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Rebecca Tickell

@rebeccatickell

"It's all grist to the mill." Education for the win. Questioner. Educational researcher and consultant. Alum of HMC, University of Oxford. Also tooting (rarely) on Mastodon rebeccatickell@qoto.org

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Latest posts by Rebecca Tickell @rebeccatickell

Sultan Mohammed. Kayumars' Court. Miniature, detail. "Shahnameh" by Ferdowsi. 1525-1535. Geneva, Collection of Sadruddin Aga Khan.

Sultan Mohammed. Kayumars' Court. Miniature, detail. "Shahnameh" by Ferdowsi. 1525-1535. Geneva, Collection of Sadruddin Aga Khan.

1016 years ago, on the 8th of March 1010, Persian poet Ferdowsi completed the epic poem Shahnameh. In the longest epic poem by a single author, the Shahnameh handles the mythical and historic past of Iran from creation until the Muslim conquest. #otd #history ๐Ÿ—ƒ๏ธ

08.03.2026 09:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 84 ๐Ÿ” 16 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Campaign seeks 50 objects to โ€˜take the heatโ€™ out of Englishness debate Billy Bragg, Caroline Lucas and Kojo Koram among those encouraging people to share cultural artefacts

Englishness: as represented by objects*

For me:
Stories - folk and fairy tales: e.g. Fi-Fi-Fo-Fum
Green - wood; patchwork fields; hedgerow; marsh
Stone - abbeys; castles; barrows

What about you? ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ

*objects are not always physical

07.03.2026 21:50 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Spotted a scarlet elf cup on my stroll through the marsh the other day, no #hedgehogs ๐Ÿฆ” though ๐Ÿฆ” ๐Ÿฆ” Beautiful work
#Spring #Fungi

05.03.2026 17:52 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
A wholesome picture showing four young children with a map spread out of them, viewing the idyllic countryside ahead of them and a mysterious looking church

A wholesome picture showing four young children with a map spread out of them, viewing the idyllic countryside ahead of them and a mysterious looking church

Childhood reading leaves scars.
When I was lounging on the sofa, watching Scooby-Doo, I always had the uneasy feeling that my school holidays should look like this instead
#WorldBookDay

Artist: AN Buchanan

05.03.2026 08:36 ๐Ÿ‘ 379 ๐Ÿ” 47 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 25 ๐Ÿ“Œ 7
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Palm oil is the leading cause of orangutan decline and affects 193 threatened species worldwide.

The government cannot ignore this. Stronger action is urgently needed.

#ProtectNature #Deforestation

Full response ๐Ÿ‘‰ hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2026-0...

04.03.2026 08:23 ๐Ÿ‘ 153 ๐Ÿ” 57 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 6

I also agree that support should be matched to need; however, this doesnโ€™t address the point Prof. Frith is making.

Categories need to be clearly defined for them to considered useful. If the process of judging - or assessing - is too subjective then the categories are likely meaningless.

04.03.2026 10:45 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Isnโ€™t this subjectivity problematic?

To make a judgement as to whether someone is autistic or not requires categorisation. If this process is too subjective then the category collapses.

04.03.2026 10:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I donโ€™t know. It was a genuine question. I have absolutely no idea where the boundary lies or how one decides - for themselves and also for other people.

04.03.2026 10:20 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

How far from neurotypical would someone need to be to be categorised as neurodivergent?

04.03.2026 10:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Is #autism a spectrum?

The problem with categorisation is that clear definitions are needed and as soon as these definitions become looser - more accommodating of difference - they lose their usefulness. I think Prof. Frith is absolutely right; we are all neurodiverse.

#EduSky

04.03.2026 07:17 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
The keystone depicting the Lamb of God from Abbot Williamโ€™s shrine at Rievaulx Abbey, #NorthYorkshire

The keystone depicting the Lamb of God from Abbot Williamโ€™s shrine at Rievaulx Abbey, #NorthYorkshire

The keystone from Abbot Williamโ€™s shrine at Rievaulx Abbey, #NorthYorkshire
#BlueSkyArtShow
#Round
#AgnusDei
#Photography

28.02.2026 18:35 ๐Ÿ‘ 10 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Fascinating article.
May be of interest to folks following @chatbiology.bsky.social

28.02.2026 11:09 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

This should be a wake-up call for Labour. I certainly think it will provide a catalyst for the leadership challenges to come out into the open.

The good news? It demonstrates the electorate is prepared to vote tactically to keep the far right out.

