We've made it to the end of another Covid affected year. Its been exhausting!
I hope you have managed to get through all the challenges 2021 has thrown up - pandemic lockdowns, school closures, travel restrictions and much more.
As always, the Learning Brain News is taking a break in January and will be back in your inbox in February.
Best wishes for the holidays.
Regards,
Devon Barnes
Devon Barnes Learning Brain News
Latest Research
How Grandmothers' Brains React to
Seeing their Grandchildren
Scans of grandmothers' brains while they're viewing photos of their young grandchildren showed activation in areas of the brain associated with emotional empathy.
This study at Emory University (USA) “suggests grandmothers are geared toward feeling what their grandchildren are feeling when they interact with them” said James Rilling professor of Anthropology.
Men & Women Respond Differently to Scent of Newborn Babies
A new study by researchers at an Israel university suggests a molecule excreted by babies plays an important social role: regulating aggression in adults. It blocks aggression in men but stimulates aggression in women.
Personalised Learning Strategies Based on Brain Development
A study of brain activity patterns in people doing a memory task published in the journal ‘Nature Human Behaviour’ finds that the way we make inferences (finding hidden connections between different experiences) changes dramatically as we age. The study's findings might lead to personalised learning strategies based on a person's cognitive and brain development.
Researchers explain why digital teaching cannot replace face-to-face teaching in university education, but can certainly be seen as a complementary tool. The future of teaching and learning may lie in so-called blended learning, a mix of face-to-face and online education.
Housework Linked to Sharper Memory in Older Adults
Older people who continue to do household chores have better cognition, attention span, and physical strength compared to those who no longer do their own housework.
Australian School Kids say ADHD is Severely Misunderstood and it's Affecting their Education
ADHD affects one in 20 Australian children, which means, statistically, there is a child with ADHD in every single classroom in the country. But a recent study shows 55 per cent of teachers do not have adequate training on managing ADHD in the classroom.
A study at Flinders University (Adelaide, Australia) is aiming to see whether cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) could help children with autism sleep better - in the hope it could also help their schooling and families.
The study has recruited 16 participants so far but would like to have at least 60.
They are looking for families with children aged 7 to 12 diagnosed with autism.
The average person experiences dozens of individual itches each day. We’ve all experienced the annoyance of an inconvenient itch - but have you ever pondered why we itch in the first place? Is there actually an evolutionary purpose to the itch, or is it simply there to annoy us?
Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World
The New York Times bestselling author of The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well explores how today's parenting techniques and our educational system are failing to prepare children for their certain-to-be-uncertain future, and how we can reverse course to ensure their lasting adaptability, resilience, health and happiness.
