Inspiring Middle School Minds: Gifted, Creative, & Challenging : Brain- and Research-Based Strategies to Enchance Learning for Gifted Students

Teaching adolescents can be quite challenging. Dr. Judith Willis, a neurologist and teacher, explains the inner workings of the adolescent brain. She uses the findings of brain research in her classroom to explain how parents and teachers can trigger untapped inspiration in students. Middle school education has often been a ¿black hole¿ for gifted students, seldom providing adequate challenge. By understanding how the brain works, however, we can make learning for all youngsters exciting and stimulating. The information and advice in this book will help parents and teachers design positive and rewarding learning experiences that will then be stored in long-term memory rather than ¿deleted¿ or ¿filtered out.¿

Dr. Judy Willis, a board-certified neurologist and middle school teacher in Santa Barbara, California, has combined her training in neuroscience and neuroimaging with her teacher education training and years of classroom experience. She has become an authority in the field of learning-centered brain research and classroom strategies derived from this research.Dr. Willis is on the board of directors of the Hawn Foundation for mindfulness education programs organized by Goldie Hawn, and has traveled internationally with actress Goldie Hawn to make presentations about mindful teaching and learning. They were 2009 Featured Speaker Co-Presenters at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) National Conference.