Martyn begins by introducing teenagers many of whom were once sweet children, and will one day become loving adults, but who betweentimes 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