The 'BrainCanDo' Handbook of Teaching and Learning Practical Strategies to Bring Psychology and Neuroscience into the Classroom

The 'BrainCanDo' Handbook of Teaching and Learning provides teachers and school leaders with a concise summary of how some of the latest research in educational neuroscience and psychology can improve learning outcomes. It aims to create a mechanism through which our growing understanding of the brain can be applied in the world of education. Subjects covered include memory, social development, mindsets and character. Written by practising teachers working in collaboration with researchers, the chapters provide a toolkit of practical ideas which incorporate evidence from psychology and neuroscience into teaching practice with the aim of improving educational outcomes for all. By increasing both teachers’ and pupils’ understanding of the developing brain, ‘BrainCanDo’ aims to improve cognitive performance and attainment, foster a love of learning and enable a healthy and productive approach to personal development. This book will appeal to educators, primarily those working in secondary schools, but also those within higher and primary school education. It will also be of interest to students of education, professionals looking to enhance their teaching and researchers working in the fields of education, psychologyand neuroscience.

About the Editors and Contributors Foreword Michael Thomas Introduction: The BrainCanDo Approach to Teaching and Learning Julia Harrington, Jonathan Beale, Amy Fancourt and Catherine Lutz Part 1: Controversies and Applications Chapter 1: Educational Neuroscience and Educational Neuroscientism Jonathan Beale Chapter 2: How BrainCanDo has been Applied at Queen Anne’s School Gill Little Part 2: Becoming a Successful Learner Chapter 3: Developing Character Education in Schools: An Evidence-based Approach Iro Konstantinou and Jonnie Noakes Chapter 4: The Impact of Working Memory and Learning Difficulties in the Classroom Amy Fancourt and Joni Holmes Part 3: Motivation Chapter 5: Motivational Contagion in Education Laura Burgess, Patricia Riddell and Kou Murayama Chapter 6: Mindset and Motivation: An Introduction to Potential Influences on Academic Achievement Catherine Lutz Chapter 7: Using an Executive Function-focused Approach to Build Self-regulation, Metacognition and Motivation in All Learners Laurie Faith, Bettina Hohnen, Victoria Bagnall and Imogen Moore-Shelley Part 4: Well-being Chapter 8: Sleepy Teens in the Classroom Frances Le Cornu Knight Chapter 9: Gratitude, Subjective Well-being and Prosociality: Implications for Adolescence and Education Sarah A. Buckingham and Joseph O. L. Buckingham Part 5: Subject-specific Research Chapter 10: Brain and Cognitive Development During Adolescence: Implications for Science and Mathematics Education Annie Brookman-Byrne and Iroise Dumontheil Chapter 11: The Impact of Music on Adolescents’ Cognitive and Socio-emotional Learning Daniel Müllensiefen and Peter Harrison Index

Julia Harrington is headmistress at Queen Anne’s School and founder andchief executive officerof BrainCanDo. She has featured in and been interviewed by publications and media outlets including the Times, the Telegraph, the Guardian and the BBC. Jonathan Beale is researcher-in-residence at Eton College, a research fellow for BrainCanDo and head of public speaking at Queen Anne’s School. He is the co-editor of two books for Routledge: Wittgenstein and Scientism (2017) and Wittgenstein and Contemporary Moral Philosophy (forthcoming - 2022). He has published articles on philosophy and education in journals and media outlets, including the New York Times. Amy Fancourt is head of psychology at Queen Anne’s School and director of research for BrainCanDo. She has published articles on psychology and education in journals, including Nature Scientific Reports, Frontiers, Psychomusicology, Impact and Mind, Brain and Education, and in media outlets, including the Times. Catherine Lutz is training and development manager for BrainCanDo anda PhD candidate in psychology at the University of Essex, writing a doctoral thesis on the theme of the motivational role of pregame speeches in relation to elite athletic performance.