was not prepared to put himself out to protect a Jew.  The year was 1933.

This brings so much hope in dark times. You might have to wade through mounds of Musk posts and racist memes to find it, but if you look you can find pure gold on X A student taught this well could never fall for the fascist propaganda that will bombard them in the coming years.

@Sofia_carcamo23 @LauraLolder @Team_English1 @FunkyPedagogy @HughesHaili Sure, I'll DM you 🙂

@lesserbyname @LauraLolder @Team_English1 @FunkyPedagogy @HughesHaili Hi would you mind sending it my way too please? This sounds fab 🙏🏼

So @Team_English1 hive mind I need your help! I am looking for short stories which are uplifting or have a moral message about key qualities like ambition, pride, resilience etc. Things that celebrate positive values etc. Hit me! Please RT for reach @FunkyPedagogy @HughesHaili

@MrsOliver80 @LauraLolder @Team_English1 @FunkyPedagogy @HughesHaili Sure - I'll DM you 🙂

@lesserbyname @LauraLolder @Team_English1 @FunkyPedagogy @HughesHaili And me!

@PhilBeadle Comparing the gassing, burning, torture, slavery and shooting of millions and millions of innocent Jews to *checks notes* a book of teaching strategies IS antisemitism and you are a disgrace. Stop. Apologise. Don't do it again.

FFs.

The hills are very much alive #summerholidays #Switzerland 🇨🇭

Very proud of this one! Safiyyah is a poetic force and yet she claims she'd "never written a poem before year 10" - just another great reason to study and teach poetry and creative writing even at GCSE-level ✍️ keep crafting!💪 Next #WestYorksLaureate?

I ran a successful poetry competition in my school and so can you in 6 easy steps! ✍️ Second blog drop ⬇️ …lishlessonswithmrlesser.wordpress.com/2023/07/14/how… @Team_English1 @Literacy_Trust @WoodkirkAcademy @RSLiterature @HaleDonal @FunkyPedagogy @TrinityAcademyL @PoetryLeeds @LEEDS_2023 @UniLeedsPoetry

@vipereller Erica focused a lot on the emotional maturity of Benvolio though as someone who might see clearest, and if you compare his wisdom to the naivety of Friar L. it better supports team youth in the generational conflict

@lesserbyname Their language can be beautiful, but Romeo's borders on cliché and, although does mature over time, is riddled with emotional hyperbole. Juilet is more measured but still succumbs to hysteria. Her use of oxymoron in Act 3 mirrors Romeo's early usage and influence.

Big thank you to @OldFortunatus @EricaWhyman and @PatrickCragg for an incredible CPD session on Romeo and Juliet - can't wait to teach this play again next year! Would recommend to anyone if the BL put it out @Team_English1 Some big takeaways below in 🧵

@AliceEngteacher Mainly to front load the themes to come 'ancient... old' foreshadows the generational feud (young Vs old), 'civil blood... Civil hands' foreshadows the violence (hate Vs peace) and uses a pun. Fatal loins is also a pun and oxymoron - links to (fate Vs human agency)

@lesserbyname What was the take away for all these layers of doubling?

@AliceEngteacher Undoubtedly their will be, you can still access the J&H and P&C ones through the British Library, they're on YouTube but unlisted so you'd need to ask for the link when it's released 🙂

@lesserbyname These are so helpful! I had to look after my children and so missed the zoom 😭 would love to know what else was discussed- really hoping there's a recording 🤞

@AliceEngteacher Erica suggested the young Montagues and Capulets can see more shared humanity and beauty in the world because, unlike the older generation, they are not blinded by fury, feud and hatred. There is never any justification given for the feud and therefore the adults seem childish

@lesserbyname Please could you explain the link between the children knowing more and the cause of the feud not being revealed?

@AliceEngteacher Erica was saying that in a modern retelling you need to transfer the setting to one similar to war or battle (e.g. a city riddled with knife crime) to reflect the accurate gender dynamics within the play (women needing male protection) This is why West Side Story works well

@lesserbyname Please could you expand on the first point? Very interesting stuff!

@vipereller I think Erica meant the noun 'children' referring to R+J is only used once in the play but even though there are references to 'child', I think the idea that S. doesn't treat them as foolish caricatures of adolescents still stands true. Their speeches contain maturity & wisdom

@lesserbyname Interestingly their is more than one reference to 'children' than sited. Capulet refers to Juliet in duologue with Paris as 'my child is yet a stranger to the world' and later at the end of Act 3 when he states how they were blessed with one 'child' but rather cursed with her now