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REDUCE PROBLEM BEHAVIORS AND STRESS BY IMPROVING THE SELF

Social and psychology researchers have found that we can improve student behavior and achievement as well as reduce student and teacher stress by focusing on improving our self-stories and beliefs, confidence, self-care, and practicing mindfulness and self-compassion. Psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed in his "Hierarchy of Needs" that self-esteem (the need to feel loved and accepted by yourself and others) was essential for self-actualization -- or becoming the best you can be. However, Maslow believed self-esteem wasn't enough. Self-actualization also requires getting outside oneself, transcending the ego, and experiencing love of self and others, awe, and curiosity. This conference will show you how changing students' self-stories, concepts, and identity can improve their behavior and help them overcome trauma and self-doubt; why promoting mindfulness and self-compassion can reduce stress and boost achievement and self-actualization; how confidence, self-awareness, and curiosity increase learning; and ways practicing authenticity and self-care as educators can improve student engagement.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

You will gain knowledge about:
  • The science of self-esteem, awareness and actualization
  • How children's sense of self and worth develop early in life
  • Ways to change self-stories and concepts to improve behavior and treat trauma
  • Teaching students be more aware, accepted, and confident
  • How mindful self-compassion reduces stress and improves achievement
  • Ways students' self-concepts and beliefs impact math, reading, and learning
  • Why curiosity and awe motivate math and science learning and thinking
  • How Maslow's “Hierarchy of Needs” connects to teaching and learning
  • Cultivating student self-awareness, acceptance, esteem, and confidence
  • Why teacher authenticity, awareness, and self-care can improve student engagement
  • Using self-stories and self-efficacy for reading and school climate
  • Strategies to improve self-confidence and empower girls and teens



WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This conference is applicable for K-12 teachers, administrators, curriculum and staff developers, learning specialists, school psychologists and counselors, early childhood professionals, math, science and reading teachers, superintendents, principals and school heads, staff development trainers, social workers, school climate professionals, college and university professors, and other educators that support classroom instruction.

Featured Speakers

The Deep History of Ourselves

Joseph E. LeDoux, PhD

Director, Emotional Brain Institute ; Principal Investigator, Center for Neural Science, New York University; Researcher, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research; Author, The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains (2019), Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety (2016), Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are (2003), and The Emotional Brain (1996)

Love One Another: The Benefits of Kindness, Loving-Kindness Meditation, and "Positivity Resonance"

Barbara L. Fredrickson, PhD

Kenan Distinguished Professor; Director, Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (PEP Lab), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Author, “Biological Underpinnings of Positive Emotions and Purpose” (2016, The Social Psychology of the Good Life), Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become (2013), and Positivity (2009); Co-Author, “Staying ‘In Sync’ With Others During COVID-19: Positivity Resonance Mediates Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Links Between Trait Resilience and Mental Health” (2020, In Review), and “The Lay Concept of a Meaningful Life: The Role of Subjective and Objective Factors in Attributions of Meaning” (2020, In Review)

Redirect: Changing Students' Behavior by Editing Their Self Stories

Timothy D. Wilson, PhD

Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia; Winner of the Association for Psychological Science’s “William James Fellow Award” for a “lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology”; Author, Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change (2011) and Strangers to Ourselves (2004); Co-Author, The Handbook of Self-Knowledge (2012) and Social Psychology (2012, 8th Edition)

The Science of Self-Kindness: Using Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Students' Brains for Calm, Clarity, and Thriving

Shauna L. Shapiro, PhD

International Mindfulness/Meditation Expert; Clinical Psychologist; Professor of Counseling and Psychology, Santa Clara University; Author, Good Morning, I Love You: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Your Brain for Calm, Clarity and Joy (Forthcoming, 2020); Co-Author, The Art and Science of Mindfulness: Integrating Mindfulness into Psychology and the Helping Professions (2017, 2nd Edition), Mindful Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child (2014) and the audio book with Kristin Neff, PhD, The Science of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion: How to Build New Habits to Transform Your Life (2019)

