By understanding what strengthens your brain’s connections, you stop guessing your way through learning and start making it work for you, not against you. May 25, 2025| Erika Galea|4 min read https://timesofmalta.com/article/learn-work-brain.1110225 By learning how your brain works, you sharpen its ability to absorb new information and adapt quickly. What if the secret to better learning … Continue reading Learn to work with your brain – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
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Heading Back to School: The Importance of Educators’ Wellbeing – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
As the new school year approaches, much of the attention is on students getting ready for classes. However, there is another crucial group that deserves our focus: educators. As a former teacher, I understand firsthand how demanding the role can be and how vital wellbeing is for those in this profession. Teachers, administrators, and school … Continue reading Heading Back to School: The Importance of Educators’ Wellbeing – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
Researcher calls for open discussion on men’s mental health issues. “We need a cultural shift towards a more inclusive understanding of masculinity” – an interview with Dr Erika Galea by Newsbook Malta
Men, due to embedded and taken for granted expectations of masculinity often find it difficult to talk about their emotions. This, however, leads to a variety of problems from a lack of communications in various types of relationships undermining trust, to mental health issues among men that go unaddressed. In Malta, according to statistics from … Continue reading Researcher calls for open discussion on men’s mental health issues. “We need a cultural shift towards a more inclusive understanding of masculinity” – an interview with Dr Erika Galea by Newsbook Malta
Adapting Education for the Digital Natives: Rethinking Teaching Methodologies for Today’s Technologically Fluent Children – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
Many educators approach me asking: 'How can we increase engagement among this generation of students in our classrooms? It seems they're not interested." My response is: "Are we adapting our teaching methods to suit and meet the needs of today's students, who are born in a world filled with technology? Or are we educating our … Continue reading Adapting Education for the Digital Natives: Rethinking Teaching Methodologies for Today’s Technologically Fluent Children – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
Can educational neuroscience transform education in Malta? – An interview with Dr Erika Galea on Newsbook Malta. In the first of a two-part interview by Miguel Azzopardi, Dr Galea calls for the integration of social-emotional learning into the curriculum.
Is today’s education system suitable for an ever-changing world? Does it adequately help young people develop not just their skills and intellectual capabilities, but also emotionally? Does our education system prepare young people for a world that is uncertain, complex and ambiguous? Newsbook Malta spoke with Dr Erika Galea, an educator and researcher, and the … Continue reading Can educational neuroscience transform education in Malta? – An interview with Dr Erika Galea on Newsbook Malta. In the first of a two-part interview by Miguel Azzopardi, Dr Galea calls for the integration of social-emotional learning into the curriculum.
Education strategy must embrace a growth mindset – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
The National Education Strategy 2024-2030, published by the Ministry for Education, which is open for public feedback until February 13, marks the beginning of an educational transformation. The strategy aims to improve the education system, placing special emphasis on the well-being of educators and students through a focus on the skills of emotional intelligence, emotional … Continue reading Education strategy must embrace a growth mindset – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
‘A teacher who has a growth mindset believes that the brain is malleable and develops efficiently if we work with it in the right way, believes that kids can be given wonderful opportunities to learn almost anything they need to learn, and that our job is to reflect that to kids’ – Prof. Carol Ann Tomlinson
In the second vlog of her 4-part series, Professor Carol Ann Tomlinson delves into how research standards have evolved over time. In the 70s, researchers met the best-known standards of their era, just as in fields like medicine and architecture. They couldn't meet a 2020 research standard simply because they operated with the best knowledge … Continue reading ‘A teacher who has a growth mindset believes that the brain is malleable and develops efficiently if we work with it in the right way, believes that kids can be given wonderful opportunities to learn almost anything they need to learn, and that our job is to reflect that to kids’ – Prof. Carol Ann Tomlinson
Educational Neuroscience reshaping the future of teaching and learning – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
How do children’s and young people’s brains develop when they learn? How can emotions be regulated and how can resilience be built? Which intervention programmes and technologies should be pursued throughout a child’s or an adolescent’s life? How can memory skills be improved? These are questions, amongst many others, that educational neuroscience (EN) seeks to … Continue reading Educational Neuroscience reshaping the future of teaching and learning – Dr. Erika Galea on the Sunday Times of Malta
Empowering teachers to address students’ mental health – Dr. Erika Galea on The Sunday Times of Malta
Children’s mental health has become an international and societal priority. In recent years, the prevalence of mental health issues among teenagers and youths has risen significantly in Malta, with alarming rates of anxiety, sadness, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. The impact of these challenges on academic achievement, social development, and overall well-being underscores the need … Continue reading Empowering teachers to address students’ mental health – Dr. Erika Galea on The Sunday Times of Malta
‘Transfer of knowledge is not automatic. In order for our students to transfer knowledge or skills from one scenario to another, we need to guide them. I always think of learning for the teacher as a well-choreographed dance’ – Patrice Bain
In the third and last part of her three-part vlog series, Patrice Bain, an experienced educator, speaker, and author, delves into how the process of knowledge transfer is not automatic; it requires guidance to enable students to apply knowledge and skills across different scenarios. This concept is likened to a well-choreographed dance in the context … Continue reading ‘Transfer of knowledge is not automatic. In order for our students to transfer knowledge or skills from one scenario to another, we need to guide them. I always think of learning for the teacher as a well-choreographed dance’ – Patrice Bain
‘Too often, we as teachers do not give the students the tools to discriminate what they know from what they don’t know…..Simply by learning how to learn, and teaching our students this, it is such a big win for all of us’ – Patrice Bain
In the second part of her three-part vlog series, Patrice Bain, an experienced educator, speaker, and author, delves into the cognitive strategies featured in her book 'Powerful Teaching: Unleash the Science of Learning.' These strategies have earned the nickname "power tools" due to their remarkable effectiveness. She emphasises that adopting these powerful cognitive strategies is … Continue reading ‘Too often, we as teachers do not give the students the tools to discriminate what they know from what they don’t know…..Simply by learning how to learn, and teaching our students this, it is such a big win for all of us’ – Patrice Bain
Does bilingualism protect against cognitive aging? – Dr. Federico Gallo
An interview with cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Federico Gallo, who was born and raised in Crema, northern Italy, a town that "acts greater than it actually is" (Federico Gallo). Federico obtained his bachelor's degree in psychology and cognitive neuroscience from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, after which he proceeded to Moscow and Stockholm to complete … Continue reading Does bilingualism protect against cognitive aging? – Dr. Federico Gallo
The Power of ‘YET’ – Dr. Erika Galea
A close friend, who happens to be the organiser of Julian's InventaLand (for more information about Julian's InventaLand, visit https://julianspathfinder.org/), coincidentally called Erika, requested me to lead a session for these gifted and twice-exceptional learners. It was a morning spent presenting the theme 'Educational Neuroscience through Outdoor Learning'. Effective and impactful learning took place during … Continue reading The Power of ‘YET’ – Dr. Erika Galea