Well done to Hannah Spencer @greenparty.org.uk

27.02.2026 08:26 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Bayesians assemble

27.02.2026 06:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 48 ๐Ÿ” 8 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

For me it has to be the persimmon. They taste of nothingness; think water holding onto a memory of sweetness that lies far far away. A close second would be dragon fruit, but at least they look good.

23.02.2026 12:51 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Lovely Yorkshire rhubarb - beautiful and delicious!

Lovely Yorkshire rhubarb - beautiful and delicious!

โ€˜Tis the season in #Yorkshire

#Rhubarb looked far too good to miss yesterday. Crumble all prepped and ready for the oven this evening (will post a pic later if I remember).
Custard, cream or ice cream - how do you eat yours?

#Pudding

23.02.2026 11:40 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Image from a light festival - held in a Carpark in Bristol

Image from a light festival - held in a Carpark in Bristol

#stunday #urbangaze #eastcoastkin #neon #artshow #shops #carpark #photographersofbluesky #photography

21.02.2026 22:36 ๐Ÿ‘ 57 ๐Ÿ” 7 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Yorkshire's 'mysterious' starling murmurations caught on camera Yorkshire's murmurations are a

How to feel connected to nature โ€“ join the dance #murmuration

Although this article is focused on #Yorkshire, another great place to visit is RSPB Leighton Moss.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

21.02.2026 08:39 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

This is very funny- well done to the SM team at Bedford Council*

*although Iโ€™ve never heard anyone wishing someone a โ€˜Happy Lentโ€™ before. Is that even a โ€˜thingโ€™?

19.02.2026 13:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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For me, one glaring omission: our humanness; we are humans, e.g., where is the affective in all of this? As an aside, what exactly does this figure mean? โ€œDDโ€ a lone โ€œBโ€ โ€ฆ smells like genAI to me ๐Ÿ˜ถ

08.02.2026 11:05 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Making an image with generative AI uses as much energy as charging your phone

The #AICaricature #GPT trend has hopefully reached its zenith on LinkedIn.

The #AISlop introducing each image, extolling the virtues of using AI for generating this nonsense, is nauseating. The prevalence shows just how far genAI has become a part of peopleโ€™s lives since Nov 2022. Novelty sells.

07.02.2026 18:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Book cover: What Is It Like to Be a Bat? By Thomas Nagel

Book cover: What Is It Like to Be a Bat? By Thomas Nagel

I think youโ€™d like this:

06.02.2026 21:21 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Bradford student receives full scholarship to study at Harvard University Tina Chawira from New College Bradford wins a full Harvard scholarship to study government and East Asian studies, inspiring Bradford studentsโ€™โ€ฆ

An alumni of the Sutton Trust Fulbright US Programme has secured a full scholarship to study at Harvard! ๐Ÿฅณ

Tina, who is from Keighley, is set to begin a joint degree in government and East Asian studies at the Ivy League university.

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/2582651...

05.02.2026 20:44 ๐Ÿ‘ 7 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Congratulations Tina!

05.02.2026 20:47 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I think one of the saddest things Iโ€™ve ever seen were captive Beluga whales. It still sickens me to think I actually bought a ticket.

03.02.2026 07:59 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Zoos at risk under strain of cost pressures BBC research finds 40% of accredited zoos and aquariums raised financial concerns since 2022.

Zoos. Iโ€™ve changed my mind about them. Now the negatives outweigh the positives. Elephants have absolutely no place in them thatโ€™s for sure.
Itโ€™s incredibly cruel; however, theyโ€™re needed, with the other megafauna, to bring the people in.

Would I care if the majority of zoos closed? Not really.

03.02.2026 07:56 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
The power of Bayesian reasoning | The Royal Society
The power of Bayesian reasoning | The Royal Society YouTube video by The Royal Society

You might not know it, but you probably use Bayesian reasoning every day. But what exactly is it? Professor David Spiegelhalter explains in our latest video with BBCIdeas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pnlExzbNqE

02.02.2026 10:22 ๐Ÿ‘ 22 ๐Ÿ” 11 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Thereโ€™s a risk that LLMs will eat themselves:

โ€œPrevious research has shown that LLMs tend to โ€œcollapseโ€ and produce gibberish when the dataset contains too much uncurated AI-generated data, which reduces the diversity of things an AI model can learn from.โ€

01.02.2026 11:02 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Beautiful #Imbolc

01.02.2026 09:19 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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โค๏ธ

30.01.2026 19:57 ๐Ÿ‘ 28070 ๐Ÿ” 9223 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 362 ๐Ÿ“Œ 760