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Showing posts by Carrie Gajowski Show all posts >
7 Amazing Discoveries from Brain Research
- June 2, 2011 by Carrie Gajowski
As the webinar coordinator and moderator here at Scientific Learning, I’ve had the privilege of hearing many wonderful speakers on a variety of compelling topics. Of all of the webinars I’ve presided over, one of my favorites was the one presented by Eric Jensen in September, 2010, titled “7 Amazing Discoveries from Brain Research.” For that webinar, our most highly-attended ever, Eric took complex concepts about the brain and made them more “user friendly” and interesting. At the end of the session, I was excited to go learn and study more on my own about the brain and how it functions!
Of the seven discoveries presented in this webinar, the one that I found to be most intriguing was the concept that our emotions can influence our minds and bodies. For years, people have discussed the connection between emotions and the body but now there is research being done that proves that there is indeed a link. For example, one study cited in this webinar indicates that there are approximately 6 – 8 emotions that are innate and the rest are taught by parents, teachers, friends, technology, etc. If children aren’t given the opportunity to learn about a wide range of emotions, this gives them not only less of an ability to handle conflicts and issues that might come up for them but could hinder their learning process.
To learn more about brain research discoveries that can help you in the classroom and beyond, be sure to check out the recorded webinar.
To learn more about Eric Jensen, visit the Jensen Learning website.
Related Reading:
Brain Plasticity: Using Advances in Technology for Better Living
You Unplugged: Finding Balance with Extended Reading, Writing, and Thinking Time
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Research, Reading & Learning
“I Thought We Were Losing Him”: Why We Become Teachers
- April 12, 2011 by Carrie Gajowski
A few months ago, we heard from Cory Armes, an Education Consultant at Scientific Learning, and she told her story about her experience with the Scientific Learning products and how that led her to become part of the Scientific Learning team. Today we hear from Karen Forester, a Senior Implementation Manager in the South, about the impact of the Fast ForWord products on the life on one 13-year-old from Florida:
“Several years ago, while visiting a Fast ForWord lab at a middle school in Florida, I was working with the reading coach and teacher on data interpretation methods and real time results from the work their students had been doing in the exercises. We were looking specifically at reading level gains and national percentile scores when I noticed one student had a four year, two month gain in only 60 days. I pointed this out and the reading coach audibly gasped, then whispered, 'Can we look closer at his scores?'
As we reviewed the detail report, we saw the remarkable progress this particular 13-year-old had made. The reading coach started to say something, but her voice broke and she looked quickly away. After a few moments, she told me how worried she had been about this student and that nothing she or his teachers had tried ever seemed to make a difference. 'Last year, he started acting out and his bad behavior landed him in the principal’s office many times; I thought we were losing him.' Abruptly, she called the student’s name and asked him to come up to her desk. He approached with great dread and a downcast look, but as soon as he reached her, she said, 'I am so proud of you, just look at what you’ve accomplished!'
He looked startled and didn’t seem to understand what she just said. When she saw his quizzical gaze, she pointed to the computer and asked him to see for himself what she meant. He leaned in to peer at the screen and she began explaining his graphs, charts and scores. She showed him how much his reading level had improved since he began working on Fast ForWord and praised his determination for sticking with the work and not giving up. I asked him if he had noticed any difference. Shyly, he said, 'Well, I like to read now and I didn’t before plus I haven’t got in trouble this year.'
With tears in her eyes, his teacher couldn’t resist placing her arm around his shoulders and announcing his success to the whole class. I could tell the student was unaccustomed to such academic praise, but it didn’t take him long to flash a brilliant smile and I could see his whole body relax into the joy of the moment. Both teacher and student were thrilled.
At the time, I remember thinking how that brief recognition could very well change the trajectory of this student’s life – from one with little possibility to one with infinite possibilities. Where once there was misunderstanding, frustration and anger with learning, now there was comprehension, clarity and pride.
And isn’t that why we become teachers?"
