Teaching Executive Skills

Applying Brain Science to Boost Memory, Focus, and Emotion Regulation

April 16 - 18, 2026

Sheraton NY Times Square Hotel or Virtually via Zoom

Pre-Conference Workshops Accommodations

Credits Registration

Pre-Conference Workshops

Friday, April 16

8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Cost per person: $169
By advance registration only.
Add $30 fee if you are not attending the conference.

All pre-conference workshops will be offered LIVE in New York only. There is no virtual option.

1. Five Steps for Embedding Executive Skills into Daily Classroom Routines and Instruction

Executive skills are task-oriented skills that underlie students’ ability to learn. Although seldom taught explicitly, many educators now see that students who are strong in these skills are more successful than those who aren’t. This workshop will provide step-by- step instructions for incorporating executive skills into everyday classroom lessons and activities. After introducing executive skills, you will learn to connect classroom behavior to specific executive skills, introduce these concepts to students, create routines that incorporate executive skills, embed skills into lessons, and engage students in problem-solving. Both general education and regular education teachers of K-12 students will benefit from this workshop, but school administrators and support staff will also find these strategies helpful. The workshop will incorporate numerous case examples and group activities to support learning.

Margaret (Peg) Dawson, EdD, NCSP; School Psychologist; Former Co-Director, Center for Learning and Attention Disorders, Seacoast Mental Health Center, Portsmouth, NH; Past President of both the National Association of School Psychologists and the International School Psychology Association; Recipient of NASP’s "Lifetime Achievement" Award in 2006 and Recipient of the International School Psychology Association's "Distinguished Services" Award in 2010; Co-Author, Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Children Reach Their Potential (2024, 2nd Edition), Coaching Students With Executive Skill Challenges (2023), Executive Function Skills in the Classroom (2022), Smart but Scattered Teens (2012) and Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention (2003)

2. Executive Control of Emotion in Childhood and Adolescence

How do developing executive functions interact with emotional reactivity across childhood and adolescence? This workshop bridges current neuroscience with classroom practice. You will examine how bottom-up “hot” circuits (limbic and motivational systems such as the amygdala and ventral striatum) generate rapid, reactive responses to emotionally charged events, while top-down “cold” executive circuits (prefrontal and parietal networks) provide the capacity to regulate, reframe, and redirect these responses. The distinction between “hot” executive function (executive skills taxed in emotionally or motivationally salient contexts) and “cold” executive function (executive skills in neutral, abstract contexts) will be highlighted. Emphasis will be placed on (1) early childhood practices that foster healthy expression and co-regulation of emotion, and (2) CBT- and DBT-informed classroom strategies for older students, such as cognitive reappraisal, opposite action, behavioral activation, and brief mindfulness.

George McCloskey, PhD, Professor and Director, School Psychology Research, Department of Psychology, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; Author, McCloskey Executive Functions Scales (2015) and Essentials of Executive Function Assessment (2010); Lead Author, Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties (2009)

3. Learning Simulation from Inside the Brain

Experience how your brain learns in this Immersive physical simulation. You will get to experience first-hand how learning happens in the brain through a once in a lifetime experience. Through this interactive workshop, you will gain a new perspective on learning differences, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism, trauma, and more. Discussion will focus on how to apply what was learned through the simulation to improve learning outcomes in your classroom.

Allison S. Posey, MEd, Learning Design and Research Specialist, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), who provides curricular design, online course instruction, and leads professional development training and implementation of Universal Design for Learning in K-12 and higher education settings; Coordinator, CAST free webinar series; Former Science Teacher; Former Teaching Fellow, Mind, Brain, and Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Author, Engage the Brain: How to Design for Learning that Taps into the Power of Emotions (2018) and “How to Support the Emotional Link to Learning” (2018, ASCD Express); Co-Author, Unlearning: Change Your Beliefs and Your Classroom With UDL (2020), Learning Design and Research Specialist, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), who provides curricular design, online course instruction, and leads professional development training and implementation of Universal Design for Learning in K-12 and higher education settings; Coordinator, CAST free webinar series; Former Science Teacher; Former Teaching Fellow, Mind, Brain, and Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Author, Engage the Brain: How to Design for Learning that Taps into the Power of Emotions (2018) and “How to Support the Emotional Link to Learning” (2018, ASCD Express); Co-Author, Unlearning: Change Your Beliefs and Your Classroom With UDL (2020)