Conference
Program Topics
EDUCATING THE HUMAN BRAIN
Mindsets: Impact on Brain Processes,
Motivation & Learning
This talk will show a) how students’ mindsets affect
attentional processes, motivation, and learning, b) how praising
students’ intelligence puts them in a “fixed mindset” that
impairs motivation and learning, and c) how an intervention
that teaches a “growth mindset” (how the brain
grows and changes with learning) can boost motivation, grades,
and achievement test scores.
Carol S. Dweck, PhD, Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of
Psychology, Department of Psychology, Stanford
University School of Education; author, Mindsets (2006) and Self-theories:
Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development (2000)
Educating the Human Brain:
Attention Networks & Learning
Recent research has traced the development of literacy, numeracy
and attention to brain networks present in infancy. Before
speech begins the infant is shaping the networks that will
be the basis of early school success. The lecture considers
the implications of these findings for early child education.
Michael I. Posner, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Psychology,
Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences, Department of
Psychology, University of Oregon; co-author, Educating
the Human Brain (2006); author of Cognitive
Science of Attention (2004)
Mind, Brain & Education: Fundamental Importance of Learning & the
Brain in Education
People learn. Learning is fundamental to us as human beings.
It is the specialization that we use to become fully human.
A major part of that specialization is our exceptionally large
brain, which is the primary organ for learning. We spend the
many years of childhood learning the extensive knowledge of
our cultures and families. In complex modern cultures, we have
created schools as the main institution for promoting learning
beyond the family. Modern culture requires that we learn so
much, spending years going to school to learn the special tools
and skills of literacy, mathematics, history, science, art,
music.... That means that schools and the brain belong together,
joined by the common purpose of learning.
Kurt W. Fischer, PhD, Charles Bigelow Professor; Director,
Mind, Brain & Education Program, Harvard
University Graduate School of Education; Director, International Mind, Brain and
Education Society); Editor, Mind, Brain & Education
Journal;
co-editor of Human Behavior, Learning & the Developing
Brain (2007)
The Neurobiological Link Between
Cognition, Emotions & Social
Processing: Implications for Education
Recent advances in neuroscience are highlighting connections
between emotion, social functioning and decision-making that
have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the
role of affect in education. In particular, the neurobiological
evidence suggests that the aspects of cognition that we recruit
most heavily in schools, namely learning, attention, memory,
decision-making and social functioning, are both profoundly
affected by and subsumed within the processes of emotion. Moreover,
the evidence from brain-damaged patients suggests the hypothesis
that emotion-related processes are required for skills and
knowledge to be transferred from the structured school environment
to real-world decision-making, because they provide an emotional
rudder to guide judgment and action. Taken together, the evidence
presented sketches an account of the neurobiological underpinnings
of morality, creativity and culture, all topics of critical
importance to education. The hope is that a better understanding
of the neurobiological relationships between these constructs
will provide a new basis for innovation in the design of learning
environments.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdM, EdD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Brain
and Creativity Institute for the Neurological Study of Emotion,
Decision-Making, and Creativity, University of Southern California
Begin with the Brain: What Educators Need to Know
Learn some "brain basics" about how children's brains
learn, growth and respond to the environment. Find out what
you can do to reduce your child's stress levels and encourage
development of a variety of learning styles and multiple intelligences.
Martha Kaufeldt, MA in Human Behavior; Educational Consultant;
Former teacher; author of Teachers, Change
Your Bait! Brain Compatible Differentiated Instruction (2005) and Begin
With the Brain: Orchestrating the Learner-Centered Classroom (1999)
INFLUENCES ON THE DEVELOPING BRAIN & LEARNING
The Effects of Early Adversity on Developing Brains: Implications
for Education
In this presentation Dr. Carrion will describe how many children
who experience early life traumatic stress develop behavioral
and emotional problems that interfere with achieving academic
milestones. Dr. Carrion will discuss the role of these psychological
symptoms and how they relate to stress hormones and abnormalities
of brain structure and function.
Victor G. Carrion, MD, Associate Professor; Director, Stanford
Early Life Stress Research Program, Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child & Adolescent
Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine
Emotions, Memory & Learning: Influences from Gender, Hemispheres & Hormones
Recent years are witnessing in neuroscience a flood of new
discoveries about ways in which the brain of males and females
differ. Old assumptions that sex differences in the brain
concern only very old brain structures concerned only with
sexual behaviors are crumbling. My talk will highlight this
dramatic shift, with an emphasis on the domain of emotional
memory.
