Do we gain something in particular from reading fiction as well as non-fiction? And what about the role of digital technology, including audiobooks, in our reading habits?

Children have always been encouraged to read widely in order to progress their learning and development. The benefits are many and varied, yet not all children – or adults – regularly find time to read for the sake of it. From the teaching of early literacy to access to public libraries, what lies behind this ‘reading deficit’ and what should be done to get more children reaching for a book?

This episode is from a live event recorded on 19 January 2021, 5:45 pm–6:45 pm GMT. Full details: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/events/2021/jan/virtual-event-what-if-we-wanted-all-children-read-pleasure 

Dr Keri Wong is joined by Dr Alex Standish to discuss the relationship between disciplinary knowledge and school subjects in the curriculum, which is also a key focus in a book he has co-edited, “What Should Schools Teach? Disciplines, subjects and the pursuit of truth”, part of the “Knowledge and the Curriculum” series published by UCL Press.

As a lecturer in Geography Education, we also hear Dr Standish's views about the subject’s epistemology and given current global events, why gaining a deeper appreciation of it really matters right now.

Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2021/jan/school-subjects-and-pursuit-truth-rftrw-s07e02

If you'd like to ask our presenters or guests a question for future episodes, you can record a voice message: https://speakpipe.com/ioe or on social media: #IOEPodcast.

Take our 2-minute survey and help us make the best podcast possible: https://bit.ly/rtrw-survey.

We explore the central role that subject knowledge plays in education and hear why we need new thinking about how we understand knowledge and knowledge-building.

Full show notes and links: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2021/jan/why-do-we-need-focus-knowledge-and-curriculum

If you'd like to ask our presenters or guests a question for future episodes, you can record a voice message: https://speakpipe.com/ioe or on social media: #IOEPodcast.

Take our 2-minute survey and help us make the best podcast possible: https://bit.ly/rtrw-survey.

The immediate impact of COVID-19 on the education system was profound; it heavily disrupted classroom teaching, across all phases, and upended school leaving examinations, with significant knock-on effects for further and higher education. In what ways have the past months opened up education policy and practice to new possibilities, and how have those debates evolved in different countries? In part 

Recorded on 15 December 2020, 5:45 pm–6:45 pm GMT.

From start: John O'Regan introduces our guests.

Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/events/2020/dec/how-pandemic-reshaping-education-debate-part-2-americas-and-south-africa

The immediate impact of COVID-19 on the education system was profound; it heavily disrupted classroom teaching, across all phases, and upended school leaving examinations, with significant knock-on effects for further and higher education. In what ways have the past months opened up education policy and practice to new possibilities, and how have those debates evolved in different countries? In part 1, the panel considers the case of South Asia, South East Asia, and Australasia.

Recorded on 14 December 2020, 9:15 am–10:15 am GMT.

From start: John O'Regan introduces our guests.

Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/events/2020/dec/how-pandemic-reshaping-education-debate-part-1-east-asia-south-east-asia-australasia

And we're so lucky and grateful to have you back for another year to share stories that shape our everyday lives.

This season we're sitting up and paying close attention to the curriculum and examining the relationships between knowledge disciplines in schools and beyond. Dr Arthur Chapman, Dr Alex Standish and Dr Jennie Golding will be joining us to talk about what this means for subjects like history, geography and mathematics.

The trio have also contributed to a series of books, "Knowledge and the Curriculum", published by UCL Press.

If you'd like to ask our presenters or guests a question for future episodes, you can record a voice message: https://speakpipe.com/ioe or on social media: #IOEPodcast.

Take our 2-minute survey and help us make the best podcast possible: https://bit.ly/rtrw-survey.

To kick off the new year, UCL Minds takes a look back at 2020 and the lessons we've learned throughout the pandemic. In this episode, we revisit some of the exemplary work happening at UCL - work that has been as interdisciplinary as it has been instrumental to combating the virus, as cutting edge as it has been community-minded, and as world-leading as it has been lifesaving.

This episode features interview exerts from experts of all manner of disciplines, from medicine, engineering, psychology, education, political science, sociology and many more.

More info: www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/coronavirus

If you’ve got a question about the pandemic you’d like UCL researchers to answer, please get in touch by emailing UCL’s Communications and Marketing team on [email protected] – we’d love to hear from you.

IOE's Dr Tamjid Mujtaba joins this Coronavirus: The Whole Story episode (listen from 13:22) to discuss her work exploring how ethnic minority women in higher education are coping during the pandemic.

But first up, Dr Daisy Fancourt (Institute of Epidemiology & Health) explains the findings of her study exploring the differing impacts of Covid on the UK population over the past 33 weeks - from exacerbated social inequalities to the psychological implications of lockdown, including loneliness, isolation, domestic abuse, and fertility and family planning issues - as well as behaviours that can help improve mental health.

More info: www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/coronavirus

Transcript: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-minds/podcasts/coronavirus/transcript-episode-28

If you’ve got a question about the pandemic you’d like UCL researchers to answer, please get in touch by emailing UCL’s Communications and Marketing team on [email protected] – we’d love to hear from you.

The Research for the Real World production team reveal their favourite episodes of the whole series. The team share why each research story resonates with them, and discuss why they think everybody should know about these research stories.

Full show notes and links to the episodes featured: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/dec/producers-cut-research-real-world-s06e04

Take our 2-minute survey to let us know what you think of the IOE Podcast: https://bit.ly/rftrw-survey

Play is typically defined as ‘activity for enjoyment and recreation’, but in many respects, it serves a very serious and purposeful role in our lives. It’s vital to our early development and supports wellbeing throughout the lifespan. In education, though, play has seemed to carry less respect, squeezed out by curriculum reforms and shrinking break times. 

We’ve brought together experts from a range of fields to throw around some ideas about the place of play in children’s learning.  

Full show notes: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/events/2020/dec/virtual-event-what-if-we-took-play-more-seriously-schools-system