program

Engage in intensive training to learn about the applications of the science of learning to education.

Cost: $795 per person/ $695 for groups of 3 or more

Join Us For This Online Summer Institute

From July 13-17, 2020, Learning & the Brain is offering an online Summer Institute 

As teachers, how can we best combine our experience and wisdom with insights from neuroscience and psychology? This lively and interactive institute explores current brain research through four essential topics: working memory, long-term memory, emotion, and attention. We begin with the little-recognized goal of all schooling, schema formation: a concept crucial for understanding optimal teaching. With this goal in mind, we explore the core functions of working memory; the encoding and retrieval strategies that best consolidate learning; the perils and benefits of stress; and the surprising cognitive mechanisms that promote classroom attention. Topics will range from the neural basis of long-term memory formation to strategies for reducing the distractions of classroom technology. In every case, we balance an in-depth exploration of research with practical and flexible classroom strategies. To ensure that our work remains hands-on and personal, the workshop is limited to 40 participants.

The Summer Institute Is for:

  • PreK-12 Teachers and Academic Administrators
  • School Psychologists, Learning Specialists, and Counselors
  • Academic Support Staff

At This Institute, You Will:

  • Understand and apply the core concept of “schema formation” at the heart of learning
  • Develop insights and strategies to anticipate, identify, and mitigate working memory overload
  • Nurture long-term memory formation—that is,learning—with research on encoding, retrieval, and consolidation
  • Discuss current research on attention to enhance student focus and boost classroom energy
  • Enrich classroom practice by converting stresses to challenges and fostering a positive emotional climate
  • Understand psychology and neuroscience research articles, with a particular focus on developing effective and informed skepticism

About the Institute

This Learning & the Brain Summer Institute will be led by Andrew Watson. The program translates well-established neuroscience and psychology findings into specific classroom strategies. We will especially emphasize the practical teaching application of brain research, with a consistent focus on healthy skepticism.  The program offers participants frequent opportunities to discuss their own teaching practices, and to apply research findings to their lesson-plans, syllabi, assessments, and classroom practices. Active participation is expected throughout this Institute through group discussion. Participants will be expected to bring in material and questions from their own experiences to share with the group.

Watson

About Andrew Watson

Andrew Watson, MA. EdM, has been connecting brain research with teachers and schoolsfor the better part of a decade. A one-time dean of faculty, and an award-winning teacher with 16 years of experience, Andrew Watson now presents on classroom uses of neuroscience and psychology research. As Founder and President of Translate the Brain, an educational consultancy, he works with teachers, students, administrators, and parents to make learning easier and teaching more effective. He has presented at schools and workshops across the country and serves as an advisor to several organizations, including “The People’s Science” and “The Brain Education Project.” Andrew is the Editor of the Learning & the Brain Blog and author of  Learning Begins: The Science of Working Memory and Attention for the Classroom Teacher (2017) and Learning Grows (Forthcoming 2019).

 

Professional Development Credit:

This program provides a total of up to 20 hours toward professional development credit for various professionals. For details on credit offered, visit our CE credit page or call our office at 781-449-4010 ext. 104.