The Psychology of Self-Transcendence: Awe, Elevation, and Hive Psychology

Jonathan Haidt, PhD

Social Psychologist; Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, Stern School of Business, New York University; Chosen by Prospect Magazine as one of the world's "Top 50 Thinkers"; Author, The Happiness Hypothesis (2006) and The Righteous Mind (2013); Co-Author, The Coddling of the American Mind (2018), “Finding Self in the Self-Transcendent Emotions” (2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), “Moral Psychology in the 21st Century” (2013, Moral Education), and Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived (2002)

Transcend: The Science of Self-Actualization

Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD

Cognitive and Humanistic Psychologist; Adjunct Associate Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University; Host of the #1 Psychology Podcast, The Psychology Podcast, with over 12 million downloads; Columnist, “Beautiful Minds,” Scientific American; Author, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization (2020), “Post-Traumatic Growth: Finding Meaning and Creativity in Adversity” (2020, Scientific American), and “Self-Actualized People in the 21st Century: Integration With Contemporary Theory and Research on Personality and Wellbeing” (2018, Journal of Humanistic Psychology); Co-Author, Wired to Create (2016) and “Imagination Is the Seed of Creativity” (2018, The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity)

Self-Confidence, Self-Reflection, Self-Assessment, and Self-Adjustment Matter: Strengthening Ourselves for Our Students

Baruti K. Kafele, MA

Principal; Master Teacher and Transformational School Leader; New Jersey State Teacher of the Year; Recipient of more than 100 awards including New Jersey Education Association Award of Excellence, the prestigious Milken National Educator Award and the National Alliance of Black School Educators Hall of Fame Award; Author, "The Mental Balancing Act for School Leaders" (2021, Educational Leadership), The Assistant Principal 50 (2020), The Aspiring Principal 50 (2019), Is My School a Better School Because I Lead It? (2018), The Teacher 50 (2016), and Closing the Attitude Gap (2013)

How Trusted Allies Strengthen and Expand the Self

Todd B. Kashdan, PhD

Professor, Department of Psychology, George Mason University; Director, Well-Being Laboratory; Awarded 2013 Distinguished Early Career Researcher Award by the American Psychological Association; Author, The Art of Insubordination (2022), The Upside of Your Darkside (2017), Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology (2013), Designing Positive Psychology (2010), Curious? (2009); Co-Author, "Social Anxiety Is Associated with Similar Emotional Impairments During Digital and Face-to-Face Communication in Daily Life" (2020, PsyArXiv), "Gratitude Across the Life-Span: Age Differences and Links to Subjective Well-being" (2019, Positive Psychology), "When Empathy Matters: The Role of Sex and Empathy in Close Friendships" (2017, Personality)

1) KNOWING OURSELVES: THE SCIENCE OF ACCEPTANCE, AWARENESS, & ACTUALIZATION

Transcend: The Science of Self-Actualization

Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD

Cognitive and Humanistic Psychologist; Adjunct Associate Professor, Barnard College, Columbia University; Host of the #1 Psychology Podcast, The Psychology Podcast, with over 12 million downloads; Columnist, “Beautiful Minds,” Scientific American; Author, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization (2020), “Post-Traumatic Growth: Finding Meaning and Creativity in Adversity” (2020, Scientific American), and “Self-Actualized People in the 21st Century: Integration With Contemporary Theory and Research on Personality and Wellbeing” (2018, Journal of Humanistic Psychology); Co-Author, Wired to Create (2016) and “Imagination Is the Seed of Creativity” (2018, The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity)

The Deep History of Ourselves

Joseph E. LeDoux, PhD

Director, Emotional Brain Institute ; Principal Investigator, Center for Neural Science, New York University; Researcher, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research; Author, The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains (2019), Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety (2016), Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are (2003), and The Emotional Brain (1996)

