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    TEACHING HEALTHY MINDS, BRAINS, AND BODIES

    Today, students are less mentally and physically healthy, active, and engaged as a result of the pandemic, technology, and lifestyle changes. Students are getting less sleep, exercise, play, and active learning activities. A 2022 US Report Card of Physical Activity found that fewer than 1 in 10 children ages 6-17 met the federal guidelines for at least 60-minutes of moderate exercise daily, only 62% of US school districts require elementary schools to provide regularly scheduled recess or play time, and only 22% of high school students get 8 hours of sleep. This is a concern since the Learning Sciences show moving, sleeping, playing, socializing, and active, engaging activities are essential for learning, memory, well-being and brain health.

    This interdisciplinary conference will bring neuroscientists, psychologists, researchers, and educators together to explore “The Science of Learning,” and how promoting healthy brains, active bodies, and engaged minds can improve learning, memory, grades, and teaching. Discover ways to build memories; engage active “minds-on” learning; promote play, exercise, and movement; support sleep, brain health and well-being; improve math, science, and reading instruction; and establish effective evidence-based teaching practices. 
    Download Brochure

    LEARNING OBJECTIVES

    The science of learning and building memories
    Strategies for evidence-based effective teaching
    How movement and physical activity boost thinking
    Teaching and training active, healthy brains and bodies
    The role of sleep/meditation on memory, health, and grades
    Promoting well-being, exercise, brain health, and happiness
    Engaging active minds, games, and well-being in teenagers
    The benefits of spacing, practice, and “minds-on” learning
    The science of play and ways to create playful classroom
    Improving reading, math, and science instruction

    WHO SHOULD ATTEND

    Educators, Parents
    Curriculum, Staff Developers
    Speech-Language Pathologists
    PreK-12 Teachers, Administrators
    Learning Specialists, Special Educators
    Psychologists, School Psychologists, Counselors
    Early Childhood Educators, Professionals
    Superintendents, Principals, School Heads
    Teen, PE, Health, Reading, Technology Educators
    Social Workers, Wellness, Mental Health Professionals
    School of Education, Teacher Leaders
    College, University Professors

    Featured Speakers

    The Science of Wellbeing: Teaching and Training for Healthy Minds, Brains, and Bodies
    Richard J. Davidson, PhD
    Richard J. Davidson, PhD

    William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry; Director of the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior and the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience; Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Renowned for his scientific studies on emotions, wellbeing, and the brain; Friend and Confidante of the Dalai Lama; Named one of “The Most Influential People in the World” by Time Magazine in 2006; Co-Author, “Emotional Well-Being: What Is It and Why It Matters” (2023, Affective Science), “COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on College Student Mental Health” (2023, American College Health),  Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body (2007) and The Emotional Life of Your Brain (2012); Co-Editor, The Mind’s Own Physician (2012)

    The Science of Teaching
    David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair
    David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair
    Professor Emeritus of Psychology, James Madison University; Former Executive Director and Founding Board Member, International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Former Managing Editor, Mind, Brain, and Education Journal; Recognized in the “Top 1% of Educational Researchers Influencing Public Debate” in the US; Co-Author, “Toward an Ecological Science of Teaching” (2021, Canadian Psychology), “Seeing Self and Others On-Screen Does Not Negatively Impact Learning in Virtual Classrooms” (2021, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology), and “E-Textbooks at What Cost? Performance and Use of Electronic v. Print Texts” (2013, Computers and Education)
    The Psychology and Ingredients for Great Teaching
    Pedro De Bruyckere, PhD
    Pedro De Bruyckere, PhD

    Researcher; Educational Scientist, College of Applied Sciences, Artevelde University; Author, The Ingredients for Great Teaching (2018); Co-Author, The Psychology of Great Teaching: (Almost) Everything Teachers Ought to Know (2022), "Translating Research into Classroom Practice: Cognitive Science and Beyond" (2022, The Chartered College of Teaching), More Urban Myths About Learning and Education (2019), and Urban Myths About Learning and Education (2015)

