Technolandy

Day 110b (of 2025/26) 3 news stories: research around ‘explosive behaviours’ shows something not talked about much; AI for fairer learning journeys…? 

1. Explosive student behaviors? Sure, parenting gets blamed (especially when not toilet trained for kindergarten); and too much time on iPads gets highlighted… BUT – poverty and its effects on brain development and well-bing = behaviour toughies… https://apple.news/A6a5RwApiRCSHPqufBIuHwA because when you can’t afford a balanced diet, it’s easier to turn to babysitter screens, and when parents aren’t doing well (food and sleep insecurities are not age limited) then they are not in a ‘good space’ to be e/affective parents. Easier to focus on punishment, and public shaming (clip charts) and harder to dive into the root reasons when nearly half of families are reporting difficulties meeting basic needs (which means actual number is likely higher)
2. Dyselcix thinking… https://apple.news/ArIsL67J6SvmpJp1BTEF_fQ  as my daughter will concur with, dyslexia makes reading not-enjoyable, but does agree it has forced “creative thinking, persistence, and the courage to take unconventional routes”, but don’t assume that everyone reads the same… dyslexia is only one of many neurological ways that people decode text differently (and why no one model… not even Science of Reading… is going to be a panacea for everyone to discover a joy of reading beyond learning to read so that one can read to learn… 
3. My AI share: it’s not just me who sees generative tools as much more than ‘just a platform for cheating – they’re a way to make classrooms fairer and more human’  https://apple.news/AhEN-VO7-St68Hweq2q6Dnw.  Which further supports my own ‘bigger share’ on AI: https://technolandy.com/2026/02/19/day-109-of-2025-26-techursdai-i-am-a-fan-of-what-ai-is-doing-to-schools-and-with-learning-inspired-by-many/  I’m pretty proud of the tech I have been an early adopter of vs the ones I have worked with only briefly… this is rocket fuel for the personal screens that were already creating the greatest disruption to education to push harder into personalized/individualized education journeys… 

Bonus connected to contracts – interesting to see in New York some districts being able to push regarding class sizes to see the costs to get ratios to cap class sizes at 20 in lower grades, and 25 in high schools… https://apple.news/AACbFkQ7LQkeu1nEl6hIpeA early samples have shared “Smaller classes have deepened the connection between their child and teacher. Families say they are already seeing the impact of smaller classes, both socially and academically”.  Looking forward to seeing some of the details in our own provincial contract as details will be shared as it goes forward for ratification – especially on the Key Focus Areas: The deal includes funding to address classroom conditions, teacher workload, and mental health support for students, which were primary points of contention during an earlier impasse…