Awareness of the Self as a Teacher

Vanessa Rodriguez, EdD

Assistant Professor, Center for Early Child Health and Development, Department of Public Health, NYU Langone Health; Co-Director, Neuroscience & Education Collaborative, New York University; Former K-12 Teacher; Author, The Teaching Brain: An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart of Education (2014) and “Teachers' Awareness of the Learner-Teacher Interaction: Preliminary Communication of a Study Investigating The Teaching Brain” (2013, Mind, Brain, & Education)

How Trusted Allies Strengthen and Expand the Self

Todd B. Kashdan, PhD

Professor, Department of Psychology, George Mason University; Director, Well-Being Laboratory; Awarded 2013 Distinguished Early Career Researcher Award by the American Psychological Association; Author, The Art of Insubordination (2022), The Upside of Your Darkside (2017), Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology (2013), Designing Positive Psychology (2010), Curious? (2009); Co-Author, "Social Anxiety Is Associated with Similar Emotional Impairments During Digital and Face-to-Face Communication in Daily Life" (2020, PsyArXiv), "Gratitude Across the Life-Span: Age Differences and Links to Subjective Well-being" (2019, Positive Psychology), "When Empathy Matters: The Role of Sex and Empathy in Close Friendships" (2017, Personality)

Cultivating Self-Awareness to Move Learning Forward: Promoting the Development of Executive Function and Self-Awareness

Sucheta A. Kamath, MA, CCC-SLP

Founder/CEO, ExQ®; Founder/CEO, Cerebral Matters, LLC; Podcast Host, "Full PreFrontal" Podcast; Author, "The Most Prepared Student: 5 Ways to Promote Intentional Self-Discovery in Learning" (2019, EducationDrive)

The Science of Self-Knowledge: Knowing Ourselves and How Others May Know Us Better

Norhan Elsaadawy, PhD Candidate

Teaching Assistant, Department of Psychology; Graduate Student in the Self-Knowledge and Interpersonal Perception (SKIP) Lab, University of Toronto Mississauga; Co-Author, “Figuring Out How Others See Us: The Formation of Accurate Meta-Perceptions” (2019, The Oxford Handbook of Accurate Personality Judgement)

2) SCHOOLING THE SELF: HOW CHANGING SELF-STORIES/CONCEPTS CHANGE BEHAVIOR & TRAUMA

Redirect: Changing Students' Behavior by Editing Their Self Stories

Timothy D. Wilson, PhD

Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia; Winner of the Association for Psychological Science’s “William James Fellow Award” for a “lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology”; Author, Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change (2011) and Strangers to Ourselves (2004); Co-Author, The Handbook of Self-Knowledge (2012) and Social Psychology (2012, 8th Edition)

The Self in Action: Impacts of Self-Concepts and Self-Beliefs on Behavior and Academic Achievement from Childhood to Adolescence

Pamela Davis-Kean, PhD

Professor of Psychology; Director, Population, Neurodevelopment, and GeneticsProgram, Institute for Social Research; Associate Director, Michigan Institute for Data Science, University of Michigan; Co-Author, “Self-Concept Predicts Academic Achievement across Levels of the Achievement Distribution: Domain-Specificity for Math and Reading” (2018, Child Development)

 

Ability Stereotypes and Children's Self-Concepts: Working Toward Equity in the Classroom

Andrei Cimpian, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology; Director, Cognitive Development Lab, New York University; Co-Author, “Intuitions About Personal Identity are Rooted in Essentialist Thinking Across Development” (2019, Cognition), “Young Children’s Self-Concepts Include Representations of Abstract Traits and the Global Self” (2017, Child Development), and “How Children Construct Views of Themselves: A Social-Developmental Perspective” (2017, Child Development)

How Telling Our Story Transforms Our Self

Paula Prentis, LMSW

Licensed social worker, author, speaker and life coach. For over twenty-five years Paula has written and spoken extensively to support teens, young adults, caregivers and educators as they navigate and understand the intricacies of child development and mental health. She developed social emotional learning curriculum, and co-created a free online platform to facilitate teaching and learning about mental and physical health (www.YourSelfSeries.com). For over ten years, Paula has spoken nationwide on issues pertaining to health and wellness, neuroscience, identity development and education.

