Gayle Gregory Instructional Intelligence: What Good Teachers Should Know and Do (keynote)

Instructional Intelligence is the teacher’s ability to know the learner, create conditions conducive to learning and use data and instructional strategies to help all learners succeed.  Teachers are challenged in every classroom with a diverse group of learners.  First we must pay attention to what we know about the brain and how it processes and stores information.  Then we should examine what research says about best practice.  Considering these two powerful pieces of information, learn how teachers become more instructionally intelligent and manage a repertoire of teaching and assessment strategies so that all students reach new levels of excellence.

Differentiated Literacy Styles

Explore an instructional and assessment framework designed to promote the multiple competencies that learners need: functional literacy for phonics, spelling and reading: content-area literacy for vocabulary, concept attainment, and comprehension; technological literacy for information searching, evaluation, and synthesis; and innovative literacy for creativity, growth, and life-long learning. Learn strategies to: engage reluctant learners; provide what sub-groups need to thrive and succeed; pre-assess diverse learners for literacy skills, competencies, learning styles, and learning gaps; and implement a broad array of high-payoff and developmentally appropriate strategies to move all students to the next stage in their literacy learning.

Renate Caine Can schools ever catch up to how our intelligent brain learns? (Pre-Conference)

Using the Brain/Mind Learning Principles to Change Teaching

The Brain/Mind Learning Principles can help in understanding and changing your teaching step by step.  Participants will experience one Principle in action and will design teaching based on this Principle.

What is Learner Centered Adaptive Decision Making?

Participants will learn how to use Learner centered Adaptive Decision Making in order to design environments that utilize and expand the brain’s executive functions.  The brain’s executive functions are critical to all genuine brain based learning.

Marcia Tate Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites: 20 Strategies that Engage the Brain

Have teachers ever complained that their students cannot understand or recall much of the content taught after a 24 hour period?  It stands to reason that if students don’t learn the way we teach them, then we must teach them the way they learn!  Experience 20 instructional strategies (based on brain research and learning style theory) that maximize memory and minimize forgetting.  Increase learning for students when strategies like drawing, metaphor, music and storytelling are used to teach curriculum objectives and meet national standards.  Explore research that shows why these strategies are preferable to others.  Ensure that brains retain key concepts, not only for tests, but for life!  This workshop has been called both professional and personally life-changing and lots of fun!

David Sousa Helping Students Become Better Readers Through Brain Science

Marilee Sprenger Differentiation: How the Brain Learns Best

Memory 101: You Can Always Remember if you N.E.V.E.R. F.O.R.G.E.T.

If your students have ever forgotten their homework, to bring supplies to class, or to get papers signed, this session is for you! If you've ever forgotten a name, an appointment, or what someone just told you, this session is for you! If you have ever been concerned about raising student achievement and its relationship to memory, this session is for you! Memory is mysterious. Learn about the latest brain and memory research and how to improve and maintain memories. A simple mnemonic, N.e.v.e.r. F.o.r.g.e.t. may be the answer to many of your memory questions. You can learn how to create more powerful memories as well as improve attitudes and abilities. Attend Memory 101 and learn to never forget!

Diane Ronis Differentiating Assessments

Brain-friendly assessments such as portfolios, and performance tasks are different from traditional assessments in that they lend themselves to individualization and customization. Since such assessments cannot be scored in the traditional manner, a methodology is needed to provide objective evaluation able to withstand concerns regarding the reliability of scores based on human judgement. In this workshop, participants will create rubrics that can be easily customized and which also possess the flexibility to allow for learner differences.