program

At the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA

First keynote begins at 1:30 PM on Friday, May 3rd


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The frontal lobes of the brain regulate such skills as sustained attention, working memory, self-control, planning, thinking and decision making, which are increasingly important skills in today's workplace. Brain research is finding these executive brain areas are surprisingly malleable and that there are ways to alter these brain structures and improve these skills. Explore the science of "executive function" and how to use teaching strategies, meditation, exercise and brain training to enhance working memory, attention, self-control, thinking, and visual-spatial skills to better prepare students for the future.


LEARNING OBJECTIVES
You will gain knowledge about:

  • The importance of executive functions for school success
  • Ways to promote executive skills in children, teenagers and adults
  • Teaching strategies to improve self-regulation and memory skills
  • How meditation, yoga, exercise and games can improve brain functioning
  • Using computerized brain training to improve memory, attention and IQ
  • Why executive skills matter more than IQ and how to boost thinking
  • Technology's impact on student focus and attentional networks
  • Interventions for ADHD, memory and executive function deficits
  • Connecting early self-regulation skills and motivation to later academic success
  • Ways to improve visual-spatial skills for reading, math and science


co-sponsorsWHO SHOULD ATTEND
Educators, Parents
Curriculum, Staff Developers
Speech-Language Pathologists
Technology Teachers/Coordinators
PreK-12 Teachers and Administrators
Learning Specialists, Special Educators
Reading, Math, Language, Science Teachers
Superintendents, Principals, School Heads
Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors
Neuroscientists, Neuropsychologists
Occupational, Physical Therapists College, University Professors
Researchers, Policy Makers

CONFERENCE BEGINS 1:30 PM, MAY 3

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
Pre-Conference Workshops

Friday, May 3 8:30 AM -- 12:30 PM
Conference Day 1
Friday, May 3 1:30 PM - 5:45 PM
Conference Day 2
Saturday, May 4 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Conference Day 3
Sunday, May 5 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Follow @learningandtheb for updates and hastag #LB35 for live tweets from the event!

THE IMPORTANCE OF EXECUTIVE SKILLS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
barkley The Executive Functions: What They Are, How They Work and Why They Evolved

Russell A. Barkley, PhD, ABPP ABCN, Professor of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina; Past President, Clinical Child Psychology Section of the American Psychological Association and of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology; Author, Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale-Children and Adolescents (2012), Executive Functions: What They Are, How They Work, and Why They Evolved (2012) and ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says (2007)
goldstein Executive Functioning: New Ideas, Good Science and the Future of Education

Sam J. Goldstein, PhD; Assistant Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah Medical School; Affiliate Research Professor of Psychology, George Mason University; Clinical Director, Neurology Learning and Behavior Center; Editor-In-Chief, Journal of Attention Disorders; Co-Author, Attention Deficit Disorder (2010) and Practitioner's Guide to Assessing Intelligence and Achievement (2009)
zelazo Executive Function and the Developing Brain

Philip D. Zelazo, PhD, Neuroscientist; Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professor, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota; Author, "Development of hot and cool executive function during the transition to adolescence" (2011, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology), "The potential benefits of mindfulness training in early childhood: A developmental social cognitive neuroscience perspective" (2012, Child Development Perspectives) and "Indirect goal priming is more powerful than explicit instruction in children" (2011, Developmental Science)
dawson guare Strategies for Managing Executive Skill Deficits in Children and Adolescents

Margaret "Peg" Dawson, EdD, NCSP, Staff Psychologist, Center for Learning and Attention Disorders; Past President, National Association of School Psychologists, and the International School Psychology Association; Recipient of the National Association of School Psychologists' Lifetime Achievement Award; Co-Author, Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential (2012), Coaching Students with Executive Skills Deficits (2012) and Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential (2009) and Richard Guare, PhD, Director, Center for Learning and Attention Disorders; Adjunct Professor of Communcation Disorders, University of New Hampshire; Co-Author, Smart but Scattered Teens (2012), Coaching Students with Executive Skills Deficits (2012) and Smart but Scattered (2009)
zadina Using Brain Research and Executive Function to Enhance and Energize Instruction

Janet N. Zadina, PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine; Assistant Faculty, Psychology Department, University of South Florida; Reading Specialist; Author, Six Weeks to a Brain-Compatible Classroom (2008)
jacobson Forecasting Children's Academic and Social Competence from Early Executive Function

Lisa A. Jacobson, PhD, NCSP, Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute; Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Former School Psychologist; Co-Author, "Educational implications of executive dysfunction" (2012, Executive Function and Dysfunction), "The role of executive function in children's competent adjustment to middle school" (2011, Child Neuropsychology)
cooper.foster Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom

Joyce Cooper-Kahn, PhD, Clinical Child Psychologist; Co-Founder, Psychological Resource Associates; Director, Child Development Resources Inc.; Former Staff, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Co-Author, Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators (2013) and Late, Lost and Unprepared: A Parents' Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning (2008), and Margaret Foster, MAed, Learning Specialist and Consultant Specializing in Teaching and Learning; Former Classroom Teacher; Co-Author, Boosting Executive Skills in the Classroom: A Practical Guide for Educators (2013)
Integrating Executive Functions with the Cognitive Process Critical for Learning

Betsy Hill, MAT, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer, Learning Enhancement Corporation; Strategic Thinking Faculty, Lake Forest Graduate School of Management; Chair, Education Committee, Board of Trustees, Chicago State University
isquith From Assessment to Intervention: Using Everyday Executive Function Behaviors to Develop Real-World Interventions

Peter K. Isquith, PhD,
Developmental Neuropsychologist; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College; Co-Author, "Contributions of rating scales to the assessment of executive functions" (2013, Applied Neuropsychology, Child), "Executive function in the real world" (2010, Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation) and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (2004)
IMPROVING MEMORY, REASONING AND THINKING IN STUDENTS
gardner Is There a Central Intelligences Agency in the Brain?

Howard E. Gardner, PhD, John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Harvard University; Senior Director, Harvard Project Zero; Winner of the MacArthur Prize; Author, The Unschooled Mind (2011, 2nd ed.), Five Minds for the Future (2009) and Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons in Theory and Practice (2006); Co-Author, "Executive function from a multiple-intelligences perspective" (2007, Executive Function in Education: From Theory to Practice)
bont chapman Making Students Smarter: Strengthening Thinking, Reasoning and Brain Performance

Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, Founder and Chief Director of the Center for BrainHealth; Dee Wyly Distinguished Chair in Brain Health; Professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas; Co-Author, Make Your Brain Smarter: Increase Your Brain's Creativity, Energy, and Focus (2013) and "Higher-order strategic gist reasoning in adolescence" (2012, The Adolescent Brain: Learning, Reasoning, and Decision Making)
alloway Improving Working Memory in Students: The New Intelligence

Tracy P. Alloway, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of North Florida; Author, "Can interactive working memory training improve learning?" (2012, Journal of Interactive Learning Research) and Improving Working Memory: Supporting Student Learning (2010); Co-Editor, Working Memory: The Connected Intelligence (2012)
buschkuehl Brain Training: Benefits and Challenges for Memory and Scholastic Skills

Martin Buschkuehl, PhD, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Psychology; Principal Investigator, Working Memory and Plasticity Laboratory, University of Maryland; Co-Author, "Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory" (2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
willis Using Brain Research to Help Students Develop Memory Networks and Become Problem Solvers

Judy A. Willis, MD, MEd, Board-Certified Neurologist; Adjunct Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara; Author, Learning to Love Math (2010), How Your Child Learns Best: Brain-Friendly Strategies to Ignite Your Child's Learning and Increase School Success (2008) and "Brain-based teaching strategies for improving students' memory, learning, and test-taking success" (2007, Childhood Education)
mccloskey Improving Working Memory in the Early Childhood Classroom

George McCloskey, PhD, Director, School Psychology Research; Professor, Department of Psychology, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; Author, Essentials of Executive Functions Assessment (2012) and Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties (2009)
hobson and levy Practical Ideas for Fostering Logical and Creative Thinking Skills

Nathan Levy, PhD, Gifted Educator: Author, Stories with Holes (2007); Co-Author, Thinkology (2012) and Scott Hobson, MA, Educational Consultant; Former Principal, Assistant Principal, and Master Teacher; Author, Breakfast for the Brain (2012)
ADDRESSING ATTENTION AND ADHD TO RAISE ACHIEVEMENT
denckla Executive Function: Scope and Impact

Martha B. Denckla, MD, Batza Family Endowed Chair; Director, Developmental Cognitive Neurology Clinic, Kennedy Krieger Institute; Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Professor of Education, Johns Hopkins University School of Education; Co-Author, "Working memory influences processing speed and reading fluency in ADHD" (2011, Child Neuropsychology) and "Neuropsychological profile of executive function in girls with ADHD" (2010, Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology)
tannock Can Educators Enhance Working Memory, Attention and Academics in Children with LD/ADHD?

