Dr Kathy Weston's Get a Grip! Parenting Podcast

Relatively little work has focused on why we are motivated to learn words. In this interview, our researchers of the month talk to Dr Cassie Rhodes about the findings of their new study, which assessed whether children and teens experience a sense of intrinsic reward from word learning. They discuss how these findings might be useful in designing interventions focusing on vocabulary learning and reading, and talk about ongoing research into why some children, such as those with dyslexia or developmental language disorder, might struggle with word learning, and what role intrinsic reward plays.

Homework has a key role to play in strengthening memory, building attainment and helping students to develop transferable, life-long study skills. If done right, regular, good-quality homework has the potential to bridge achievement gaps and help all students become successful, confident learners. Experienced teacher, Dr Jovita Castelino, talks to us about her new book, The Homework Conundrum, providing advice and tips for teachers about how to set effective homework, build a strong homework culture, support students and use rewards and sanctions that work. For parents, she outlines how we can help children to understand the benefits of homework, support homework focus and encourage them to see how advantageous it can be to take control of their own learning.

Dr Isabel Morales-Muñoz chats about her fascinating work which investigates what role sleep problems in very early childhood have in the development of later mental health problems. Very few babies and toddlers sleep through the night all of the time, so Dr Morales-Muñoz chats about what might be normative developmentally, and what might indicate a problem that could benefit from intervention. Learn about the potential links between poor sleep and later ADHD diagnosis and find out about the links between sleep during pregnancy and children's later sleep patterns.

Our latest researcher of the month, Dr Natalie Brown, chats to Dr Cassie Rhodes about her latest study, which set out to understand young people’s perceptions of menstrual education in schools and their experiences of menstruating whilst at school, including within physical education. Teachers will want to tune in to find out more about a fantastic set of free lesson resources that Dr Brown and colleagues have created. Listeners will come away armed with a wealth of insight into what effective menstrual education can look like and the positive impact it can have on pupils' learning and lives generally.