Learning and Reasoning Group Seminar – Difficult Concepts: Hard Words to Learn
Centre for Education Neuroscience warmly invite you to join them for their Learning and Reasoning Group seminar taking place on Wednesday, 11th February, from 5 pm – 6 pm (GMT time). Prof. Susan Carey will be presenting on difficult concepts, hard words to learn. Abstract: Beyond doubt, in my view, four decades of research has established […]
Mobile eye-tracking as a window on inequity in children’s language development opportunities
This talk presents both empirical findings and methodological insights from a Belgian interuniversity research project TACOS, which investigates preschool teachers’ language-supporting competencies through a multimethod approach. This seminar discusses the use of mobile eye-tracking (MET) to examine the question: Which children are being overlooked, and with what consequences for their language development opportunities? In a […]
Gender differences in mathematics in 1st grade: what are the causes? How to reduce them?
This week at the CEN seminar, Dr Franck Ramus will be presenting a talk entitled “Gender differences in mathematics in 1st grade: what are the causes? How to reduce them?” Recent surveys indicate that gender differences in mathematics—favoring boys—emerge as early as first grade, in France as in the United States. This presentation will report on several studies conducted […]
School Avoidance and Anxiety: A School Perspective
Dr Rebecca Torrance Jenkins, former Head of Science and advisor in neuroscience informed pedagogy and school design, will explore the underlying reasons why some children struggle to attend school. Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) refers to situations in which emotional, psychological or nervous system stress leads a child to avoid or be unable to sustain […]
Interleaving in inductive learning: Causes and interventions for metacognitive unawareness
Interleaving exemplars is a powerful learning method for enhancing inductive category learning as well as literacy/numeracy skills, yet learners tend to be unaware of the benefits of interleaving. What is the origin of this metacognitive bias and how can it be overcome? This webinar, hosted by Prof David Shanks (UCL, Experimental Psychology) will report a […]
Chinese Teachers’ Perspectives on Attention, Executive Functions, and Self-Regulation in Early Childhood Education
Attention, executive functions, and self-regulation develop rapidly across early childhood and play critical roles in children’s later academic and social–emotional competence. Yet relatively little is known about how early childhood teachers understand and support these skills in everyday educational practice. This presentation draws on two qualitative studies involving Chinese kindergarten teachers serving children ages 3–6 […]
Educational Neuroscience of Mathematics in South Africa: Application, Limitations, and Challenges
Much of our current knowledge about mathematics learning comes from the minority world—often referred to as Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) populations—and is frequently generalised to the majority world or non-WEIRD populations. However, environmental variability, cultural values, and societal demands shape human cognition and influence developmental trajectories. For instance, differences in language and socioeconomic […]
Heritability is not Destiny
How should a teacher respond to a parent who declares their child has high genetic educational potential? Dr. Emma Meaburn previously presented the latest research on the application of genomics to education, and the insights offered by identifying robust links between DNA differences and educationally relevant traits, particularly through the use of polygenic indices (PGIs). […]
Vision of the classroom as unnatural and uncomfortable
This session will feature Prof Arnold Wilkins, University of Essex, and is titled – Vision of the classroom as unnatural and uncomfortable. Our vision evolved in nature and operates inefficiently with scenes that are unnatural. Discomfort then results from the consequent metabolic load. Scenes from the classroom are unlike those in nature with respect to […]
Genes, learning, and the classroom: insights and implications from educational genomics
This session will feature Dr Emma Meaburn (Birkbeck, University of London), and is titled– Genes, learning, and the classroom: insights and implications from educational genomics. Understanding why some children struggle in school is a central goal for educational research. Large-scale genomic studies are starting to offer new insights by identifying robust links between DNA differences […]
Genes, learning, and the classroom: insights and implications from educational genomics
This session will be led by Dr Emma Meaburn (Birkbeck, University of London). Further information to come closer to the time of the event. This talk is part of a webinar series from the Centre for Educational Neuroscience at UCL, Birkbeck University and the UCL IoE. You can register here to receive weekly updates about […]
The NeuroCompass: Guiding Learning, Leadership, and Love
This session will be led by Dr Maureen Ruby (Sacred Heart University). In our rapidly evolving global educational landscape, one thing remains constant: the brain is our common ground. This presentation will explore how a foundational understanding of educational neuroscience can transform not what and how we design curriculum, teach, assess, lead, and parent. Two […]
The involvement of working memory, meta-working memory, and iconic gestures when learning new words and concepts
This session will be led by Elisabeth Knight (University of Sheffield). Further information to come closer to the time of the event. This talk is part of a webinar series from the Centre for Educational Neuroscience at UCL, Birkbeck University and the UCL IoE. You can register here to receive weekly updates about the seminar […]
How can deep learning inform theory in psychological science?
This session will be led by Dr Roman Feiman (Brown University). This webinar will delve into the evolving role of Large Language Models (LLMs) in cognitive science. Once dismissed as inadequate representations of human thought, modern LLMs now exhibit reasoning abilities that were unimaginable decades ago, reigniting debates about their potential as models of cognition. […]
Validation and Reliability of an Early Number Knowledge Scale in Italian Preschool Children
In this webinar, Dr Francesco Sella (Loughborough University) will talk about the development and validation of an early numeracy scale designed to assess key numerical skills in preschool children. The scale includes eight tasks: Dots Comparison, Highest Count, Give a Number, Set Transformation, Number Naming, Number Comparison, Number Sequence, and Arithmetic. A sample of 675 […]
Reasoning to Learn & Learning to Reason
Relational thinking, or the ability to reason about relationships between mental representations, is a cornerstone of reasoning and decision-making. In this talk, Professor Silvia Bunge will make the case that relational thinking should be considered an executive function, and will provide evidence that it supports math achievement. She will then discuss neural underpinnings of the […]
Exercise and the brain: If I get fitter, will my bran work better?
What does science tell us about how exercise impacts the brain? Join us on a journey to understand how physical activity can support brain health throughout the lifespan of a human being. Movement matters! And it doesn’t need to be strenuous. In this talk, we will touch on how we can best use various forms […]
Identification of strengths and difficulties in early executive functions amongst toddlers with a connection to autism or ADHD
Autism and ADHD are often associated with difficulties with Executive Functions (EFs) in childhood and adulthood, but due to measurement challenges, the prevalence and nature of these difficulties in early development is not well understood. Potential strengths have also been overlooked. In this talk I will describe the measures that colleagues and I have developed […]
Examining the relationships between children’s self-reported affect, executive function and numeracy performance
Early cognitive development, a substantial predictor of future success in mathematical education and career choices, encompasses complex mechanisms that warrant examination as a whole, rather than in isolation. Notably, affective mechanisms, vital in identifying and interpreting threat and challenge, evolve in conjunction with executive abilities during crucial early childhood stages, laying the groundwork for subsequent […]
Cognitive variability in poor academic achievement: A focus on reading and/or math difficulties
Academic difficulties in reading and mathematics are influenced by a combination of domain-specific and domain-general cognitive factors. However, the heterogeneity of cognitive profiles among struggling learners remains poorly understood. In this talk, I will present a study that employed Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), to (1) determine whether distinct cognitive profiles exist among poor readers and […]