(By advance registration only. Select one of six. Add $25 fee if you are not attending the conference.)

1. Moving the Frontal Lobe to the Front of the Class: Executive Functioning and Literacy

Executive functions, the array of metacognitive and self-regulation capacities mediated by the frontal lobes, have profound impact not just on attention and organization, but on virtually all aspects of academic and social functioning. The influence of frontal lobe functioning on literacy and math skills is also being increasingly revealed, as is the manner in which self-regulatory deficits underlie many types of social learning struggles. This highly interactive half-day workshop examines the neurocognitive bases of a broad range of executive skills, with emphasis given to the academic and behavioral implications of EF/self-regulation deficits in school settings. This workshop will help build your understanding of the scope/nature of frontal lobe processing difficulties and provides practical strategies for intervention across academic and social contexts.

Christopher Kaufman, PhD, Licensed Psychologist and Certified School Psychologist; Co-Founder, Kaufman Psychological Services; Author, Executive Function in the Classroom: Practical Strategies for Improving Performance and Enhancing Skills for All Students (2010)

2. Engaging and Developing Executive Functions for Attentive Focus and Working Memory Efficiency

Executive function networks are undergoing their most active maturation during the school years, educators can apply strategies correlated with neuroscience research to maximize their "top-down" guidance of attention and memory.

You'll leave this workshop with classroom ready strategies to grab learners' attention and promote the active engagement that sustains participation and attentive focus. You'll discover how to support students' cortical development of strong executive function networks to guide their emotional self regulation and decrease the cognitive load that reduces information filtering and working memory efficiency.

Judy A. Willis, MD, EdM, Board-Certified Neurologist, Adjunct Lecturer, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara; Author, Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning (2006), and "Current impact of neuroscience on teaching and learning" (2010, Mind, Brain ghj_amp Education: Neuroscience Implications for the Classroom)

3. Why Many Good Students Fail: Understanding and Developing Cognitive Processes, Executive Functioning and Resilience in At-Risk Students

In this workshop, Dr. Goldstein will define the current science of cognitive processes, executive functioning and resilience in shaping student behavior and achievement. He will review data demonstrating the significant impact these often overlooked and misunderstood processes have on student's learning and performance in the classroom. Dr. Goldstrein will than provide an overview of resources for educators to understand and help all students succeed in the classroom.

Sam J. Goldstein, PhD; Assistant Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah Medical School; Affiliate Research Professor of Psychology, George Mason University; Clinical Director, Neurology Learning and Behavior Center in Salt Lake City; Co-Author, Raising a Self-Disciplined Child (2009), The Power of Resilience (2009) and Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (2008)

4. The Neuropsychology of Emotional Disorders: An Executive Framework for Interventions

This workshop will explore the neural architecture of emotional behavior by examining various brain structures laying the foundation for higher-level social skill functioning. Specific biological factors related to the development of social competence and emotional self-regulation will be explored. There will be a detailed discussion of self-regulation disorders, anxiety disorders, and depression from a brain-based educational perspective, including cutting-edge interventions such as neurofeedback. Schools can enhance emotional wellness in children through early prevention efforts, appropriate assessment strategies, and an improved school climate to foster emotional growth for all children.

Steven G. Feifer, EdD, NCSP, ABNSP, Neuropsychologist; Adjunct Professor, George Washington University and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; Director of Assessment and Neurofeedback, Monocacy Neurodevelopmental Center; Co-Editor, Emotional Disorders: A Neuropsychological, Psychopharmacological, and Educational Perspective (2010)

5. Building Higher-Order Thinking in Content Instruction

Do teachers default to "telling" to transmit content? Are rote learning and lecture the norm? Teaching shouldn't be a talk-at-the-student routine. Research on the brain and learning helps us understand the brain's executive function, how connections are made, and how strategies to support higher-order thinking in the classroom can improve attention, memory, and achievement. Applications will be made to common core standards and participants will receive criteria for a "thinking classroom" and a survey to assess the degree to which their instruction requires students to do the "work" of thinking. Numerous teaching strategies will be shared in this highly engaging presentation.

Sarah Armstrong, EdD; Senior Director of K-12 Professional Development, University of Virginia; Consultant and President, Leading and Learning Solutions; Former Teacher and Administrator; Author, Teaching Smarter with the Brain in Focus (2008)

6. Self-Propelled: Excecutive Function and Motivating Students

Part I: Self-Propelled: Helping Kids with Executive Dysfunction Find Internal Motivation

The goal of this presentation is to provide parents and educators with ideas for helping children and teenagers develop internal motivation. The workshop begins with a focus on the brain's "motivational system" and the physiological and executive dysfunction factors that contribute to strong or weak internal motivation. Three kinds of motivational problems are then discussed in light of research on motivation that is helpful to parents and educators. Suggestions are then offered for helping children and teens discover what they want, set their own goals, and develop the self-discipline necessary for achieving their goals. A strong emphasis is placed on helping children find their own motivation - rather than trying to motivate them.

Part II: Gearing Up: Motivating Students to Develop Executive Function

David A. Walsh, PhD, Psychologist; Faculty, University of Minnesota; Founder, National Institute on Media and the Family; Founder, Mind Positive Parenting; Consultant, World Health Organization; Author, Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids: The One Brain Book You Need to Help Your Child Grow Brighter, Healthier and Happier (2011), No: Why Kids -of- All Ages Need to Hear it and Ways Parents Can Say It (2007) and WHY Do They Act That Way?: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen (2005)