The Stories Students Live By: Narrative Identity and the Development of an Agentic Self

Dan P. McAdams, PhD

The Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology; Professor of Human Development and Social Policy; Director, Foley Center for the Study of Lives, Northwestern University; Co-Author, The Handbook of Personality Development (2019), “Telling Better Stories: Competence-Building Narrative Themes Increase Adolescent Persistence and Academic Achievement” (2017, Experimental Social Psychology), The Art and Science of Personality Development (2016), The Redemptive Self (2013), and The Stories We Live By (1997); Co-Editor, Identity and Story: Creating Self in Narrative (2006)

Teaching Children People Skills Through Literature and Activities to Support Genuine Self-Esteem

Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD

Psychologist; Advisory Board Member, Parents Magazine; Blogger for Psychology Today, PBS Parents, and US News & World Report; Creator, DrFriendtastic.com, which features friendship advice for kids; Professor for The Great Courses audio/video series, Raising Emotionally and Socially Healthy Kids; Co-Author, Kid Confidence: Help Your Child Make Friends, Build Resilience, and Develop Real Self-Esteem (Forthcoming, 2019), Growing Friendships: A Kids’ Guide to Making and Keeping Friends (2017), Smart Parenting for Smart Kids (2011), and The Unwritten Rules of Friendship (2008)

Exploring Who You Are: The Long-Lasting Benefits of Helping Students Explore Their Identity

Adriana J. Umaña-Taylor, PhD

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Co-Developer of the curriculum, “The Identity Project”; Associate Editor, Journal of Research on Adolescence; Member, Executive Council of the Society for Research on Adolescence; Co-Author, Below the Surface: Talking with Teens About Race, Ethnicity, and Identity (2019)

Trauma on Learning, Behavior, and Self-Esteem: Teaching & Self-Care from a Trauma-Informed Perspective

Hayley Watson, PhD

Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist; Mental Health Professional; Teacher Trainer; Certified Yoga Teacher; Founder, "Open Parachute", a mental health middle and high school curriculum and intervention for schools in the US, Canada, and Australia

3) CONFIDENT SELF: BOOSTING SELF-CONFIDENCE IN KIDS, GIRLS, TEENS, & TEACHERS

Relating to Ourselves and Others: The Science of Self-Esteem, Self-Compassion, and Authenticity

Mark R. Leary, PhD

Garonzik Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University; Author, The Curse of the Self (2007); Co-Author, “Self-Judgements of Authenticity” (2020, Self and Identity), Selfhood: Identity, Esteem, and Regulation (2019), and “Self-Compassion and Responses to Negative Social Feedback” (2018, Self and Identity); Co-Editor, Handbook of Self and Identity (2013)

Kids' Confidence: What We Get Wrong About Children's Self-Esteem

Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD

Psychologist; Advisory Board Member, Parents Magazine; Blogger for Psychology Today, PBS Parents, and US News & World Report; Creator, DrFriendtastic.com, which features friendship advice for kids; Professor for The Great Courses audio/video series, Raising Emotionally and Socially Healthy Kids; Co-Author, Kid Confidence: Help Your Child Make Friends, Build Resilience, and Develop Real Self-Esteem (Forthcoming, 2019), Growing Friendships: A Kids’ Guide to Making and Keeping Friends (2017), Smart Parenting for Smart Kids (2011), and The Unwritten Rules of Friendship (2008)

Self-Confidence, Self-Reflection, Self-Assessment, and Self-Adjustment Matter: Strengthening Ourselves for Our Students

