Advancements in society have grown exponentially and have resulted in an alarming realization that in many cases, we are educating our children today for the jobs of tomorrow – many of which don’t yet exist. We are teaching 21st century skills including creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking to keep them prepared and competitive in this new world. But, what else can we do? Teaching our children and youth about their amazing brain, how it works, and how it can be managed, can help prepare them to not only survive, but thrive in a fast-paced, innovative future society.

Brain 101: The Brain Made Ridiculously Simple will provide participants an overview of six major brain structures and their functions. Simple child-friendly icons and easy-to-understand language is used throughout the workshop. This session also explores how brain chemistry impacts our ability to access our thinking brain and how neurogenesis stimulate the growth of new neurons in a child’s brain to repair and eventually expand learning capacity. This workshop is presented as a recorded webinar and will engage participants in understanding their amazing brain and how it works while gaining an awareness of how learning happens.

Course Objectives:

1. Participants will be introduced to six structures of the brain and the corresponding icons that make learning, and remembering the structures and their functions, ridiculously simple!

a. Hippocampus = Mail Carrier

b. Amygdala = Palace Guard

c. Hypothalamus = Thermostat

d. Corpus Collasum = Bay Bridge

e. Cerebellum = Movers and Shakers

f. Frontal Lobes = Co-Pilot

2. Basic brain chemistry will be explored and the impact it has on the brain. Stress response hormones, Cortisol and Adrenaline, while protective in nature, can result in prohibiting access to front lobe and rational thought. Over time, this can damage the architectural structure of the brain. On the other hand, Serotonin and Dopamine provide love and excitement to the brain.

3. Neurogenesis provides hope for the future and by exposing children to specific school environments, adults can stimulate the growth of new neurons in a child’s brain to repair and eventually expand learning capacity.

4. Five power tools will be introduced to enhance the process of neurogenesis in the brain.