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Recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the human brain offer an exciting prospect for education. The idea that we can draw on scientific insights to improve what happens in the classroom is an alluring one – but it is also a double-edged sword. While neuroscience can inform better teaching practices, its appeal has also given rise to a host of pervasive and persistent ‘neuromyths’ that can undermine learning.
In this year’s Blackham Lecture, Professor Paul Howard-Jones will explore these compelling but misleading ideas about the brain. Where do neuromyths come from, and why do they proliferate? Paul will unpack the cultural forces and emotional biases that shape them, revealing the ‘folk neuroscience’ embedded in our everyday language.
Far from being a harmless curiosity, these myths can have a serious impact. Paul will consider how common misunderstandings about the emotional brain may be jeopardising efforts to provide effective sustainability education – a key tool in addressing the global challenge of climate change.
For anyone interested in education, psychology, and how we can empower young people to become active agents of change, this lecture is an essential guide to navigating the myths and opportunities of modern neuroscience for education.
– – – About Professor Paul Howard-Jones – – –
Paul Howard-Jones is Professor of Neuroscience and Education at the School of Education, University of Bristol, with degrees in engineering and psychology, and a PhD in medical physics. He was a teacher before becoming a trainer of primary and secondary school teachers and an inspector of schools. His research has focused on issues at the interface of cognitive neuroscience and educational theory, practice, and policy. He applies diverse research methods, from neurocomputational imaging studies to classroom observations, to understand learning processes.
He is particularly interested in addressing neuromyths, understanding the creative brain and how games and learning games engage their players, and exploring how insights from the science of learning can inform climate change education. He was a member of the Royal Society’s working group on Neuroscience and Education. His broadcasting work includes Channel 4’s BAFTA-nominated series 'The Secret Life of Four Year Olds', and he presents the podcast 'Mind, Brain and Planet', which draws on psychology and neuroscience to understand our relationship with sustainability and the environment.
– – – About Ginny Smith – – –
A science writer and presenter with expertise in psychology and neuroscience, Ginny has a talent for making the complex comprehensible and a passion for brain science. She has co-written five highly illustrated books for DK publishing, including 'How the Brain Works' and '1,000 Amazing Human Body Facts', and has had articles featured in publications from BBC Science Focus to the Telegraph. Her latest book for adults, 'Overloaded: How every aspect of your life is influenced by your brain chemicals', published by Bloomsbury, was chosen as one of the ‘Books to read in 2021’ by New Scientist.
Ginny founded Braintastic! Science, which produces spectacular science shows and resources to help young people understand and get the best out of their brains. She is regularly found on stage at schools, festivals, and events, and relishes answering kids' questions about the brain, from why we dream, to whether doctors could ever do a brain transplant.
She also teaches at the University of Cambridge’s Professional and Continuing Education, and is a regular blogger and video presenter for the Cosmic Shambles Network.
– – – About the Blackham Lecture – – –
The Blackham Lecture explores an aspect of education, lifelong development, or childhood that relates to humanism, and can be philosophical, practical, or social in its focus. The lecture and its accompanying medal are named for Harold Blackham, an educationist and pioneering activist who was the first executive director of Humanists UK and the first general secretary of Humanists International. The Blackham medallist is awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the field of education or humanist philosophical inquiry.
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