Authors Put Neuroscience Behind Differentiated Instruction for 2011 Literacy Symposium

Carol Ann Tomlinson and David Sousa will present information from their book, Differentiation and the Brain: How Neuroscience Supports the Learning-Friendly Classroom, at the University of Arkansas Literacy Symposium set for June 23-24 at the Fayetteville Town Center.

Tomlinson and Sousa are two highly regarded authors in the fields of differentiated instruction and the use of brain research in teaching, according to symposium organizers. The symposium is presented annually each summer for educators by the department of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education and Health Professions.

Tomlinson teaches in the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, where she is William Clay Parrish Jr. Professor and Chair of Educational Leadership, Foundations, and Policy. Sousa is an international consultant in educational neuroscience and author of seven books that suggest ways that educators and parents can translate current brain research into strategies for improving learning.

They will examine the principles of differentiation in light of what current research on educational neuroscience has revealed. This research offers information and insights that can help all educators decide whether certain curricular, instructional and assessment choices are likely to be more effective than others. They will offer suggestions on how to establish and manage differentiated classrooms without imposing additional heavy burdens on teachers –  to teach differently and smarter, not harder.

Linda Goldberg, member of the Principal's Art Education Forum at the Kennedy Center, will speak on "Arts Integration: A Gateway to Literacy."  Her appearance is sponsored by the Center for Children and Youth in the College of Education and Health Professions.

Cost and registration information are available at http://cied.uark.edu/5674.htm. Online registration may be done at https://secure.sceao.uark.edu/EventCalendar/registration/detail.aspx?id=79. Educators may receive 12 hours of professional development credit approved by the Arkansas Department of Education for attending.