HeyJaredDavid Didau: The Learning Spy
The Learning Spy Substack is a sharp, provocative dispatch from the front lines of education, where ideas are tested, myths are challenged, and nothing is taken for granted.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 13
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- Sep 26, 2026
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- Jul 15, 2026
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When is struggle too much? (opens the original)
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Sisyphus, in the ancient myth, is condemned to an existence that is generally acknowledged to be awful. He is condemned eternally to a task that is boring, difficult, and futile … There is no value to his efforts; nothing ever comes of them.Susan Wolf, Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, p. 17.The gods of ancient Greece punished Sisyphus, king of Ephyra, for his hubris1 by cond
Elsewhere and later: a definition of learning (opens the original)
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For a man to attain to an eminent degree in learning costs him time, watching, hunger, nakedness, dizziness in the head, weakness in the stomach, and other inconveniences.Don Quixote, CervantesCervantes makes learning sound wonderfully unpleasant. More interestingly, though, he treats it as a state we attain rather than a thing we can do. You can look industrious, attentive and scholarly without necessarily having learned anything at all. Equally, you might appear confused and unsuccessful while
Is there a case for copying? (opens the original)
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The history of human civilisation has been, amongst other things, a history of copying. Before the printing press, every manuscript had to be copied out by hand. From ancient Sumer, through Pharaonic Eyppt to the monasteries of medieval Europe, scribes painstakingly reproducing religious texts, classical works, legal records and historical chronicles. In this way, copying both preserved ideas that would otherwise have been lost and allowing knowledge to spread and thrive.<a class="image-link ima
The beautiful lie of coursework (opens the original)
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Two recent high profile interviews (both behind paywalls) have caused, yet again, the spectre of coursework to rear its superficially handsome but ultimately scabrous head. This is an attempt to drive a stake through its rotten heart.New Education Secretary, Lucy Powell has proposed more practical assessment in GCSEs. She wants, she says, to “replace the exam factory with the talent factory,” allowing students to demonstrate their achievements through activities s
How should we teach students to interpret texts? (opens the original)
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The default approach to so much English teaching is to present students with a text and then say some version of, “What do you think of this?” If you’re fortunate enough to teach in a selective setting with advantaged students, then this must be a very rewarding way to go about things. I picture an idyllic classroom with students making thoughtful suggestions, respectfully challenging each other, and honing their interpretation though the lively cut and thrust of classroom debate.I’ve never taug
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