Related Reading:
Our Lives Change, Too: From Fast ForWord® Skeptic to Believer
Indispensible Automaticity: How Reading Frees the Mind to Learn
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Fast ForWord, Reading & Learning
4 Ways to Celebrate Brain Awareness Week 2011
- March 14, 2011 by Carrie Gajowski
It’s Brain Awareness Week! Join us every day from March 14-20 as we share information about the brain, how the brain learns, and how educators can address some of the challenges in education today.
Need some ideas for how to celebrate Brain Awareness Week and honor this most important of organs?
- Incorporate “Brain Awareness” Into Your Classroom
Need some ideas on this one? For starters, download some of our educational Classroom Resources for Teachers, a variety of fun and informative worksheets and experiments on topics related to the brain. (My favorite is the Grocery Store Game, which tests memory span and mnemonic strategies.) Then have your students try our free Scientific Learning® BrainApps™ games for a brain fitness challenge!
- Catch Up On the Best Blog Posts About the Brain
Whether you’re new to this blog or a long time reader, there are sure to be some great posts you haven’t yet explored. In celebration of Brain Awareness Week, here are some of the most popular brain-related posts: Educating Kids about Nutrition and the Brain – learn how you can create the ultimate brain-health meal, the "Brainiac Blue Plate Combo!” The Adolescent Brain –find out what your adolescent is really thinking and how his or her developing brain works. Benefits of Music in Schools: The Effects of Music on the Brain – check out what the latest research says regarding the importance of music education and its benefits for learning. Dr. Norman Doidge on Brain Plasticity – discover the truth…old dogs can learn new tricks, all lifelong.
- Tweet the Brain, Learn, and Win
This week on Twitter, we will be testing your knowledge of the brain. Play with us for a chance to win one of our “brain” goody bags each day! Follow @brainfitness and join in the fun!
- Subscribe to Receive All of Our Brain Awareness Week Posts
Subscribe to this blog (below) to have our blog posts show up in your inbox during Brain Awareness Week and beyond. Thanks for joining us for Brain Awareness Week! All of The Science of Learning bloggers look forward to sharing it with you!
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Fitness, Education Trends, Family Focus, Reading & Learning
Join Dr. Martha Burns and Sherrelle Walker for a Virtual Brain Fitness Seminar
- February 24, 2011 by Carrie Gajowski
Can’t attend one of our live Brain Fitness Seminars? Then join us for a Virtual Brain Fitness Seminar instead! These short, online sessions will review the new science of learning and how it can help schools close the achievement gap.
Register today for one of six exclusive upcoming sessions:
- Monday, 2/28/11 – 2 sessions: 8am or 1pm (PT)
- Wednesday, 3/9/11 – 2 sessions: 8am or 1pm (PT)
- Wednesday, 4/27/11 – 2 sessions: 8am or 1pm (PT)
Within the past seven years, researchers have discovered why some children struggle to learn math and reading skills. In general, studies show that the brain architecture—the pre-wired pathways for processing information—that children need to succeed in school is weak or underdeveloped in struggling learners. Studies have also proven that this architecture can be quickly and efficiently developed and fortified through brain fitness exercises that supplement curriculum.
Presenters for these exclusive Scientific Learning webinars will be Dr. Martha S. Burns, Director of the Clinical Specialist Market, and Sherrelle Walker, Chief Education Officer. Each session will include district results presented by long-time Scientific Learning customers, as well as a designated period for presenters to respond to your questions and answers.
Our agenda for each session will be as follows:
- 20 min. – Dr. Martha S. Burns, The New Science of Learning: Brain Fitness for all Ages
What does the latest research tell us about how the brain learns? This session summarizes the latest neuroscience and developments from the field. Dr. Burns brings over 40 years of experience as a practicing speech and language pathologist. She has authored over 100 journal articles on the neuroscience of language and communication, as well as three books on language difficulties associated with neurological disorders. She is also the creator of the “Burns Brief Inventory of Communication and Cognition,” an evaluation of cognitive deficits resulting from neurological injury. - 30 min. – Sherrelle Walker, Changing Lives through Application of Research
During this information-packed half-hour, Ms. Walker will discuss concrete, useful strategies for integrating Brain Fitness into district instructional plans, with the goal of accelerating learning and delivering results. Walker brings more than 30 years experience in public education to her work as Chief Education Officer of Scientific Learning. In this capacity, she strives to expand awareness among educators nationwide about how Scientific Learning’s products and services have been proven capable of significantly improving student learning and achievement.