Baruti K. Kafele, MA

Principal; Master Teacher and Transformational School Leader; New Jersey State Teacher of the Year; Recipient of more than 100 awards including New Jersey Education Association Award of Excellence, the prestigious Milken National Educator Award and the National Alliance of Black School Educators Hall of Fame Award; Author, "The Mental Balancing Act for School Leaders" (2021, Educational Leadership), The Assistant Principal 50 (2020), The Aspiring Principal 50 (2019), Is My School a Better School Because I Lead It? (2018), The Teacher 50 (2016), and Closing the Attitude Gap (2013)

How to Like Yourself: Building Teens' Confidence and Quiet Their Inner Critic

Cheryl M. Bradshaw, RP, BEd, MA

Registered Psychotherapist; Mental Health Counselor and Chair of the Student Mental Health Awareness and Self-Regulation Committee, University of Guelph; Member, Young Canadian’s Roundtable on Health; Author, The Resilience Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Gain Confidence, Manage Stress, and Cultivate a Growth Mindset (2019), and How to Like Yourself: A Teen's Guide to Quieting Your Inner Critic and Building Lasting Self-Esteem (2016)

Empowering Teens: Using Restorative Circles to Promote Confidence, Compassion, Self-Awareness, and Acceptance

Amber Chandler, MA

2018 Association of Middle Level Educators Educator of the Year; National Board Certified middle school ELA teacher; Author of The Flexible SEL Classroom and The Flexible ELA Classroom: Differentiation for Grades 4-8; Adjunct Professor of New Literacy and Differentiation, Canisius College in New York; Columnist,"Milestones" and "Mentor Me"; President of Frontier Central Teachers Association; Education Partner AFT's ShareMyLesson; Recipient of NoVo Foundation SEL in Action grant 2016 and 2017; Recipient of Teaching Tolerance Educator in Action Grant 2018; Director of Frontier Central School Summer Learning; Association of Middle Level Educators Board of Trustees 2018-2021

4) LOVING SELF AND OTHERS: HOW SEL & MINDFUL SELF-COMPASSION REDUCES STRESS & RAISES ACHIEVEMENT

Love One Another: The Benefits of Kindness, Loving-Kindness Meditation, and "Positivity Resonance"

Barbara L. Fredrickson, PhD

Kenan Distinguished Professor; Director, Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (PEP Lab), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Author, “Biological Underpinnings of Positive Emotions and Purpose” (2016, The Social Psychology of the Good Life), Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become (2013), and Positivity (2009); Co-Author, “Staying ‘In Sync’ With Others During COVID-19: Positivity Resonance Mediates Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Links Between Trait Resilience and Mental Health” (2020, In Review), and “The Lay Concept of a Meaningful Life: The Role of Subjective and Objective Factors in Attributions of Meaning” (2020, In Review)

The Science of Self-Kindness: Using Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Students' Brains for Calm, Clarity, and Thriving

Shauna L. Shapiro, PhD

International Mindfulness/Meditation Expert; Clinical Psychologist; Professor of Counseling and Psychology, Santa Clara University; Author, Good Morning, I Love You: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Your Brain for Calm, Clarity and Joy (Forthcoming, 2020); Co-Author, The Art and Science of Mindfulness: Integrating Mindfulness into Psychology and the Helping Professions (2017, 2nd Edition), Mindful Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child (2014) and the audio book with Kristin Neff, PhD, The Science of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion: How to Build New Habits to Transform Your Life (2019)

Integrating Mindfulness and Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom

Carla Tantillo Philibert, MA

Founder, Mindful Practices; Co-Founder, Class Catalyst; Author, Everyday SEL in Early Childhood (2017), Everyday SEL in Elementary School (2016), Everyday SEL in Middle School and High School (2016), and Cooling Down Your Classroom (Using Yoga, Relaxation, and Breathing Strategies to Help Students Learn to Keep Their Cool) (2012)