Rosemary M. Tannock, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry; Professor of Special Education and Adaptive Instruction, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto; Director, ADHD/LD Cognitive Lab; Senior Scientist, The Hospital for Sick Children; Co-Author, "Effects of a computerized working memory training program on working memory, attention, and academics in adolescents with severe LD and comorbid ADHD" (2012, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry) and "Screening for Working Memory Deficits in the Classroom" (2012, Journal of Attention Disorders)
willingham What, If Anything, Are New Technologies Doing to Kids' Ability to Pay Attention?

Daniel T. Willingham, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia; Blogger, Science and Education Blog; Writer, "Ask the Cognitive Scientist" column for American Educator Magazine; Author, When Can You Trust the Experts? (2012) and Why Don't Students Like School? (2010)
barkley Executive Functioning in ADHD: Implications for Understanding and Management

Russell A. Barkley, PhD, ABPP ABCN, Professor of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina; Past President, Clinical Child Psychology Section of the American Psychological Association and of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology; Author, Taking Charge of ADHD (2013, revised.); Co-Author, ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says (2007); Co-Editor, Assessment of Childhood Disorders (2009, 4th ed.)

The Relationship Between ADHD, Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation

William R. Stixrud, PhD, Clinical Neuropsychologist; Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, George Washington School of Medicine; Adjunct Faculty, Children's National Medical Center; Director, The Stixrud Group; Co-Author, "Use of the transcendental meditation technique to reduce symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by reducing stress and anxiety: An exploratory study" (2008, Current Issues in Education)
razza Attention, Self-Regulation and School Success

Rachel A. Razza, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Child and Family Studies; Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching and Leadership, School of Education, Syracuse University; Co-Principal Investigator, Study on "Enhancing At-Risk Children's Self-Regulation Via Mindfulness and Yoga"; Co-Author, "Sustained attention at age 5 predicts attention-related problems at age 9" (2012, International Journal of Behavioral Development) and "The implications of early attentional regulation for school success among low-income children" (2012, Applied Developmental Psychology)
giedd ADHD: New Views from Brain Imaging

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; Adjunct Professor, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University; Co-Author, "A magnetization transfer imaging study of corpus callosum myelination in young children with autism (2012, Biological Psychiatry), "Developmental trajectories of the corpus callosum in attention-ˇdeficit/hyperactivity disorder" (2012, Biological Psychiatry) and "Cortical development in typically developing children with symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity: Support for a dimensional view of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" (2011, American Journal of Psychiatry)
USING MEDITATION AND EXERCISE TO ENHANCE EXECUTIVE SKILLS
jha Mindfulness Training, Working Memory and Attention: Implications for Education

Amishi P. Jha, PhD, Neuroscientist; Director, Jha Lab; Associate Professor of Psychology; Director of Contemplative Neuroscience, Mindfulness Research ghj_amp Practice Initiative, University of Miami; Co-Author, "Contemplative Practices and Mental Training: Prospects for American Education" (2012, Child Development Perspectives) and "Investigating the impact of mindfulness meditation training on working memory" (2011, Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience)
jennings A Mindfulness-Based Approach to Improving Student Learning, Attention and Self-Regulation

Patricia (Tish) Jennings, PhD, Research Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Studies, Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University; Senior Fellow, Initiative on Contemplative Teaching and Learning, Garrison Institute; Co-Leader, Program on Empathy Awareness and Compassion in Education; Co-Author, "Supporting educational goals through cultivating mindfulness: Approaches for teachers and students" (2012, The Handbook of Prosocial Education)
The Benefits of Exercise on the Brain and Executive Function Skills

John J. Ratey, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Clinical Psychiatrist; Author, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008) and A User's Guide to the Brain (2001)
Cognitive Training for Children with Executive and Learning Problems

Bruce E. Wexler, MD, Professor Emeritus, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; Director, Neurocognitive Research Laboratory, Connecticut Mental Health Center; Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, C8 Sciences, a cognitive development program that integrates physical and computer exercises to improve a child's ability to think, focus, learn, and social interaction; Author, Brain and Culture (2008)
Improving Memory Through Exercise and Cognitive Training

Kenneth S. Kosik, MD, Co-Director, Neuroscience Research Institute; Harriman Professor of Neuroscience Research, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara; Founder/Executive Director of Clinical Research, Cognitive Fitness and Innovative Therapies; Co-Author, The Alzheimer Solution: How Today's Care Is Failing Millions-and How We Can Do Better (2010)
tomporowski Is the Mind and Muscle?: How Physical Activity Affects Muscle and the Brain