    The Science of Learning: Building Memories and Effective Learners
    Barbara A. Oakley, PhD, PE
    Barbara A. Oakley, PhD, PE
    Ramon y Cajal Distinguished Scholar of Global Digital Learning, McMaster University; Professor of Engineering, Oakland University; Co-Founder, SmarterHumans.ai; Co-Author, "The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI" (2015, arXiv), Learn Like a Pro (2021), Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn (2021), and Learning How to Learn (2018); Author, Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential (2017) and A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (2014)
    Building Meaning Builds Brains: The Science of Emotions, Brain Development, and Effective Teaching
    Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD
    Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD
    Director, USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning, and Education (CANDLE); Professor of Education, USC Rossier School of Education; Professor of Psychology, Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California; Author, Emotions, Learning, and the Brain: Exploring the Educational Implications of Affective Neuroscience (2015); Co-Author, “Nurturing Nature: How Brain Development Is Inherently Social and Emotional, and What This Means for Education” (2025, Social and Emotional Learning), “Growing the Adolescent Mind: Thinking That Ranges From the Here and Now to the Far Away and Beyond May Build Brains and Enhance Life” (2025, Scientific American), and “Default and Executive Networks’ Roles in Diverse Adolescents’ Emotionally Engaged Construal’s of Complex Social Issues” (2022, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience)
    Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning for Active “Minds-On” and Playful Classrooms
    Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD
    Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD
    Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Faculty Fellow; Department of Psychology, Temple University; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Fellow, Cognitive Science Society, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and American Educational Research Association; Co-Director, Child's Play, Learning, and Development Laboratory; Co-Author, Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice (2022), “Active Learning: “Hands-on” Meets “Minds-on” (2021, Science), “Play Could Help Reduce ‘COVID-19’ Slump in Learning” (2020, Child & Family Blog), “Cognitive Behavioral Science Behind the Value of Play: Leveraging Everyday Experiences to Promote Play, Learning, and Positive Interactions” (2020, Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy), Becoming Brilliant (2016), Play = Learning (2009), and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool (2008)
    What Makes a Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Study on Happiness and Wellbeing
    Robert J. Waldinger, MD
    Robert J. Waldinger, MD

    Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Director, Center for Psychodynamic Therapy and Research, Massachusetts General Hospital; Director of the Harvard Study on Adult Development, the longest, most comprehensive scientific study of happiness and wellbeing ever conducted, which followed adult subjects for 75 years and is now studying their children to examine how childhood experiences affect health and wellbeing; Co-Author, The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness (2023)

    Extending the Mind Beyond the Brain: Connecting the Body and Movement to Learning and Thinking
    Annie Murphy Paul, MS
    Annie Murphy Paul, MS

    Journalist; Writer; Fellow, Learning Sciences Exchange, New America, and The Jacobs Foundation; Served as Senior Advisor at the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University; Awarded the Mental Health Journalism’s “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship”; Author, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain (2021), "42 Ways to Boost Learning By Applying Our Bodies, Surroundings, and Relationships" (2021, MindShift), Origins (2011), and The Cult of Personality Testing (2005)

    The Future of Smart: Creating Embodied, Human-Centered Education
    Ulcca Joshi Hansen, PhD, JD
    Ulcca Joshi Hansen, PhD, JD

    Chief Program Officer, Grantmakers for Education; Founding Partner, Educating Potential; TEDx Presenter; Educational Thought Leader; Author, The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive (2021) and and “Kids, Movement, and Health” (2015, Blog Human Potential)

    Leveraging Lifestyle Choices to Target Brain Health and Functionality
    David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM
    David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM

    Board-Certified Neurologist; Associate Professor, Miami Miller School of Medicine; Fellow and Member of the Board of Directors, American College of Nutrition; Author, Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness (2022), The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan (2016), and Brain Maker (2015); Co-Author, Raising a Smarter Child by Kindergarten (2008) and The Better Brain Book (2005)

    Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning for Active “Minds-On” and Playful Classrooms
    Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD
    Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD
    Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and Professor, School of Education; Joint Appointments in the Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Delaware; Co-Director, Child's Play, Learning, and Development Laboratory; Co-Author, Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice (2022), "Active Learning: 'Hands-on' Meets 'Minds-on'" (2021, Science), “Brain Science and Guided Play” (2019, Serious Fun: How Guided Play Extends Learning), Becoming Brilliant (2016), Play = Learning (2009), and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool (2008)

    THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING: ENGAGING MEMORIES, MINDS, & LEARNERS

    The Science of Learning: Building Memories and Effective Learners
    Barbara A. Oakley, PhD, PE
    Barbara A. Oakley, PhD, PE
    Ramon y Cajal Distinguished Scholar of Global Digital Learning, McMaster University; Professor of Engineering, Oakland University; Co-Founder, SmarterHumans.ai; Co-Author, "The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI" (2015, arXiv), Learn Like a Pro (2021), Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn (2021), and Learning How to Learn (2018); Author, Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential (2017) and A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (2014)
    The Science of Memory: Why We Forget and How to Remember Better
    Elizabeth Kensinger, PhD
    Elizabeth Kensinger, PhD
    Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College; Member, Rising Stars Committee, Association for Psychological Science; Nominations Committee, Psychonomic Society; Consulting Editor, Memory and Cognition; Co-Author, “Different Effects of Emotional Valence on Overt Attention and Recognition Memory” (2025, Cognition and Emotion), Emotional Memory (2024), Why We Forget and How to Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory (2023), and “The Power of Negative and Positive Episodic Memory” (2022, Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience)
    On the Use of Research-Based Teaching Strategies: From Effortful Deliberate Practice to AI-Enhanced Learning Experiences
    Louis Deslauriers, PhD
    Louis Deslauriers, PhD

    Director of Science Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Senior Preceptor in Physics, Harvard University; Co-Author, “Increasing the Effectiveness of Active Learning Using Deliberate Practice” (2021, Physical Review Physics Education Research), “Comparing the Effectiveness of Online Versus Live Lecture Demonstrations” (2020, Physical Review Physics Education Research), “Measuring Actual Learning Versus Feeling of Learning in Response to Being Actively Engaged in the Classroom” (2019, National Academy of Sciences), and "Improved Learning in a Large-Enrollment Physics Class" (2011, Science)

    The Science of Effective Learning and Memory: Benefits of Spacing and Retrieval Practice
    Shana K. Carpenter, PhD
    Shana K. Carpenter, PhD

    Cognitive Psychologist; Professor, School of Psychological Science, Oregon State University; Author, “Prequestioning and Pretesting Effects: A Review of Empirical Research, Theoretical Perspectives, and Applications” (2024, PsyArXiv), “Encouraging Students to Use Retrieval Practice: A Review of Emerging Research From Five Types of Interventions” (2023, Educational Psychology Review), “The Effects of Immediate Versus Delayed Feedback on Complex Concept Learning” (2021, Experimental Psychology), and “Prequestions Enhance Learning, But Only When They Are Remembered” (2020, Experimental Psychology Applied)

    A Neuroscience Approach to Improving School Climate and Increasing Student Motivation
    Horacio Sanchez, MEd
    Horacio Sanchez, MEd

    President/CEO, Resiliency Inc.; Former Teacher; Former Mental Health Director and Consultant; Author, The Poverty Problem: How Education Can Promote Resilience and Counter Poverty’s Impact on Brain Development and Functioning (2021), The Education Revolution: How to Apply Brain Science to Improve Instruction and School Climate (2016), and A Brain-Based Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap (2008)

    The New Science of Learning: Understanding How We Learn
    Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD
    Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD

    Associate Research Professor and Associate Director of Fellowship Programs, Department of Family Medicine, UNC School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Author, Understanding How We Learn: Applying Key Educational Psychology Concepts in the Classroom (2023), The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain (2022, 3rd Edition); Co-Author, Teaching For Learning: 101 Intentionally Designed Educational Activities to Put Students on the Path to Success (2021, 2nd Edition), and Advancing Online Teaching: Creating Equity-Based Digital Learning Environments (2020)

