Parents Education Network Events

Strategies for Promoting Self-Esteem and Advocacy in Students who Learn Differently (24 Sep 2010)

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Strategies for Promoting Self-Esteem and Advocacy in Students who Learn Differently

Claudia Koochek
Charles Armstrong School, Head of School

Research shows that children with learning differences are more likely to suffer from lack of self-esteem than their peers. Parents have the greatest influence on a child's belief about himself or herself. In this session, parents will be introduced to strategies for fostering self-esteem and advocacy skills in their children
as well as an understanding of how to nurture their child's perception of himself or herself as a learner.

Mrs. Claudia Koochek worked with the students at Charles Armstrong School as a specialist or teacher for fifteen years before becoming part of the administration. She received her Master's degree in Special Education from the Universidad Evangelica in San Salvador, El Salvador and her B.A. in Psychology from the San Francisco State University. Prior to coming to the United States twenty years ago, she worked at the Eugenia Duenas School for the Blind teaching fifth grade.

Age Range: This presentation is geared towards 1-8 grade students.

Friday September 24, 2010.
9 am - 11 am.

Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

SAFE Voices September Meeting (25 Sep 2010)

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 14:00:00 GMT

SAFE Voices Monthly Meeting

We need all SAFE members (past, present and future) and Eye to Eye mentors -- and bring your friends!

Our meetings are always open to any student interested in joining SAFE, so encourage others to join you for this kick off meeting before school starts.

Meeting location: The usual place! Email us if it's your first time!

Please sign up here. If you are a first-time attendee, please email SAFEVoices@parentseducationnetwork.org for more information.

Rebels with a Cause! Brain-Compatible Approaches for Motivating Reluctant Learners (1 Oct 2010)

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:00:00 GMT

PEN & TEN Teacher Training Workshop:

Rebels with a Cause! Brain-Compatible Approaches for Motivating Reluctant
Learners

William J. DeMeo, Ph.D

How do we address our reluctant learners who seem to have the hardest time paying attention and completing work? This dynamic and interactive workshop will focus on providing participants with
effective and practical brain-compatible strategies to assist students to become passionate learners,
and helping them retain more. Participants will be able to use these strategies immediately when
returning to their school to motivate the most reluctant students achieve.

William DeMeo is a Developmental School Psychologist who coordinates the mental health services for Cincinnati Public Schools’ Early Childhood Program. He also has a private practice that specializes in serving children and families that other agencies are not able to serve in the Greater Cincinnati Area. A former teacher, he has taught at all levels, from elementary through university. William has presented workshops and symposia at national meetings for early childhood professionals and has also presented
numerous workshops for administrators, mental health professionals and educators. William continues to be one of the most sought-after trainers for childhood professionals, in the areas of mental health and brain-based learning, utilizing his extensive experience to present practical and entertaining workshops. He has authored several books, including his latest publications: Managing the Angry and Aggressive Child (1999), Brain-Based Learning: How Does the Brain Really Learn! (2000), The Educator’s Survival Guide for Preventing Burnout! (2003), and Reading with the Brain in Mind! (2003).

Age Range: K - 12

Date: Friday, October 1, 2010

Time: 9 am - 4 pm

Location: The Blue Room @ The Commonwealth Club, 595 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

Cost: $80 General Public / $30 Member School faculty

Would your school like to join PEN and make huge savings on professional development costs? Sign up here!

Assistive Technology (8 Oct 2010)

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 13:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Jan's Top Technology Tools for Students with Learning Disabilities

Jan Tuber
Assistive Technology Specialist
Parents Helping Parents' iTECH Center

In this workshop, we will explore a basic arsenal of tools appropriate for LD students in middle school through college, traveling from reading rulers to the Intel Reader™, and from NCR paper to the Smartpen. We will sample simple, yet effective tools as well as sophisticated software programs that address the academic challenges of reading, writing and note-taking. Participants will learn practical applications and strategies for implementation and will leave with resources for acquiring or trialing these tools.

Jan Tuber is an Assistive Technology Specialist (Learning Disabilities) at Parents Helping Parents, a Parent Training and Information Center. She is married and the mother of two college students, one of whom has dyslexia. Jan has a B.S. degree in Human Development from the University of California, Davis and an M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Gallaudet University. She has extensive experience working with special populations, including a career as an Enabler Counselor at a Community College, and is skilled in American Sign Language.

Age Range: This talk is largely geared towards middle and high school students although some of the technology will be appropriate to students 3rd grade and above.

Friday October 8, 2011.
9 am - 11 am.

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention (22 Oct 2010)

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention

Katherine Ellison (www.katherineellison.com) and Jack Epstein.

Katherine will be talking about and reading from her new book, "Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention," about how she spent a year focusing on trying to have a more peaceful relationship with her son.

Katherine Ellison is a Pulitzer-prize-winning former foreign correspondent and the author of four books, including The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes You Smarter. After more than a decade reporting on wars, natural disasters, and soccer matches, she had the luck to get paid to spend a year trying to figure out why she couldn't get along with her 12-year-old son, who has been diagnosed with ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Katherine has also been diagnosed with ADHD. Jack Epstein, Katherine's husband, is the Foreign Service editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, a longtime foreign correspondent, and author of "Along the Gringo Trail."

Friday October 22, 2010
9 am - 11 am

Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

Meltdowns to Shutdowns: An LD Model of Difficult Behavior (5 Nov 2010)

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Meltdowns to Shutdowns: An LD Model of Difficult Behavior

Damon Korb, MD, FAAP. Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrician, Director of the Center for Developing Minds

A learning disability model of difficult behavior. When children, and even adults, become upset they respond outwardly with a Meltdown or inwardly by shutting down. This discussion focuses on the neurodevelopmental underpinnings that lead to oppositional behavior and a review of appropriate treatment options.

The conversation covers children from 2 1/2 to adults, but the focus will be on children and adolescents.

Damon Korb, M.D., a board certified behavioral and developmental pediatrician, examines the neurodevelopmental brain functions that determine how a child learns, behaves and socializes. With the opening of the Center for Developing Minds in 2005, Dr. Korb has now held pivotal roles in the establishment of three unique clinics in Santa Clara County that serve children with developmental variations.

Friday November 5, 2010.
9 am - 11 am.

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

PEN Parent Meeting (19 Nov 2010)

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Parent Meeting: Friday, November 19, 2010

PEN was founded by parents for parents. We would like to invite you to our annual meeting of parents. All parents, whether new members or veterans of our community of LD awareness and support, are invited and strongly urged to join us to share concerns and ideas, and help us plan for PEN's future.

This organization's greatest strength is its grassroots membership and our involvement is integral to our growth and success. Please join us!

Date: Friday, November 19, 2010.

Time: 8:30 am Coffee, 9:00-11:00 Meeting

Cost: Free to PEN Members

Using Visualization and Positive Self-Talk to Manage Test-Taking Anxiety and Situational-Specific Anxiety (10 Dec 2010)

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Using Visualization and Positive Self-Talk to Manage Test-Taking Anxiety and Situational-Specific Anxiety

Jeffrey Lazarus, M.D.
(www.jefflazarusmd.com)

Jeffrey Lazarus, M.D., is a Menlo Park pediatrician who specializes in the treatment of situational anxiety and test-taking anxiety utilizing clinical hypnosis. Children with ADHD, Asperger’s and other learning disorders often struggle with these challenges.

Dr. Lazarus' talk presents specific techniques students can utilize to conquer performance-inhibiting anxiety, as well as several case studies of individuals who have effectively managed these issues. His talk features video clips of a teenager undergoing hypnosis, as well as examples of how visualization and positive self-talk can help children, adolescents and young adults manage anxiety.

Adolescents and teens with strong academic capacity can suffer greatly when situational anxiety inhibits their ability to effectively perform. While learning and studying are critical in academic performance, they are only part of the battle. The other piece boils down to confidence. Being an effective student requires the ability to perform under pressure and demonstrate one’s skills and knowledge on command, in a high-stress, test-taking environment.

Dr. Lazarus will provide parents and teachers with a series of take-home tips they can use with their students to overcome anxiety and maximize performance.