Self-Calm, Self-Aware: Mindfulness Practices in the Classroom

Kathleen M. Kryza, MA

Master Teacher; CIO, Infinite Horizons; Co-Author, Transformative Teaching: Changing Today's Classrooms Culturally, Academically, and Emotionally (2015), Developing Growth Mindsets in the Inspiring Classroom (2011), Inspiring Elementary Learners (2008), Inspiring Middle and Secondary Learners (2007), and Differentiation for Real Classrooms (2009)

Making Friends with Yourself: Teaching Teens Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

Karen Bluth, PhD

Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Associate Editor, Mindfulness; Author, The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness and Compassion Skills to Overcome Self-Criticism and Embrace Who You Are (2017); Co-Author, “New Frontiers in Understanding the Benefits of Self-Compassion” (2018, Self & Identity), “Response to a Mindful Self-Compassion Intervention in Teens: A Within-person Association of Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Emotional Well-being Outcomes” (2017, Journal of Adolescents), and “A School-Based Mindfulness Pilot Study for Ethnically Diverse At-Risk Adolescents” (2016, Mindfulness)

Moving from Me to We: Teaching Collective Efficacy to Cultivate Resilience, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Reframe Mental Health Self-Stories

Kristen Lee, EdD, LICSW

Behavioral Health Clinician and Educator; Lead Faculty for Behavioral Science; Associate Teaching Professor of Psychology, Northeastern University; Author, "How We Find Resilience During Impossible Times" (2020, Psychology Today), Mentalligence: A New Psychology of Thinking (2018), and RESET: Make the Most of Your Stress: Your 24-7 Plan for Well-Being (2014)

5) BEING YOURSELF: HOW AUTHENTICITY & SELF-CARE IMPROVES STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Teach Like Yourself: Using Authentic Teaching to Transform Our Students and Ourselves

Gravity Goldberg, EdD

Educational Consultant; Former Assistant Professor of Education, Iona College; Former Instructor and Staff Developer, Reading and Writing Project, Teachers College, Columbia University; Author, Teach Like Yourself: How Authentic Teaching Transforms Our Students and Ourselves (2018), Mindsets and Moves: Strategies That Help Readers Take Charge (2015); Co-Author, What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? (2017) and Conferring With Readers: Supporting Each Student’s Growth and Independence (2007)

Take Time For You: Utilizing Self-Care for Educators to Foster Esteem, Self-Actualization, and Transcendence

Tina H. Boogren, PhD

Former Teacher; Instructional Coach; Professional Developer; Author, 180 Days of Self-Care for Busy Educators (2019), Take Time for You: Self-Care Action Plans for Educators Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Positive Psychology (2018); Co-Author, Motivation and Inspiration: Strategies to Awaken the Learner - Helping Students Connect to Something Greater Than Themselves (2016)

Everyday Self-Care for Educators

Carla Tantillo Philibert, MA

Founder, Mindful Practices; Co-Founder, Class Catalyst; Author, Everyday SEL in Early Childhood (2017), Everyday SEL in Elementary School (2016), Everyday SEL in Middle School and High School (2016), and Cooling Down Your Classroom (Using Yoga, Relaxation, and Breathing Strategies to Help Students Learn to Keep Their Cool) (2012)

The Self, Self-Care, and Self-Actualization for Educators

Amanda J. Wintink, PhD

Chief Executive Officer and Director, Centre for Applied Neuroscience; Instructor, University of Guelph-Humber; Author, Self Science: A Guide to the Mind and Your Brain's Potential (2016)

Strengthen Overall Literacy Achievement by Centering on Self-Efficacy, Relevance, and Authenticity

Leslie E. Laud, EdD

Founding Director, thinkSRSD; Adjunct Professor, Columbia University; Former Learning Specialist, United Nations International School; Co-Author, Releasing Writers: Evidence-Based Strategies for Developing Self-Regulated Writers (2020) and Using Formative Assessment to Differentiate Middle School Literacy Instruction (2012); Editor, Differentiated Instruction in Literacy, Math, and Science (2011)

