Good morning!

This week’s episode is for anyone trying to make calm decisions in a world that wants you either wildly excited or permanently cynical.

I’m joined by Dominic Bristow to unpack the Gartner Hype Cycle/Curve and what it can teach schools about judging new technologies, especially AI. We talk about why education keeps repeating the same pattern, why “AI” is really lots of overlapping hype curves, and what questions leaders should ask before spending money or staff time.

If you want a more grounded way to separate novelty from impact, you’ll enjoy this one.

There’s just over a month until TDaPE North West on the 28th of March and tickets are on sale here. It’s a low-stakes, welcoming event to cut your teeth as a conference attendee and all in aid of Velindre Cancer Centre.

Huge thanks to everyone who shared last week’s episode — it helps us grow our community of thoughtful primary educators. If you’ve got a colleague who likes reflecting on teaching, learning, or leadership, please do forward the link.

That’s all for this week. I’d genuinely love to hear what resonated (or what you disagreed with) — leave a comment wherever you listen, or reply to this email with your thoughts.

Until next time — thanks for listening!