Joel Kenyon
banner
joel120193.substack.com
Joel Kenyon
@joel120193.substack.com
Teacher 👨‍🏫 | Head of Science 🧑‍🔬 | Hinterland Lover ⚛️ | Source Provider 📝 | Subscribe on Substack https://joel120193.substack.com/ 🖋️ |
Pinned
New Blog Post 📝

Politically, moving pupils away from academics and towards technical courses at 14 years old is popular, but that doesn't mean its right.

Here I provide a real world scenario and a possible alternative for my friend Ben.
joel120193.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-...
A Tale of Two Bens: What Happens When We Decide a Child's Future at 14?
Education should open doors for young people. Changing the system could make it so we lock them in and make it very difficult to provide the key.
joel120193.substack.com
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
New Blog Post 📝

Politically, moving pupils away from academics and towards technical courses at 14 years old is popular, but that doesn't mean its right.

Here I provide a real world scenario and a possible alternative for my friend Ben.
joel120193.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-...
A Tale of Two Bens: What Happens When We Decide a Child's Future at 14?
Education should open doors for young people. Changing the system could make it so we lock them in and make it very difficult to provide the key.
joel120193.substack.com
August 30, 2026 at 6:50 PM
New Blog Post 📝

Politically, moving pupils away from academics and towards technical courses at 14 years old is popular, but that doesn't mean its right.

Here I provide a real world scenario and a possible alternative for my friend Ben.
joel120193.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-...
A Tale of Two Bens: What Happens When We Decide a Child's Future at 14?
Education should open doors for young people. Changing the system could make it so we lock them in and make it very difficult to provide the key.
joel120193.substack.com
August 30, 2026 at 6:50 PM
This is an absolute must read. It describes what most teachers see happening in schools.

Children given support that is ineffective and is likely going to make their learning experience, and outcomes, much worse

There is an SEND crisis in schools, but not in the way many people think.
Evidence Informed?
My recent speech from ResearchED on why I'm so worried about our direction of travel and why once again we may need to fight for evidence informed education.
bennewmark.wordpress.com/2026/07/07/e...
July 8, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
Our July Policy Insights is out now 👇

bit.ly/4foJyGn

💷 Including an objective breakdown of the Teacher Pay Award 2026

✍️ Featuring blog posts from @joel120193.substack.com @markmccourt.bsky.social @exheadteacher.bsky.social
July 8, 2026 at 9:20 AM
New Post 📝

My favourite classroom tips are those that take the smallest amount of time to implement. These small changes to how we ask a question build and keep participation high.

Here are some of the methods I implemented during Year 6 transition day.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
I Say, Vasistas and Everyone Speaks: Small Classroom Changes with Big Impacts Part 2
High participation where everyone speaks? Here are some methods I got prospective Year 7s doing straight away.
open.substack.com
July 6, 2026 at 5:33 AM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
New, slightly different style, blog post 📝

The future is today and with increasing costs and the rise of AI, there is reason to be weary of the changes that will happen in education over the next 20 years.

What will education look like in 2045?

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Do Androids Dream of Electric Seating Plans?
Education in 2045: A dystopian tale of algorithms, 250-student classes, and the death of pedagogy.
open.substack.com
June 26, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
A great piece Joel - I don't know whether to be entertained or terrified though!
New, slightly different style, blog post 📝

The future is today and with increasing costs and the rise of AI, there is reason to be weary of the changes that will happen in education over the next 20 years.

What will education look like in 2045?

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Do Androids Dream of Electric Seating Plans?
Education in 2045: A dystopian tale of algorithms, 250-student classes, and the death of pedagogy.
open.substack.com
June 26, 2026 at 4:26 PM
New, slightly different style, blog post 📝

The future is today and with increasing costs and the rise of AI, there is reason to be weary of the changes that will happen in education over the next 20 years.

What will education look like in 2045?

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Do Androids Dream of Electric Seating Plans?
Education in 2045: A dystopian tale of algorithms, 250-student classes, and the death of pedagogy.
open.substack.com
June 26, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
New Blog Post 📝

I have been a teacher for some time now and there have been points in my career I have thought about packing it up and moving on.

Here I reflect on what has pushed me close to the edge and what may actual tip me over.

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Last Teacher Standing: What Would It Take to Make Me Quit?
Since qualifying in 2017, I reflect on the points I have wanted to leave teaching and what may push me over the edge.
open.substack.com
June 15, 2026 at 2:08 PM
The cognitive overload some teachers experience is enough to leave them drained of brain power by the end of the day.

That day in day out for years is enough to make anyone leave.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
June 16, 2026 at 5:39 AM
New Blog Post 📝

I have been a teacher for some time now and there have been points in my career I have thought about packing it up and moving on.

Here I reflect on what has pushed me close to the edge and what may actual tip me over.

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Last Teacher Standing: What Would It Take to Make Me Quit?
Since qualifying in 2017, I reflect on the points I have wanted to leave teaching and what may push me over the edge.
open.substack.com
June 15, 2026 at 2:08 PM
New Blog Post 📝

Revision.

It is seemingly a thing that every teacher feels like they need to do for their pupils to be successful.

But why? If you've taught it well, why do you need to do anything? Surely its now their responsibility?

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
The Three R's: Revise, Revise, Revise
What is revision actually aiming to do?
open.substack.com
May 11, 2026 at 5:59 PM
New Blog Post📝

For years I have had my PowerPoint and at the start of my career it was my crutch I found it difficult to deviate from.