    Teaching Students to Teach Themselves: Empowering Children to Get the Most From Schooling
    Daniel T. Willingham, PhD
    Daniel T. Willingham, PhD
    Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia; Writer, “Ask the Cognitive Scientist” Column, American Educator; Author, Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning Is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy (2023), Why Don’t Students Like School? (2021, 2nd Edition), "Harnessing Curiosity: Curate What You Can't Control" (2021, GettingSmart), and "Make Students More Curious" (2014, Knowledge Quest)
    Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Active “Minds-On” and Playful Classrooms
    Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD
    Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, PhD
    Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and Professor, School of Education; Joint Appointments in the Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Delaware; Co-Director, Child's Play, Learning, and Development Laboratory; Co-Author, Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice (2022), "Active Learning: 'Hands-on' Meets 'Minds-on'" (2021, Science), “Brain Science and Guided Play” (2019, Serious Fun: How Guided Play Extends Learning), Becoming Brilliant (2016), Play = Learning (2009), and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool (2008)
    Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Active “Minds-On” and Playful Classrooms
    Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD
    Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD
    Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Faculty Fellow; Department of Psychology, Temple University; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Fellow, Cognitive Science Society, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and American Educational Research Association; Co-Director, Child's Play, Learning, and Development Laboratory; Co-Author, Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice (2022), “Active Learning: “Hands-on” Meets “Minds-on” (2021, Science), “Play Could Help Reduce ‘COVID-19’ Slump in Learning” (2020, Child & Family Blog), “Cognitive Behavioral Science Behind the Value of Play: Leveraging Everyday Experiences to Promote Play, Learning, and Positive Interactions” (2020, Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy), Becoming Brilliant (2016), Play = Learning (2009), and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool (2008)

    THE SCIENCE OF TEACHING: THE EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION

    The Science of Teaching
    David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair
    David B. Daniel, PhD, Conference Chair
    Professor Emeritus of Psychology, James Madison University; Former Executive Director and Founding Board Member, International Mind, Brain, and Education Society; Former Managing Editor, Mind, Brain, and Education Journal; Recognized in the “Top 1% of Educational Researchers Influencing Public Debate” in the US; Co-Author, “Toward an Ecological Science of Teaching” (2021, Canadian Psychology), “Seeing Self and Others On-Screen Does Not Negatively Impact Learning in Virtual Classrooms” (2021, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology), and “E-Textbooks at What Cost? Performance and Use of Electronic v. Print Texts” (2013, Computers and Education)
    Building Meaning Builds Brains: The Science of Emotions, Brain Development, and Effective Teaching
    Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD
    Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD
    Director, USC Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning, and Education (CANDLE); Professor of Education, USC Rossier School of Education; Professor of Psychology, Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California; Author, Emotions, Learning, and the Brain: Exploring the Educational Implications of Affective Neuroscience (2015); Co-Author, “Nurturing Nature: How Brain Development Is Inherently Social and Emotional, and What This Means for Education” (2025, Social and Emotional Learning), “Growing the Adolescent Mind: Thinking That Ranges From the Here and Now to the Far Away and Beyond May Build Brains and Enhance Life” (2025, Scientific American), and “Default and Executive Networks’ Roles in Diverse Adolescents’ Emotionally Engaged Construal’s of Complex Social Issues” (2022, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience)
    Mental Models: How Cognitive Science Can Transform the Way You Learn and Teach
    Jim Heal, EdLD
    Jim Heal, EdLD

    Professor of Evidence-Informed Education Leadership, Academica University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam; Lecturer and Former Director of Practice at Research Schools International, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Former Director of Impact Academy, Deans for Impact; Leading Advocate for bridging the worlds of research and practice in education; Co-Author, Mental Models: How Understanding the Mind Can Transform the Way You Work and Learn (Forthcoming) and How Teaching Happens: Seminal Works in Teaching and Teacher Effectiveness and What They Mean in Practice (2022)

