Speakers and Sessions

The Conference is SOLD OUT though there are some spaces left in the Pre-Conference workshops.

Please call 857-444-1500 x1 to be added to the waiting list.

THE SCIENCE OF HOW WE LEARN

Our San Francisco 2017 Learning & the Brain Conference is sold out, but there still is plenty of room at our April 7-9, 2017 Conference in Arlington, VA.  Come hear about Positive, Resilient Minds from Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman and more than 40 other speakers at our Spring 2017 Learning & the Brain Conference. Click here for more information.

A consensus is emerging from mind, brain, cognitive and education research on the most effective strategies for learning,memory and motivation. Research by John Hattie, Carol Dweck and Daniel Schwartz, along with scientific reports such as "The Science of Learning" from Deans for Impact, point to the most effective, scientifically-based strategies for boosting achievement. Explore the latest research on ways to improve instruction, motivation and mindsets, content mastery, makerspace and design thinking, hands-on exploration, active student-directed inquiry, effective feedback, and praise.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@learningandtheb / #latb46) for conference updates and news

Explore the Latest Research on:
  • The Science of How We Learn
  • Using Effective Instructional Strategies
  • Improving Learning, Memory and Testing
  • Developing Designers, Thinkers and Makers
  • Brain Benefits of Exploring and Explaining
  • Using Active, Student-Directed Learning
  • Empowering Motivation and Mindsets
  • Developing Expertise and Skills
  • Educating for Mastery and Competency
  • Teaching Inquiry and Critical Thinking
  • Promoting Effective Student Feedback
  • Self-Efficacy, Agency and Self-Regulation
  • The Power of Peers, Parents and Praise
  • Creating Curious, Creative, Self-Explorers
  • Raising Resilience and Teaching Teens
  • Visible Learning, Literacy and STEM

Featured Speakers

Conference Chair and Presider

David B. Daniel, PhD

Conference Chair: Professor of Psychology, James Madison University; Former Executive Director and Founding Board Member, International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Former Managing Editor, Mind, Brain, and Education Journal; Winner of the 2013 L&B/IMBES “Transforming Education Through Neuroscience” Award; Recognized as in the “Top 1% of Educational Researchers Influencing Public Debate” in the US; Co-Author, “Toward an Ecological Science of Teaching” (2021, Canadian Psychology), “Educational Neuroscience: Are We There Yet?” (2019, Wiley Handbook on Education) and “Promising Principles: Translating the Science of Learning to Educational Practice” (2012, Applied Research in Memory and Cognition)

Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD

Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and Professor, School of Education; Joint Appointments in the Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Delaware; Co-Director, Child's Play, Learning, and Development Laboratory; Co-Author, Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice (2022), "Active Learning: 'Hands-on' Meets 'Minds-on'" (2021, Science), “Brain Science and Guided Play” (2019, Serious Fun: How Guided Play Extends Learning), Becoming Brilliant (2016), Play = Learning (2009), and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool (2008)

Yong Zhao, PhD

Foundation Distinguished Professor, School of Education, University of Kansas; Professorial Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy, Victoria University; Professor in Educational Leadership, Melbourne Graduate School of Education; Author, Learners Without Borders: New Learning Pathways for All Students (2021), “COVID-19 as Catalyst for Educational Change” (2020, Prospects), and What Works May Hurt – Side Effects in Education (2018); Co-Author, Teaching Students to Become Self-Determined Learners (2020) and An Education Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste: How Radical Changes Can Spark Student Excitement and Success (2019)

1) The Science of Learning: Improving Memory, Testing & Feedback

The ABCs of How We Learn: From A is for Analogy to Z is for Sleep

Daniel L. Schwartz, PhD

A Meta-Synthesis on the Science of How We Learn

John A.C. Hattie, PhD

Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Education for the 21st Century

Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD

Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and Professor, School of Education; Joint Appointments in the Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Delaware; Co-Director, Child's Play, Learning, and Development Laboratory; Co-Author, Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice (2022), "Active Learning: 'Hands-on' Meets 'Minds-on'" (2021, Science), “Brain Science and Guided Play” (2019, Serious Fun: How Guided Play Extends Learning), Becoming Brilliant (2016), Play = Learning (2009), and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool (2008)

Helping Students Achieve: Promising Practices and Strategies from Cognitive Science

David M. Eagleman, PhD

Learning Engineering (Rethinking Education)

Melina R. Uncapher, PhD

Why Should Teachers Care About Cognitive Neuroscience?

