There is something oddly comforting in this short video from Harvard Business Review. Not because it tells people to simply “believe in themselves,” but because it reframes something many high achievers quietly struggle with: imposter syndrome. Arthur Brooks argues that feeling like a fraud is often not a sign that you are incompetent. In many… Read More Why The Imposter Syndrome Might Not Be Entirely Bad
One of the underlying things I keep returning to on this blog is how difficult humans are with uncertainty. We like certainty. Clear answers. Strong predictions. Education debates are full of them, too. Yet reality rarely cooperates that neatly. This short BBC Ideas video featuring statistician David Spiegelhalter offers a remarkably accessible introduction to Bayesian… Read More Why Bayesian Thinking Matters More Than Ever
We hear it all the time: we have to work longer. This leads to tensions, strikes, and demonstrations. Just this week, among the pilots in the country where I live. But… are there also personal benefits to working longer? It is perhaps a question that some might find offensive, but it is one that Noah Arman… Read More Does working longer keep your brain sharp? The answer is nuanced
“Soft healers make festering wounds.” It is an old saying, but in education we sometimes seem to forget it. It sits uneasily with the idea of high expectations. And no one really says it out loud, certainly not today, but what if we lowered the bar, not out of laziness but out of understanding for… Read More When lenient grading helps and when it harms
Curiosity has an almost mythical status in education. We want to spark it, stimulate it, and place it at the centre of learning. That makes sense. If you are curious, you want to know, you seek information, and you learn. A lot of research supports that idea. But, as is often the case, the story… Read More Is curiosity always good for learning?
I do not have a crystal ball. However, based on what I learned last week, 2026 could well become the year of the Brain Economy. When major players such as the OECD, UNESCO, the World Economic Forum and McKinsey begin to embrace an idea. The chances are real. So what exactly is the Brain Economy?… Read More Why the Brain Economy Could Become the Next Big Policy Idea
Anyone who has ever sat in an online meeting with an email open on the side, a document that needed to be checked “quickly”, and perhaps a chat message popping up, will recognise the feeling. You are busy, but at the end of the meeting, you mainly feel tired. A new study by Frontzkowski and… Read More Why Multitasking During Video Meetings Leads to Fatigue and Worse Performance
Over seventy billion dollars. That is what Zuckerberg and Meta poured into the metaverse. Not gradually, but at full speed, Meta chased an idea that sounded convincing. Mainly because no one could explain what it was meant to become. Zuckerberg doubled down so hard he even renamed his company after it. And now Meta is… Read More Maybe We Should Talk About Wasted Money?
Sometimes you read a study and halfway through you think: okay, I get where this is going, but why are there suddenly three prefrontal regions, a sender–receiver paradigm, and wavelet coherence living rent-free in my head? That was precisely my experience with this new study on deception and social distance. It’s impressive work, but also… Read More How Social Distance Makes Us Easier to Fool
I came across a video featuring journalist and researcher Amanda Ripley, discussing how to communicate more effectively during conflict. Her work provides insights into better communication in conflict situations. We’ve all found ourselves in conversations that no longer feel like conversations. The tone sharpens, positions harden, and at some point, it’s no longer about the issue, but… Read More The Simple Listening Technique That Calms Conflict