program

All workshops are from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm

November 9, 2012 - Wilshire Grand Hotel - West Orange, NJ

>>Download seminar brochure (pdf)

You will examine how the brain learns and the practical strategies that correlate with this research to improve students' joyful and successful learning. Seminar leader Dr. Willis will guide you on an interactive exploration of what neuroscience and cognitive science have revealed about how the brain turns sensory input into transferable knowledge. You will learn how the brain's response to stressors, including boredom and frustration, can reduce memory and result in the involuntary reactive behaviors of "act out" and "zone out." Classroom strategies will be discussed that are linked with planning and teaching to increase students' ability to remain in control of their stress levels, build habits of perseverance and setback tolerance. Additional neuro-logical interventions will be described and applied in this interactive workshop to promote accurate long-term memory and conceptual thinking. You will come away with enhanced understanding of the principles of neuroscience as they relate to education and acquire a rich toolkit of strategies readily applicable to your school, classroom or clinical practice.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At this seminar, you will learn information about:

  • Employing brain-friendly strategies to advance student achievement
  • Examining ways to maximize and maintain student attention and focus
  • Improving student participation by reducing stress and promoting confidence and resilience
  • Increasing creation of working and long-term memories through the use of patterning, mental manipulation and metacognition
  • Using advances in neuroscience research to ignite student motivation and promote growth mindse
  • Applying the compelling video game model of individual achievable challenge levels and the recognition
    of incremental progress to increase student effort and perseverance

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This seminar will be applicable for all professionals in education, including teachers Pre-K through-graduate school, administrators, policy makers, curriculum designers, professional development coordinators, consultants (in-schools and private), teacher educators, psychologists, tutors and graduate students.


WORKSHOP LEADER

willisJudy Willis, MD, MEd, is on the adjunct faculty of the Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara and is an authority on brain research regarding learning and the brain. She practiced neurology for 15 years before returning to university to obtain her teaching credentials. Dr. Willis subsequently taught both in elementary and middle schools for 10 years. With the unique background as both a neurologist and classroom teacher, she publishes in several education journals and is the author of six books including Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning (2006) and How Your Child Learns Best (2008).