Pre-Conference Workshops
Friday, November 16

Morning Workshops:
(Add $25, if not attending the conference.)

1. 1. The Reading Brain - A New Scientific Approach to Reading: Integrating "Response To Intervention" (RTI) with Cognitive Neuropsychology
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM; Cost: $135 per person
The primary purpose of this workshop is to illustrate the importance of integrating RTI with cognitive neuropsychological assessment in the identification and remediation of reading disorders in children. In reality, both proponents of RTI and proponents of cognitive neuropsychology firmly agree that the discrepancy model is not a reliable or valid method to identify learning disorders in school. In addition, both proponents of RTI and proponents of cognitive neuropsychology agree that earlier intervention and the use of evidence-based intervention techniques must permeate the thinking behind any educational reform. Lastly, both proponents of RTI and cognitive neuropsychology acknowledge that the core factors illustrated by the National Reading Panel (2000) including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension are vital components of the reading process. A brain-based definition of a reading disorder will be introduced to assist practitioners in better diagnosing and remediating four distinct subtypes of reading disorders in children. Specific case studies illustrating the importance of a multi-method approach to assessment will be offered including the 90-minute dyslexia evaluation.
Steven G. Feifer, Ed.D., NCSP, Neuropsychologist; co-author of The Neuropsychology of Mathematics (2005), The Neuropsychology of Written Language Disorders (2001), and The Neuropsychology of Reading Disorders (2000)

2. Creative and Critical Thinking in the Classroom
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Cost: $225 per person
Part I: 10:00 AM – 11:45 AM (Lunch break from 11:45-12:45 PM)
Thinking-Based Learning: Infusing Instruction in Critical and Creative Thinking into Content Instruction
Explore the conceptual and instructional framework on which creative and critical thinking are based and learn examples of student performance and learning that results from infusing instruction in CCT into content instruction.
Robert J. Swartz, PhD, Director, National Center for Teaching Thinking; emeritus faculty member, University of Massachusetts, Boston; co-author, Thinking-Based Learning, (2007)

Part II: 12:45 PM – 2:15 PM
Enhancing Intelligence and Creativity in the Classroom
In this lecture, Dr. Grigorenko will discuss the US school curriculum with regard to (1) how much attention is given to teaching academic competencies, (2) the development of successful intelligence and creative thinking, and (3) the formation of emotional maturity. Her discussion will include illustrations of recent empirical education studies carried out at Yale that illustrate the efficacy and importance of teaching creativity, wisdom and compassion along with academic competencies.
Elena L. Grigorenko, PhD, Associate Professor of Child Studies and Psychology, Yale University; Associate Professor of Psychology at Moscow State University; co-author with Robert Sternberg on the book Intelligence, Heredity, and Environment (2001)

Part III: 2:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Cultivating Creativity in Schools and Classrooms
This talk will focus on natural/practical ways to exercise frontal lobe capacity for complex thinking involved in problem solving and innovation in students.
Michael H. Dickmann, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Educational Leadership, Cardinal Stritch University; co-author of Leading Coherently: Reflections from Leaders Around the World (2005), Leading with the Brain in Mind (2004), and Connecting Leadership to the Brain (2002)

Afternoon Workshops:

1. A New Understanding of ADHD: Attention & Executive Function
1:30-5:00 pm; Cost: $135 per person
In recent years, important changes have been emerging in psychological understanding of ADHD. Researchers have begun to recognize that ADHD is not simply a problem with paying attention, but rather a developmental impairment of a complex range of executive functions (EF): the management system of the brain’s cognitive functions. Explore our latest understandings and interventions for children and adults with ADHD.
Thomas E. Brown, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine; Associate Director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders; author of Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults (2005)
John J. Ratey, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; author of the best selling book, A User’s Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention and the Four Theaters of the Brain (2002); co-author of Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most Out of Life with ADD (2005) and Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood (1994)

2. Brain 101: An Introduction to the Brain and Neurosciences for Beginners
1:30-5:00 pm; Cost: $135 per person
Through an interactive discussion, participants will come away with a basic understanding of the major anatomical areas of the brain, the various methods used to study brain-mind connections, and the principles that govern brain organization and function for learning.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, EdM, Postdoctoral Fellow with Antonio Damasio, Brain and Creativity Institute for the Neurological Study of Emotion, Decision-Making, and Creativity; Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Educational Psychology & Technology, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California; author of “Making Sense of Brain Research in the Classroom” (2001, Council for Basic Education Journal)

3. Raising a Self-Disciplined Child: Helping Your Student Become More Responsible, Confident, and Resilient

CLOSED--THIS SESSION HAS REACHED MAXIMUM CAPACITY

1:30-5:00 pm; Cost: $135 per person
Discover why are some kids out of control while others are able to keep it together and why lack of self-discipline is the root of many behavioral problems. Explore techniques to help educators, parents and clinicians interact with their children in a way that helps them control their impulses, complete tasks, interact with others, and lead happier, more resilient, and more rewarding lives.
Sam Goldstein, PhD, Faculty Member, University of Utah Medical School and George Mason University; Neuropsychologist, Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center in Salt Lake City; Staff, University Neuropsychiatric Institute; co-author of Raising a Self-Disciplined Child (2007), Understanding and Managing Children's Classroom Behavior (2007) and Seven Steps for Building Social Skills in Your Child (2006); co-editor of Handbook of Resilience in Children (2006)

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