Abstract: Thinking derives from sensory development and the growth and connections of neural pathways. That development has changed in the 21st century. The cerebral cortex, responsible for much of our higher-level functioning, is dominated by the visual sensory system, unrelated to eyesight. This visual "processing" develops through 3-dimensional movement and bi-hemispheric integration, which we do less and less even while the amount of sensory stress increases. One simple example is reading, which now takes place on top of a pulsating light source that bombards the brain during the complex ocular-motor skills required to scan, track, and comprehend. We are the first humans to experience this phenomenon. To take advantage of the opportunities of the latest technologies we must first understand the basic physiology of the brains dominant sensory system, learn to recognize a problem, and take action to protect and develop this powerful sense. This will become increasingly important as our next generation of workers arrives having been wired from birth. Our expectations for their performance may need adjusted, even while they have new processing skills we can hardly comprehend. With the advances in brain research we can now imagine a world in which schools and workplaces are structured to honor the way the brain learns instead of unknowingly working against basic biology. In this interactive session you will experience vision override your other senses. Having learned about the plasticity of the brain you will engage in activities that challenge your own ability to contend with sensory integration and increasing brain loads.

Biography: Leslie has over 20 years experience as an author/producer, specializing in leading multi-disciplinary teams of subject matter experts and administrators in the creation of multi-tiered, multi-media educational programs. Her training programs have been used in over 800 schools and government agencies and garnered over 60 awards, including 2 Emmy awards and 30 Telly awards. Her educational broadcast programming has been seen and heard on public television and radio stations around the country. Ms. Peters has produced leadership and management training programs for a variety of organizations, from the Department of Justice to billion dollar corporations on the topics of crisis management, coaching, best practices, corporate change, and the psychology of retention. Each program is research-based and relies on extensive input from both experts and end-users. Most recently she authored the Vision and Learning professional development series, offered for continuing education units in partnership with the College of Extended Learning, California State University, San Bernardino and online in a streaming media format at sensoryprocessingcourses.com

Contact: Leslie can be reached by e-mail at lpeters@sensoryprocessingcourses.com for additional information about this conference session.

Website: www.sensoryprocessingcourses.com