Happy Teacher Revolution: Supporting the Mental Health and Wellness of Educators

Danna Thomas, MSEd

Former Baltimore City Public School Teacher; Founder/CEO of the Happy Teacher Revolution, a global initiative to support the mental health, self-care, and wellness of educators; Recipient of the 2019 Johns Hopkins Community Hero Award and the 2019 Winner of the $15,000 Award at the Social Innovation Lab, Johns Hopkins University; Former national spokeswoman for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Maryland and the “Music for Mental Health” campaign

6) BEYOND SELF: HOW WONDER, AWE, & CURIOSITY PROMOTE LEARNING

A Nuanced View of Curiosity: Managing the Anxiety of Confronting the New

Todd B. Kashdan, PhD

Professor, Department of Psychology, George Mason University; Director, Well-Being Laboratory; Awarded 2013 Distinguished Early Career Researcher Award by the American Psychological Association; Author, The Art of Insubordination (2022), The Upside of Your Darkside (2017), Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology (2013), Designing Positive Psychology (2010), Curious? (2009); Co-Author, "Social Anxiety Is Associated with Similar Emotional Impairments During Digital and Face-to-Face Communication in Daily Life" (2020, PsyArXiv), "Gratitude Across the Life-Span: Age Differences and Links to Subjective Well-being" (2019, Positive Psychology), "When Empathy Matters: The Role of Sex and Empathy in Close Friendships" (2017, Personality)

The Case for Curiosity: Curiosity, Early Academic Achievement, and the Role of Early Experiences

Prachi E. Shah, MD

Associate Professor, Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics; Associate Research Professor, Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan; Co-Author, “Emotional Regulation in Children and Adolescents” (2020, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics) and “Early Childhood Curiosity and Kindergarten Reading and Math Academic Achievement” (2018, Pediatric Research)

The Psychology of Self-Transcendence: Awe, Elevation, and Hive Psychology

Jonathan Haidt, PhD

Social Psychologist; Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, Stern School of Business, New York University; Chosen by Prospect Magazine as one of the world's "Top 50 Thinkers"; Author, The Happiness Hypothesis (2006) and The Righteous Mind (2013); Co-Author, The Coddling of the American Mind (2018), “Finding Self in the Self-Transcendent Emotions” (2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), “Moral Psychology in the 21st Century” (2013, Moral Education), and Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived (2002)

Curiosity in the Classroom: Promoting Child Curiosity, Wonder, Exploration, Questions, and Scientific Thinking

Jamie J. Jirout, PhD

Assistant Professor; Principal Investigator, Research in Education and Learning Lab, University of Virginia; Co-Author, “Curiosity in Schools” (2018, The New Science of Curiosity), “Children's Scientific Curiosity: In Search of an Operational Definition of an Elusive Concept” (2012, Developmental Review) and “Children's Recognition of Uncertainty and Exploratory Curiosity” (2009, Society for Research in Child Development)

The Power of Awe: How It Promotes Awareness of Knowledge Gaps and Interest in Science

Jon McPhetres, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Hill/Levene Schools of Business, University of Regina; Postdoctoral Fellow, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Author, “Oh, The Things You Don’t Know: Awe Promotes Awareness of Knowledge Gaps and Science Interest” (2019, Cognition & Emotion)

Awe and Self-Transcendent Experiences: From Space Flight to Virtual Reality

David B. Yaden, PhD Student

Research Fellow, Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania; Founding Research Scientist, The Varieties Corpus – a project that seeks to collect descriptions of “spiritual” or “self-transcendent” experiences and examine the science behind them; Co-Author, “The Development of the Awe Experience Scale: A Multifactorial Measure for a Complex Emotion” (2018, The Journal of Positive Psychology) and “The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience” (2017, Review of General Psychology)

Co-Sponsors Include:

Mind, Brain, and Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Neuroscience and Education Program, Teachers College, Columbia University

Laboratory for Educational Neuroscience (brainLENS), University of Connecticut and University of California, San Franscisco

National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)

LEARNING & the BRAIN® Foundation

Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, The Dana Foundation