Wednesday June 26th, 10:15 - 11:15 a.m. ET
Concurrent sessions are 1-hour presentations on a range of topics with relevance for educators working with students with LD, ADHD, and autism.
*Choose one presentation from the following during this session*:
C21: No Ideas but in Things: The Essential Role of Art in Teaching, Learning and Being
Presenters:
Eric Stewart, Assistant Professor of Art, Landmark College
Luke Strosnider, Assistant Professor of Digital Media, Landmark College
Cindy Ludlam, Assistant Professor of Ceramics, Landmark College
Description:
Integrating studio art practices into coursework, irrespective of the discipline, enriches the learning experience for all participants, and proves particularly impactful for individuals who perceive and engage with the world through visual and kinesthetic modalities, as opposed to linguistic ones. The Studio Arts not only offer therapeutic benefits but also possess the capacity to augment traditional classroom instruction. This panel presentation, facilitated by members of the Integrated Arts Faculty at Landmark College, aims to provide participants with practical insights into how creative practices can effectively support diverse learning styles. Attendees will gain ideas for seamlessly incorporating these practices across various disciplines.
C22: Staging an Amygdala Intervention: Practical and Radical Strategies for Combating Test Anxiety
Presenter:
Jacqueline Ahl, Outreach & Retention Specialist, SUNY Dutchess Community College
Description:
“I’m a terrible test-taker!" Let’s change that narrative. This session includes an exploration of the amygdala, the role of cortical and subcortical brain structures in threat detection and response, maladaptive coping strategies, outcome expectancy, attentional bias, and stereotype threat. Guided by neuroscience and borrowing ideas from art therapy to the military, from cognitive psychology to comedy we’ll examine a variety of conceptual and practical interventions for test anxiety, including concrete changes in preparation, radical means of re-framing thinking, and a program used by Navy Seals to decrease performance anxiety and increase success.
C23 Empowerment through Teaching Disability History
Presenter:
Rich Cairn, Collaborative for Educational Services
Description:
Gain a framework and materials to integrate disability history and supportive attention to disability into the K-12 curriculum. Explore the free, accessible Reform to Equal Rights (RER): K-12 Disability History Curriculum. Its inquiry-based lessons investigate topics from early in American history through student research projects on the Disability Rights Movement. Detailed lessons engage students with disabilities in civic engagement projects. Trace the long arc of disability history from early American history through the Disability Rights Movement as we sample tools and strategies for inclusive instruction in history and civics, with attention to students with learning disabilities.
C24: LIFE Project: Weekly Workshops and Peer Coaching to Support Students on the Spectrum
Presenters:
Alma Haidee Jongewaard, LIFE Project Coordinator, California State University, Long Beach
Britney Griffin, LIFE Project Coordinator, California State University, Long Beach
Description:
The Learning Independence for Empowerment (LIFE) Project is a free program for students with autism (ASD) at California State University, Long Beach. Students attend weekly workshops and community-building activities to practice the skills necessary to navigate university life and future career opportunities, with peer coaching for more individualized support. The goal is to foster students’ self-determination and belongingness at CSULB by making the unspoken social hidden curriculum more visible and explicit to reduce barriers to employment and degree-attainment. CSULB can share recommended program structure, pre/post assessments, collaborations with the campus and surrounding community, as well as recommendations for future programming.