    The Science and Evidence for the Cognitive Challenges of Effective Teaching
    Stephen L. Chew, PhD
    Stephen L. Chew, PhD

    Cognitive Psychologist; Professor of Psychology, Howard College of Arts and Sciences, Samford University; Chair, National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology; Carnegie Scholar; Named “U.S. Professor of the Year” by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education; Author, “How Students Fool Themselves” (2025, The Teaching Professor), “The Indicator of a Great Teacher” (2024, The Teaching Professor), and “The (Often Misconstrued) Relationship between Learning, Effort, and Difficulty” (2023, The Teaching Professor); Co-Author, “The Cognitive Challenges of Effective Teaching” (2020, The Journal of Economic Education), “Practice What We Teach: Improving Teaching and Learning in Psychology” (2018, Teaching of Psychology), and “The Cognitive Principles of Effective Teaching” (2015, APA)

     

    The Psychology and Ingredients for Great Teaching
    Pedro De Bruyckere, PhD
    Pedro De Bruyckere, PhD

    Researcher; Educational Scientist, College of Applied Sciences, Artevelde University; Author, The Ingredients for Great Teaching (2018); Co-Author, The Psychology of Great Teaching: (Almost) Everything Teachers Ought to Know (2022), "Translating Research into Classroom Practice: Cognitive Science and Beyond" (2022, The Chartered College of Teaching), More Urban Myths About Learning and Education (2019), and Urban Myths About Learning and Education (2015)

    THE SCIENCE OF BRAIN HEALTH: SUPPORTING SLEEP & MINDFUL WELL-BEING

    The Science of Wellbeing: Teaching and Training for Healthy Minds, Brains, and Bodies
    Richard J. Davidson, PhD
    Richard J. Davidson, PhD

    William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry; Director of the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior and the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience; Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Renowned for his scientific studies on emotions, wellbeing, and the brain; Friend and Confidante of the Dalai Lama; Named one of “The Most Influential People in the World” by Time Magazine in 2006; Co-Author, “Emotional Well-Being: What Is It and Why It Matters” (2023, Affective Science), “COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on College Student Mental Health” (2023, American College Health),  Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body (2007) and The Emotional Life of Your Brain (2012); Co-Editor, The Mind’s Own Physician (2012)

    What Makes a Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Study on Happiness and Wellbeing
    Robert J. Waldinger, MD
    Robert J. Waldinger, MD

    Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Director, Center for Psychodynamic Therapy and Research, Massachusetts General Hospital; Director of the Harvard Study on Adult Development, the longest, most comprehensive scientific study of happiness and wellbeing ever conducted, which followed adult subjects for 75 years and is now studying their children to examine how childhood experiences affect health and wellbeing; Co-Author, The Good Life: Lessons From the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness (2023)

    The Science of Sleep: Memory, Learning, and Dreaming
    Robert A. Stickgold, PhD
    Robert A. Stickgold, PhD

    Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Director, Center for Sleep and Cognition, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Co-Author, When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep (2021), “Dreaming of a Learning Task is Associated With Enhanced Memory Consolidation” (2019, Sleep Research), and “Memory, Sleep, and Dreaming: Experiencing Consolidation” (2012, Sleep Medicine Clinics)

    The Essential Role of Sleep for Teen Health and Well-Being
    Lisa L. Lewis, MS
    Lisa L. Lewis, MS

    Journalist; Author; Expert on teen sleep who helped get California’s landmark legislation on healthy school start times passed; Featured Presenter on the Today Show, BBC, WBUR; Writer for the Washington Post, New York Times, The Atlantic, TIME, Slate, and Your Teen; Author, The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired and How Parents and Schools Can Help Them Thrive(2022)

    Leveraging Lifestyle Choices to Target Brain Health and Functionality
    David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM
    David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM

