Title: The Educated Brain: From the Neuroscience to the Practice of Lifelong Learning
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: 'The Educated Brain' does not develop as a mind in a vat - it is subject to a myriad of interactions with its environment that shape future trajectories as part of a dynamic feedback loop. The proposed seminar series will examine how interactions between brain and environment give rise to the diverse experiences of the human condition, and how to make sense of this research in terms of policy and practice in educational settings. Recent changes to policies for health, social care and education reflect the complexity of supporting individuals for optimal outcomes, in whatever diverse set of circumstances they may grow up. Educational neuroscience stands at the intersection between natural science and social science, and provides a promising avenue for understanding the human condition from a holistic perspective. This seminar series aims to bring together a variety of stakeholders, including researchers in educational/cognitive neuroscience, teachers and policy-makers to understand theoretical issues as well as policy and practice implications. This bid is unique in that it is supported and coordinated by three University of Cambridge Strategic Research Initiatives (SRIs): Cambridge Neuroscience, Cambridge Public Policy and Cambridge Language Sciences. The University funds these SRIs; their mission is to promote dialogue between scientists of all disciplines, stimulate innovative thinking and catalyse the formation of new interdisciplinary partnerships for novel research and creative thinking. Researchers across several different departments in Cambridge study many different aspects of learning, including typical and atypical brain development. They combine expertise from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, education, languages and linguistics, medicine and physics. The SRIs have already successfully brought together many different teams of researchers across departments: Psychiatry, Psychology, Education, Linguistics and the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Unit. For example, Cambridge Neuroscience has successfully run three ESRC-funded events (a professional development workshop in science policy, a speed networking event and a neuroethics panel discussion on the subject of cognitive enhancement in the classroom), bringing together researchers from these particular departments and units. It was the initial enthusiasm garnered from these events that led to the current proposal. Dialogue on 'The Educated Brain' has tended to be initiated by a handful of research groups in the UK who see themselves as doing BOTH education and neuroscience. Others, who identify more strongly in one of those disciplines, should also contribute. The seminar series will broaden the dialogue to include experts from within the University, other academic institutions (UK and international), policy, and practice. There will be a significant public policy training element targeted at early career researchers and practitioners, who will be mentored by mid-to-advanced career professionals with experience working with policy-makers. The PIs are in regular contact with teachers/head-teachers through teaching/research and are well placed to implement the seminar series in a broadly inclusive way reflecting the complexity of brain development and education. The seminar series will be supported by coordinators of three University of Cambridge SRIs: Cambridge Neuroscience, Cambridge Public Policy and Cambridge Language Sciences, who can each reach out to professionals affiliated to their research networks and expand our reach. Together, we will run three research seminars to disseminate cutting edge educational neuroscience findings from international experts to inter-disciplinary audiences from within/outside of academia and five policy workshops designed to provide initial training in policy writing, mentorship and writing support of policy briefs and opportunities to share these briefs and discussions with policy makers.


Research activity codes: 1.1 NORMAL BIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTIONING;1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: NEUROLOGICAL;MENTAL HEALTH