As many children head back to school, in this episode we look at what really works to help stop COVID-19 transmission in the classroom. And for those countries where masks remain mandatory in schools, we hear some tips for teachers and students on how to communicate.

Featuring, Brandon Guthrie, an associate professor of global health an epidemiology at the University of Washington in the US and Laura Abou Haidar, a professor of linguistics at the Université Grenoble Alpes in France.

In our second story, we dig into the science behind daydreaming. Thomas Andrillon, research fellow at the Paris Brain Institute in France and an adjunct research fellow at Monash University in Australia, explains his new research on what's happening in our brains when our mind wanders.

And Heather Kroeker, a health editor at The Conversation in London, recommends some recent health stories. 

The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. You can sign up to The Conversation’s free daily email here. Full credits for this episode available here.

Further reading:

• Schools can reopen safely – an epidemiologist describes what works and what’s not worth the effort, by Brandon Guthrie, University of Washington
• COVID-19 back to school Q&A: Is it safe for unvaccinated children to go to school in person? Is the harm of school closures greater than the risk of the virus? by Joanna-Trees Merckx and Jay Kaufman, McGill University; Catherine Haeck, Université du Québec à Montréal; Dimitri Van der Linden, Université Catholique de Louvain
• Teaching with a masked face: a challenge? by Laura Abou Haidar, Université Grenoble Alpes (in French)
• What is daydreaming? Parts of the brain show sleep-like activity when your mind wanders, by Thomas Andrillon, Inserm; Jennifer Windt, Monash University, and Naotsugu Tsuchiya, Monash University
• Feeling tired? Here’s how the brain’s ‘hourglass’ controls your need for sleep – new research , by Lukas B. Krone, Vladyslav Vyazovskiy and Zoltán Molnár, University of Oxford
• Sugar: why some people experience side-effects when they quit, by James Brown, Aston University