Now, I have changed my planning and found less of a need to stress over a PowerPoint.

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Goodbye.pptx: Why I've Abandoned PowerPoint
How was PowerPoint impacting my teaching and why I rely on little more than a pen, visualiser and paper.
open.substack.com
May 4, 2026 at 5:58 PM
New Blog Post 📝

I have relatives of mine who have recently become teachers and the most common questions they ask is how do I plan a lesson and why does planning take so long?

It doesn't have to.

This is how I do it.

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
The Simple Framework: How to Plan a Lesson
It used to take me hours to plan for a lesson, now it takes me 15 minutes.
open.substack.com
April 27, 2026 at 3:04 PM
New Blog Post 📝

Science is formed through recall of knowledge of people long since passed.

Creating classrooms that allow pupils to deeply 'understand' and discover science does not make a scientist. Allowing them to recall it does.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Understanding: Science is Told, Not Found
In my time as a teacher, I have been repeatedly urged to adopt generic one size fits all methods which fundamentally collapse when applied to the rigour of science.
open.substack.com
March 22, 2026 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
Are you familiar with the collated _Stories from Physics_ on the IOP Spark website, from Richard Brock at KCL? No registration or paywall. spark.iop.org/stories-phys...
Stories from Physics
The story of physics is intertwined with the stories of people. We are delighted to be able to share this collection of amazing, amusing and enlightening stories from Richard Brock, a former physics t...
spark.iop.org
March 16, 2026 at 4:11 PM
New Blog Post 📝

Using stories in your science lessons can help build a students understanding of science, even if its not on the curriculum.

This is Hinterland.

Here I discuss some examples in science and how to implement them into your lessons.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Hinterland: Teaching Beyond the Curriculum
Science is more than bunch of dry facts. Using Hinterland can help us to develop understanding, create conversations and build science as a world of creativity, exploration and even deceit.
open.substack.com
March 16, 2026 at 4:01 PM
First blog post from an amazing colleague on the hard work needed to build the literacy of our pupils.

A great read on how implementing a strategy and changing culture takes time and effort.
researchschool.org.uk/bradford/new...
Building a Reading Culture: Starting with Why?
How diagnosing the real literacy problem led to a whole-school reading culture at Dixons Croxteth.
researchschool.org.uk
March 15, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
New Blog Post 📝

Did the internet change education? I don't think it did.

Will AI change education? I don't think so.

The internet and AI do not change the motivation to learn. We have access to more info now than ever before but that doesn't make us smarter.

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Education and Motivation: Will AI Change Education?
Having access to information does not make us learn more, what matters more is the motivation to learn more. AI will both do absolutely nothing to education and everything to society.
open.substack.com
March 2, 2026 at 2:44 PM
New Blog Post 📝

Did the internet change education? I don't think it did.

Will AI change education? I don't think so.

The internet and AI do not change the motivation to learn. We have access to more info now than ever before but that doesn't make us smarter.

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Education and Motivation: Will AI Change Education?
Having access to information does not make us learn more, what matters more is the motivation to learn more. AI will both do absolutely nothing to education and everything to society.
open.substack.com
March 2, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
New Blog Post 📝

Over the years I have received a lot of terrible teaching advice, but I have also had some brilliant pointers.

Some of the best advice I have had has been seemingly insignificant changes to my practice. Here are five examples.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Stand Still, Narrate and Stop: Small Classroom Changes with Big Impacts
Forget the lentils and stopwatches. From frontloading to the power of 'we,' here are some tiny, intentional changes that can transform classroom culture.
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 10:43 AM
New Blog Post 📝

Over the years I have received a lot of terrible teaching advice, but I have also had some brilliant pointers.

Some of the best advice I have had has been seemingly insignificant changes to my practice. Here are five examples.
open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Stand Still, Narrate and Stop: Small Classroom Changes with Big Impacts
Forget the lentils and stopwatches. From frontloading to the power of 'we,' here are some tiny, intentional changes that can transform classroom culture.
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
Great teaching starts with great subject knowledge -
@joel120193.substack.com shares how brushing up on electrolysis made him a better educator and why you should dedicate time to improving your chemistry knowledge 👇
edu.rsc.org/endpoint/kno...
#iteachchem #chemed
February 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Joel Kenyon
Really good blog by @joel120193.substack.com on etymology as a tool for learning complex scientific vocabulary in science lessons (not just a one-off photosynthesis filler/explainer).

open.substack.com/pub/joel1201...
Chlorine is Green, Zoos Have Life and Kings are Killed: Using Etymology in Science
Stop dumbing down vocabulary. When I taught the structure of the ear, I had a choice. I could teach: Hammer, Anvil, and Stirrup. Or I could teach Latin. Not to be pretentious, but to give them a tool.
open.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:41 AM
I enjoyed writing this post.

Subject knowledge is such an important factor into becoming an effective teacher.

There should be much more of a focus on this when designing CPD.

Take into account your individual departments when planning.
Great teaching starts with great subject knowledge -
@joel120193.substack.com shares how brushing up on electrolysis made him a better educator and why you should dedicate time to improving your chemistry knowledge 👇
edu.rsc.org/endpoint/kno...
#iteachchem #chemed
February 13, 2026 at 4:33 PM