Larry F. Cahill, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurobiology and
Behavior; Fellow of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning
and Memory, University of California,
Irvine; author, “His
Brain, Her Brain” (2005, Scientific
American)
Nurturing the Nature of Your Students
This talk will focus on how nature and nurture work together
in our classrooms. Each boy and each girl comes to us with
an already internalized learning and personality template
-- how can we nurture the nature of each student toward the
highest and fullest learning potential? Bringing together
genetics and brain research with teachers' and parents' stories,
this keynote provides both nature-based theory and practical
tools.
Michael Gurian, MA, Co-Founder, Gurian Educational Institute;
author, Nurture the Nature: Understanding
and Supporting Your Child’s Unique Core Personality (2007), The
Minds of Boys (2005), and Boys and
Girls Learn Differently! Action Guide for Teachers (2003)
The Developing Brain: Effects
of Television on Learning, Attention & ADHD
This talk will summarize what is known about the effects of
early television viewing and children’s attentional
skills and language acquisition. It will focus on both the
theoretical reasons for connections between TV and these
outcomes as well as actual results from scientific studies.
Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, Professor of Pediatrics; Director
of the Child Health Institute, University
of Washington; Pediatrician,
Children’s Hospital in Seattle; international expert
on child and media; co-author, The Elephant
in the Living Room: Make Television Work for Your Kids (2006)
Maturation in the Child and
Teen Brain: Implications for Learning, Emotions & Attention
Many parent of a teenager knows the brain of a 13-year-old
is different than that of a 9-year-old. Pinning down those
differences in a scientific way has been elusive—until
now. Dr. Jay Giedd, of the National Institute of Mental Health,
examines recent findings from magnetic resonance imaging of
the child and teen brains, how they mature, learn and pay attention.
This session also explores the implications these findings
have for parents, teachers, and education.
Jay N. Giedd, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist; Chief,
Brain Imaging in the Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute
of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
The Maturation of an Adolescent Brain: Implications for Education
Dramatic developments in the cognitive neurosciences are providing
us with an unprecedented understanding of our social brain's
organization and 20-year developmental trajectory. We’ve
tended to focus on the challenges posed by childhood brain
development, but the adolescent maturation of culturally
driven reflective systems is at least as significant. This
non-technical presentation will describe these new perspectives,
and discuss their educational implications.
Robert Sylwester, EdD, Professor Emeritus of Education, University
of Oregon; author, The Adolescent
Brain: Reaching for Autonomy (January 2007), How
to Explain a Brain: An Educator's Handbook of Brain Terms and
Cognitive Processes (2005), and A
Biological Brain in a Cultural Classroom (2003, second edition)
Teaching to the Developing Adolescent Brain: Strategies for
Effective Instruction
Are you looking for ways to energize your junior high or high
school classroom—ways that are fun and make learning
virtually effortless? In this fast-paced, informative session,
Willy shares how a few basic principles, consistently applied,
can achieve all this—and more! You will explore four
major areas to which teachers must attend when working with
teens: social learning (relationships), relevant learning (connections),
affective learning (emotions), and responsible learning (developing
maturity).
Willy Wood, MA, President, Open Mind Technologies; former high
school and university teacher; national speaker on brain-based
teaching
Engaging ‘Tween and Teen
Brains: Applications for the Middle and High School
This session is designed to familiarize educators with recent
developments in neuroscience and how to apply brain-compatible
teaching strategies to their classrooms. The topics will include:
what the research says about the adolescent brain; how to manage
the learning states of students; how gender impacts learning
and how stress affect learning. The presentation is completely
interactive with participants. A variety of learning strategies
are demonstrated and the entire time, participants will be
exposed to a presenter that "walks the walk" rather
than relying solely on didactic presentation strategies. Music
is used as a state changer, short video clips enhance visual
learning and kinesthetic learners will find their favorite
learning modality rewarded.
Raleigh T. Philp, MAT, MA, Adjunct Faculty, Graduate School
of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine
University; former
consultant, California Department of Education; author of Engaging ‘Tweens
and Teens: A Brain-Compatible Approach to reach Middle and
High School Students (2006)
FOCUSING THE MIND ON LEARNING
Focusing the Mind: Training Children and Parents in Mindfulness
Meditation
Developing awareness and skill in working with thoughts and
emotions are essential for psychological flexibility and well-being.
Philippe will be discussing results from a series of studies
that begin to elucidate the brain-behavioral bases of mindfulness
meditation training effects on specific forms of attention,
anxiety, emotional reactivity and regulation, and enhancement
of self-awareness and self-compassion in children and their
parents.
