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Professor Pasco Fearon, Director, Centre for Child, Adolescent and Family Research University of Cambridge speaking on "The role of responsive caregiving in child development".

The concept of parental sensitivity was originally formulated by Mary Ainsworth, based on extensive home observations of families in Uganda and the United States, as part of her efforts to understand the interactional determinants of attachment security. Since then, her findings have been consistently replicated in many studies across the world.  In this talk, I summarise this corpus of evidence and explore the breadth of outcomes associated with sensitive-responsive caregiving in both longitudinal studies and clinical trials. 

I suggest that sensitivity plays a much broader role in early child development than previously assumed, and that interventions that improve sensitivity may produce improvements in multiple areas of early child development. While the primary implications of these findings relate to the home environment and preschool development, some key principles are relevant for educators concerned with children’s wellbeing at all ages.

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Professor Van Herwegen delivered her talk on 'From motivation to breaking point: The impact of stress and anxiety on learning and wellbeing' at Learnus's "FutureEd25" Conference.

"Stress and anxiety are increasingly recognised as key factors shaping students' motivation, learning, and wellbeing. In this talk, I will explore the brain mechanisms that underlie stress and anxiety, and discuss how these processes can influence attention, memory, and learning outcomes. 

Drawing on recent research, I consider how stress affects different learners in diverse educational contexts and review interventions designed to reduce anxiety and support resilience. Finally, I will reflect on how researchers and educators communicate these issues—urging caution again at framing education as being in constant ‘crisis'".

Slides

Jessica Newberry Le Vay
“Supporting youth mental health and inspiring climate action through education"

Climate Change and Health Policy Fellow at the Climate Cares Centre, Imperial College  London, a collaboration between Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation and the Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the  Environment.

Win-win opportunities exist in education to empower young people with the knowledge, tools, resilience and agency to:
build and maintain strong mental health, thrive in an uncertain future, take part in meaningful collective climate action, and pursue careers that contribute to a more sustainable world. This talk will share new research from the Compass Project, led by the Climate Cares Centre at Imperial College London. Working with students and educators across England, the project explores how schools, colleges, and universities can integrate climate education and mental health support to help prepare young people for a future in a changing world.

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Dr Rebecca Torrance-Jenkins's talk about "School Avoidance and Anxiety" at "FutureEd25" conferenced.

Dr Rebecca Torrance-Jenkins, School Designer & Learning Consultant, applying insights from neuroscience and progressive educational thinking to design schools for the future and reimagine how young people people learn.

A former Founding Head of Science, she writes across academic and mainstream platforms, with a forthcoming parenting book bridging research and everyday life.

"School avoidance is often misread as refusal, when it is more accurately a sign of distress. This talk draws on neuroscience and classroom experience to show how stress, sensory overload, and environmental demands can overwhelm children — and how schools can adapt through calmer environments, predictable routines, and cultures of trust to help every child thrive."

Slides

Dr Rosalyn Hyde
“Exploring maths anxiety and maths teaching anxiety in teachers and trainee teachers”

Professor Margaret Brown OBE, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Education, King’s College, London, Co-Chair of MathsWorldUK and chair of Maths Anxiety Trust introduces Dr Rosalyn Hyde and Fay Cosgrove who present the ‘Maths Anxiety in Teachers’ policy paper.

Dr Rosalyn Hyde, Principal Teaching Fellow in secondary mathematics education at the University of Southampton. She has particular interests in initial teacher education and mathematics-specific pedagogy as well as the effective use of technology in teaching
and learning. She presents the findings of a recent research project into maths anxiety in teachers commissioned by Maths Anxiety Trust exploring maths anxiety and maths teaching anxiety in teachers and trainee teachers. Teachers and trainee teachers can struggle with both maths anxiety (anxiety about the subject) and maths teaching anxiety (anxiety related to teaching mathematics).

