Horacio Sanchez

The neuroscience of discipline is more than just a concept; it is a powerful tool that can transform our schools. It provides us with the knowledge to respond to crises more effectively and to prevent them from happening in the first place. Successfully implementing these strategies in schools has led to notable improvements in academic achievement, teacher and student morale, and teacher retention. The fact that the approach is grounded in brain science and that participants can see how the principles apply to themselves as well as to their students allows individuals to embrace the neuroscience of discipline and recognize its potential benefits.

Objectives

• Understanding student behavior
• Establishing a school climate that promotes homeostasis
• Preventing social conflict from occurring
• Boosting motivation for academic success
• Developing interventions that are intrinsically motivating

The world has heard a lot about “the science of reading,” but science is often missing. For example, the brain's hemispheres shift when students learn specific skills, and this change is essential for becoming skilled readers. In addition, reading and writing are so closely linked in the brain that improving one can help the other. Also, students’ level of empathy plays a key role in reading comprehension and can predict whether they will enjoy reading. Join me in exploring the neuroscience of reading to understand how the brain processes text and find strategies to improve reading and comprehension.

Objectives

• Understand how the brain learns to read and comprehend.
• Identify the specific skills that improve reading and understanding.
• Learn why pairing writing with reading can accelerate the reading process.
• Discover how empathy affects reading comprehension.

Self-regulation is the mental process that helps students overcome obstacles in planning, attention, learning, memory, and the coping skills needed to reach immediate goals and long-term success. Without the ability to self-regulate, students will be at the mercy of every thought, distraction, emotion, and desire. The absence of self-regulation is a core cause of many behavioral and academic issues faced by education today. Developing self-control allows students to overcome life’s obstacles and adopt new skills that promote educational success. Therefore, educators need to understand how to foster self-regulation to maximize student achievement. Learn the key steps identified by neuroscience to support self-regulation. The research-based steps have been shown to help students at risk due to life circumstances reach success.

Objectives

• Understanding student behavior
• Keys to enhancing school climate
• Promoting a positive social environment
• Motivating unmotivated students
• Developing skills that boost behavior and academic success

A growing body of research shows that poverty consistently causes a loss of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex. Why does this matter? The prefrontal cortex is crucial for complex cognitive tasks, personality, social behavior, and decision-making. Low socioeconomic status is also linked to reduced white matter in the brain, which hampers communication between the cortex and the amygdala, thereby reducing self-control. When the prefrontal cortex's regulation is weakened, the amygdala often takes over, leading to a loss of emotional control and inappropriate behavior. The effects of poverty are evolving, negatively impacting students' academic performance and social interactions. The session will also offer participants practical strategies to be proactive rather than reactive in addressing both academic and behavioral issues related to poverty.

Objectives:

• Identify brain regions affected by poverty and their cognitive, emotional, and social effects.
• Offer strategies to address cognitive deficits that stabilize the prefrontal cortex and enhance its function.
• Describe how poverty negatively impacts brain regions responsible for social behavior and suggest strategies to improve emotional regulation.
• Demonstrate intervention techniques to enhance social behavior and empathy.
• Provide participants with concrete strategies to increase gray matter in the prefrontal cortex and boost executive function.

School climate is shaped by the brain's subconsciously interpreting the world. To positively influence school climate, understanding the brain’s subconscious processes and adjusting our behavior accordingly is key. This session will transform your perspective and empower you to improve your quality of life.

Objectives

• How the subconscious brain processes human interaction
• How the environment impacts mood and cognitive function
• Steps to enhance social interactions
• How patterns in the school environment affect behavior
• Interventions to improve the school climate for all students