This post is the first in a series of two brief vlogs, presenting educational neuroscientist, Dr. Cathy Rogers. For teachers and other professionals—including parents—working with young children and adolescents, Dr. Rogers offers practical strategies based on the science of teaching and learning. She co-authored the recently published book Educational Neuroscience: The Basics with Professor Michael Thomas (Centre of Educational Neuroscience, UK). Educational Neuroscience: The Basics is an engaging introduction to this emerging, interdisciplinary field. It explains how the brain works and its priorities for learning, and shows how educational neuroscience, when combined with existing knowledge of human and social psychology, and with teacher expertise, can improve outcomes for students.

Dr Cathy Rogers completed her PhD in Educational Neuroscience at Birkbeck, University of London, after many years spent producing science television shows and documentaries. Her research interests are diverse and include the effects of digital technologies on brain development and the neuroscience of adult literacy. Her primary area of interest is in the brain basis of creativity. Prior to her doctoral study, Cathy studied Human Sciences at Oxford University before moving into creating, producing and presenting science shows for television in the UK and the USA. Alongside documentaries, she created and hosted ‘Scrapheap Challenge’ which ran for 10 years on Channel 4 in the UK and ‘Junkyard Wars’, its US counterpart for Discovery’s The Learning Channel.