    Board-Certified Neurologist; Associate Professor, Miami Miller School of Medicine; Fellow and Member of the Board of Directors, American College of Nutrition; Author, Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness (2022), The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan (2016), and Brain Maker (2015); Co-Author, Raising a Smarter Child by Kindergarten (2008) and The Better Brain Book (2005)

    Brain Health and Wellbeing: Stress, Sleep, and Meditation on Student Resilience and Grades
    John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD
    John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD
    Director, MIT Integrated Learning Initiative; Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Co-Director, Clinical Research Center; Associate Director, Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Author, “Parenting Relationships as a Moderator of How Socioeconomic Status and Household Chaos Relate to Children’s Cognitive and Socioemotional Skills” (2025, Experimental Child Psychology), “Personalized Neuroimaging Reveals the Impact of Children’s Interests on Language Processing in the Brain” (2024, Imaging Neuroscience), and “Exploration is Associated with Socioeconomic Disparities in Learning and Academic Achievement in Adolescence” (2024, OSF)
    The Importance of Mindful Play in Childhood
    Yolonda D. Tyler, BS
    Yolonda D. Tyler, BS

    CEO and Founder, Mindful Play Learning; Expert on play, mindfulness, wellbeing, and childhood development; Registered Yoga Teacher with degree in psychology; Founder of the Amaya Papaya Playlounge for kids to play; Developer of the Mindful Play Learning curriculum to enhance children's mental health and well-being through play and mindfulness

    Brain Healthy: Helping Students Evaluate Their Brain Health and Well-Being
    Ido Davidesco, PhD
    Ido Davidesco, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences; Principal Investigator, Brain Healthy Project, NEAG School of Education, University of Connecticut; Brain Researcher who studies how students learn in real classrooms using portable Electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracking technologies; Co-Author, "Neuroscience Research in the Classroom: Portable Brain Technologies in Education Research" (2021, Educational Researcher); "Making BrainWaves: Portable Brain Technology in Biology Education" (2021, bioRxiv), "Morning Brain: Real-World Neural Evidence that High School Class Times Matter" (2020, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience), and "Measuring Brain Waves in the Classroom" (2020, Frontiers for Young Minds)

    THE SCIENCE OF MOVEMENT: PROMOTING PLAY & PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

    Extending the Mind Beyond the Brain: Connecting the Body and Movement to Learning and Thinking
    Annie Murphy Paul, MS
    Annie Murphy Paul, MS

    Journalist; Writer; Fellow, Learning Sciences Exchange, New America, and The Jacobs Foundation; Served as Senior Advisor at the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University; Awarded the Mental Health Journalism’s “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship”; Author, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain (2021), "42 Ways to Boost Learning By Applying Our Bodies, Surroundings, and Relationships" (2021, MindShift), Origins (2011), and The Cult of Personality Testing (2005)

    The Future of Smart: Creating Embodied, Human-Centered Education
    Ulcca Joshi Hansen, PhD, JD
    Ulcca Joshi Hansen, PhD, JD

    Chief Program Officer, Grantmakers for Education; Founding Partner, Educating Potential; TEDx Presenter; Educational Thought Leader; Author, The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive (2021) and and “Kids, Movement, and Health” (2015, Blog Human Potential)

    A Pedagogy of Play: Supporting Playful Learning in Classrooms and Schools
    Mara Krechevsky, BA
    Mara Krechevsky, BA

    Research Director for the Pedagogy of Play Project; Project Director, 21st Century Excellence; Research Director, Making Learning Visible; Senior Researcher, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Advisory Board Member, Child’s Play International; Contributing Author, A Pedagogy of Play: Supporting Playful Learning in Classrooms and Schools (2023); Co-Author, Visible Learners: Promoting Reggio-Inspired Approaches in All Schools (2013) and Making Learning Visible: Children as Individuals and Group Learners (2001)

    Bodies Matter in School: Promoting Embodied Cognition, Movement, and Outdoor Play for Learning and Development
    Erik Shonstrom, MFA
    Erik Shonstrom, MFA