- 10 min. – Customer: District Results
- 5 min. – All: Questions and Answers
Space is limited, so register today! We look forward to meeting you online.
Related Reading:
What Makes Superman So Great? Closing the Achievement Gap
5 Insights from our Recent Brain Fitness Webinars
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Fitness, Education Trends, Reading & Learning, Scientific Learning Research
5 Insights from our Recent Brain Fitness Webinars
- January 6, 2011 by Carrie Gajowski
As we look ahead to the 2011 webinars and get ready to hear more experts in the field of brain fitness and education, I wanted to take a moment to review the 2010 webinars and share the top 5 points of the webinars that I am still thinking about today.
- We have learned more about the brain in the last 10 years than in the previous 100 years (Eric Jensen, 7 Discoveries From Brain Research That Could Revolutionize Education).
- The frequency of autism is increasing. It used to be 2 to 5 for every 10,000. Now research suggests 1 in 110 live births with more cases of autism happening in boys (CDC Report in 2009) (Ann Osterling, Autism: What is the Latest Research?).
- The repeated practice of texts helps build fluency. Have students read poetry out loud, sing songs, and do cheers and chants. (Dr. Timothy Rasinski, Teaching Fluency: The Neglected Goal of the Reading Program).
- Students today are part of a global community and need to prepare to be global researchers and global communicators (Alan November, Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning).
- We used to be able to teach education as a top-down model. Education is not something to do to students but rather with students. It is critical that we learn how to engage with students, listen to them and help them find their passion in life (Marc Prensky, Engage Me or Enrage Me: Educating Today's ‘Digital Native' Learners).
Check out our webinars page for recorded webinars and to learn how you can subscribe to a podcast. Subscribe to this blog to receive the 2011 webinar schedule in your inbox, coming soon!
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Fitness, Brain Research, Education Trends, Reading & Learning
10 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress
- December 23, 2010 by Carrie Gajowski
The holiday season is upon us once again! This is typically a busy time for a lot of people. The music, the enticing foods, gifts to buy and wrap, parties, family time – all of these things make the holidays both fun-filled times and times of high stress.
I seem to remember the more stressful times better than the fun times, especially when it comes to flying home from San Francisco to New England each year. There was the year that my luggage got lost; arriving just in time to fly back to the bay area after the holidays were over. That was the year that I learned to pack more in the bag that actually gets carried on the plane with me. Or the year I got everything packed and arrived at an airport jammed with other holiday travelers only to find out that my flight had been cancelled. Fortunately, it was re-scheduled to get me home just in the nick of time to get together with my family. These were definitely anxiety-producing times for me around the holidays!
I found a great article written by the staff at the Mayo Clinic that outlines 10 ways to help with the stress around the holidays and perhaps even help you make all of the challenges around the holidays fun and enjoyable. Some of the suggestions take a bit of thought and pre-planning but might be worth trying!
I will try idea # 6 when I head to airport just before the New Year to fly from New England back to San Francisco. By planning ahead, I will get the airport 2 hours early to make sure I have enough time to check in and be at the gate well before the plane takes off. I will also take a deep breath and be ready for anything that happens! I hope these tips are helpful in creating a wondrous, magical holiday season this year and for years to come. Happy Holidays!
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Family Focus
Our Lives Change, Too: From Fast ForWord® Skeptic to Believer
- December 21, 2010 by Carrie Gajowski
I often hear from customers and other Scientific Learning employees that our company is distinguished by the passion and commitment of those who work here. One reason for that palpable passion is that many have been personally and deeply touched by the life-changing experiences that their own family members, students, or customers have experienced with Fast ForWord® and Reading Assistant™ products. We have seen children’s lives be changed forever by these products. Students who may not have had opportunities in school now can succeed in ways that wouldn’t have been possible even 15 years ago.
