Since her previous role as a postdoctoral researcher at UCL, Dr Marta Ponari has contributed to a project that was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The project, titled ‘How do children learn abstract concepts?’, is now complete (1 October 2012 – 31 July 2017) and the team have published a final public report and a briefing sheet which are available here.
The research sheds light on how children learn abstract concepts like ‘idea’ or ‘freedom’. This research has implications for teaching in primary school. It also has a significant impact on how children with atypical language skills are supported to learn.