PsychBites

This week we are joined by Daisy Bloor. Daisy talks to us about the challenges teachers face when delivering sex education to autistic learners. We discuss how sex education plays a vital role in helping young people understand relationships, navigate sexuality, manage rejection, and know where to seek support. 

Daisy’s research suggests that current sex education curriculums are not adequately tailored to neurodiverse learners, leaving them at greater risk and disadvantage in developing healthy, informed relationships.

To access the full text, follow: 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891422222001743?via%3Dihub

You can find us at: 

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This week we are joined by Dr. Mary Stanley-Duke for part two of our episode about the Mediating Learning Support Approach (MeLSA). In part two of our conversation, Mary talks to us about the MeLSA’s experiences of training, the ‘what, where and whys’ of learning and what research has been conducted to explore MeLSA.

For more information: 

Stanley-Duke, M., Wright, D., Cook, E., Reid, A., Cogan, O., Reese, S., Bull-Beddows, R., Sims, L. and Graves, F. 2022. The Psychological Foundations of The Mediating Learning Support Assistant (MeLSA) Training Programme. Educational Psychology Research and Practice. 8 (1), pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.8v1v7

Wright, D., Stanley-Duke, M., Pennack-Thomas, J., Marquez, Vega, E. and Kalippen, P. 2023. “It’s Just a New Way of Looking at Learning”: Evaluation of the Mediating Learning Support Assistant (MeLSA) Training Programme. Educational Psychology Research and Practice. 9 (1), pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.8wqxv

Swindon EPS commissioned a video, ‘Making the Most of MeLSA’ https://youtu.be/ztEfBKXYj70

CPD opportunity with edpsy hosts:  edpsy hosts Dr Mary Stanley-Duke: Mediating learning - supporting children to get the most from every learning task - edpsy.org.uk

You can find us at:

Instagram: psychbitespod
X / Twitter: @psychbitespod
LinkedIn: psychbites-podcast
Bluesky: @psychbites.bsky.social

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Mary Stanley-Duke to explore the Mediating Learning Support Approach (MeLSA). In part one of our conversation, Mary explains the principles of mediating learning, outlines the structure of the MeLSA training programme, and shares how the project has evolved since its inception.

For more information: 

Stanley-Duke, M., Wright, D., Cook, E., Reid, A., Cogan, O., Reese, S., Bull-Beddows, R., Sims, L. and Graves, F. 2022. The Psychological Foundations of The Mediating Learning Support Assistant (MeLSA) Training Programme. Educational Psychology Research and Practice. 8 (1), pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.8v1v7

Wright, D., Stanley-Duke, M., Pennack-Thomas, J., Marquez, Vega, E. and Kalippen, P. 2023. “It’s Just a New Way of Looking at Learning”: Evaluation of the Mediating Learning Support Assistant (MeLSA) Training Programme. Educational Psychology Research and Practice. 9 (1), pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.8wqxv

Swindon EPS commissioned a video, ‘Making the Most of MeLSA’ https://youtu.be/ztEfBKXYj70

CPD opportunity with edpsy hosts:  edpsy hosts Dr Mary Stanley-Duke: Mediating learning - supporting children to get the most from every learning task - edpsy.org.uk

You can find us at:

Instagram: psychbitespod
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LinkedIn: psychbites-podcast
Bluesky: @psychbites.bsky.social

This week we are joined by Dr Catherine Jones; Catherine talks to us about how autistic children and young people experience sensory rooms in schools and how these spaces can contribute to their wellbeing. 

Catherine discusses the findings of her team’s research, which highlight the importance of autonomy and demonstrate how sensory rooms can support pupil wellbeing by providing spaces that foster self-regulation.

To access Catherine’s research, follow: https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/jonescr10 and https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/wales-autism-research-centre

To access the sensory room guide, follow: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/psychology/research/impact/sensory-room-guide-supporting-the-learning-and-wellbeing-of-autistic-children

You can find us at:

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This week we are joined by Dr Hannah Togneri; Hannah talks to us about how young people experience eco-anxiety and eco-awareness and how their concerns can lead to action in schools.

Hannah discusses how she implemented a process called "linked co-operative inquiry" to connect the pupils and school staff, working together to address environmental issues, developing a new sense of connection amongst emotionally caring others in school.