I have my own story to tell—about my nephew—and I will tell it here soon, but today I want to share a personal story from Cory Armes, one of our Education Consultants, who was so impacted by her experience with the Fast ForWord products that she left her teaching job to work for Scientific Learning:
“ I began my experience with the Fast ForWord products, or in my case, product, several years ago. On a cloudy afternoon in February 1999, our Special Education Director gathered the diagnosticians (of which I was one) and speech pathologists to hear a presentation about a new product called Fast ForWord. After the presentation, my mind was spinning to think that there might be even a modicum of truth to the research that he had shared…
As a certified skeptic, I had some serious questions about the claims he made that day. After all, I knew as a teacher that if I made a year’s gain with my students in a year’s time, we were doing a good job. My problem was that many of the students I worked with throughout my career came to me two-to-three years below grade level. If we made a year’s progress in a year’s time, it was great but they still were two-to-three years behind. So to have someone tell me that there was a product available that could help students make one-to-two years gain in a few weeks time was questionable at best. I couldn’t imagine that brain fitness exercises actually could change a student’s ability to focus and retain information much less improve the way the brain processes. But we had a recent article from ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) that supported his claims along with other research information so decided to implement Fast ForWord as our summer school program.
After the meeting, I called the Special Education Director to ask if there was something that I could do, beyond the pre-and post-testing, to learn more about the program and how it worked. She very graciously said, “Of course.” and promptly put me in charge of the implementation for the district. Now, there were a few things to consider: first, I wasn’t convinced that this program would even work and, second, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. So, I decided that there was only one thing to do and that was to run the implementation exactly as the company suggested with a strict fidelity to the protocol and a good motivational system in place so if we didn’t get the results they advertised, it wouldn’t be my fault!
Our first implementation included 25 first to eighth graders who had been through multiple reading products with little improvement. I had a great team who loved kids and we had a blast for the six weeks that we ran the program. I learned a lot about running Fast ForWord (such as you don’t need to allow ten minutes between exercises for breaks because you can’t get them to stop working!) and at the end of the fourth week at 100 minutes a day; we had some students reach completion. In week five, we began post-testing those students and could not believe the results. By the end of the six-week session, our students averaged a 1.5 year gain in language (using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals and Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization assessments) and 1.5 years in reading (Gray Oral Reading Test)!
The rest, as they say, is history. An eighth grader with an extremely high IQ but who, as a student with severe Dyslexia, had been reading on first grade level now tested at the fifth grade reading. One of the third graders who essentially was a non-reader, went to fourth grade with improved reading skills and, after completing the second Fast ForWord product the following summer, was reading on grade level in fifth grade and passed the state reading assessment. A fifth grader who was reading on first grade level became engaged in school the next year and after completing additional products over the next two school years, was on the A-Honor Roll, no longer required Resource assistance and, according to her mother, read everything she touched. Many stories, many changed lives and my sincere regret that I didn’t have Fast ForWord much sooner in my career.
After two years of supervising and implementing Fast ForWord for the district, I believed so strongly in the products that I joined Scientific Learning as a trainer. Over the last ten years, I’ve seen wonderful product additions, large numbers of students using the products and a worldwide impact in accelerating learning.
As my 4 -year-old granddaughter would say, “How cool is that”?
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Fitness, Brain Research, Education Trends, Fast ForWord, Reading & Learning
Brain Plasticity: A New Frontier For Education and Learning
- November 11, 2010 by Carrie Gajowski
Dr. Norman Doidge is the author of the book The Brain That Changes Itself and in this book, he reveals a fascinating look at how the brain can literally rewire itself throughout the lifespan, even into old age. He shows how the brain is “plastic” and can change at any age, based on the stimuli it is being given. The brain is no longer thought of as “fixed” or “unchanging.” You literally train it in everything you do during your daily life. This is the concept of “neuroplasticity.”
Dr. Doidge researched this idea of “neuroplasticity” to find that miracles can and do occur as it relates to how the brain can function. Brains can be “rewired” for success in school. It has been found that functioning can be restored in brains that have either declined because of old age or because of an injury to the brain. This is a fascinating new world to explore in the arena of human development and how people function in the world around them.
Dr. Doidge participated in an interview last spring on the topic of brain plasticity, which you can listen to online. Here are some of the discussion points from the interview:
- Part One: The concept of brain plasticity, what it means and how it works.
