Bright Sparks offers children a chance to get involved in science
Over 100 children take part in sessions to teach them more about the brain
During the half-term holiday (13-17 February), scientists from the Centre for Educational Neuroscience at Birkbeck welcomed over 100 children to the College to take part in Bright Sparks, a new programme to teach children about the brain and give them an opportunity to take part in real research.
The children took part in a mixture of computer-based tasks, quizzes and interactive games, and learned more about the brain through crafts and games in ‘The Hub’. They particularly enjoyed making neurons out of pipe-cleaners, and had great fun finding out about the different areas of the brain while making brain hats. The research undertaken during this event looked at children’s spatial learning, executive functions (working memory, mental flexibility, and self-control), and attention control. The results will help scientists find out more about how we learn, and what things might influence our learning.
Professor Michael Thomas from the Centre for Educational Neuroscience said: “Bright Sparks has been a fantastic opportunity for my team and me to work with a group of enthusiastic and inquisitive children. Their participation in our study has enabled us to collect valuable data about the process of learning, and we hope that we have given them an insight into the fascinating world of psychological sciences and inspired them to continue learning about our brains and how they develop and work.”
Further information:
• Professor Michael Thomas
• Centre for Educational Neuroscience
• Department of Psychological Sciences
• Courses in psychology
• Birkbeck Science Week (3-6 April 2017)