Friday Mindset #172

Happy Friday!

December’s here at last. This is our penultimate newsletter of 2026 - this one, another on Friday 12th, then we’re taking a break and revving up for the new year. Nearly there folks, nearly there.

Lots to interest us this week, despite being knackered. A couple of things we’re observing with interest for example - the decline in social media use tells an interesting story. And we’re hearing increasingly about the idea of video fatigue too.

Interesting times, particularly given our article recommendation this week. Let’s dive in.

Something we're reading...

This piece from Canadian teacher Andrew Cantarutti caught our eye recently. Cantarutti makes a case for reconsidering the position of schools in society. At the moment, he argues, schools follow; rushing to integrate whatever changes society throws at them. (There’s a period of growth in AI, schools scramble to integrate AI into their curricula, assessment and teaching.)

Instead, Cantarutti argues, schools should lead. If evidence strongly suggests certain types of technology erode attention, schools should provide spaces where students can work away from them, removing them from learning environments, not ceaselessly incorporating them.

This is way more measured than mere ludditism, well worth a read. The article we started with is here:

But there’s an equally well-considered follow-up here as well. Two-for-one, folks.

Portal Talk.

We sat down together to talk through another VESPA questionnaire report this week. Here it is:

Steve: Of course lower scores catch your eye, don’t they. A discussion of organisation would be a useful place to start. One of the suggested Systems questions is, ‘How do you know what work you have outstanding?’ The answer will be revealing.

Martin: Chances are we’ll be hearing about a life that feels chaotic to them.

Tony: There could be good reasons for it. Asking the student to talk us through their week so far might throw up some interesting obstacles to organisation, like family responsibilities for example.

Steve: Yeah. And I’d want to get into that vision score too. Starting with, ‘If you could only study one subject at this level, what would it be and why?’ I always like hearing answers to that question.

Martin: Or ‘Describe a lesson you’ve enjoyed recently.’ It seems such a simple one, that, but it’s so revealing of students’ values and preferences and interests. There might be clues lurking in the answer.

OK! One more thing: here’s our working demo of the staff coaching page in case you missed it last week:

And if you’d like to learn more about how our Coaching Portal can be used in your school, please schedule a quick demo using the link below:

Something to try...

We’ve been thinking about agency and proactivity, particularly with the new year in mind. Today’s powerpoint is intended for January 2026 delivery. It’s called - a little tongue-in-cheek, this title - The Double Your Luck Challenge.

We ask a very simple, amusing question, inspired by this post, (hat-tip to George Mack): what if you had to try and double your luck in 2026? It’s an interesting thought experiment. What kind of actions could you take? What kind of connections might you try and build? What networks could you join? What could you offer in order to promote positive relationships that pay you back?

In this powerpoint, we hear the story of one remarkable sixth former we’ve recently worked with (she made her own luck), and offer ten ways students might invite interesting opportunities into their lives…

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