Lowering the Drawbridge: Making Educational Psychology Accessible to Everyone with Dan O'Hare

Episode #8

In this episode, I speak to Dr Dan O'Hare, an Educational Psychologist, Co-chair of the DECP and online magazine founder (www.edpsy.org.uk)  about how EPs can open up conversations to be important to more and more diverse audiences. To bring our skills, criticality and potential to a much wider audience.

During this wide-ranging conversation, Dan and I discuss the hopeful discussions which have sprung up online over the course of lockdown and the challenges EPs face in being invited to conversations we would like to be part of, let alone influencing them.

Dan then talks about his views on Neuro-essentialism and its effects on discourses about children in schools. Dan then draws upon his thesis which examines the concept of 'evidence base' and it broadens it out beyond the orthodox conceptualisation of 'researched-based evidence'. 

We conclude the conversation by discussing how people interested in the work and ideas of EPs online.

Useful blogs, podcasts and websites

EP  Online Magazine: https://edpsy.org.uk

EP Outreach- Southend EPS: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLhV-d1BFLFCLvCsgY8WlVA

The Sizzle Podcast with Jo Taylor: https://pod.link/143924777

Useful Twitter Hashtags to follow: #adayinthelifeofan_EP
#twitterEPs
#adayinthelifeofaTEP

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Dan O'Hare
• 4:05 Reflecting on how conversations about Educational Psychology have been communicated (particularly since lockdown)
• 23:00 Educational Psychology for Everyone
• 29:15 A critical discussion of Neuro-essentialism
• 53:44 Reconceptualising what we mean by 'evidence base'
• 1:14:40 Finding, facilitating and communicating hopeful conversations about EP practice
• 1:23:33 Concluding remarks