Philippe R. Goldin, PhD, Research Scientist, Department of
Psychology, Stanford University; Steering Committee, Association
for Mindfulness in Education; researcher on the benefits of
Mindfulness Meditation training in children and schools
Interventions for Children with ADHD
In this talk Stephen will begin by discussing recent data
on underlying mechanisms and causal factors for ADHD. The
majority of the talk will feature what is known about the
two evidence-based treatments for ADHD--medications and behavioral
strategies--as well as alternative and controversial treatments
(e.g., neurofeedback, dietary inteventions). The difference
between short- and long-term benefits will be emphasized.
Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD, Professor and Chair, Psychology Department,
University of California, Berkeley; author, The
Mark of Shame: Stigma of Mental Illness and An Agenda for
Change (2007), and
The Years of Silence are Past: My Father’s Life
with Bipolar Disorder (2002)
ADHD in the School Setting: Strategies for Promoting Life
and Attention Skills
This presentation will cover evidence-based psychosocial interventions
for the treatment of ADHD at school. The focus will be on strategies
showing efficacy for improving children's behavioral and academic
functioning at school. A model school-home collaborative program
for ADHD will be presented.
Linda J. Pfiffner, PhD, Associate Professor in Residence; Director,
Hyperactivity, Attention, and Learning Problems (HALP) clinic, University
of California, San Francisco; co-author of Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A 21st Century Perspective (2007); author of All
About ADHD: The Complete Practical Guide for Classroom Teachers (1999)
Mechanisms for Brain Plasticity: Implications for Maximizing
Learning
This talk will present a specific example of how the brain
learns from experience. The example is from the auditory system
of the barn owl. Eric will describe how we determine where
in the brain learning takes place, what changes in the structure
and function of nerve cells occur, and how the capacity for
learning can be increased by specific kinds of experience.
Eric I. Knudsen, PhD, Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor,
Department of Neurobiology, Stanford
University School of Medicine;
Member, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child;
co-author, “Fundamental Components of Attention" (2007,
Annual Review in Neurosciences)
How We Control Our Thoughts & Actions:
Implications for the Classroom
As any teacher can attest, children often have difficulty focusing
on the task at hand. In this talk, I will summarize what we
know about the brain changes during development that give rise
to improvements in cognitive control, and will provide a few
tips for more effective teaching
Silvia A. Bunge, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University
of California, Berkeley; co-author, “Neurodevelopmental changes in working
memory and cognitive control” (2007, Current
Opinions in Neurobiology)
Bright from the Start: Enhancing
Brain Development, Language & Attention
in Young Children
In this talk, the presenters will discuss a simple, yet comprehensive,
way to look at what neuroscience confirms about early brain
development. They will provide an in-depth look at the ABC's
of early brain development: attention, bonding and communication,
highlighting factors that are known to have a profound effect
on children's later learning success in school. They will emphasize
the development of the attentional and language networks in
the young brain. This unusual team of presenters are mother
(Ph.D. in Learning) and daughter (Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience).
They will explain complex information in easy-to-understand
ways and will explore some fundamental and powerful tools designed
to protect and enhance both the ability to pay attention and
general cognitive development.
Jill Stamm, PhD, President, New Directions
Institute for Infant Brain Development; Clinical Associate
Professor, Psychology in Education, Mary Lou Fulton College
of Education, Arizona
State University; co-author, Bright
from the Start (2007)
Kristin
Stamm McNealy, PhD candidate; Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping
Center, University of California,
Los Angeles; co-author, Bright
from the Start (2007)
How Music Helps the Brain Pay Attention
Vinod Menon, PhD, will discuss his recent research that showed
that music engages the areas of the brain involved with paying
attention, making predictions and updating the event in memory.
Peak brain activity occurred during a short period of silence
between musical movements—when seemingly nothing was
happening. Find out what this means for attention and memory.
Vinod Menon, PhD, Associate Professor; Director, Cognitive
+ Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
Music, Memory & Attention
In this talk, a number of experiments will be described that
use musical tasks to examine the workings of brain systems
that support various attentional processes, such as the focusing
of attention in the presence of distraction, or the formation
and maintenance of expectations and mental images. The relationship
of musical activities to general learning situations will
be discussed.
Petr Janata, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Center
for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis
Brain Plasticity & Learning:
Using Interventions to Sharpen Minds and Attention
This talk will provide an overview of the emerging field of
computer-based cognitive training, or "brain fitness," and discuss innovative research-based interventions to train
working memory, processing speed, attentional control and emotional
self-regulation, which are critical for learning.