Age Range: This presentation will address elementary-aged children through young adults.

Dr. Jeffrey Lazarus, MD, has been a practicing pediatrician for almost 30 years. After graduating from Rush Medical School in Chicago, Illinois, Lazarus completed his pediatric residency at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Dr. Lazarus practiced general pediatrics in Cleveland, where he was an Associate Clinical Professor at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.

In an effort to offer his patients more options, Dr. Lazarus obtained special training in clinical hypnosis to address issues not effectively treated by traditional medicine. He is one of only 13 pediatricians in the United States to be certified as an approved consultant by The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

Dr. Lazarus just published a study on the effectiveness of clinical hypnosis in treating tics and tourettes. Click here to watch a recent news segment from CBS News, to get a sense of Dr. Lazarus' work.

Friday December 10, 2010.
9 am - 11 am.

Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

Panel of College Students with Learning and Attention Difficulties (6 Jan 2011)

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Panel of College Students with Learning and Attention Difficulties

Applying to college or choosing a college for the student with learning and attention difficulties is an important and sometimes difficult and confusing process. Hear from the experts: college students with learning and attention difficulties. Our students, all founding members of SAFE Voices will discuss their experiences with:

•    Whether and how to disclose a learning disability
•    How they determined the best fit and scope of support for their college choices
•    What they as student with learning and attention difficulties found when they arrived at college
•    How to navigate and manage college life – academically and socially

Thursday, January 6, 2011
7pm-9pm

Location: Immaculate Conception Academy, 3625 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Cost: Free. Suggested donation $10.

Brain Rules for Parents (20 Jan 2011)

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Brain Rules for Parents

John Medina

The brain is an amazing thing. Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every student and parent should know--such as the brain's need for physical activity to work at its best.

Brain Rules is about what we know for sure, and what we might do about it.

John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist, private research consultant, and author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules. He is an affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine and is the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University. Visit him online at www.brainrules.net.

Thursday January 20, 2011.
7 pm - 9pm.

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

Brain Rules for Teachers (21 Jan 2011)

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:00:00 GMT

PEN & TEN Teacher Training Workshop:

Brain Rules for Teachers

John Medina

If you wanted to create an education environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was good at doing, you probably would design something like a classroom. And if you wanted to change things, you might have to tear it down and start over.

John Medina has a lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we learn. In his New York Times bestselling book, Brain Rules, he describes 12 rules--what scientists know for sure about how our brains work--and then offers powerful ideas that could transform our schools. Dr. Medina is an affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine and is the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University. Visit him online at www.brainrules.net.

Age Range: K - 12

Date: Friday, January 21, 2011

Time: 9 am - 12 pm

Location: Fort Mason Center
Golden Gate Room, Conference Center
Entrance at Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street
San Francisco, CA 94123

Cost: $80 General Public / $30 Member School faculty

Would your school like to join PEN and make huge savings on professional development costs? Sign up here!

Fathers Discuss their Experiences with Learning and Attention Difficulties (10 Feb 2011)

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Fathers Discuss their Experiences with Learning and Attention Difficulties

A panel of fathers will share experiences they, and their children, have faced with learning and attention difficulties.

They will discuss challenges and successes as well as address questions posed by the audience.

More details to follow!

Thursday February 10, 2011.
7pm - 9pm.

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

Why Does He Do That? Identifying and Empathizing with the Social-Emotional Side of Learning Differences (4 Mar 2011)

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Why Does He Do That? Identifying and Empathizing
with the Social-Emotional Side of Learning Differences

Barbara Kalmanson, Ph.D.
Academic Dean, ICDL Graduate School

Parents and teachers are often perplexed by the reactions and behavioral responses of children with learning differences. They seem not to hear you even though a clock ticking in the room can overtake their attention; they can't get dressed because the label in the shirt and the seam in their socks are driving them crazy; they don't recognize Aunt Mary even though they saw her last week; and settling into homework or other seemingly well-defined tasks are derailed by endless distractions. What's a parent to do? This presentation will focus on understanding the constitutional components to the obstacles children face. We will discuss how to use empathy for a child's predicament, and address practical approaches to using one's knowledge of a child's learning profile to make life more comfortable for you and for them.