Daniel Ansari, PhD

Giving Effective Feedback to Students

Susan M. Brookhart, PhD

The Purposeful Classrooms: Lessons with Learning Goals in Mind

Dan Ryder, MEd

Facilitating Student Learning Through Feedback: Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference

Andrew C. Butler, PhD

Making It Work: The Critical Role of the Educator in Applying the Science of Learning

David B. Daniel, PhD

Conference Chair: Professor of Psychology, James Madison University; Former Executive Director and Founding Board Member, International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Former Managing Editor, Mind, Brain, and Education Journal; Winner of the 2013 L&B/IMBES “Transforming Education Through Neuroscience” Award; Recognized as in the “Top 1% of Educational Researchers Influencing Public Debate” in the US; Co-Author, “Toward an Ecological Science of Teaching” (2021, Canadian Psychology), “Educational Neuroscience: Are We There Yet?” (2019, Wiley Handbook on Education) and “Promising Principles: Translating the Science of Learning to Educational Practice” (2012, Applied Research in Memory and Cognition)

Memories Are Made of This...

Kenneth S. Kosik, MD

Why Neuroscience Matters in the Classroom

Kathleen Scalise, PhD

2) The Science of Motivation & Mindsets: Empowering Engagement

Learning vs. Performing for Learning Mindsets Success

Eduardo Briceno, MBA

The Influence of Teaching: Motivation, Mindsets and Agency

Ronald F. Ferguson, PhD

Working the Clay While Its Soft: Growing Early Mindsets

Kendra J. Coates, DEd

Getting Students Motivated and Engaged Through Interest-Based Learning

Richard M. Cash, EdD

International Speaker, Educator, and Consultant; Former Director of Gifted Programs; Author, “Enhancing Social-Emotional Learning With Self-Regulation for Learning” (2019, Free Spirit Publishing Blog), Advancing Differentiation: Thinking and Learning for the 21st Century (2017), and Self-Regulation in the Classroom: Helping Students Learn How to Learn (2016); Co-Author, Differentiation for Gifted Learners: Going Beyond the Basics (2013)

Flipping the Switch: Creating a Learning Environment Designed for Real Engagement

Allison G. Zmuda, MA

Creating Classrooms Where Everyone Is Active, Engaged and Learning

Kathy Perez, EdD

Motivation Equation: Practical Growth Mindset Applications for Grades 6-12

Emily A. Diehl, BA

Education Consultant, Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt; Director of School Partnerships, Revolution Prep; Director, K-12 Professional Learning and Curriculum Design, Mindset Works; Author, “Growth Mindsets for Learning: Effective Effort” (2017, Optimizing Learning Outcomes)

Fostering Growth Mindsets in Readers

Gravity Goldberg, EdD

Educational Consultant; Former Assistant Professor of Education, Iona College; Former Instructor and Staff Developer, Teachers College, Columbia University; Author, Teach Like Yourself (2018) and Mindsets and Moves: Strategies That Help Readers Take Charge (2015); Co-Author, Active Learning: 40 Teaching Methods to Engage Students in Every and Subject (2023), What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? (2017), and Conferring With Readers (2007)

3) The Science of Hands-On Making: Developing Designers & Makers

Reasoning to Learn, Learning to Reason

Silvia A. Bunge, PhD

Taking Design Thinking to K-12 Schools

Shelley V. Goldman, EdD

Learning by Thinking, Questioning and Explaining

Tania Lombrozo, PhD

Why the Maker Movement Matters for Every Student: Design Thinking in K-12 Classroom

A.J. Juliani, MSEd

Founder, Adaptable Learning; Director, Learning and Innovation; Instructor, UPenn Graduate School of Education; Author, Adaptable: How to Create an Adaptable Curriculum and Flexible Learning Experiences That Work in Any Environment (2021), Learning by Choice (2015), and Inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom (2014); Co-Author, Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning (2017)

Design Thinking: How to Unleash Student Innovation

Susie Wise, PhD

The Promise of the Maker Movement for Education

Lee Michael Martin, PhD

4) The Science of Active Inquiry and Learning: Creating Curious Self-Directed Explorers

