Martyn begins by introducing teenagers many of whom were once sweet children, and will one day become loving adults, but who between-times morph into lazy, unlikeable adolescents. He questions whether this is all Nurture, all Nature, or a combination of both, but that science can now show us that Nature definitely plays a significant role. He helps us unpick the brain, in order to start to truly understand teenagers.

Martyn Richards is a researcher specializing in the world of children and young people. Project work has ranged from worldwide brands such as MacDonald’s, Guinness World Records and Ikea, through to a number of locally based clients in education and the public sector.

In 2005, after reading around the topic of brain development, he wrote a paper titled The Teen Brain: What’s Going On In There?, winning Best Paper and Best Presented Paper at the research industry's annual conference. Now, this topic is revisited, with further insight, and a focus on the secondary classroom.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx