BrainSMART

Press Release

2012-03-09T09:56:00.001-05:00

For immediate release Research on NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education Graduate Programs with Majors in Brain-Based Teaching Shared at National Teacher Education Conference A qualitative study on the effective teaching practices of graduates of the Nova Southeastern University programs with majors in Brain-Based Teaching was featured in a presentation at the American Association of

Marcus Conyers Walking the Talk

2012-03-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

Marcus is known for his great work communicating wellness findings teaching others across the world to become healthier. Importantly, he walks the talk. This weekend he will be running in Sarasota's (FL) half-marathon event! Let's cheer him on from far and near!!!!! The link is below... http://eventful.com/sarasota_fl/events/first-watch-sarasota-half-marathon-relay-/E0-001-037637951-6?fb_ref=edp

Learning in the 21st Century

2012-01-09T15:26:00.001-05:00

Having spent the last few days digging into Robert Sternberg's work in the fields of learning and intelligence, I thought it an important topic for blogging. His research and theories are timely for those interested in making schooling more relevant in the 21st century. In particular, the idea that we can become smarter and able to function at higher levels across the lifespan is key today when

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T21:10:00.003-05:00

We embraced the first sunrise of 2012 by exercising as we biked on the beach while enjoying a beautiful sunrise this morning! We are renewing our commitment to exercising, eating right, and embracing every opportunity to learn new knowledge and skills so that we can realize more of our potential and help others to do the same. Happy New Year 2012!

Celebrating a Time of Joy, Friendship, and Goodwill

2011-12-24T16:39:00.000-05:00

December 24, 2011Today we awoke to a beautiful, crisp and sunny day on the gulf coast of Florida! It is hardly like the beginning of winter, though it looks like the puppies scampering on the sandy shores of sparkling quartz might just be playing in a blanket of bright, white snow that has fallen far away. However, we are wise to remember what others have noted. That is, in

International Association of Cognitive Education and Psychology Conference 2013

2011-11-24T12:44:00.001-05:00

Marcus and I have just learned that the 2013 IACEP Conference will be held in Leiden, The Netherlands. The city's site on wikipedia states that Leiden is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. Leiden is located on the Old Rhine, at a distance of some 20 kilometers from The Hague to its south and some 40 kilometers from Amsterdam to its north. A university city since 1575

Author David McCullough: On Giving Thanks to Those Who Have Gone Before

2011-11-24T10:35:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving. On this special day we are listening to prize winning author, David McCullough, at the National Book Fair in Washington DC. In a presentation on Book TV McCullough is sharing a powerful concept. It is this, how much those who have gone before us have had a strong influence on our lives to this day. He is speaking, for example, about the writers who have captured in words the

Correction to Previous Post - Join Us for the BrainSMART Georgia Fall Tour Celebrating Teachers This Week!

2011-11-07T08:49:00.003-05:00

Due to the success of our first fall tour in Georgia this year, we scheduled another! This week after the Georgia Reading Forum today, hosted by some fabulous teacher leaders I'll be in the following locations. To request more information about attending these events, contact Mary Collington at nsu@brainsmart.org. Hope to see you at one of these events! Nov. 7th:

Georgia Reading Association Fall Forum

2011-11-05T17:12:00.000-04:00

After a great NAEYC conference in Orlando, I'm looking forward to reconnecting with friends and colleagues from across Georgia on Monday, November 7, at the Georgia Reading Association 2011 Fall Forum. The forum will be held at the Macon Centreplex.

BrainSMART at NAEYC Conference

2011-11-04T06:56:00.000-04:00

This morning I am pleased to be joining our team members, Diane Dahl, Karen Sinclair, and Cari Rottenberger at the National Association for the Education of Young Children annual conference in Orlando. We hope to see you at the BrainSMART booth where you can sign up for complementary books and learn about the exciting programs in education, mind and brain study at Nova Southeastern University!

Welcome New UAE Colleagues and Friends!

