Two researcher/ practitioners, involved in special and lifelong learning, explored emerging best practices to help schools, educators, parents, and older adults navigate and apply core findings from cognitive and affective neuroscience. --Chair: Alvaro Fernandez, CEO & Editor-in-Chief of SharpBrains --Debbie Gilmore, Executive Director of the Arrowsmith Program --Susan Hoffman, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC Berkeley Learn more at sharpbrains.com

1. Upgrade education with lifelong
brain development in mind

2. Upgrade education with lifelong brain development
in mind
Chaired by: Alvaro Fernandez,
CEO and Editor-In-Chief,
SharpBrains
Debbie Gilmore,
Executive Director,
The Arrowsmith Program
Susan Hoffman,
Director of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute,
University of California Berkeley

3. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
UPGRADING EDUCATION
WITH LIFELONG BRAIN
DEVELOPMENT IN MIND
Debbie Gilmore
Executive Director
Arrowsmith Program

4. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
PRE-NEUROPLASTIC PARADIGM

5. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
THE CHALLENGE

6. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
CHANGING
COGNITIVE
CAPACITY
+
ACADEMIC
CURRICULUM

7. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
CAPACITY BASED PROGRAM
Strengthen specific
cognitive functions in
neural networks
Change cognitive
capacity
of student to learn
THE LEARNER CAN BE MODIFIED

8. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
COGNITIVE FUNCTION
Cognitive functions are the characteristic
function or job
of a region of the brain or network of regions

9. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
Education Neuroscience

10. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
CHANGE HAS COMMENCED

11. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
DIFFERENT MEASURES OF SUCCESS

12. Strengthening Learning Capacities®
PRINCIPLES OF THE
ARROWSMITH PROGRAM
• Design a task that stimulates a
specific cognitive function
(targeted/differential
stimulation)
• Start the level of task difficulty
just above the level of current
functioning (effortful
processing/complexity)
• Remove the support of areas that
could compensate for weaker
functioning (effortful processing)
• Build in performance mastery
criteria that is rewarded –
accuracy, consistency,
automaticity

13. Strengthening Learning Capacities®

15. Creating a Dynamic
Learning Environment
Across the Lifespan
Susan Hoffman
SharpBrains Virtual Summit
December 2016

16. Global Realities
Longevity: profound demographic trend
Learning: impacts longevity more than any
other single factor

17. Keys to Learning and Longevity
Physical Emotional Mental
Exercise, Cardio,
Complex
Balance Skills
Diet Stress Management Strategies
Hearing and Vision Self-efficacy Stretch
Sleep Social Engagement Change
Physical well-being REST Novelty and variety

18. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)
at UC Berkeley
• 100 stimulating courses
• Learning community with speaker series, field trips, social
activities, travel, peer-led learning circles and clubs
• Pathways to participate in research; esp.as participant-
observers/pioneers

19. Who We Serve
• 2200+ members each year
• Professionals with advanced degrees
• 70 % women
• 90% white
• 2/3 volunteer
• 89% feel connection with Berkeley
• 75% between ages of 65-79 years
• 88% heterosexual

20. Concerns:
• Lack of knowledge of older adults and later
life
• Connecting the lifespan of learning
• Diversity: lifelong learning is self-funded
• Learning: what is real learning?
• Digital literacy/efficacy

21. What we teach and learn: Content
• Cross-disciplines
• Polysemic
• Relevant to roles: citizens, mentors, civic
leaders
• Forward-thinking
• Creativity as a new language
• Expert/scholarship

22. How we teach and learn: Pedagogy
• Experiential
• Interactive
• Use of technology
• Appeal to all of the senses
• Understand who we are as learners; what do we need
to code, record and recall
• What does it “feel” like to be learning something for the
first time; the awkwardness of writing with opposing
hand

23. Where we teach and learn:
learning community
• Social connectedness of learning
• Intergenerational
• Social accolades for taking courses outside of one’s
“habit” of mind: challenge, variety and novelty
• Evaluation: participate in evaluating what works
• Appeal to groups of people where learning may be seen
as taking time away from other responsibilities and
provide them with the “unselfish” frame

25. Q&A

26. Thank you to all Participants!

27. Sponsors
Thank you to all Speakers & Sponsors!

28. To learn more, visit sharpbrains.com