Professor Richard Aldrich

At a BFSS Council seminar in September 2011 Vice-President Professor Richard Aldrich presented a short paper on the educational implications of neuroscience. A fuller version has now been published.

Key points include:

•  fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (Positron emission tomography) scans provide images of the brain at work.
•  There is no such thing as a fixed IQ. The brain can adapt to changing circumstances, stimuli and use throughout life.
•  The importance of early-years education. Between the ages of three and ten the child’s brain is twice as active as an adult brain.
•  Our brains are being re-wired in this digital age, as teenagers and others become screenagers. Media multi-tasking may damage some of our higher-level brain functions.

The full article is published in History of Education 42(3) 2013, see  Taylor & Francis.   If you would like further information, please contact Imogen Wilde at director@bfss.org.uk.