The Curiosity Gap

The moral case for curiosity in the classroom

England says it has high standards and a knowledge-rich curriculum. So how can you pass GCSE knowing 20%? On standards, attainment and the curiosity…

May 28 • Chris Reid

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What if I’m the cognitive load?

What are our students thinking about… when we don’t give them a reason to think about our lesson?

May 9 • Chris Reid

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April 2026

I was wrong. Here’s what I’d change about education research

What happens at BERA, stays at BERA. Why the trad/prog fight is weakening the field – and what we can do about it.

Apr 29 • Chris Reid

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What Education Research Is For

Here’s the part Kelsey Piper can’t see

Apr 25 • Chris Reid

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Why don’t students like school? Do we need to ask Gove?

A reply to Daisy Christodoulou’s ‘Do knowledge-rich curriculums cause mental health problems?’

Apr 20 • Chris Reid

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‘Sir, are we bottom set?’

What children really learn in a system built on high-stakes testing

Apr 8 • Chris Reid

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March 2026

Can you really ‘pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ at school?

I took PISA data on 140,000 students and compared the 'rich and lazy' to the 'poor and hardworking.' The results make for uncomfortable reading.

Mar 30 • Chris Reid

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Do schools kill curiosity? It’s more complicated than you think

The OECD asked 60,000 children about their curiosity: how a small difference in two survey questions tells a big story about learning at school.

Mar 23 • Chris Reid

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What type of curious are you?

Psychologist Todd Kashdan and colleagues identified five dimensions of curiosity — and four distinct curiosity types. Take the quiz to find yours.

Mar 16 • Chris Reid

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The Call to Adventure

The Call to Adventure: A Guide for Thrill Seekers, Respectable Ladies and Reluctant Travellers

Mar 9 • Chris Reid

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February 2026

Over 140,000 kids from around the world were tested to see which is most important for success: grit or growth mindset.

Schools spend millions on grit and growth mindset programmes. But an analysis of 140,000 students from PISA 2022 suggests neither is the most important…

Feb 25 • Chris Reid

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January 2026

Likes, Swipes and Clickbait

How our Attention is Hijacked by ‘Shallow Curiosity’

Jan 12 • Chris Reid