Understanding the brain, transforming practice. Showing how today’s unpredictable world can affect concentration and communication.

This conference will led by *Professor Sam Wass, child psychologist and neuroscientist, and Director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years (ISEY) at the University of East London.

Who Should Attend: Early years educators, practitioners and leaders.

This training day explores how childhood is changing, why this matters for learning, and what practitioners can do to help. The opening session focuses on the neuroscience of the changing child. We start from the idea that children’s brains are prediction machines, constantly trying to work out what will happen next. In a world that is faster, noisier and more screen-rich, young children are experiencing increasingly fast-paced unpredictable early life environments at a time when this is the opposite of what they need. This pushes children into high-alert states, making concentration, emotional regulation, language and communication harder.

The rest of the day turns this understanding into practical classroom strategies. We will look at how practitioners can support concentration, reduce stress and strengthen emotional regulation by making learning environments calmer, clearer and more predictable. A second practical session will focus on language and communication, showing how rhythmic routines, repeated phrases, child-led interaction and clear adult communication can help children feel safe enough to listen, think, talk and learn. The central message is that neuroscience-informed practice does not need to be complicated: small changes in rhythm, clarity, predictability and responsiveness can make a big difference.

*Professor Sam Wass

Professor Sam Wass (www.profsamwass.com (http://www.profsamwass.com)) is a child psychologist and neuroscientist who studied at Oxford, London and Cambridge. He is Director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years (ISEY – www.isey.org (http://www.isey.org)) at the University of East London, where he and his team study host research funded by the European Research Council, European Union, Medical Research Council UK and others to examine how fast-changing and diverse early childhood environments shape attention, learning and stress. His research spans typical and atypical development, including ADHD, autism and anxiety. Sam has published over 120 academic articles, and one multi-award-winning book for educators, and is ranked among the top 2% most-cited researchers in his field. He frequently appears in the media as a child development expert on child development, and regularly advises the UK government, NGOs such as The Royal Foundation and Book Trust, and brands including Kinder, LEGO and Disney+. He was an on-screen scientist in five series of Channel 4’s award-winning The Secret Life of 4- and 5-Year-Olds, and is currently writing two popular science books, for Bloomsbury and Penguin.

Travelling to the Venue

For directions, car parking and public transport details, please see the Eastgate website. (https://www.eastgate.org.uk/events/#faq)

Exhibitors

If you are interested in having a stand at the conference, please contact Sarah Thompson on sthompson@theprimaryfirsttrust.co.uk

Description supplied by the event organiser.