K-12 Organizer
Learning & the Brain
Mind, brain and education research for K-12 educators
Learning & the Brain runs conferences, summer institutes and Saturday-morning webinars connecting neuroscience and cognitive-science research to classroom practice for PreK-12 teachers, leaders and school psychologists.
www.learningandthebrain.com/ ↗Upcoming webinars
- Sat, October 31 · 10:00 AM EDT
How We Broke Reading Comprehension — and How We Can Fix It
What if many of our well-intentioned literacy practices have unintentionally weakened reading comprehension instruction? In this session, we examine a research-based definition of comprehension and how many schools inadvertently shifted away from instruction that develops it. Most importantly, we focus on what educators can do instead: practical, evidence-informed approaches rooted in the science of comprehension and tested in classrooms. Participants will leave with a framework for analyzing comprehension challenges, along with concrete strategies and resources they can use immediately. Applicable to teachers K-12, with particular emphasis on grades 5+, instructional leaders, literacy coaches and administrators.
- Sat, November 21 · 10:00 AM EST
How to Help Every Student Excel in Math Using JUMP Math
Wide differences in achievement appear to be natural in mathematics: by high school, many students have fallen behind or developed negative attitudes about math. New research in cognitive science suggests that math should be the most accessible subject for everyone’s brain, and important as a predictor of overall academic success. Dr. Mighton explains how teachers can use evidence-based methods of instruction to help all students realize their remarkable potential in math. Participants will learn about JUMP Math’s approach using rigorously scaffolded lessons to close gaps in prior knowledge while motivating whole classes to reach new levels of math achievement. For K-10 teachers and parents.
- Sat, December 12 · 10:00 AM EST
Teach Students to Think (Not Just Copy) With AI
Students now have a tool that can write the essay, solve the problem, and summarize the reading before they have done any thinking of their own. Cognitive science is clear about what that costs: when we offload retrieval, productive struggle, and synthesis to a machine, we lose the very friction that builds durable understanding and transfer. But AI does not have to weaken thinking — used with intention, it can deepen it. Drawing on research in cognitive load, the generation effect, desirable difficulties, and metacognition, this session shows how AI can be designed into learning as a thinking partner instead of a shortcut. Participants will leave with a practical framework for assignments and classroom routines that use AI to make student reasoning visible, sharpen judgment, and prepare young people to think well in a world where answers are free and understanding is not. For educators, school and district leaders, and parents.
- Sat, January 16 · 10:00 AM EST
Unmistakable Impact: Scaffolding Learning for Every Learner
This interactive workshop focuses on how intentional scaffolding can create unmistakable impact for every learner in PreK–12 settings. Participants explore how to design and implement front-end, distributed, and back-end scaffolds that support access, deepen understanding, and gradually release responsibility to students. Grounded in the science of learning and high-impact instructional practices, the session emphasizes aligning support with the right level of challenge to promote engagement and independence. Educators will leave with practical strategies to ensure all students can successfully navigate complex tasks, build confidence, and experience meaningful learning growth. For PreK–12 classroom teachers, special educators, instructional coaches, and school and district leaders.
- Sat, February 27 · 10:00 AM EST
No More Passive Learning: Research-Based Engagement Strategies for K–12 Success
Student engagement is one of the strongest indicators of classroom success, academic growth, and positive school culture. This session helps teachers and school leaders strengthen engagement across K–12 classrooms through practical, research-based strategies: creating a safe and inclusive classroom culture, designing lessons with student voice and choice, using purposeful questioning and academic discourse, connecting learning to real-world experiences, and using formative feedback to keep students actively involved in their own growth. Through examples, reflection, and planning, participants will see how engagement looks different across grade levels while staying rooted in the same core principles: students need to feel connected, challenged, respected, and responsible for their learning.
- Sat, March 13 · 10:00 AM EST
The Neuropsychology of Mathematics
Why do many children with language-based learning disabilities also struggle with foundational math skills? The comorbidity between reading and math disabilities ranges from 40–60%, due in part to shared cognitive processes: deficits in language, working memory, and executive functioning can hinder both reading and the acquisition of math fact retrieval and quantitative reasoning. This webinar focuses on how young children learn and acquire basic mathematical skills from a brain-based educational perspective, covering three primary ways numbers are formatted in the brain, the overlap between language and math, critical neurodevelopmental pathways in number sense, and how math anxiety impacts learning. Practical strategies, including math games and activities, will help participants link assessment findings with targeted interventions. For school psychologists, special education teachers, math interventionists, administrators, classroom teachers, and parents.
- Sat, April 3 · 10:00 AM EDT
Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the Science of Learning
The science of reading often gets reduced to phonics, but there is a lot of science that relates to reading comprehension as well. Viewed through the lens of cognitive science, typical comprehension instruction has unintentionally made reading and writing much harder than they need to be by separating them from each other and from content-area instruction. But cognitive science also tells us that a content-rich curriculum combined with explicit, manageable writing instruction can provide all the benefits of science-informed instruction and more. Join Natalie Wexler to learn how breaking down the artificial walls separating reading, writing, and learning can enable all students to reach their full potential. For K–12 classroom teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, policymakers, and parents.
- Sat, May 1 · 10:00 AM EDT
Clarity for Learning: Making the What, Why, and How Visible in Our Schools and Classrooms
This interactive workshop helps PreK–12 educators and leaders strengthen instructional impact by bringing clarity to teaching and learning. Participants explore how clearly defined learning intentions, meaningful success criteria, and aligned instructional practices improve student understanding, engagement, and progress. Through collaborative activities, educators examine how clarity influences both teacher decision-making and student ownership of learning. The session emphasizes practical strategies to ensure students know what they are learning, why it matters, and how to be successful — resulting in more purposeful instruction, stronger feedback, and deeper learning outcomes across classrooms and schools. For PreK–12 teachers, instructional coaches, school administrators, and district leaders.
Past sessions
Speakers
- DDr. Alexa SordenFounding Principal
- DDr. John MightonFounder
- DDr. Sabba N. QuidwaiCEO
- DDr. Steven G. FeiferPediatric Neuropsychologist & School Psychologist
- JJohn T. AlmarodeProfessor of Education
- MMargaret (Peg) DawsonSchool Psychologist
- NNatalie WexlerEducation Writer
- SStephen ChigerSenior Director of 5–12 Humanities
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