Day Three

It is the last and final day of our conference. I am sad to be leaving such an outstanding conference, but I am ecstatic to see you all on Monday. Some amazing speakers today, talked more about our brain. The first speaker, Dr.Kenneth S.Kosik, spoke about strengthening our powers of attention, memory and concentration. He said a memory which is created with a strong emotion is unforgettable. Do you remember your first day of kindergarten? I remember meeting you on the very first day, it brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. You would love to know, that Dr.Kosnik thinks that a game called “Nintendo Brain Age” enchances our memory. My favorite quote by him: “Memory is about the future. The future is about imagination.”

Music is the way to make us excellent listeners, believes Dr.Nina Kraus. Certain parts of the brain are actually larger in volume for musicians. She used research to show that students who actively engage in music lessons have great listening skills. (Parents please visit this site for more info: www.brainvolts.northwestern.edu).

Tonight I will spend some time with my friends in DC. I’ll post again tomorrow, to let you know about my return trip home! See you soon!

Day Two

Dr.Kenneth S. Kosik ,from the neuroscience institute in California, started our morning session, by asking how often do we smile in the classroom? How often do we use new words? They were thought provoking questions. I think we do those things a lot in our classroom. He also said our abilities should not be measured by tests. I loved that! He says that neuroscience and education can get us there, to meet that goal. Dr.Daniel T. Willingham spoke about why students may not like school. I told him that we all love school! But he said sometimes the choices we make, can affect weather we like school or not. I guess we must be making good choices! My favorite thing he said and I’ll quote him, “Intelligence is not something you are, but something you get”. What do you think he means by that?
He said it is important for our students to feel successful and not to be afraid of failure. He said losing a video game is easier for us, then feeling like we don’t understand something in the classroom. Dr. Edward L. Deci spoke about motivation. Where does the energy come from? What moves people to behave? He said motivation should be intrinsic. That is a big word. He did say it is important to give our students choices. Our daily choice time, is a perfect example. For many of you, that is your favorite time of the day! You are motivated to learn and play during choice time, all on your own, without rewards.
My favorite speaker today, Dr.William R. Stixrud spoke about why movement and meditation are important for attention, motivation, and learning. Let children play he said. He also said exercise and healthy eating are important for our brain too. He said teaching yoga and dance is important too!
It looks like you had a blast with special friends and grandparents today! Wish I was there too, miss you lots!

Day One

Hello students and families! I made it to Washington DC today and I am truly enjoying the conference on the first day. Today we had three keynote speakers. The first speaker, Dr.Michael Posner, spoke about the development of the brain. He said our daily experiences shape our behavior. The second speaker today, was my favorite. Her name was Dr.Martha Bridge Denckla, and she spoke about our attention and things that we are attracted to. Dr.Denckla thinks we are usually great listeners when we are attracted to topics. I think, she is so right!I know that when I am really excited about a topic, I really am eager to learn about it. The third speaker, Dr. Patricia Quinn, spoke about girls and their attention spans. My first day is off to a super start and I look forward to the next two days. I took some pictures to share with you. I loved reading all of your questions. Over the next few days I hope to learn all about your questions and share my thoughts with you! Hope your Thursday was fantastic too! Miss you lots.

Love,Ms. Mehta

Learning and the Brain Conference

Dear K-MW Families,
The Learning and the Brain conference is on May 6th, 7th, and 8th in our Nation's Capital, Washington DC. I am eager to meet neuroscientists, teachers, and researchers, from throughout the United States and abroad. They will share new and exciting things about the brain and how it influences our learning in the classroom. However, I will miss you and thought it would be delightful to share my adventures with you. I would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to leave comments on the blog! Happy blogging to all of us in K-MW!
Love,
Ms.Mehta