IOE Insights

As the situation evolves rapidly and rules seem to change, we're talking about isolation - coming out of it, and going back into it, how to cope mentally and emotionally. What can astronauts teach us about dealing with isolation? How can we enable safe interaction among young people? Can digital touch help? Join Vivienne Parry as she speaks with UCL experts: Dr Kevin Fong (Consultant Anaesthetist...

Professor Gemma Moss talks to Dr Rob Webster about what research has uncovered during COVID-19 and what this means for our education system moving forward. The pandemic has shone a light on the role of schools and their place in the community. You may have come across instances where teachers have gone above and beyond to ensure the welfare of children and their families by trying to meet gaps whe...

The COVID-19 crisis has shone an intense light on the role schools play in improving social mobility. On the one hand, it has exposed the deep inequalities outside schools that shape social mobility patterns, on the other it has also revealed escalating expectations placed on teachers to solve society’s ills. So what is the role of schools in improving social mobility in a post-pandemic world? How...

Talking about race can be at times difficult, challenging and uncomfortable, but it has to be done. Dr Victoria Showunmi talks to Dr Humera Iqbal about her personal journey, experiences and research into gender identity and race in the context of leadership, and the implications for the experiences of learners and educators. Her work has gained international recognition and has also resulted in co...

Professor Michael Young joins Dr Will Brehm to talk about his concept of 'Powerful Knowledge'. How does it apply to schools? Where did the idea come from? How has his own thinking evolved over his career, which also spans over 50 years at the IOE? Our thanks to Dr Will Brehm for allowing us to repost this episode from his FreshEd Podcast: https://freshedpodcast.com/michaelyoung/

How is UCL research helping to level out various playing fields? This podcast hears how legal experts are helping people to get the support they are entitled to, share thoughts with London’s commuters on how advertising can be more representative. But firstly, this episode takes a look at the creation of new technologies which make our world more accessible. Join UCL alumna, Suzie McCarthy, as she...

We've only realised that after many episodes, our 'Research for the Real World' hosts Dr Humera Iqbal and Dr Rob Webster have not seen each other speak. So we set up a video call to reveal all, including what's in store for Season 5. Find out more and watch the video: https://bit.ly/researchfortherealworld Take our 2-minute listener survey:  https://bit.ly/ResearchPodcast 

Younger children in particular require help in understanding and adjusting to the ‘new normal’ brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. They also need relatively close supervision in their learning and development - support that would usually be provided by teachers, in school. As the uncertainties continue about when all primary schools will re-open and on what basis, how can parents/carers and teachers...

Dr Kate Cowan talks to Dr Rob Webster about how children interact and communicate, the challenges researchers face when conducting research with them, and the pandemic’s effect on the way they play at home and school. An early years specialist, Kate’s research focuses on play, creativity and digital technologies, and prior to joining the IOE, she worked as a nursery teacher and remains committed t...

[Listeners may experience occasional audio issues at the start of the podcast - things start to sound better after the 2-minute mark.] Dr Amelia Roberts joins Dr Humera Iqbal in the Research for the Real World virtual studio to share examples of what knowledge exchange looks like through her experience and work on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). As the Deputy Director of the UCL...

A look at how the evidence can help schools make informed decisions about the ways they group students and work towards equity and improving their life chances. “We don’t learn mathematics from getting everything right, we learn mathematics from making mistakes… protecting children from those mistakes and errors really doesn’t help their learning.” Dr Rob Webster and Professor Jeremy Hodgen discus...

The transition from school to the world of work is one of the most pivotal moments in a young person’s life – it’s a time of high pressure and high uncertainty, and one that requires an equally high level of resilience to manage. Enter the coronavirus crisis, and suddenly this difficult transition gains a brand new set of complications. The OECD invited Professor Ingrid Schoon onto their TopClass...

