Pinned Tweet
As you may know, I was hacked last week and lost access to the @SimBadd64 account. Can I ask you to please block that account and follow me here instead? Reposts appreciated.
3
8
10
6,610
Simon Baddeley retweeted
Teaching is a highly skilled endeavour. It’s almost poetry in motion. The interplay between managing a room, expert knowledge, engaging children, questioning, reading the room… neither an app nor AI can replicate this.
1
1
10
299
The instructional designers at Pearson got together with the EdTech specialists at Apple and STILL couldn't make 1to1 iPads work in California. Sometimes things are just fundamentally flawed from the outset and no amount of 'expert' input can offset that.
You can get all the teachers and learning scientists but if there are no Edtech specialists of high calibre on the team, it will flunk. I've seen it happen all the time.
On another note, I guess I'll stop paying for Evidence snacks.
0
1
2
265
I'd be intrigued to see how an AI driven Reading Comprehension app might work. Accelerated Reader is algorithm driven and notoriously problematic. There are lots of basic spelling and vocab apps that gamify learning those too with mixed success. 1/?
1
0
0
66
Ultimately, would the investment in developing the app be money better spent than investing in training every teacher to become a teacher of reading? And I mean better in terms of outcomes for children not outcomes for app company owners.
1
0
1
47
I don't think the Alpha model would work well in the UK where we have high stakes accountability against standardised externally set/marked assessments. But the danger is that it will influence enough decision makers enough to cause damage to both young people and our profession.
3
0
12
958
Simon Baddeley retweeted
It’s a common fallacy to think the opposite, but I can confirm that children generally want to learn. During lockdown we put on cooking, films, fitness etc etc for the most vulnerable. Many misbehaved and many didn’t show up, what was the point? They weren’t learning.
Lucy Powell coaxes Neets back to college by dumbing down maths and English requirements trib.al/kFc9kT1
0
3
2
408
Simon Baddeley retweeted
Teachers' salaries are thousands of pounds below those for jobs with similar levels of responsibility, according to new research commissioned by the NEU
tes.com/magazine/news/…
tes.com/magazine/news/…
3
32
138
32,085
Simon Baddeley retweeted
For me as someone who loves my subject can completely understand @EnserMark reasons for the part time work at alpha. I myself am intrigued and would be feel challenged by such a project on a part time basis. @EnserMark thanks for sharing
0
2
7
600
Simon Baddeley retweeted
Knowing about learning doesn't make you a learning scientist, any more than knowing about medicine makes you a medical scientist. If saying this makes me a grumpy old man, so be it; I can provide ample empirical evidence to support that title. kirschnered.nl/2026/11/12/eve…
14
24
140
16,509
There is a massive conflict of ideology here. Any school using @Steplab_co to improve teaching and learning must be aware that one of their key players believes apps are the future of education and teachers should be guides at the side not teachers. Very mixed messaging here.
🚨 Some personal news:
I’ve joined @Alphaschool to help lead their Learning Science team.
A thread on why, the team, open roles, and your questions...
4
5
70
9,363
Simon Baddeley retweeted
🧵 Solely with my parent hat on, I don’t really want my children taught by/through an app, even if it’s only a couple of hours of a school’s day. I want them to have an apprenticeship in being human - learning human things from humans.
6
18
149
6,201
This is the first thread I've seen from anyone involved with Alpha that seems sincere and not driven by hyperbolic PR. I was probably most surprised to see Mark on the staff list but this reasoning makes perfect sense. I still disagree fundamentally with Alpha but wish Mark well.
For me, it just started as any other freelance gig - being largely off X for a few years I didn't know much about Alpha - I was checking/improving geography courses, which is what I do for lots or organisations/institutions
1/?
4
1
8
3,653
One of my favourite things to teach is a proper guided reading lesson exploring a book with a group. Modelling prosody, guiding interaction, and removing barriers live with learners are skills every teacher should master.
0
0
1
151
Simon Baddeley retweeted
Whatever else it is, Alpha School is extremely bad for the global traditionalist education cause. Those who dislike explicit teaching and a knowledge-rich curriculum can point to the people joining Alpha and make all the obvious points. We stand diminished.
7
5
62
8,110
Simon Baddeley retweeted
This is an incredibly eloquent discussion of @Alphaschool and its underlying philosophy and how at odds it is with what the ‘learning scientists’ (air quotes intended) were espousing less than a year ago. Thanks @adamboxer1 🙏❤️
5
22
127
10,113
The best AI would be an admin assistant:
"OK AI. Add Merit points for students X, Y, Z and text home to tell them.
Also set a detention for A and alert their tutor to remind them.
Can you print 35 copies of the poem I need for Period 5 as well and set it in B's Classroom too?"
"OK AI. Add Merit points for students X, Y, Z and text home to tell them.
Also set a detention for A and alert their tutor to remind them.
Can you print 35 copies of the poem I need for Period 5 as well and set it in B's Classroom too?"
1
0
4
442
RT @adamboxer1: I think lots of people are confused about this Alpha business. When you see someone who has advocated for a specific set of…
0
63
0