Understanding the prevalence of both types of anxiety is important because of the impact teachers’ anxieties can have on learners’ experiences in the classroom. The work presented here comes from two studies commissioned by the Maths Anxiety Trust. One study explored maths anxiety and maths teaching anxiety in trainee primary and trainee secondary teachers of mathematics through survey methods.

The second study used interviews with teachers to  explore their experiences of teaching mathematics. The research identifies the impact of prior experience, the importance of preparedness, some of the ways in which maths anxiety and maths teaching anxiety manifest themselves in the classroom and some of the factors affecting the prevalence of both types of anxiety.  Fay Cosgrove presents the findings from this study.

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Dr Thomas Hunt
“Maths anxiety, maths teaching anxiety, and maths attitudes in primary school teachers”

Dr Thomas Hunt, Associate Professor in Psychology, and Director of the Mathematics Anxiety Research Group at University of Derby at "FutureEd25". 

Maths anxiety, maths teaching anxiety, and maths attitudes in primary school teachers: A multi-country study.   This talk summarises a study that tested 1,153 primary school teachers in the U.K., Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Iran, to explore mean levels and correlates of maths anxiety, maths teaching anxiety, and maths attitudes. This represents an
important step in understanding commonalities in maths-specific emotions and attitudes among primary school teachers.

Further to this, the research provides insight into measurement considerations and the importance of identifying and supporting future, and existing, teachers who experience anxiety in relation to maths and the teaching of it.

Slides

Professor Denes Szucs
"Cognitive and emotional factors in mathematics development"

Denes Szucs, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Fellow, Darwin College, Cambridge, Deputy Director, Centre for  Neuroscience in Education.

On the one hand I will review various projects that examined potentially foundational variables supporting cognitive mathematical development and underlying mathematical learning difficulties (MLD). On the other hand, I will consider large projects that examined an emotional block of mathematical development, mathematics anxiety (MA). We could not support the number sense theory of mathematical development or MLD (Grade 2, 4 and 6 children; n.1250). We found that visual and verbal working memory were good correlates of standardized maths performance while number
sense related variables were negligible predictors of maths. We further found that MLD and MA strongly dissociated (n.1700). MA was not a consequence of being weak in maths. In fact, about 80% of students with high MA were normal to high maths achievers. Females also reported notably higher levels of MA than males.

In an analysis of OECD data from more than 150,000 adolescents we have shown that MA was much less related to actual mathematics performance than to subjective perceptions of success expectancy in mathematics, perceived control over maths activities and the subjective value of mathematics. Findings suggest that cognitive and emotional blocks of mathematical development need different interventions.

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2023

Learnus FutureEd23:

The Place of Educational Neuroscience in Teacher Education

Learnus presented its "FutureEd23" conference in London in June 2023. At the conference the speakers addressed the question "What is the place of educational neuroscience in teacher education with particular reference to the Early Careers Framework?"

Michael Thomas Slides

Paul Howard-Jones & Kendra McMahon Slides

Duncan Astle Slides

Peter Mather, Cara Carey & Jeremy Dudman-Jones Slides

Prof. Derek Bell - Report

2017

FutureEd17

How can Findings from Educational Neuroscience Reshape Teaching and Learning, now and in the Future?

The FutureEd 2017 Summit explored integrating educational neuroscience into classroom practice by fostering dialogue between researchers and teachers to address real classroom needs. The summit emphasized that neuroscience offers incremental contributions to improve learning outcomes, advocating for an evidence-based approach focusing on how children learn and creating safe learning environments based on biological insights.

Professor Becky Francis
Director UCL Institute of Education

Opens the Conference

In a keynote address, Professor Becky Francis examined structural challenges in the UK's "middle tier" education system, arguing that recent rapid policy shifts have created fragmentation. She advocates for coherent, evidence-based approaches to improvement, emphasizing clear policy direction and the role of leadership and collaboration for equitable outcomes.