- Part Two: How our brain learns, how technology plays a role in the learning process and how it affects our brain and brain development.
- Part Three: An exploration of communication and the roles of computers, text messages and email messages today, including an interesting discussion of how we tend to keep information on technology outside of ourselves, rather than inside our heads.
- Part Four: Who can benefit from the concept of brain plasticity and how can it help education today?
Brain plasticity is a newer idea and concept. Whether you are already a fan of Dr. Norman Doidge or just hearing about brain plasticity for the first time, don’t miss this interview – it is wonderfully informative and eye-opening. As more research continues to be done on the brain, it will be exciting to see what new things are learned about how the brain functions. More importantly, it will be fascinating to see how brain plasticity can provide hope to people everywhere.
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Research, Education Trends, Reading & Learning
Find Your Footprint!
- October 19, 2010 by Carrie Gajowski
This fall, National Geographic is encouraging students in grades K – 12 to submit ideas and enter the “Find Your Footprint” contest. The multi-media "Find Your Footprint" program includes online, on-air and print educational opportunities that focus on conserving energy, reducing waste and conserving water tips.
Here's more information for students interested in entering this contest:
- Pick one of these three themes: Save Water, Reduce Waste, Save Energy.
- Research how you can make the biggest difference in making both your school and the world a “greener” place to live.
- Take your ideas about making your school's environmental footprint smaller to your school officials.
- Working with your teacher, come up with ideas on how your classroom can impact your school's footprint.
- Write up your ideas and illustrate your proposals with photos, movies and illustrations and send these in before December 3, 2010.
Prizes range from National Geographic Kids magazine subscriptions to five Promethean interactive digital whiteboards (ActivBoards).
Entries are being received through December 3, 2010. The contest is open to students and teachers from grades K – 12.
Enter today and good luck!
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Reading & Learning
Explore the Power of Play: Attend the Ultimate Block Party in NYC this Sunday, 10/03/10
- September 30, 2010 by Carrie Gajowski
On October 3, 2010, the Bandshell area of New York’s Central Park (72nd St. & 5th Ave.) will become the main stage in an international event for families, educators and public figures to explore the real power of play with top architects, scientists, engineers, artists and inventors. Over 25 fun family play and learning activities will be free and open to the public! Come, play, and learn! At the Ultimate Block Party, there will be hundreds of Imagination Playground Blocks for kids to play with, along with numerous other activities that emphasize the value and science of arts and play. Children of all ages are invited to participate in these activities and more: Map Reading, Games, Physical Play, Visual Artistic Expression, and Music and Dance.
This is a great opportunity for both adults and children to re-discover the art of play and how play can actually help people learn new skills and ideas.
Organizers of the event hope to make this an annual event. Their goal is to re-introduce the concept of play and its importance to everyday life. Some statistics about play and its critical role in our childrens’ lives:
- 40 million elementary school children will have no arts or music training in their schools this year. NPR2009. Fully 50% of children have no art training in 8th grade (NEA Report Card, 2008).
- In last two decades children have lost an average of 8 hours of free play a week. The American Academy of Pediatricians call the decline of playtime a national crisis.
- According to the Mayo Clinic website this is the first generation that will live fewer years than their parents due to essential hypertension, diabetes, and poor conditioning. Children need to play physically and get off the tube.
- Children ages 8-17 now spend an average of 8 hours a day in media-based activities-dramatically up from five years ago. Kaiser Family Foundation 2010
- The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a collaborative of business leaders and CEOs and Daniel Pink are among many to suggest that creative innovation will be a critical skill for the next generation of skilled workers. The arts and play provide no better training ground.
- Children are suffering from a “nature-deficit disorder” according to Richard Louv who wrote in 2005, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder." He said, “Unfettered time outside is fundamental to human development. It's wonderful for (kids') ability to learn, and it's wonderful for their stress level."
Come join the fun at the Ultimate Block Party this Sunday!
Attend one of our popular webinars with thought leaders in learning. Live and pre-recorded webinars are available. Register today!
Categories: Brain Fitness, Family Focus, Reading & Learning
