Neuro-hit or neuro-myth?

Posted on by
1

Only10percent

CEN has just launched a new web resource on neuromyths!

Neuromyths are common misconceptions about brain mechanisms, which are taken for granted in today’s society. Some of these myths have taken root amongst educators and have influenced educational techniques. Some myths are wonderfully bizarre (we only use 10% of our brains!). Some myths have seeds of truth but have led to educational techniques without scientific grounding (e.g., the myth that left-brain=logic right-brain=emotion and creativity has a seed of truth in research on functional brain lateralisation). Other myths appeal to strong intuitions but the science is only assumed (girls and boys have different cognitive abilities).

Entitled ‘Neuro-hit or neuro-myth?‘, we give up-to-date evaluations of a range of neuromyths, including links to recent scientific resources and articles.

This resource was supported by a Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund Award.

wtvm050454

 

 

Two new ESRC CASE PhD studentships now inviting applications

Posted on by
Reply

Would you like to complete your PhD on an exciting project linked to educational neuroscience, which combines experience in both academic and commercial sectors?

image.axd

The effect of ambient noise on on early learning in a classroom environment

Under the supervision of Dr. Natasha Kirkham and Professor Denis Mareschal, this studentship will be focussed on understanding the impact of ambient or environmental noise on early learning in a classroom environment, and will be run in collaboration with our partner on the project, Cauldron (http://cauldron.sc), a resource-developer for online experiments This project will require coding/programming experience and we encourage students with both developmental and cognitive science backgrounds to apply.

Closing date for applications is 1st March 2016.  Informal inquiries can be made to Natasha Kirkham:  n.kirkham@bbk.ac.uk

Unknown

The effect of technology use on the development of adolescent executive function skills

Under the supervision of Dr. Iroise Dumontheil and Professor Michael Thomas, this studentship will focus on the investigation of executive functions during adolescence, and their association with technology use and academic outcomes, using data from the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (www.scampstudy.org). The student will perform analyses on a large dataset and will learn out to develop, program and administer psychological online testing with our partner on the project, Delosis (https://www.delosis.com/home.html). We therefore encourage students with strong quantitative skills to apply for this studentship.

Closing date for applications is 26th Feb 2016.  Informal inquiries can be made to Iroise Dumontheil: i.dumontheil@bbk.ac.uk. Further details here.

Would you like to do a PhD in Educational Neuroscience?

Posted on by
Reply

imgres

Bloomsbury Doctoral Training Centre Studentship Applications are now invited.

Applications are now open for ESRC studentships via the Bloomsbury Doctoral Training Centre, which offers a training route in Educational Neuroscience. Further details on the application process are available on the DTC website here.

The closing date for applications is Friday 5 February 2016.

CEN Research Group spring meeting schedule

Posted on by
Reply

c4b9f209-7aec-4aea-a747-5a4dbb71b478

The CEN Research Group, which is open to those interested in the latest developments in educational neuroscience, meets weekly at 4pm on Thursday afternoons.

Our spring schedule is now available here. Upcoming topics include the use of philosophy to develop reasoning skills in primary schools, spatial ability and science performance, chess in schools, and an investigation of cognitive deficits in children with cerebral palsy and how these impact mathematical ability.

The CEN Research Group is open to faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and students at Birkbeck and UCL (especially those on the Educational Neuroscience and Developmental Sciences masters, and PhD students studying relevant topics). It is also open to educationalists, educational psychologists, and interested teachers. Meetings aim to enable an atmosphere of informal discussion of the latest findings in and challenges for neuroscience and psychology relevant to education. If you would like to attend, please contact us at: centre4educationalneuroscience@gmail.com

UCL-IOE / HKU Education & Neuroscience Collaboration: Friday 15th January

Posted on by

You are warmly invited to take part in the upcoming, second instalment of an exciting digital and e-learning collaboration between UCL-IoE and Hong Kong University.

Intended to facilitate inclusive and accessible conversations about current trends in education and neuroscience, and to link researchers working in different parts of the world, this Friday’s session will consist of;
  • Prof. Andrew Tolmie (UCL-IoE), presenting on Observation, Description and Explanation in Primary School Science
  • Prof. Michael Thomas (BBK) speaking on The Cognitive Neuroscience of Socioeconomic Status
  • Prof. Emily Farran (UCL-IoE) presenting a paper entitled A Multilevel Approach to Understanding Development

Abstracts are available here…

As this is a digital seminar, the session will be broadcast online, and is therefore intended to be accessed remotely from anywhere via a link sent to those who sign-up. Similarly, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of each other and the speakers via the twitter hashtag #UCL_EdNeuro and a google-hangout. There is also an opportunity to attend the session in person over coffee at UCL-IoE.
For more information and to sign-up, follow the Eventbrite link here… 