Alvaro Fernandez, MA, Co-founder/CEO, SharpBrains.com;
Instructor in the science of brain fitness and health, Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute, University
of California, Berkeley; co-author
with Neuroscientist Elkhonon Goldberg of Brain
Fitness 101 (2006)
IMPROVING READING & MATH SKILLS
Brain & Dyslexia: Using
Neuroscience to Predict Children's Reading Problems
The ability to decode letters into language sounds is essential
for reading success, and accurate identification of children
at high risk for decoding impairment is critical for reducing
the frequency and severity of reading impairment. Dr. Gabrieli
will examine the use of behavioral (standardized tests), and
functional and structural neuroimaging measures taken with
children at the beginning of a school year for predicting children’s
decoding ability at the end of that school year and in the
future.
John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD, Grover Hermann Professor in Health
Sciences and Technology; Professor, Brain and Cognitive Sciences;
Associate Director, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical
Imaging, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology; collaborative researcher, Stanford
University School of Medicine
The Neuroscience of Mental Arithmetic: Implications for Math
Learning
Arithmetic reasoning is arguably one of the most important
cognitive skills a child must master. In this talk, Vinod will
summarize our current understanding of the cognitive and neural
bases of mental arithmetic. He will describe findings from
recent brain imaging studies of both typical and atypical
mental arithmetic skill development. Finally, Vinod will describe
how these studies provide new insights into long-term memory
consolidation, and how this consolidation impacts the development
of arithmetic skills and knowledge.
Vinod Menon, PhD, Associate Professor; Director,
Cognitive + Systems Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School
of Medicine
Neuroanatomical Approaches to the Study of Math Ability and
Disability
This talk will focus on the neural bases of quantitative reasoning,
and what insights have been gained from studying both typical
and atypical development. Susan will present brain imaging
data about quantitative reasoning in typically developing children,
as well as in children with neurodevelopmental disorders including
autism and fragile X syndrome. Some discussion will also be
devoted to how neuroscience techniques may serve to inform
and/or challenge views about learning and education.
Susan M. Rivera, PhD, Assistant Professor, Center for Mind
and Brain; University of California,
Davis; Professor, Department
of Psychology, College of Letters and Science, M.I.N.D. Institute
Building the Reading Brain: Birth to Five
Reading with comprehension is the lynchpin for school success,
yet reading is an unnatural act for the human brain. Why
is it then that some children learn to read with little effort
and some experience great difficulty? This session will focus
on how a child's brain learns to read and what can be done
the years before children start school to increase
the probability that children will learn to read fluently
and with comprehension.
Patricia Wolfe, EdD, President, Brain Matters; Educational
Consultant; former teacher; author, Building
the Reading Brain, PreK-3 (2004) and Brain
Matters (2001)
The Literate Brain: A Neuroscience
Perspective on Reading Development & Disability
Proficient reading is an impressive skill that requires precise
coordination of various cognitive, sensory, and motor systems
of the brain. The development of reading proficiency requires
a convergence of several factors, including quality education
and healthy brain development. This talk will review recent
neuroscience research that helps us to understand the development
of the brain circuits that are important for the acquisition
of skilled reading. Dr. Dougherty will also discuss how individual
variations in the brain might hinder the acquisition of skilled
reading.
Robert F. Dougherty, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Department
of Psychology, Stanford Institute for Reading and Learning,
Stanford University; co-author of "Temporal-callosal pathway
diffusivity predicts phonological skills in children" (2007,
PNAS), and "White matter pathways in reading" (2007,
Current Opinion in Neurobiology)
EDUCATING THE SPECIAL BRAIN
Current Findings on Early Development and Brain Plasticity
in Autism
This talk will review current findings on nature of early brain
dysfunction and brain plasticity in autism and discuss the
important role of early experience and intervention in autism.
Topics will include the development of the social brain and
the role of early social experience in promoting its development.
Geraldine Dawson, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Center on Human
Development and Disability; Co-Director, Integrated Brain Imaging
Center; Director, UW Center of Excellence in Autism, University
of Washington; co-author, A Parent’s Guide
to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism (2002)
Joint Attention & Social
Communication Intervention: Implications for Young Children
with Autism
Since joint attention is a hallmark of early social communication
and an indicator of a deficit in children with autism, Dr.
Ann Mastergeorge will discuss our understanding of the developmental
trajectories of joint attention and social communication in
young children at risk for developing autism.