2011-10-31T05:49:00.002-04:00

Marcus Conyers and I are back in London as of last evening and on our way to Boston today after a most rewarding trip to the UAE! There we met wonderful teachers, administrators, leaders and new friends. Participants from all over the world attended our sessions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi dignitaries including the minister of education also heard and enjoyed learning about cognitive

From Cambridge University to Dubai

2011-10-23T16:48:00.001-04:00

As usual we have found, read and integrated information from the Cambridge University Press and other bookstores in Cambridge, England. It's exciting to learn from publications found in the oldest operating bookstore in England to add insights about why BrainSMART works so well before heading to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Most importantly, we are excited about continuing our writing projects as we

BrainSMART Strategies In Action

2011-10-04T18:00:00.000-04:00

Check out University instructor, Dave Krupke's, blog. After hearing Marcus Conyers' keynote at the International Reading Association Regional Meeting in Iowa, he wrote about the powerful impact of some BrainSMART strategies. http://soundprinciples4literacy.com/index.php/movement-learning/learning-by-association/

On Learning and Teaching Math

2011-10-03T09:37:00.001-04:00

Recently at the NY Academy of Sciences conference in Aspen, Marcus and I met and had lunch with John Mighton, founder of JUMP Math. Interesting research on the approach suggests that youth have far more potential to succeed at and enjoy learning mathematics than is typically expected. Furthermore, the research indicates that differences in achievement can be reduced by applying principles from

Interesting Insights on the Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning

2011-09-25T11:29:00.000-04:00

Now that the conference is over and I'm enjoying a late cup of coffee...What a wonderful experience Aspen and meeting others here has been:) We have lots to do to highlight this exciting new research that supports our programs in teacher education and graduate studies! For example, Marcus and I heard Daphne Bavelier - University of Geneva speak of her research on learning and action video game

We are enjoying a great conference!

2011-09-23T16:26:00.001-04:00

The New York Academy of Sciences and the The Aspen Brain Forum Foundation are putting on a very informative conference about the educational implications of cognitive neuroscience. A host of well known researchers such as Bruce McCandliss-Vanderbilt are sharing recent findings with regard to learning and the brain. As we listen and dialogue, it is clear that instruction makes the largest

New York Academy of Sciences and Aspen Brain Forum Foundation Conference

2011-09-22T17:36:00.001-04:00

We are pleased to be at The Aspen Institute attending a conference sponsored by The New York Academy of Sciences and the The Aspen Brain Forum Foundation. The purpose of the conference is to discuss current scientific research and implications for education. Our day started with a lovely hike along the riverside and through the aspens. The weather is sunny and brisk...a perfect fall day! We will

Positively Grateful Classrooms

2011-09-19T15:46:00.000-04:00

Over the last few days I have had the pleasure of talking with a number of graduate students who are studying our education, mind and brain curriculum for teachers at NSU. These teachers are very inspirational! A theme among them is that they have found the research about the importance of positive optimism fascinating and the practical strategies they are learning helpful in the classroom! One

Field Trips: A Great Way for Students to Experience Joyful Learning

2011-09-15T09:26:00.000-04:00

If you ask adults what they remember from school days, they often think of field trips! Field trips are a great way to help students gain personal meaning through the learning experience. Some tips for meaningful school field trips are as follows: Engage students in deciding which opportunity to take, make links to important curriculum content you are teaching, take a trip as early as possible in

Effective Teaching in the Learning Zone

2011-09-09T09:57:00.001-04:00

When teachers and students are engaged in learning, the class seems to be "in the groove" or "in the learning zone." When this is happening it feels as if the day flies by! Effective teachers provide these experiences often as they continuously improve their expertise and foster student learning. Whereas in the past the focus was more often on what happens in individual minds, many cognitive

Welcome Back to School - Good Teaching Matters!

2011-09-02T17:47:00.002-04:00

Most realize the importance of good teachers! Today scientists give us one more reason to understand why teaching is key to student success and that teachers should be supported. Educators who study with us have been fascinated to read about experience-dependent synaptogenesis. This process involves the connecting of neurons ongoingly when learning occurs, followed by pruning of those connections

Passionate Teacher Leader: BrainSMART Teacher Steve McCrae

2011-08-09T10:58:00.000-04:00

We met passionate teacher leader, Steve McCrea, in our session at the NSU Global Leadership Conference. He has lots of ideas for educators. You might want to check out his list of tips and resources here. https://sites.google.com/site/theguideontheside/56-tips-for-teachers

NSU Global Leadership Conference 2011

2011-08-08T09:54:00.000-04:00

At the 'Research Leader' presentation at Disney Contemporary, we celebrated 12 years of putting research on education, mind, and brain into practice with NSU. We enjoyed meeting with teachers and administrators from across the world while there! There were 1,000 plus doctoral students in attendance at this large event.

NSU Global Leadership Conference 2011

2011-07-17T16:36:00.000-04:00

We look forward to seeing you at the 2011 NSU Global Leadership Conference this week in Orlando! If you're in the audience introduce yourself before or after one of my sessions there!

Research on Omega-3 and Depression

2011-07-17T16:19:00.001-04:00

Omega-3 is a key to mood and brain performance. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=omega-3-deficiency-depression