Monday, March 3, 2008

Brains R Us Meeting

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Interview & book signing with Dr. Leon Lederman

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The March 3 event will be closed captioned for the hearing impaired and may be viewed via the live webcast.

THIS MORNING, just like any other school day in America, about 50 million students will head out for 100,000 public elementary and secondary schools to be taught by three and a half million teachers at an annual cost approaching 500 billion dollars. Add another six million students in private schools, 18 million in colleges, (plus two million more teachers), perhaps eight million more children in preprimary schools — and this morning, more than a quarter of the population of this nation is in classrooms of some kind, going about the business of educating.

The business perhaps — but is there yet a science of educating?

The Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center (TDLC) is one of six Scientific Learning Centers funded by the National Science Foundation. At the TDLC we believe that part of the current crisis in education is the lack of scientific understanding of how the brain learns, and the lack of translation of this understanding to the classroom. And we propose, uniquely, that an essential and understudied element of learning that could have a powerful impact on the success of children in schools is the role of time and timing in learning. At this meeting, you will learn more about TDLC research.

You will also discover that this is a pioneering perspective. You will discover that there are skeptics who caution that: “Neuroscientific research, at this stage in its development, does not offer scientific guidelines for policy, practice, or parenting.” There are those who are troubled by the excessive claims made for so-called “brain-based education” (although what else would you use?), and for translational science. And you will learn about the science at the heart of the debate. What is neuroplasticity, why is it so important, and can it be used to enhance educational outcomes? You may have heard about the Mozart Effect— but what about the Spacing Effect? (It may not be as catchy – but what if you could remember more without studying longer?) And you’ll discover why robots in classrooms get the cold shoulder unless the timing is right.

Brains R Us: The Science of Educating will offer a unique town hall forum for exploring these and other aspects of the educational conversation. We are aiming for a highly interactive group of researchers, educators, policy makers, parents and students to discuss the state of the science of educating from synapse to schoolroom, from neurons to neighborhoods. Join us — and discover why timing is everything.

As an extension to this event, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the following day (Tuesday, March 4), Roger Bingham will videotape a conversation with Physics Nobel laureate, Dr. Leon Lederman. The conversation will be followed by a signing of Dr. Lederman's books The God Particle and Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe. This will offer attendees a unique opportunity to meet one of world’s most engaging Nobel laureates and leading spokesmen for science education.

Dr. Leon M. Lederman is Director Emeritus of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois and Professor of Science at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He founded the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois in 1986, and has served in the capacity of Resident Scholar since 1998. He has also served as President and Chairman of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is a member of the National Academy of Science, and has received numerous awards including the Nobel Prize in Physics (1988).

PARTICIPANTS

• Roger Bingham - Director, The Science Network; Executive Committee, TDLC
• David Boulton - Co-Producer and Creator, Children of the Code
• Andrea Chiba - Associate Professor of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego; Co-Director, TDLC
• John Corcoran - Author, The Bridge to Literacy: No Child-or Adult left Behind
• Gary Cottrell - Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, UC San Diego; Director, TDLC
• Michael Dabney – Director of News Media Relations and Public Relations, Student Educational Advancement Division, UC San Diego
• Adele Diamond - Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, University of British Columbia
• Barbara Edwards - Professional Development Coordinator, CREATE, UC San Diego
• Nancy Farnan - Director of Teacher Education, San Diego State University
• Kurt Fischer - President, Society For Mind, Brain and Education, Harvard University
• Fred Gage - Adler Professor, Laboratory of Genetics, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience, UC San Diego
• Jay Giedd - Chief of Brain Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health
• Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek - Director, Infant Language Laboratory, Temple University; Member, Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center
• Paul Houston - Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators
• Jennifer Husbands - Director of Teacher Credentialing & Support, High Tech High; Member, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
• Mary Helen Immordino-Yang - Brain and Creativity Institute/Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California
• Eric Jensen - Founder and Director, Jensen Learning Corporation
• Terry Jernigan - Professor of Psychiatry, UC San Diego
• Leon Lederman - Nobel Laureate (Physics 1988); Director Emeritus, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Founder, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
• Kathleen Leos - President and CEO, The International Institute for Language and Literacy Development
• David Lightfoot - Assistant Director, National Science Foundation
• Soo-Siang Lim - Science of Learning Centers Program Director, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, National Science Foundation
• Peggy McCardle - Chief of Child Development & Behavior Branch, National Institute of Child Health& Human Development
• Mike Merzenich - Francis A. Sooy Chair of Otolaryngology, UC San Francisco, Founder, Scientific Learning Corporation
• Mike Moses – Senior Advisor, Raise Your Hand Texas
• Javier Movellan - Director, Machine Perception Laboratory, UC San Diego; Co-Principal Investigator, Social Interaction Network, TDLC
• Jim Nelson - Executive Director, AVID
• Kathleen Paliokas -Director, Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium at the Council of Chief State School Officers
• Hal Pashler - Professor of Psychology, UC San Diego
• Donald Phillips - Superintendent, Poway Unified School District
• Urs Ribary - Leadership Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience in Childhood Health and Development, Simon Fraser University
• Terry Sejnowski - Director, Crick-Jacobs Center, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Co-Director, TDLC
• Paula Tallal - Co-Director, Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University; Founder, Scientific Learning Corporation; Co-Director, Educational and Outreach Center, TDLC
• Patricia Wright - Chief Deputy Superintendent, Virginia Department of Education

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