Question: Do you think your research could help schools to educate children in a different way? If so, how?

Joe Bathelt answered on 5 Nov 2016:

Yes, I hope that it does. There are already results that inform how teachers can help children who struggle in school. For example, research in our group found that children who have difficulties with keeping things in mind also have problems with following instructions and paying attention in the classroom. There are some easy adjustments that teachers can make to reduce the number of things that have to be kept in mind. Another example is the start time of school. Research has found that teenagers find it extremely difficult to pay attention in the early morning, because their day-night rhythm is different from adults. So, the first hours of teaching are extremely inefficient. Starting school later has been found to improve grades and makes teenagers happier in school.

I think these examples illustrate how research could inform education more broadly in the future. Much of our educational system is based on tradition, i.e. we are doing things a certain way because they were always done this way. But this may not be the best for all children. I think we need to recognise that there are differences in how individual children learn and adjust learning for that. Research into these differences will hopefully help us to provide better and more enjoyable learning for children in the future.