New Workshop on Current Issues in Educational Neuroscience for graduate students and researchers: Friday 20th November, 9:00 – 17:00

Posted on by

Current Issues in Educational Neuroscience: A workshop sponsored by the Bloomsbury and UCL Doctoral Training Centres

Date and time: Friday 20th November 2015, Registration from 9:00, workshop 9:30 – 17:00

Location: Room B34, Birbeck, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX (updated location)

This full day workshop features a keynote presentation by Professor Daphne Bavelier entitled “Learning and transfer: Lessons from action video games”, two themed sessions on educational neuroscience (on the training of executive functions, and on the environmental factors associated with cognitive development and learning), a lunchtime poster session, and a panel discussion.

daphne_bavelier

Professor Daphne Bavelier (University of Geneva) is a cognitive neuroscientist who studies brain plasticity. Her research tackles questions such as: What are the factors that promote such learning and brain plasticity? Are some parts of our nervous system more plastic than others, making some skills easier to acquire?

Professor Bavelier presented the popular TED talk “Your brain on video games”.

Who is the workshop for? MPhil/PhD students, MSc students, and early career researchers

Is there a registration fee? No, registration is free, but you must register to attend.

How do I book? To reserve your place, please email the Centre for Educational Neuroscience administrator at centre4educationalneuroscience@gmail.com, with NOVEMBER WORKSHOP in the subject line. Please indicate in the email what programme you are studying on.

Can I present a poster? If you have research to present that is relevant to educational neuroscience (in its broadest sense) we would love to hear from you. Please email a 300 word abstract of your poster to the Centre for Educational Neuroscience administrator at centre4educationalneuroscience@gmail.com, with NOVEMBER WORKSHOP POSTER in the subject line.

CEN Research Group autumn schedule now available

Posted on by

The CEN Research Group, which is open to those interested in the latest developments in educational neuroscience, meets weekly at 4pm on Thursday afternoons.

Our autumn schedule is now available here. The first meeting is on Thursday 15th October, with a journal paper presentation from Emily Farran. On 22nd October, Sarah Punshon will be talking about her new Wellcome-Funded project: “Getting stuck, going wrong and being stupid: could a theatrical adventure impact children’s beliefs about their mathematical brains?”. On Thursday 29th October, Dr. Ben Shaw from the University of Westminster will present his research on “Children’s Independent Mobility: how much freedom do our children have to get about by themselves and does independence affect child development?”

IMG_3415

The CEN Research Group is open to faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and students at Birkbeck and UCL (especially those on the Educational Neuroscience and Developmental Sciences masters, and PhD students studying relevant topics). It is also open to educationalists, educational psychologists, and interested teachers. Meetings aim to enable an atmosphere of informal discussion of the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology, and their relevance to education. If you would like to attend, please contact us at: centre4educationalneuroscience@gmail.com

Public lecture on Genetics and Education 18th November 2015

Posted on by

Michael Thomas, Director of CEN, and Dr. Emma Meaburn, will give the Inaugural Annual Learnus Lecture, on the topic of Genetics and Education, on 18th November at 6.30pm, at Harvey Goodwin Suite, Church House, Dean’s Yard London SW1P 3NZ. The lecture will explore the potential contribution of modern genetic methods and findings to education. Here’s the flier:

Learnus Inaugural Annual Lecture

 

Summer seminar at CEN: 12-1pm, August 5th, Birkbeck: Prof. Yi-Yuan Tang on ‘Training Attention and Self-regulation’

Posted on by

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Professor Yi-Yuan Tang, visiting from Texas Tech University, USA, will give a seminar at the the CEN on Wednesday, 12-1pm on August 5th, at Birkbeck (Room 153, Malet Street building), with a buffet lunch afterwards.

The seminar will be on “Training Attention and Self-regulation: Brain Mechanisms and Applications”.

Abstract: “Attention and self-regulation play an important role in learning and education. It remains largely unknown how to train these capacities effectively. This talk will introduce two types of training methods – state training and network training. Network training involves practice of a specific task (e.g., attention, working memory) repeatedly and thus exercising its specific brain network. State training uses practice (e.g., physical exercise or mindfulness meditation) to develop a brain state that may influence the operations of many networks. State training certainly involves networks, but it is not designed to train networks using a cognitive task. Research has shown that both types of training can improve attention, cognitive control, emotion regulation and neuroplasticity. I will discuss the brain mechanisms and applications of these types of training in learning and education.”

All welcome.