Brain research over the past twenty years has revealed that best practices in education must be aligned with how the brain learns best.  This has resulted in a paradigm shift that educators now recognize as “Brain Compatibility” or “Brain Based Learning”.  The brain has been called the last frontier of knowing how the human functions and a concerted effort was made in the 1990’s that involved neuroscientists, biologists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, educational researchers and biochemists to better understand the relationship between the effect of emotions, patterns, meaningfulness, environments, body rhythms, attitudes, stress, trauma, assessment, music, movement, gender, enrichment, and even special needs issues and learning.

Objectives
This workshop will focus on how teachers can implement best practices in the classroom by:

• Developing an understanding of how the growing brain learns and gathers information at various ages
• Learning what new information has been discovered about the brain, its uniqueness, and what things stimulate its growth and development
• Discovering what are optimal environments for learning
• Understanding the importance of learner mobility in the classroom and how movement opportunities stimulate brain growth and development
• Learning how to give children control over their learning process
• Discovering basic nutritional needs of the growing brain and learning how to impart that information to your students and their parents
• Understanding how trauma, violence and brain injury affect emotional development and in turn, effect learning

Outline
Day 1: Overview of the brain, bits and pieces and parts

• The five important aspects involved in the learning process
  • Memory
  • Attention
  • Speed
  • Flexibility
  • Problem Solving
• Brain Plasticity
  • The process of brain growth and development
  • Plasticity and its effect on brain fitness
• Sensory Motor development of the brain
  • How it affects cognitive development
  • Activities to support sensorimotor development
• Ideas for Building the Foundation for Learning
• Sensory Motor Dysfunction and some effects on learning
  • Sharing activities and ideas for special needs
  • Use of music and movement to stimulate brain development
  • Brain friendly activities that aid in teaching math, geography, history, and other subject matter for older kids.
• Brain Trauma, Stress, and Threat
  • Ideas for providing emotional support to students who have been traumatized
  • Ideas for providing emotional support to children who have been abused, or are emotionally immature or unstable

Day 2:

• How Does the Brain Learn
• How our Memory Works
  • Factors that foster better Retention and Memory
  • Chemical impact on memory
  • Wiring multiple memory pathways
• What values do Music and Movement add to Memory
• What Classroom Strategies appeal to the growing Brain?
  • Use of problem solving and critical thinking
  • Use of music and movement
  • Memory storage and retrieval ideas
• Building Neuron Networks
• Bio-Cognitive Cycles
• Optimal Environments
• How Emotions Help or Hinder Learning
• Food for the Growing Brain
  • Teaching about Good Nutrition
  • Feeding the Growing Brain

Trainer’s Profile
Nicki G. has taught for over 40 years in various capacities.  She currently works as an Early Childhood Education Consultant.  She has a MS Ed in curriculum design and development, a BS in physical education and is also an ACE certified personal fitness trainer.  She has been involved in preschool motor development, physical activity, and sensory motor development for over 35 years.

Nicki has been conducting workshops on the international level, along with the national level for National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and state associations such as Washington and California AEYC annually over the past 15 years. Additionally, Nicki was the 2002 General Conference Director for the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), and also has presented workshops for that organization.

Nicki G. has written a book, co-authored with Carol Totsky Hammett, titled:  Read! Move! Learn!  Action Stories for Active Learning, and published by Gryphon House. It incorporates emergent reading skills with movement and music activities.  Additionally, she has co-produced a pre-school and primary grade rope jumping music CD with Scott Weckerly called Rowdy Ropes with an accompanying guide.

Methodology
This workshop will include lecture, large and small group discussion, movement and music activities, problem solving games and activities, and audiovisual presentations. Humor, communication, sharing is all part of this workshops and will be encouraged. The format is designed to be engaging and encouraging of continual interaction between the learners and instructor.

Target Audience
This workshop is designed for educators, teaching aides, and all who are involved in the lives of children, from ages 2-10, who desire to understand not only how the growing brain learns, but also implementation of innovative ideas and activities into the curriculum that are truly brain compatible and encourage future independent learning.

Investment
AUD670.00/pax
AUD570.00/pax if register by 1 May 12
AUD500.00/pax if register by 1 Mar 12

Duration: 2 days, 12 hours
Closing Date: 15 Aug 12