Ann M. Mastergeorge, PhD, Assistant Professor in Developmental
Psychology and Education Research Investigator, M.I.N.D. Institute;
Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Human and Community
Development, Division of Human Development and Family Studies,
University of California, Davis
Brain-Friendly Strategies for the Inclusion Classroom
Many teachers in regular classrooms feel unprepared to teach
students with a wide range of learning disabilities and gifts.
Fortunately, brain research has lent support to strategies
benefiting learners with special challenges that are suited
for engaging and stimulating all learners. In this talk,
neurologist, classroom teacher, and author Dr. Judy Willis
explains that we can best help students by putting in place
strategies, accommodations, and interventions that provide
developmentally and academically appropriate challenges to
suit the needs, gifts, and goals of each student.
Judy Willis, MD, EdM, Neurologist, Middle School Teacher, author,
Brain-Friendly Strategies for the Inclusion
Classroom (2007)
and Research-Based Strategies to Ignite
Student Learning (2006)
The Mark of Shame: Attitudes Toward Mental Illness (with Emphasis
on Children)
The pain and impairment related to mental disorders are searing
enough, but the stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination
that too often result from behaviors and labels characteristic
of mental illness can make the situation almost unbearable.
Stephen emphasizes what is known about mental illness stigma,
with emphasis on child and adolescent disorders and parents
with mental disorders (and effects on children). He blends
research findings, evidence from everyday life, and the personal
experience of growing up in a family with a severe mental disorder.
Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD, Professor and Chair, Psychology Department,
University of California, Berkeley; author, The
Mark of Shame: Stigma of Mental Illness and An Agenda for Change (2007), and
The Years of Silence are Past: My Father’s Life with
Bipolar Disorder (2002)
Teaching to the Minds of Boys
and Girls: Closing the Gap in Reading, Writing & Special
Education
This session provides information about the structural and
chemical differences between the male and female brain, as
well as the critical implications for teaching. Brain-based
strategies for supporting boys and girls, as well as learners
with special needs will be shared. The presentation is fast-paced
and interactive.
Kelley King, MA, Principal, Gold Hill and Jamestown Elementary
Schools, Boulder Valley Public Schools; Education Director,
Gurian Institute; author of “Teaching to the Minds of
Boys,” (2006, Educational Leadership); and the upcoming
books, Strategies for Teaching Boys & Girls: A Workbook
for Elementary Educators (2008, Jossey-Bass) and Strategies
for Teaching Boys & Girls: A Workbook for Secondary Educators (2008, Jossey-Bass)
Brain Quest: Helping Students
Understand Their Brains & Learning
"BrainQuest, A Student Operating Manual" is a multi-media,
interactive workshop that provides educators, counselors, and
psychologists with developmentally appropriate content, strategies,
and resources for assisting students to understand the brain
in relation to student learning, and to become increasingly
better acquainted with their unique brains and learning processes.
Participants will experience, practice, and integrate strategies
for assisting students to identify strengths and keystone
variables in the areas of attention control, memory, language,
higher thinking, and social thinking that empower students
to become aware of and take responsibility for decisions
to improve academic, social-emotional, and cognitive competence.
Participants will receive copies of BrainQuest Activity Manual
(50 pages), and all materials presented.
Susan E. Lees, PsyD, PPS, Program Director, Department of School
Counseling and School Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
Gotcha Brains: Cognitive Neuroscience for Kids
Using brain-compatible, differentiated instructional strategies,
this veteran teacher has developed a powerful curriculum
that can be adapted for elementary through secondary classroom
use. A variety of lessons, that can be taught individually,
summarize basic brain anatomy and illustrate how it influences
our thoughts, memory and behaviors. Appropriate for staff
development and parent workshops as well.
Martha Kaufeldt, MA in Human Behavior; Educational Consultant;
Former teacher; author of Teachers, Change
Your Bait! Brain Compatible Differentiated Instruction (2005) and Begin
With the Brain: Orchestrating the Learner-Centered Classroom (1999)
back to top
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Dimitri
A. Christakis, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health, University
of Washington
Geraldine
Dawson, PhD, 
Carol S. Dweck, PhD,
Jay
N. Giedd, MD, 
Judy
Willis, MD, EdM, Neurologist
Martha Kaufeldt, MA,
Eric I. Knudsen, PhD, 
Ann M. Mastergeorge, PhD,
Michael I. Posner, PhD, 
Susan M. Rivera, PhD, 
Silvia A. Bunge, PhD, 
Stephen
P. Hinshaw, PhD, Professor and Chair, Psychology Department,
University of California, Berkeley
Robert Sylwester, EdD,
Vinod Menon, PhD, 
Willy Wood, MA, 
Patricia Wolfe, EdD, 