We know that it’s important to learn about the Holocaust, but why? Dr Humera Iqbal is joined by the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education’s Dr Alice Pettigrew, who has led research into national studies examining students’ knowledge and understanding of this complex historical event. Students and teachers are enthusiastic about engaging with the topic, however, many significant gaps, inaccuracies and...

The ongoing global debate over student loans and the cost of higher education has taken on new meaning of late. What effect will COVID-19 have on fairness and finances? Professor Lorraine Dearden takes Dr Rob Webster on a world tour focusing on the two main approaches to student loans - mortgage-style “time-based repayment loans” and “income-contingent loans”, based on future income. Why does one...

Lili Golmohammadi speaks to Tim Neumann, of the UCL Knowledge Lab about his experiences of auditory-tactile synaesthesia. The podcast was recorded (pre-social distancing) in one of the IOE music rooms so that Tim could talk us through the range of tactile effects produced for him by certain piano notes. Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/aug/what-its-feel-sounds-we-hear...

As the coronavirus pandemic in the UK approaches its sixth month, we’re taking a look at the long-term impact of lockdown and subsequent school closures on our nation’s children and young people. For this episode, host Vivienne Parry is joined by the IOE's Dr Amelia Roberts, GOSH UCL Institute of Child Health's Dr Lee Hudson, and IOE alumna, psychology teacher and PhD student Shafina Vohra to disc...

Hello, hello! Dr Humera Iqbal and Dr Rob Webster are back in the IOE Podcast (virtual) studio to catch up on each other's plans for the summer as well as share a couple of notable moments from the series so far. They also talk about the upcoming season which will cover off topics such as inclusive education, knowledge exchange, higher education funding and finance, and the way children play. Find...

Our last episode of the series examines how BCS70 and our study members have been faring during the pandemic and looks to the future of longitudinal research. We find out more about the COVID-19 survey, sent to over 50,000 participants in five of Britain’s cohort studies, including BCS70, and we speak to study participants about their experiences of lockdown. We also find out more about the benefi...

A journey that begins in Nepal and takes us through some of the world’s most vulnerable areas affected not only by war, conflict and displacement, but also the coronavirus. “...when you come back home to your family, it is very difficult to be absolutely silent and not to share those stories…”  Dr Humera Iqbal talks to Dr Tejendra Pherali about his work, which focuses on the role of education in c...

In this episode, we move into the 2010s to find out how our study members were faring in their forties. We learn how BCS70 cast light on increasing rates of mental ill-health among men, and find out more about the most recent biomedical survey where participants were given a health MOT. We also chat to one of our in-house study detectives about the role they play tracing long lost study participan...

With widespread school closures taking place, COVID-19 has meant a lot of households taking on teaching responsibilities. Professor Dominic Wyse explores how it’s all going. We find out how the work of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy (HHCP), which aims to enable children to realise their full potential through optimal teaching and learning, has responded to the pandemic, particularly with loo...

In this fourth episode, we move into the new millennium, when the study enjoyed a golden decade. With BCS70 greatly valued by scientists and policymakers, the study was funded to meet participants on three occasions and was regularly cited by New Labour in government policy. With this new-found recognition, researchers across the globe started using BCS70 in conjunction with other birth cohort stu...

Now that the initial shock of lockdown has subsided, we can step back and ask: are we making the most effective use of the learning opportunities that digital technology, including social media, presents? Are we fully informed users of that technology when it comes to matters of data security and privacy? What benefits and risks does this brave new world of schooling online present us with? More i...

Dr Keri Wong shares the story of her global academic journey and how those experiences have shaped her research interests in wellbeing across cultures. Born in New Zealand, spending her childhood years in Hong Kong then going on to further study in the United States and the United Kingdom, Keri brings to the table extensive international perspective - including living through the SARS outbreak in...

Universities are set to be deeply impacted by the pandemic; the prospect of significant falls in international student numbers threatens to change the face of our universities dramatically, in the process weakening their financial viability. Perhaps the biggest immediate question facing the sector concerns online learning; its longer-term appeal and efficacy at scale remain to be tested. Can our u...