    Assistant Professor, Champlain College; Author, The Wisdom of the Body: What Embodied Cognition Can Teach Us About Learning, Human Development, and Ourselves (2020), The Indoor Epidemic (2017), Wild Curiosity: How to Unleash Creativity and Encourage Lifelong Wondering (2015), and “How Can Teachers Foster Curiosity?” (2014, Education Week)

    The Science of Learning: Using Physical Activities as Cognitive Sticky Notes
    John T. Almarode, PhD
    John T. Almarode, PhD
    Professor of Education, James Madison University; Co-Editor, Teacher Educator Journal; Co-Author, The Mathematics Playbook (2024), The Teacher Clarity Playbook, Grades K-12 (2024), The Early Childhood Education Playbook (2022), How Tutoring Works: Six Steps to Grow Motivation and Accelerate Student Learning (2021), How Learning Works (2021), Clarity for Learning (2018), From Snorkelers to Scuba Divers: Making the Elementary Science Classroom a Place of Engagement and Deep Learning (2017), Visible Learning for Science (2017), and Captivate, Activate, and Invigorate the Student Brain in Science and Math, Grades 6–12 (2013)
    Embodied Minds, Memory, and Learning: How the Arts Support Effective Instruction
    Mariale M. Hardiman, EdD
    Mariale M. Hardiman, EdD
    Co-Founder and Director, Neuro-Education Initiative; Professor, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University; Author, Brain-Targeted Teaching: A Framework for Joyful Teaching and Leading (2025), Connecting Brain Research With Effective Teaching: The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model (2003), “The Arts, Creativity, and Learning: From Research to Practice” (2019, Mobile Brain-Body Imaging and the Neuroscience of Art, Innovation and Creativity), and “The Effects of Arts-Integrated Instruction on Memory for Science Content” (2019, Trends in Neuroscience and Education)
    Coaching the Student and the Athlete's Brain
    Kristin A. Simmers, MS, MEd
    Kristin A. Simmers, MS, MEd
    Director of Cognition and Learning at the Forman School; PhD Candidate in Learning Sciences at the University of Connecticut; Teacher with 20 years of experience from Kindergarten to Graduate School, who works with educators around the world, bridging research and practice.
    Coaching the Student and the Athlete's Brain
    Glenn Whitman, MALS
    Glenn Whitman, MALS
    History Teacher; Dreyfuss Family Director, Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning; Co-Designer, NeuroTeach Global, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School; Co-Author, Neuroteach: Brain Science and the Future of Education (2016); Co-Editor, Think Differently and Deeply; who leads a team that focuses on the translation of the most promising research and strategies in the Science of Learning into instructional and student school experience design

    THE SCIENCE OF ACTIVE LEARNING: DIGITAL GAMES, WELL-BEING, & STEM

    Technology’s Child: Learning, Development, and Wellbeing in a Digital Age
    Katharine E. Davis, EdD
    Katharine E. Davis, EdD

    Associate Professor, UW Information School; Adjunct Associate Professor, UW College of Education; Founding Member and Co-Director, UW Digital Youth Lab, University of Washington; Author, Technology’s Child: Digital Media’s Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up (2023); Co-Author, The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World (2013)

    Games On, Minds On: Games, Technology, and Play for Active Learning and Memory
    Lindsay Portnoy, PhD
    Lindsay Portnoy, PhD

    Cognitive Scientist; Associate Teaching Professor in the Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, Doctor of Education Program, Northeastern University; Former Teacher; Co-Founder of Immersive Science Learning Company, Killer Snails; Author, “An Opportunity for an Improved Post-Pandemic Education” (2021, Age of Awareness), Game On? Brain On! The Surprising Relationship Between Play and Gray (Matter) (2020) and Designed to Learn: Using Design Thinking to Bring Purpose and Passion to the Classroom (2019)

    Disengaged Students: Addressing the Challenges of Digital Dependency, COVID, and Other Factors
    Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD
    Todd D. Zakrajsek, PhD