Phillip D. Tomporowski, PhD
, Professor of Kinesiology; Coordinator - Exercise Science; Director of the Cognition and Skill Acquisition Laboratory, University of Georgia; Adjunct Associate Professor Department of Pediatrics Medical College of Georgia; Co-Author, Exercise Psychology (2013, 2nd Edition), "Physical activity interventions and children's mental function: An introduction and overview" (2011, Preventive Medicine), Exercise and Cognitive Function (2009) and "Exercise and Children's Intelligence, Cognition, and Academic Achievement" (2008, Educational Psychology Review)
LINKING SPATIAL AND REASONING SKILLS TO READING/MATH/SCIENCE
Brain imaging Studies of Dyslexia: The Role of Language and Visuospatial Processing

Guinevere F. Eden, DPhil, Professor, Department of Pediatrics; Director, Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University; Past President of International Dyslexia Association; Co-Author, "Gray matter volume changes following reading intervention in dyslexic children" (2011, Neuroimage), "Harnessing neuroplasticity for clinical applications" (2011, Brain) and "The possible relationship between visual deficits and dyslexia" (2000, Journal of Learning Disabilities); Editor, Learning, Skill Acquisition, Reading, and Dyslexia (2008)
newcombe Training Spatial Thinking and Reasoning Skills in Students for Success in STEM

Nora S. Newcombe, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Temple University; Principal Investigator, Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC); Associate Editor, Cognitive Psychology and WIRES in Cognitive Science; Co-Author, "The malleability of spatial skills: A meta-analysis of training studies" (2012, Psychological Bulletin) and Making Space: The Development of Spatial Representation and Reasoning (2000)
Harnessing the Power of Executive Function Strategies to Teach Reading and Math

Jack A. Naglieri, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, George Mason University; Research Professor, University of Virginia; Senior Research Scientist, Devereux Foundation's Center for Resilient Children; Co-Author, "Helping Children Learn: Intervention Handouts for Use in School and at Home" (2010, 2nd Edition); Co-Editor, Practitioner's Guide to Assessing Intelligence and Achievement (2009)
Executive Functions and Academic Production in Reading and Writing

George McCloskey, PhD, Director, School Psychology Research; Professor, Department of Psychology, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; Author, Essentials of Executive Function Assessment (2011) and Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties (2009)
What's Missing? How Research on the Executive Brain and Learning Can Support Complex Thinking Embedded in the Common Core Standards

Sarah Armstrong, EdD; Senior Director of K-12 Professional Development, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, University of Virginia; Consultant and President, Leading and Learning Solutions; Former Teacher and Administrator; Author, Teaching Smarter with the Brain in Focus (2008)
novick Benefits of Executive Control Training for Language Processing

Jared M. Novick, PhD; Co-Investigator, Working Memory and Plasticity Laboratory; Associate Research Scientist, Center for Advanced Study of Language, University of Maryland; Co-Author, "The benefits of executive control training and the implications for language processing" (2012, Frontiers in Psychology) and "Broca's area and language processing: Evidence for the cognitive control connection" (2010, Language and Linguistics Compass)
grissmer Minds in Motion: Play-Based After-School Curriculum Produces Gains in Executive Function, Visuo-Spatial and Math Skills for Disadvantaged Children

David W. Grissmer, PhD,
Principal Scientist; Research Professor, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia; Co-Author, "Fine motor skills and early comprehension of the world: Two new school readiness indicators" (2010, Developmental Psychology) and "Can gaps in the quality of early environments and non-cognitive skills help explain persisting black-white achievement gaps?" (2008, In Stalled Progress: Inequality and the Black-White Test Score)
PROMOTING PLAY AND SELF-REGULATION FOR SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
leong The Power of Play in Young Children: Fostering Play and the Development of Self-Regulation

Deborah J. Leong, PhD, Professor Emerita of Psychology, Metropolitan State College of Denver; Executive Director, Tools of the Mind; Senior Research Fellow at the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Rutgers University; Co-Author, Tools of the Mind: the Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education (2006, 2nd edition)
carlson Executive Function, Pretend Play and School Success

Stephanie M. Carlson, PhD, Director, Carson Child Development Lab; Associate Professor in the Institute of Child Development and Center for Neurobehavioral Development, College of Education and Human Development; University of Minnesota; Co-Author, "Executive function, pretend play, and imagination" (April 2013, The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Imagination); "Self-regulation and school success" (Forthcoming, Self-regulation and Autonomy)
Practical Strategies for Teaching Students to Self-Regulate Mindsets

Kathleen M. Kryza, MA, Consultant; Adjunct Lecturer, School of Education, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor/Dearborn; Co-Author, Inspiring Elementary Learners (2008)
cameron The Child in Context: Self-Regulation, Executive Function and Academic Achievement

Claire E. Cameron, PhD, Research Scientist, Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia; Co-Author, "Self‐regulation and academic achievement in elementary school" (2012, New Directions in Child and Adolescent Development)