Age Range: All ages.

Barbara Kalmanson has worked with infants, children and their families, as well as with schools and agencies serving children environmentally and developmentally at risk for over 30 years. She is a founder of the Oak Hill School in San Anselmo. Dr. Kalmanson has extensive experience as a clinical psychologist, a special educator, and an infant mental health specialist, including over 20 years with the Infant-Parent Program at the University of California in San Francisco. She is in private practice in San Francisco and Marin County, and teaches nationally and internationally. Dr. Kalmanson is the Academic Dean of the Interdisciplinary Council on Learning & Developmental Disorders (ICDL) Graduate School doctoral program in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Developmental Disorders.

Friday March 4, 2011.
9 am - 11 am.

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

Mindfulness Based Approaches to Executive Functioning Challenges (13 May 2011)

Fri, 13 May 2011 13:00:00 GMT

PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

Mindfulness Based Approaches to Executive Functioning Challenges

DINO DI DONATO, MFT
(didonato@pacbell.net)

Offering psychotherapy, coaching and consulting services to individuals, couples and families, I work from a base of mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy and client centered humanistic existentialist therapies. These therapeutic modalities reflect my own philosophical roots in humanistic existentialist and Buddhist psychology and philosophy. I have seven years experience in working with emotionally disturbed children and their families in a public mental health clinic. I have been in private practice for ten years. My practice has been predominantly men and women seeking relief from ADHD, depression, bi-polar disorders, anxiety disorders, stress and anger management challenges. I have offered workshops and seminars on ADHD and associated diagnoses, conflict, anger and stress management, sexuality, men's issues and gender related questions. I serve as a lecturer in the graduate Department of Counseling at San Francisco State University.

Age Range: The presentation will be geared to help parents and teachers working with children and adolescents. The basic principles apply from elementary on up.

Friday May 13, 2011.
9 am - 11 am.

Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.

Parents Education Network Events

Strategies for Promoting Self-Esteem and Advocacy in Students who Learn Differently (24 Sep 2010)

Strategies for Promoting Self-Esteem and Advocacy in Students who Learn Differently

SAFE Voices September Meeting (25 Sep 2010)

Rebels with a Cause! Brain-Compatible Approaches for Motivating Reluctant Learners (1 Oct 2010)

Rebels with a Cause! Brain-Compatible Approaches for Motivating ReluctantLearners

Assistive Technology (8 Oct 2010)

Jan's Top Technology Tools for Students with Learning Disabilities

Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention (22 Oct 2010)

Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention

Meltdowns to Shutdowns: An LD Model of Difficult Behavior (5 Nov 2010)

Meltdowns to Shutdowns: An LD Model of Difficult Behavior

PEN Parent Meeting (19 Nov 2010)

Using Visualization and Positive Self-Talk to Manage Test-Taking Anxiety and Situational-Specific Anxiety (10 Dec 2010)

Using Visualization and Positive Self-Talk to Manage Test-Taking Anxiety and Situational-Specific Anxiety

Panel of College Students with Learning and Attention Difficulties (6 Jan 2011)

Brain Rules for Parents (20 Jan 2011)

Brain Rules for Parents

Brain Rules for Teachers (21 Jan 2011)

Brain Rules for Teachers

Fathers Discuss their Experiences with Learning and Attention Difficulties (10 Feb 2011)

Fathers Discuss their Experiences with Learning and Attention Difficulties

Why Does He Do That? Identifying and Empathizing with the Social-Emotional Side of Learning Differences (4 Mar 2011)

Why Does He Do That? Identifying and Empathizingwith the Social-Emotional Side of Learning Differences

Mindfulness Based Approaches to Executive Functioning Challenges (13 May 2011)

Mindfulness Based Approaches to Executive Functioning Challenges

Rebels with a Cause! Brain-Compatible Approaches for Motivating Reluctant
Learners

Why Does He Do That? Identifying and Empathizing
with the Social-Emotional Side of Learning Differences