The Brain Revisited

THE BRAIN REVISITED

Presenter - Nathan Mikaere-Wallis

Date: 31 July 2017..10am-4pm : General focus and a focus on the Teenage Brain

(most applicable for intermediate and high school teachers and SENCO)

(most applicable for primary teachers and SENCO)

Venue: Te Aka Ora, 9 Temple Street

(please park on the street)

Potential Topics Covered:

Understanding the Brain

• Nathan will explain what the very latest scientific research and human studies tell us, about how the brain grows and develops, and how this impacts on children’s behaviour, learning, and their social and emotional development.

The Learning Brain

• The development of specific areas needed for learning are covered in a little more depth.
• The impacts of stress hormones on brain functioning and long term affect on brain development are described and the subsequent impact on learning and behaviour. We will learn about the importance of creating positive, safe environments and how best to achieve it.

The Adolescent Brain & “The Terrible Twos”

• The brain goes through several ‘pruning’ phases which Nathan describes as ‘closed for renovations’. He will explain why brain pruning is an essential part of child development and offer some advice on how best to negotiate those sometimes challenging periods.

Special Brains

• Finally we will consider the latest brain research perspectives on common clinical presentations such as ADD/ADHD, Autism & Dyslexia and how to best support these special brains

A Bit About The Speaker

Nathan Wallis is a father of three and foster parent with a professional background in child counselling, teaching and social service management. Until recently he lectured in Human Development at the University of Canterbury and was also a board member and Senior Trainer with the highly respected Brainwave Trust. In 2010 he founded a private training consultancy,

Nathan Wallis Ltd, with the goal of facilitating easy to understand

professional development training reflecting the latest neuroscience

discoveries and their practical implications for everyday practice.

Since then he has been in hot demand, delivering in excess of 150

presentations every year throughout New Zealand and Australia. He

has developed a reputation as a lively and engaging speaker who uses

humour and plain language to make this complex topic come to life.

Link to notes from the workshop

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vJM_uA19VSciLdGT_gNF3zaz-MEFTRPY0qVuSC4uVOQ/edit