Question

I am from Dubai and in my class many pupils are bilingual, trilingual and English is only spoken at school. What is best for them: 1) to learn to read and write in English and then later in their other languages or 2) to learn to read and write in all two or three languages at the same time? This particular question was asked by a mother whose child speaks English at school but French with her and German with his dad. Thanks

How can teachers become involved in neuro research? #edneuro

At what stage is the brain ready for the cognitive challenges of Physics? Are we teaching some stuff too early?

Is it too soon to see a difference in brain structure or function from the endless screen time, and learning by putting questions into google? I would expect fewer connections/ neural pathways, with the context not being explored and instant information at the touch of a finger.

Are displays useful or not so much when it comes to learning? Are they learning aids or visual clutter? Are there rules to optimize their effect?

Is there research which informs advice about the optimal amount of time between study sessions to improve pupils’ factual recall?

I have been giving my GCSE biology students hand-outs with notes from my lesson. Some students insist on writing out the notes or different ones in class before answering questions. Is this a waste of their time or does note making even if it’s just copying help with memory and understanding? Dose if prevent a cognitive overload perhaps?

What are the mechanics behind how the brain learns and stores information?

Many students suffer anxiety around assessments. Obviously some is useful, but too much can be detrimental. Are there any scientific strategies that can help? I want to guide them with something that is meaningful, rather than anecdotal. Thanks!

Do you have any useful tips for the primary classroom?

hello I am a French teacher. sorry for my bad English. I wonder if you already meet pupils who consider numbers as colors or genders.

There are different resources and ideas regarding learning about learning or thinking skills, e.g. The 16 habits of mind. Do these have scientific evidence to support them and if so, is one better than another? Being a teacher in a classroom, it can often feel like a number of these theories can come and go and are sometimes discredited as soon as they are adopted by the school.

I have read that for some children where they sit in class can have an affect on their learning eg on left side of room, near a window, sideways onto the front of the room etc. Do you know of any research into this and how the change in environment is affecting how the brain functions, please?

hello I am a French teacher. sorry for my bad English. In my classrooms There are more and more pupils with disorders like dyslexia. Can we explain this fact ?

How can you tell how much the brain’s development has been affected by the child’s home life, e.g. diet, sleep, attention from parents, etc?

Hello, I am french and I teach Biology in English in European sections. Is it usefull, helpfull…. to my pupils if I loose my native accent?

VAK learning styles have become embedded in many teacher’s planning and practice. What does the research actually tell us about them?

Educating children about how to care for their physical health and wellbeing once again has an increasing profile in primary schools. Could we address mental health and wellbeing ‘maintenance’ more effectively than we currently do?

What do you think is the best way to inspire children to learn? As an adult I look back and wish that I enjoyed where I was and the opportunities I had to learn, but I was bored and wanted to grow up. Now I wish I had more time to learn and read more.

We have a school counselor at school. At what stage do you think it is sensible to refer a student to the school counselor? When they say things like ‘when x happens, I feel like maybe there is something wrong with me’ or is it better to wait until issues manifest in self-harm or poor results or crying often?

When your research is based on children and how they learn, how can you be certain that you are getting a cross section of all types of children. Are you working within schools or hospitals where a child’s development is affected by their health? Kim

I read that fish oils are supposed to help with brain function. Please could you explain how this works?

Some people seem to like a noisy environment whist they are learning and others quiet. Do we know why this is other than personal preference? Is anything happening in the brain of one and not the other because of the effect of the environment, please?

There’s a lot of talk about growth mindset in education at the moment. I’m pretty sure there’s something in it, but to have an impact we’d need more than a few posters and motivational assemblies! What do we understand about attitude to learning and ‘acheivement’? What evidence is there?

How do you feel about children spending more and more of their free time with virtual friends online?

How did you become involved with mindfulness? How has this topic changed over the past ten years?

My family lives in Manchester. My husband has a distinctive southern (North London) accent. I assumed our children (now 6 and 8) who have always lived here, would pick up the local accent, but they’ve held on to a few key words of their Dad, e.g. ‘bath’ pronounced ‘barth’, ‘grass’ as ‘grarse’! (Now they are becoming more socially aware they interchange the words more recently!). What determines accent choice?

What are the most effective ways of revising for exams?

How much of your typical week is spent in schools?

In Manchester we have a ‘child study centre’ at Manchester University, formerly known as Max Planck child study centre. They research language development. Is there an equivalent for the study of mathematical development?

Nature vs Nurture… what does the research say? Are there some areas in which teachers can have more/less impact?

Why do people with Alzheimer’s seem to revert back to childhood experiences/memories?

How much does parental involvement affect children’s learning and cognitive development?

Have you looked at the effect of diet on memory?

What age is the optimum for learning a new language?

Why can I easily pick out different accents from the UK – e.g. Birmingham/Liverpool/Scottish, etc – but not for foreign languages? I know different regions of France have different accents too!

As a teacher I often hear myself telling a student that I have higher expectations of him/her than s/he does! With so many outside influences on a child that are beyond our control, how big an impact can expectations of a teacher (or ethos of a school) actually have?

Are you ready for I’m a Scientist?

What can boost endorphins?

What is the job of the plasma?

How does radiotherapy help to cure cancer, I have heard it eliminates cancerous tumours but wouldn’t it also harm the other cells in your body?

hi are you good at your job

Do you get contradicted by religous people often?

what is MChem?

is it possible to make solar paint so it takes in sun energy to power eletronics

who is your favorite football player and why?

what is your favorite scientific theory

how hot is the centre of the sun?

how did you become a scientist.

Could we exploit natural epigenetic mechanisms to cure genetic diseases?