Professor  Daphne Bavelier
Dept Psychology & Education Sciences University of Geneva

Action Video Games as an exemplary learning tool

In this presentation, Professor Daphne Bavelier challenges the idea that video games are simply distractions, using research in educational neuroscience to argue that action games can enhance brain plasticity, attention, and perceptual skills. She noted that gamers often demonstrate superior contrast sensitivity and multitasking abilities without losing focus.

Leora Cruddas
Director of Policy & Public Relations ASCL

The future has already arrived.  It's just not evenly distributed yet.

Leora Cruddas contextualized the evolution of English education policy, noting a shift from the 1944 Act's focus on simply "learn" to the 1988 Reform Act's dictate of what children should learn. Cruddas advocated for a modern, evidence-based approach centered on how children learn, emphasizing educational neuroscience as vital for effective learning and reducing inequality by providing a biological basis for teaching strategies.

Professor Paul Howard-Jones
Graduate School of Education - University of Bristol

Implementing Educational Neuroscience for educational progress: Do we need an "Education first" approach?

Professor Paul Howard-Jones discusses integrating neuroscience into classroom practice by empowering teachers with a scientific understanding of how children learn, rather than relying on prescriptive interventions. He highlights evidence-based strategies like exercise, spaced learning, and gamification, while also stressing the importance of debunking neuromyths like learning styles.

Professor Denis Mareschal
Centre for Brain & Cognitive Development Birkbeck College

The UnLocke Project: From inhibition in the brain to math & science in the classroom

Professor Denis Mareschal discusses the UnLocke project, an initiative applying developmental neuroscience to classroom learning by focusing on "inhibitory control" to help students grasp complex science and math concepts. The project developed a computer game called "Stop and Think" to encourage students to pause before answering counterintuitive problems, leading to measurable progress in maths and science.

Doctor Alice Jones-Bartoli
Director of Unit of School & Family Studies Goldsmiths College

Working Collaboratively in research-based education- an SEMH perspective

In a presentation for the FutureEd 2017 Summit, Dr. Alice Jones Bartoli discussed how educational neuroscience can inform school-based mental health practices. She explored how understanding neurobiological profiles related to attention and emotional regulation allows educators to implement more individualized interventions instead of universal disciplinary strategies. By identifying students with social-emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties, Dr. Jones Bartoli's research supports using evidence-based, restorative approaches to address behaviours rooted in biological factors, promoting inclusive learning environments.

Tara Deakes
Deputy Head & Provisions Manager Westfield School

Working Collaboratively in research-based education- an SEMH perspective

In her presentation at the FutureEd17 Summit, Tara Deakes (now Tara Albert), Head of Biology at The Lady Eleanor Holles School, discussed the practical application of educational neuroscience in secondary education. She described the integration of neuroscience principles into the school's curriculum, emphasizing metacognition and the biological basis of memory. Deakes highlighted the importance of understanding brain plasticity to foster a growth mindset and effective study habits.

Judith Enright
Head Teacher Queens Park Community School

How Can leaders move from 'What works?' to ' What works, how and why?'

Judith (Jude) Enright provides insights on integrating educational neuroscience in a secondary school setting. She discussed empowering teachers, supporting students by helping them understand brain development, and enhancing curriculum through research on memory and attention.

Professor Michael Thomas
Professor of Cognituive Neuroscience Birkbeck University of London and Director of CEN

Reflections on the Conference

In his summary of the FutureEd 2017 Summit, Professor Michael Thomas proposes a framework for integrating neuroscience into education across national policy, classroom practice, and neural learning levels. He advocated for an R&D model in education to rigorously test scientific insights and suggested neuroscience could lead to universal approaches targeting underlying cognitive mechanisms rather than relying on traditional Special Educational Needs (SEN) labels. Thomas also outlined direct and indirect influences of neuroscience, through "brain health" and refining psychological learning theories, while cautioning against overstating evidence.