Counting What Counts: Why Curiosity, Creativity and Student-Centered Learning Matter

Yong Zhao, PhD

Foundation Distinguished Professor, School of Education, University of Kansas; Professorial Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy, Victoria University; Professor in Educational Leadership, Melbourne Graduate School of Education; Author, Learners Without Borders: New Learning Pathways for All Students (2021), “COVID-19 as Catalyst for Educational Change” (2020, Prospects), and What Works May Hurt – Side Effects in Education (2018); Co-Author, Teaching Students to Become Self-Determined Learners (2020) and An Education Crisis Is a Terrible Thing to Waste: How Radical Changes Can Spark Student Excitement and Success (2019)

Cultivating Curiosity in the K-12 Classroom: How to Foster Engagement, Exploration and Experimentation for Deeper Learning

Wendy L. Ostroff, PhD

How Experience Shapes the Neural Circuitry of the Frontal Cortex During Childhood/Adolescence

Linda E. Wilbrecht, PhD

The Cognitive Consequences of Active Inquiry and Self-Directed Learning

Todd M. Gureckis, PhD

The Science of Being Little: The Power of Play, Creativity and Exploration in Young Children

Erika Christakis, MEd, MPH

Inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom: Empowering Student Engagement with Choice, Purpose and Technology

A.J. Juliani, MSEd

Founder, Adaptable Learning; Director, Learning and Innovation; Instructor, UPenn Graduate School of Education; Author, Adaptable: How to Create an Adaptable Curriculum and Flexible Learning Experiences That Work in Any Environment (2021), Learning by Choice (2015), and Inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom (2014); Co-Author, Empower: What Happens When Students Own Their Learning (2017)

Designing Questions to Assess Student Inquiry and Thinking

Susan M. Brookhart, PhD

5) The Science of Mastery: Teaching for Expertise & Competency

Secrets from the New Science of Expertise: Implications for Education and Life-Long Learning

K. Anders Ericsson, PhD

How to Train Knowledge and Skills for Peak Performance

Alice F. Healy, PhD

Taking a Scientific Approach to STEM Education: Expertise and Active Learning

Carl E. Wieman, PhD

The Cognitive Development of Mathematical Brains

Daniel Ansari, PhD

Visible Learning in Literacy

Douglas B. Fisher, PhD

Chair, Department of Educational Leadership, San Diego State University; Classroom Teacher, Health Sciences High and Middle College; Co-Author, Confronting the Crisis of Engagement: Creating Focus and Resilience for Students, Staff, and Communities (2022), The Social-Emotional Learning Playbook (2022), The Restorative Practices Playbook: Tools for Transforming Discipline in Schools (2022), and Removing Labels: 40 Techniques to Disrupt Negative Expectations About Students and Schools (2021)

Over-Tested and Under-Prepared: Using a Competency Based Instruction Model

Robert (Bob) J. Sornson, PhD

Neuroimaging, Instruction and Expertise in Reading

Bruce D. McCandliss, PhD

Teaching Moves that Create Reading Mastery, Independence, Motivation, and Growth

Kristin Souers, MA

6) The Power of Parents & Peers: Promoting Praise & Resilience

Kristen Hawley Turner, PhD

Professor, Caspersen School of Graduate Studies; Director, Drew Writing Project and Digital Literacies Collaborative; Director of Teacher Education, Drew University; Director, Contemporary Learning and Interdisciplinary Research (CLAIR), Fordham University Graduate School of Education; Consultant, National Writing Project; Lead Editor, "Teachers, Profs, Parents: Writers Who Care" Blog; Co-Author, Argument in the Real World: Teaching Adolescents to Read and Write Digital Texts (2017) and Connected Reading: Teaching Adolescent Readers in a Digital Age (2015)

The Power of Parents: How Beliefs About Failure Shape Mindsets and Motivation

Kyla Haimovitz, PhD

The Science of Social-Emotional and Cognitive Resilience in Learning

Fumiko Hoeft, MD, PhD

Helping Children Develop Self-Regulation, Resilience and Empathy

Robert (Bob) J. Sornson, PhD

Rebels Love a Cause: Harnessing the Motivational Effects of Pubertal Testosterone on the Adolescent Brain

Ronald E. Dahl, MD, PhD