2009 - 2010 Preview

We have another full program lined up for the 2009 - 2010 school year, with an exciting, informative set of speakers. The final calendar will be released in August, and here are some of the highlights.:

John Ratey, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, author of the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, will be presenting in the fall for parents and separately for teachers.

David Berg of Making Math Real on The Multisensory Structured Methodology in Mathematics, K-12

Shelley Haven on Technology For Those Reading to Learn; 

Betsy Corrin PhD, presenting an overview of ADHD and Anxiety

David Flink, Co-Founder of Project Eye to Eye and previously Brown University admissions officer

Patricia Oetter, internationally recognized lecture in the field of Sensory Integration and author of the M.O.R.E. book, on What is Sensory Integration?

Jahna Pahl and  Dominique Baudry, How to support children and teenagers in the social challenges that they face

We are also planning to repeat Ed Rev at the same time of year next year. We hope for another date in late April or early May, and to confirm a definite date in the fall.

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The Year in Review

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Volunteer of the Year Award

Mike Gunn receving his award from PEN's board.

PEN is extremely grateful to all the volunteers who give generously of their time and talents to help make our events a success. This year we decided to honor, with our first Volunteer of the Year Award, someone who has been with us since the beginning, photographing all our events and helping in countless other ways. The text of the certificate is below:

Please let us know if you'd like to volunteer for PEN, and what kind of work you would like to contribute. Every kind of help is greatly appreciated!

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TEN Workshop

Please take a look at this workshop -- a collaborative effort by PEN, Teachers' Education Network, and the Bay Area Teacher Development Collaborative that will benefit all educators and, most importantly, all students.  If you know a school or a teacher who might be interested,please pass it along!

Understanding and Constructing a Brain-Friendly, Differentiated Classroom in Three Ways:  Environment, Instructional Strategies, and Assessment.

August 10 - 12.

http://www.batdc.org/si.html

What teacher hasn't spent time worrying about the child who is three years behind in reading, while also worrying about the child who seems bored? How can one teacher balance the spectrum of needs in a classroom and keep his or her sanity intact? How can a teacher use research to educate all kinds of learners? And, even after incorporating research into curriculum design and classroom practice, how can a teacher tell if his or her teaching is working?

When setting up classroom environments, planning curriculum and lessons,teaching, and assessing, the idea of differentiation -- understanding and accommodating a wide variety of student learning styles -- is crucial. Guidelines. suggestions. and workshops for teachers who wish to differentiate effectively abound; however, few, if any, begin with the brain in mind.  Given the current explosion of research delineating connections among brain structure, brain function, teaching, and learning, it's high time that a workshop became available with a clear goal:  to help teachers better understand and accommodate the wide variety of student learning styles within classrooms through a combination of differentiation and brain-friendly teaching principles and strategies.

Working collaboratively, the Bay Area Teacher Development Collaborative (BATDC) and Teachers' Education Network (TEN) (supported by Parents Education Network (PEN)) have developed an interactive three-day workshop for educators who are ready to explore brain research and apply it to all phases of their classroom teaching.  Attendees will begin by reviewing the latest brain research -- exploring, among other topics, the relationship between sleep and academic performance, the connection between memory and safety, and the impact of both on everyday teaching and learning. Attendees will then consider three key areas for integrating research-based principles and ideas into their teaching;  classroom environment, instructional strategies, and assessment.

This BATDC institute will take a hands-on approach, supporting participants as they work on curricular units, lesson plans, and elements of individual teaching practice that are most relevant and valuable.  All aspects of the workshops will place special emphasis on applying research implications in a way that suits the particular needs of students, teachers, and schools.  The presenter, Gayle Gregory, is a noted author and educator who consistently models effective differentiation in her workshop instruction, so attendees will be able to reap the benefits of brain-friendly teaching while enriching and extending their own practice for the upcoming school year.

For more information or to register, please visit the BATDC website:

http://www.batdc.org/si.html

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Announcements

• The Reading Brain Study at the Stanford University School of Medicine is seeking "young children (ages 4-6) entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2009 with or without family histories of reading difficulty," in order to  "examine the relationship between brain and behavior to better predict reading differences in children (ranging from skilled to struggling readers) which may help create effective early intervention for children who may struggle to read."
• Events held over the summer by other organizations are listed on our website. Please use this form to submit events.
• If you are not yet a member of PEN, please consider joining to support us in our mission to empower and bring academic success to students with learning and attention difficulties. Membership is just $35 per year, or $350 for a lifetime.
• We welcome your generous donations as always - click here to donate!

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