What Model United Nations actually teaches
It is not public speaking, and it is not general knowledge. The real lesson is far less comfortable — and far more useful.
Child Development Specialist · Neuroscientist
Merve Meral İçilensu
Understanding how a child learns matters as much as what we teach them.
Two undergraduate degrees — International Relations and Child Development — and two master’s degrees completed in 2026, in Child Development & Education and in Neuroscience. I am currently continuing a doctorate in child development at Istanbul Aydın University. Here I share scientific knowledge on child development and neurodevelopment in plain language.
- Undergraduate degrees
- 2
- Completed master’s degrees
- 2
- Age range taught
- 3–18
Areas of work
What I work on
Learning & Neuroscience
How different age groups learn, how attention develops, and the brain’s role in learning. In my neuroscience master’s I focused on the neuroanatomical and neurocognitive foundations of executive functions in childhood.
Familial & Environmental Factors
Approaching development not through the child’s individual characteristics alone, but within family relationships, caregivers, educational settings and the wider bioecological context.
Academic Coaching
One-to-one work on recognising one’s own way of learning, building study habits, and turning academic goals into a realistic roadmap.
Executive Functions
Planning, inhibitory control and working memory in children. My master’s thesis examined the relationship between the executive functions of 60–72-month-old children and those of their mothers; it is openly available in the national thesis archive.
School Adjustment & School Refusal
The developmental ground beneath school refusal: working alongside families and teachers on adjustment difficulties and academic disengagement.
Child Development Assessment
Developmental inventories, attention and visual-motor perception assessments; parent guidance and ongoing developmental monitoring.
Background
Education and experience
Experience
English Language Educator
KALEV Schools
2024 –
Present
Child Development Specialist
Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital
2024
Clinical placement
Vice Principal, Primary School
Artı Sonsuz College
2021 – 2024
Alongside coordinating English language teaching across primary and middle school
English Language Educator
Artı Sonsuz College
2020 – 2024
English Language Educator
Amerikan Kültür Preschools, Çanakkale
2017 – 2019
Ages 3–5
Education
Child Development, PhD
Istanbul Aydın University
In progress
Neuroscience, MSc
Üsküdar University
2024 – 2026
Completed · Neuroanatomical and neurocognitive foundations of executive functions in childhood
Child Development & Education, MA
Istanbul Okan University
2023 – 2026
Completed · Thesis: executive functions of 60–72-month-old children and their mothers
Child Development, BA
Istanbul University
2019 – 2023
International Relations, BA
University of London
2005 – 2009
Outside the classroom I swim, ski, take long walks in nature, and read as much as I can.
Blog
Latest writing
Have a question?
Write to me about education, child development, or collaboration.