To access Hannah’s full text, follow:
https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/152217/1/Thesis%20-%20Hannah%20Togneri%20-%201720282.pdf

EP Reach Out Youtube Episode: 
https://www.youtube.com/live/IXnZuqYgfAo

Edpsy Blog:
https://edpsy.org.uk/blog/2023/we-need-to-talk-about-climate-change/

You can find us at:

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Bluesky: @psychbites.bsky.social

This week we are joined by Dr Dan O’Hare; Dan talks to us about the evolving concept of evidence-based practice within the Educational Psychology (EP) profession. He discusses how traditional views on evidence-based practice, which soley rely on research evidence, have been criticised for being impractical and instead presents the growing advocacy for practices grounded in practitioner experience.

To access Dan’s full text, follow:

Evidence-based practice: a mixed methods approach to understanding educational psychologists’ use of evidence in practice - edpsy.org.uk

You can find us at:

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Bluesky: @psychbites.bsky.social

It’s a double milestone celebration this month as we turn 1 and hit an incredible 10,000 listens! In this special episode, we reflect on a year of podcasting—sharing our hopes for the pod, fun stats, and what we’ve learned along the way. Thank you to our fantastic guests and listeners for all of the support. Tune in to celebrate with us. Don’t worry, normal service resumes in two weeks!

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This week we are joined by Dr Gavin Morgan. Gavin talks to us about a survey conducted by the British Psychological Society which found that just over half of all educational psychologists say they feel unable to support children and young people with their current workload, signalling the devastating impact of years of underinvestment in the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) system, despite unprecedented demand.

He brings attention to the BPS’s campaign which is calling for more educational psychologists in local authorities, to make sure every child has the support they need to thrive in their education.

To read the full article, follow:
Thousands more children’s education at risk of reaching crisis point due to workforce crisis, warns British Psychological Society | BPS

Here is the link to the BPS’s socials:
https://twitter.com/bpsofficial
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBPS/
https://www.youtube.com/user/bpsmediacentre
https://www.linkedin.com/company/british-psychological-society/

You can find us at:

Instagram: psychbitespod
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LinkedIn: psychbites-podcast
Bluesky: @psychbites.bsky.social

This week we are joined by Dr Alyssa M Alcorn for Part 2 of our episode about the Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) project. The LEANS participatory research project developed and evaluated a free curriculum for mainstream primary schools. LEANS introduces neurodiversity concepts to pupils aged 8-11 years and explores how this type of diversity impacts our experiences at school.

Note: Dr Alyssa M Alcorn is now a lecturer at the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol. Alyssa’s work with the LEANS project was conducted whilst she was the Research and Impact Lead and visiting researcher at the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh.

To access further information on LEANS and download the free resource pack, follow: https://salvesen-research.ed.ac.uk/leans

Alyssa published a study exploring the impact of LEANS in school and this can be found here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/27546330241272186

Find Alyssa’s social media on @a_m_alcorn0131 and the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre @SMRCResearch and #LEANSproject

You can find us at:

Instagram: psychbitespod
X / Twitter: @psychbitespod
LinkedIn: psychbites-podcast
Bluesky: @psychbites.bsky.social

This week we are joined by Dr Alyssa M Alcorn; Alyssa talks to us about the Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) project. The LEANS participatory research project developed and evaluated a free curriculum for mainstream primary schools. LEANS introduces neurodiversity concepts to pupils aged 8-11 years and explores how this type of diversity impacts our experiences at school.

Note: Dr Alyssa M Alcorn is now a lecturer at the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol. Alyssa’s work with the LEANS project was conducted whilst she was the Research and Impact Lead and visiting researcher at the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh.

To access further information on LEANS and download the free resource pack, follow: https://salvesen-research.ed.ac.uk/leans

Alyssa published a study exploring the impact of LEANS in school and this can be found here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/27546330241272186

Find Alyssa’s social media on @a_m_alcorn0131 and the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre @SMRCResearch and #LEANSproject

You can find us at:

Instagram: psychbitespod
X / Twitter: @psychbitespod
LinkedIn: psychbites-podcast
Bluesky: @psychbites.bsky.social