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Join Us in July in Cambridge, MA
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 From July 16-19, 2013, Learning ghj_amp the Brain will offer a Summer Institute on the campus of the Massachusetts Instiute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.
This Institute will review what is currently known about the brain basis of reading ability and disability. Neuroimaging has revealed how plasticity in the child's brain supports learning to read, and how differences in brain structure and function are associated with reading disability, such as dyslexia. You will examine how neuroscience knowledge may be translated into educational policies and practices in relation to topics such as diagnosis, prognosis, early identification of children at risk for dyslexia, and identification of children who will or will not benefit from a specific kind of intervention. Through lectures and facilitated discussion, participants will gain the skill to evaluate the relevance of neuroscience discoveries for students, teachers and other educators. Participants will also observe real, live neuroimaging measures of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, event-related potentials (ERPs), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). The institute is designed to be an intense, hands-on workshop with group projects and therefore is limited to 35 participants. |
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The Summer Institute Is for:
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PreK-12 Teachers, Reading Specialists, Administrators School Psychologists and School Clinicians
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Education Professors and College Professors
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You Will Learn to:
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Become proficient in understanding the brain basis of typical reading acquisition and reading disorders such as dyslexia
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Delve deeper into recent advances in understanding the psychological basis of reading difficulty
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Appreciate the role of genetics in reading and dyslexia
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Use neuroscience research to help predict reading outcomes and the response to interventions
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Recognize how reading acquisition and disorders differ across languages
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Evaluate the relevance of neuroscience research for students and teachers and how to be a critical consumer of neuroscience regarding the reading brain
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Format
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Active participation is expected throughout this Institute. There will be interactive lectures and facilitated discussions that include the sharing of experiences and questions from the participants. A full schedule of class sessions and activities is held each day, amounting to a program total of 22 hours. Additionally, there will be daily assignments for the final project. |
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About the Institute
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This Learning ghj_amp the Brain Summer Institute will be led by Dr. John Gabrieli and be assisted by Dr. Joanna Christodoulou. This program is designed to help individuals and school teams develop knowledge about current scientific evidence concerning the brain basis of learning to read, and how such evidence may be related to education goals. The program offers participants an intensive professional development experience, drawing on the most up-to-date findings in human cognitive neuroscience. This course is designed for educators with no prior background in neuroscience.
The Institute sessions and brain scans will all take place on the campus of MIT with participants housed at the nearby Hyatt Regency Cambridge. Meals, lodging and course materials are provided. |
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About Dr. John D. E. Gabrieli
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 John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD, is a neuroscientist at MIT, and a member of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. He is a faculty member in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Director of the Martinos Imaging Center, part of the McGovern Institute and a Member of the Faculty of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Dr. Gabrieli is an expert on the brain mechanisms of human cognition, including memory, thought and emotion. His work includes neuroimaging studies on healthy adults and children as well as clinical patients with many different brain disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, autism and dyslexia.
One of his major current interests is dyslexia, in particular the use of brain imaging to identify children who are at risk for reading difficulties and to understand how reading instruction affects the brain. In 2008, Gabrieli was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which cited his "penetrating analyses of the nature of human memory, its neural substrates, its development, and its problems." |
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About Joanna Christodoulou
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 Joanna D. Christodoulou, EdD, works at the intersection of education and neuroscience with roles as a developmental cognitive neuroscientist (Gabrieli Lab, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT), clinician (Children's Hospital, Boston), Member of the Faculty at Harvard Graduate School of Education/MGH Institute of Health Professions) and practitioner. She has led professional development sessions internationally for a range of audiences and topics related to education neuroscience. Her publications include a co-authored overview of reading research in Mind, Brain, and Education: Neuroscience Implications for the Classroom (2010) and a co-edited series in the Mind, Brain, and Education Journal (2009) titled "Usable knowledge in mind, brain, and education".
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Professional Development Credit
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This program provides a total of 22 hours toward professional development credit for various professionals. For types of credit offered, or to find out about additional engaged hours toward professional development credit, call our office at 781-449-4010 ext. 102. Note: Credits are not provided by MIT. |
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Accommodations and Meals
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Interaction between faculty and participants outside the classroom is an integral part of the Institute. To foster this total immersion learning environment, participants are housed in their own rooms at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge in Cambridge, MA. The Institute provides lodging with an arrival date of July 16 and departure date of July 19. The hotel is located adjacent to the MIT campus along the Charles River. All facilities are ADA compliant. If you are interested in making your own accommodations or would like to extend your stay at the conference hotel, please call us at 781-449-4010 x 101. Please check the online schedule for information on the meals provided. |
