Speaking Engagements in Georgia and California Focus on Brain Plasticity

I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak at two recent events on the subject of neuroplasticity in the young brain and to share practical strategies that will help children flourish in their formative years.

First up was the Early Literacy Spring Symposium, co-sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Reading Association, which took place March 10 at Middle Georgia State College in Macon, Ga. My topic was: “Wiring the Brain to Read: Practical Strategies for Increasing Reading Comprehension.”

Speaking to about 150 educators, I provided insights about the brain’s plasticity and the amazing ways in which young children make connections that help them develop their early literacy skills. I also shared exciting strategies that teachers can use to help students comprehend what they are reading. Those in attendance at the symposium included teachers, principals, curriculum directors and teacher educators, all of whom had gathered to learn about early literacy topics and to discuss such key issues at ‘as’ the implementation of the Common Core Standards.

AERA Presentation Highlights Graduates' Success Stories

Among the highlights of my spring was Marcus' and my April 27 presentation at the American Educational Association's (AERA) 2013 Annual Meeting. We were pleased to have the opportunity to share the impressive success stories that graduates of our programs are experiencing in classrooms across the country and internationally.

Speaking at the AERA gathering in San Francisco, Marcus led a presentation describing how graduates who have completed our brain-based teaching program are well equipped to help students achieve their learning potential.

Our presentation, “Exploring the Impact of a Graduate Degree Program Connecting the Implications of Mind, Brain, and Education Research to Teaching and Learning,” was presented through the conference segment of the AERA Special Interest Group on Brain, Neurosciences and Education, a group that I joined in the early 1990s. We are happy to have been a pioneering part of this movement over the past two decades.

Selected Upcoming Conferences for 2013

Marcus and I will be presenting at key educational events during the course of 2013 that will take us to various parts of the United States and Europe. Here are a few highlights:

— American Educational Research Association's Annual Meeting, April 27-May 1, San Francisco. On April 27, we will present “Exploring the Impact of a Graduate Degree Program Connecting the Implications of Mind, Brain, and Education Research to Teaching and Learning.” In addition, the AERA Annual Meeting will mark the launch of our new book, Five Big Ideas for Effective Teaching: Connecting Mind, Brain, and Education Research to Classroom Practice. Coinciding with the launch, we will take part in a book signing from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 29 at the Teachers College Press booth, Booth No. 413, in the AERA exhibit hall.

— The International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology's 2013 International Conference, June 24-27, Leiden University in Leiden, The Netherlands. This year’s conference theme is: “Unfolding Potential: Assessment, Strategies, Change, and Intervention.” Describing the potential of the human brain, we will speak on the subject of “Connecting Five Big Ideas from Cognitive, Brain, and Education Research to Teacher Education.”

— Learning Forward 2013 Annual Conference, December 7-11, Dallas, Texas. In this case, I will be teaming up with Diane Dahl, Texas elementary teacher and a graduate of our program, to present "Toward Joyful Implementation of Common Core State Standards."

NSU's Global Leadership Conference

We hope to see many of our students, colleagues, and friends at the upcoming Global Leadership Conference at the Disney Contemporary Hotel in Orlando. Our session is called ... Leading the Way: Putting Mind, Brain, and Education Research into Practice

In our session you will discover how key findings from the fields of education, mind, and brain provide hope, promise, and practical implications for schooling today. We will share research findings based on studies of graduates of these exciting studies. Participants will learn about new discoveries regarding brain plasticity that support adult and student learning, the power of adopting and modeling practical optimism, and strategies for increasing attention, memory, and finishing tasks. These findings on the impact of MBE studies are based on several datasets that have been shared in recent months at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Educational Research Association (INET), National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the International Educational Organization’s symposia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Research and applications shared in this session will also be included in an teacher education textbook currently in development with Teachers College Press and an article in The Reading Teacher journal, both of which are tentatively set for publication in 2013. Visit us at www.brainsmart.org.

American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting

I just finished presenting at the INET Parent Education meeting just prior to the formal start of the American Educational Research Association annual conference. While at the INET meeting this morning I met teacher educators from across the world. What a wonderful start to the AERA 2012 conference! I'll be sharing more later!

Most Recent Events with BrainSMART and CIEP

There has been a whirlwind of activity recently as Marcus and I have recently presented at the National Association of Elementary School Principals, held four events in Colorado, and are now headed to present at two SIG meetings at the American Educational Research Association conference in Vancouver. There I will present the effects of graduate study in education, mind and brain in terms of parent education and the informal learning of teachers. For more on these upcoming presentations at AERA, e-mail at nsu@brainsmart.org.

Thank you again to our teacher leader hosts in Colorado!!! So enjoyed being with you, meeting your colleagues, and growing these exciting studies in Colorado! On a personal note, I have so enjoyed spending time over the Easter holiday with our nephew, Clancy Wilson, a fine young man who is going back to the dorm today for early classes tomorrow! Now on to put the final touches on my presentations for AERA!!!!

Press Release

For immediate release

Research on NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education Graduate Programs with Majors in Brain-Based Teaching Shared at National Teacher Education Conference

A qualitative study on the effective teaching practices of graduates of the Nova Southeastern University programs with majors in Brain-Based Teaching was featured in a presentation at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) recent annual conference.

Donna Wilson, codeveloper of the M.S. and Ed.S. degree programs with majors in Brain-Based Teaching, presented the study “Strengthening Teacher Effectiveness with Education, Mind, and Brain Research: A Qualitative Study of K-12 Teachers Focusing on Higher Needs Students” at the AACTE Annual Meeting in Chicago on Feb. 18. Wilson is Team Leader of Academic Affairs for the Center for Innovative Education and Prevention (CIEP, www.ciep.org) and BrainSMART (www.brainsmart.org).

Wilson’s presentation summarized ethnographic research involving seven recent NSU graduates with a focus on how what they had learned about education, mind, and brain research influenced their teaching practice. Several of the teachers who participated in the study reported student achievement gains, and they attributed that progress, in part, to the neuroeducational principles and strategies they learned while earning their degrees.

The term neuroeducation refers to an interdisciplinary field bringing together research from neuroscience, psychology, and education with the aim of improving teaching methods and outcomes. The NSU graduate degree programs with majors in Brain-Based Teaching emphasize several principles from neuroeducation, including the potential for all students to learn, physical changes in the brain that result from learning, and classroom research demonstrating the academic gains that result from teaching students metacognitive strategies, or thinking about their thinking with the aim of improving learning.

“This study is based on in-depth interviews with seven graduates, but many of the teachers who have earned their degrees with majors in Brain-Based Teaching tell us this foundation from neuroeducation on how student learn best has been extremely useful in their classroom practice,” Wilson said.

Wilson is a nationally known presenter at educational conferences and professional development events for teachers and school administrators throughout the United States and in other nations. In fact, she will be presenting next at the International Roundtable on School, Family, and Community Partnerships on April 13 in Vancouver, British Columbia, on “Improving Students’ Health and Cognitive Skills: An Examination of the Impact of Education, Mind, and Brain Research on Teachers’ Interactions with Parents.” The upcoming roundtable conference is sponsored in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA, www.aera.net).