Marcus Interviewed on "Inspire Nation"

Marcus Conyers was recently interviewed by Michael Sandler for the "Inspire Nation" podcast on the subject of "How to Upgrade Your Brain for Greater Success, Happiness and Well-Being."

Michael and Marcus had a great conversation about the potential that all of us have for upgrading our brain at any age, with the basis being the research that he and Donna uncovered when writing our book, Positively Smarter: Science and Strategies for Increasing Happiness, Achievement and Well-Being. The host and guest talked about a broad range of subjects, from the importance of the Body-Brain connection to the innate talent paradigm to the effect that a positive state of mind has on our ability to be successful. The podcast is available in 151 countries.

The audio show is currently available on iTunes at this link. For those who don't have iTunes or who have an Android phone, the podcast can be accessed here.

Celebrating 20 Years of Title I Teaching!

I am pleased to be presenting on the first day of the Title I 2016 Annual Conference where I will be sharing our model/framework of mind, brain, and teacher leadership applied in classrooms and schools. My presentation "Improving Instruction through the Mind, Brain, and Teacher Leadership Model" is taken from five of Marcus Conyers' and my recently published books on the science of learning, brain-based teaching and teacher leadership. The focus will be on science and strategies that work for real teachers in classrooms across the U.S. Attendees will also hear stories of teacher leaders, my heroes, who are making a positive difference in schools and classrooms each day!

Over the past 20 years, we have shared our work with more than 10,000 K-12 students and 160,000 educators in live events, honing our teaching with input from teacher leaders. Many times our participants have been from Title I schools and districts in states including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Montana, Alabama, North Dakota, North Carolina, Mississippi, Colorado, Maryland, Georgia, Washington, Florida, and many more. Educators have also studied the curriculum we co-developed to earn graduate degrees in practical applications of mind, brain, and education research over the past 15 years.

Let’s Keep Positive Practical Learning Front of Mind in 2016

Happy 2016! I look forward to engaging with educators throughout the year at conferences, seminars, and other events.

For my first post of the new year, I'd like to stress something that every educator should keep front of mind for 2016: the now-proven principle that virtually every human brain has the potential to learn and change throughout the lifespan. In fact, researchers are reporting that learning actually changes the structure and function of your brain.

Whether you are traveling to exciting new destinations in 2016, learning new teaching strategies, reading a book, playing a new game, or stretching your mind in a new job, YOU are a learning machine.

In the past, it was thought that brain development stopped sometime during our youth. At one time, it was said to be the age of 12. In the last several decades (with an emphasis on early childhood), there has even been confusion leading the uninformed to say that important development ceases even earlier. However, it is now known that adults can  create new brain cells and make connections across their entire lifespans. So, it is critically important to keep learning.

Five Tips for Eating Healthier in 2016

The holidays are a time for us to eat, drink and be merry. Surrounded by great food and an abundance of sweets, some find it hard to resist the temptation of "just one more bite," followed by another bite and perhaps another one after that. Having overindulged in foods that are high in sugar and unhealthy fats in December, we promise ourselves to eat a healthier diet in the coming year.

Eating healthy is definitely a critical component to reducing our risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and a myriad of other adverse medical conditions. For those who maintain healthy eating habits, food is more than just the fuel that gets us through the day. It is also the pathway to feeling good and to staying focused and energized, or relaxed and calm.

In our book Positively Smarter: Science and Strategies for Increasing Happiness, Achievement, and Well-Being. we explain that healthy eating is important for fueling the Body-Brain System.

Positive Brains Are Smarter Brains

Editor's Note: This blog post, co-authored by Marcus Conyers, originally appeared on Edutopia.

Explicit instruction to guide students toward taking charge of their outlook on academic endeavors can lead to a more positive—and ultimately more productive—approach to learning. Applying metacognition to both the emotional and cognitive aspects of learning can help students steer their minds to make steady gains in developing their knowledge and skills.

In a previous post, we explored the gains that are possible when students adopt an attitude of practical optimism as they learn. These advantages persist into adulthood, as business research shows that people with a positive outlook are more productive, motivated, and likely to achieve their goals on the job. And optimistic people enjoy better personal and professional relationships and even better physical health than people who tend toward pessimism.

Strategies for Getting and Keeping the Brain's Attention

Editor’s Note: This blog post, co-authored by Marcus Conyers, originally appeared on Edutopia.

The human brain has an amazing capacity to wield a potent cognitive strategy: selective attention. When we consciously focus our attention on something, we bring the power of the prefrontal cortex to this endeavor. By honing our ability to focus attention at will, we can more effectively screen out two types of distractions:

1. Input through our sensory organs, and
2. Our emotional responses.

Distractions via sensory input may be the easier of the two to block, according to Daniel Goleman in his book Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. As educators, we may tend to notice the impact of sights, sounds, and touch points that draw students' focus away from lessons and learning activities. But while all of the sensory stimulations in the environment are readily obvious, emotions can be even "louder" when it comes to diverting attention in unwanted directions and making it hard to focus on learning.

Training the Brain to Listen: A Practical Strategy for Student Learning and Classroom Management

Editor’s Note: This popular blog post, co-authored by Marcus Conyers, originally appeared on Edutopia. We received a tremendous response to the post and are republishing it here so that new readers can benefit from the information and strategies provided.

During the school year, students are expected to listen to and absorb vast amounts of content. But how much time has been devoted to equipping students with ways to disconnect from their own internal dialogue (self-talk) and to focus their attention fully on academic content that is being presented? Listening is hard work even for adults. When students are unable to listen effectively, classroom management issues arise.

Explicit instruction on cognitive strategies that can help students learn how to learn may have a positive impact on both academic performance and classroom management by emphasizing that students are in charge of their own behavior and learning. Teachers we've worked with find that classroom management issues decrease over time as students begin to master thinking skills that help them become more self-directed learners.