    Associate Research Professor and Associate Director of Fellowship Programs, Department of Family Medicine, UNC School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Author, Understanding How We Learn: Applying Key Educational Psychology Concepts in the Classroom (2023), The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain (2022, 3rd Edition); Co-Author, Teaching For Learning: 101 Intentionally Designed Educational Activities to Put Students on the Path to Success (2021, 2nd Edition), and Advancing Online Teaching: Creating Equity-Based Digital Learning Environments (2020)

    THE SCIENCE OF READING: INTERVENTIONS & COMPREHENSION

    INTERLEAVING: The Path to Reconciling the Math and Language Wars
    Barbara A. Oakley, PhD, PE
    Barbara A. Oakley, PhD, PE
    Ramon y Cajal Distinguished Scholar of Global Digital Learning, McMaster University; Professor of Engineering, Oakland University; Co-Founder, SmarterHumans.ai; Co-Author, "The Memory Paradox: Why Our Brains Need Knowledge in an Age of AI" (2015, arXiv), Learn Like a Pro (2021), Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn (2021), and Learning How to Learn (2018); Author, Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential (2017) and A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (2014)
    Reading MORE: Literacy Intervention That Builds Knowledge and Vocabulary in Science and Social Studies
    James S. Kim, EdD
    James S. Kim, EdD

    Professor of Education; Principal Investigator and Director, READS Lab (Research Enhances Adaptation Designed for Scale in Literacy), Harvard Graduate School of Education; Principal Investigator, Reach Every Reader Initiative, Harvard University/Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Primary Investigator, A Model of Reading Engagement (MORE); Co-Author, “Measures Matter: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Educational Apps on Preschool to Grade 3 Children’s Literacy and Math Skills” (2021, AERA Open) and “Improving Elementary Grade Students’ Science and Social Studies Vocabulary Knowledge Depth, Reading Comprehension, and Argumentative Writing” (2021, Educational Psychology Review)

    Getting Kids to Read in an Age of Distraction
    Daniel T. Willingham, PhD
    Daniel T. Willingham, PhD
    Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Virginia; Writer, “Ask the Cognitive Scientist” Column, American Educator; Author, Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning Is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy (2023), Why Don’t Students Like School? (2021, 2nd Edition), "Harnessing Curiosity: Curate What You Can't Control" (2021, GettingSmart), and "Make Students More Curious" (2014, Knowledge Quest)
    The Science of Reading: Comprehension, Working Memory, and Executive Skills
    Kelly B. Cartwright, PhD
    Kelly B. Cartwright, PhD

    Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Teacher Preparation; Director, Reading, Executive Function, and Development Lab (READLab), Christopher Newport University; Research Scholar, Center for Education Research and Policy; Visiting Research Fellow, University of Oxford; Former Board of Directors of the Literacy Research Association; Author, Executive Skills and Reading Comprehension: A Guide for Educators (2023, 2nd Edition); Editor, Literacy Processes: Cognitive Flexibility in Learning and Teaching (2008)

    The Neuroscience of Reading: Genetics, Brain Imaging, In-School Partnerships, and Interventions
    Nicole Landi, PhD
    Nicole Landi, PhD

    Professor of Psychological Sciences; University of Connecticut; Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology, Yale Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University; Senior Scientist and Director, EEG Research, Haskins Laboratories; Co-Author, "Gray Matter Structure is Associated With Reading Skill in Typically Developing Young Readers" (2020, Cerebral Cortex), "The Impact of Computer-Assisted Technology on Literacy Acquisition During COVID-19-related School Closures" (2022, Frontiers in Psychology), and "Researcher–Practitioner Partnerships and In-school Laboratories Facilitate Translational Research in Reading" (2022, Research in Reading)

    Co-Sponsors Include:

    Integrated Learning Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    School Development Program, Yale University
    The Neuro-Education Initiative, Johns Hopkins University
    National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
    Graduate School of Education, Northeastern University
    Laboratory for Learning Engineering & Neural Systems (brainLENS), University of Connecticut and University of California, San Franscisco
    National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
    LEARNING & the BRAIN® Foundation