Congressional Briefing: Neuroscience in the Classroom -- Wednesday, January 23

Jan. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- For more information call Kitty Kurth (312) 617-7288 or kitty@kurthlampe.com

BrainWare Safari will host a Congressional Briefing in cooperation with Representative Danny K. Davis focusing on Neuroscience in the Classroom on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2103.The session will examine how the brain learns and how that knowledge is being applied in America’s classrooms to significantly impact student outcomes. The findings have implications for policymakers, educators, students and parents. The presenters will provide briefing attendees with information about neuroscience in the classroom from three different perspectives; theory, research and classroom.

The presenters (full bio’s at the end of the document) are: Dr. Patricia Wolfe, Dr. Sarah Avtzon, and Ron Kraft.

Chicago based BrainWare Safari combines the latest neuroscience with motivating video-game technology into a software program that develops 41 cognitive skills in a comprehensive, integrated and engaging way.  BrainWare Safari builds the cognitive skills critical for learning, improving performance across the curriculum, for learners ages 6 through adults.  For further information, visit www.MyBrainWare.com or call 877-BRAIN-10 (877-272-4610).

About the Speakers:

Dr. Patricia Wolfe (Napa, California) will discuss the implications of neuroscience research for education policy and practice. She will explain why legislative and regulatory policy decisions must be viewed through a new lens--the science of how the brain learns. Dr. Wolfe is one of the world's leading authorities on the application of neuroscience, cognitive science and education research to teaching and learning. She is an award-winning author and has appeared on numerous videotape series, satellite broadcasts, radio shows and television programs. Her books include Brain Matters: Translating the Research to Classroom Practice and Building the Reading Brain, PreK-3 (co-authored with Dr. Pamela Nevills).  Dr. Wolfe has trained thousands of educators--teachers, administrators, school board members, and parents--with an understanding of how the brain functions and what that means for learning and teaching.

Dr. Sarah Avtzon (Brooklyn, New York) will discuss her recent reserach on closing the gap for students with learning disabilities and students from disadvantaged backgounds, with a comprehensively integrated interdisciplinary cognitive development tool. The research suggests a new view of students' ability to learn and the use of neuroscience-based tools to enable all students to meet the standards of career- and college-readiness. Dr. Avtzon is Director of Early Childhood Education for Daemen College's Master's Program in Early Childhood Special Education. She holds MS.ED and ED.S degrees from Teachers College Columbia University and received her PhD from Walden University. She was the lead researcher and author of "Effect of Neuroscience-Based Cognitive Skill Training on Growth of Cognitive Deficits Associated with Learning Disabilities in Children Grades 2-4."  Dr. Avtzon trains faculty, special education mentors, and practicum supervisors in effective instructional strategies for teacher candidates.   She has presented at professional educational conferences on the topic of neuroscience-based cognitive skill training and its impact on young children with learning disabilities and she is a manuscript reviewer for the professional journal "Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning," New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NYACTE).

Mr. Ron Kraft (Hale, Michigan) will describe the practical aspects of incorporating neuroscience in schools, translating from theory and research to the district, classroom, and student level. He will explain how building students' capacity to learn with neuroscience-based cognitive skill training contributed to a 50% reduction in district-wide spending on Special Education and a reduction in students classified as Special Education from 18% to 5%. Mr. Kraft is Superintendent of the Hale Area Schools in Hale, Michigan. Previously he served as Superintendent for the Harbor Beach Community Schools in Harbor Beach, Michigan, the first school district in the world to introduce comprehensively integrated, computer-delivered, neuroscience-based cognitive skill development for all students 3rd through 12th grades. As student learning capacity increased, so did performance of the district, which rose to be the 7th highest performing district in the state.