2012 Summer Institute Sessions

2012 Sessions:

Monday, July 16, 8:00am

Welcome to the Summer Institute!

Monday, July 17, 8:15am -9:00am

The Human Brain 101: How Much Do You Know??
with Kathy Stevens and the Gurian Institute Training Team

To kick off our week, we’ll cover some brain basics--and make sure we know some of the wonders of the human brain before we refocus on the interesting and important differences in ways the male and female brain see the world!

Monday, July 17, 9:00am -11:30am

Understanding the Minds of Boys and Girls
with Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens

In this opening session, Michael will begin by tracing how a child’s learning mind grows, how girls’ and boys’ learn and grow differently, how acculturation influences boys and girls, and how parents, educators, and others working with children and families can care for and support the needs of both girls and boys. Michael’s session details the developmental gender science that is foundational to the subsequent Institute sessions.

In looking at gender and achievement gaps in schools specifically, Michael will explore achievement gaps both boys and girls are facing, and then lean his presentation toward solutions for achievement gaps boys are facing in schools. He will work with you on “aggression nurturance” and other new tools for reaching boys and creating systemic change in education.

Kathy will join Michael to provide insight into how to engage the specific social and academic needs of girls in school, including ways to close girls’ achievement gaps in STEM classes. Throughout this morning session, Kathy will also provide practical strategies for teaching both boys and girls. These strategies give you a taste of the many new strategies you will learn over the course of the rest of the Institute.

Monday, July 17, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

How to Engage Boys and Girls
in their Literacy Learning
with Jeffrey Wilhelm, Ph.D.

This highly interactive keynote will explore the major findings of two recent long-term studies of boys and their literate lives inside and outside of school.

The conditions of situated motivation and relational teaching will be explored in depth. Implications for instructional practices that can engage and assist boys, as well as girls, will be highlighted.

Monday, July 17, 5:30pm

An Informal Session with Michael Gurian

Questions and answers and light refreshments will cap off this first day.

Tuesday, July 18, 8:15am - 11:30am

It's a Boy!
with Michael Thompson, Ph.D.

This session is based on Dr. Thompson's book It's a Boy!: Your Son's Development From Birth to Age 18.

It's a Boy! is "the definitive guide to raising boys in today's world, revealing with humor, compassion, and joy all the infinite varieties of boys and the deep and profound ways in which we love them."

Tuesday, July 18, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Your choice of one of the following sessions:

Either T-1

Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls, Part 1
(Part 2 will be on Wednesday morning)

(SELECT ONE AGE LEVEL)

Birth-Early Childhood thru K: with Dakota Hoyt, GI Master Trainer, and Betsy Hoke, Certified Trainer
Elementary School: with Kelley King, GI Associate Director
Middle School: with Peggy Daniels, GI Master Trainer, and Rick Price, Certified Trainer
High School: with Kathy Stevens, Executive Director, and Lynn Ritvo, GI Master Trainer

This will give participants a tool box full of practical strategies that can be used in any classroom to increase teacher effectiveness and make sure the needs of both boys and girls are being met.

Or T-2

Been There - Done That - Now What???

Advanced session for educators who are working with gender and learning and want more! This session will be especially appropriate for those who have attended the Institute previously.

Wednesday, July 18, 8:00am - 11:30am

Your choice of one of the following sessions:

Either W-1

Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls, Part 2
(Part 1 began Tuesday afternoon)

This will give participants a tool box full of practical strategies that can be used in any classroom to increase teacher effectiveness and make sure the needs of both boys and girls are being met.

Or W-2

In The Company Of Women
with Claudia Sherry and Karen Boyk

How can women help girls mature into balanced, confident, and fulfilled adults? It is important for girls to have multiple role models who have taken different paths in life, demonstrating the variety of opportunities that women have. In the first part of this workshop we will look at how an understanding of the emotional needs of girls can guide us as we teach and mentor them throughout their journey, from childhood to young adulthood.

The second half of the workshop will focus on lighting the spark in our girls in math and science. The common perception among educators is that girls are "doing fine" in math and science, and that our focus should be on the very obvious needs of our boys. Although girls have made significant gains in math in the past 15-20 years, boys continue to outnumber girls 13:1 at the highest levels of math giftedness, a statistic that has held steady for approximately 30 years. The same is seen at the highest levels in science, and women are still under-represented in professions in math, physics, chemistry, engineering and technology.

We will look at using girls' strengths to enhance their performance and to build their self-confidence in these critical academic areas.

Or W-3

Assessing Implementation:
Strategies and Tools for Determining How Well
Teachers Are Making Classrooms Gender Friendly
with Dakota Hoyt and Betsy Hoke

Wednesday, July 18, 1:00pm

Down From the Mountaintop!
Creating an Action Plan
with Kelley King and the Gurian Institute Training Team

One of the challenges facing Gurian Institute participants is how to process the volume of information that they have gained over their week’s experience. Particularly challenging is returning to their school environments and trying to translate what they have learned to their daily practice.

In many ways, the Gurian Summer Institute is a “mountaintop” experience, in which important ideas are examined in a supportive environment among people who share the same basic interests. Returning down from the mountain, figuratively and literally, requires some tools that will allow participants to develop practical ways to make the ideas they have discussed an integral part of their own lives.

Participants will discuss the challenges they face when they return to their home schools. They will learn how to address those challenges, whether they are institutional or interpersonal, in ways that allow them to preserve their enthusiasm.

Wednesday afternoon, July 18

Discussion: Are We Leaving No Children Behind?

Closing for regular participants of the Summer Institute

Certification of new trainers and recertification for current trainers
on Thursday and Friday

Thursday, July 19 (8:00am—4:00pm)

This session will cover the curriculum, materials, contracting process, and all issues related to becoming a Gurian Institute Certified Trainer. Please note: new applicants must submit a completed application and nonrefundable $50 fee to attend this session. Applicants may certify in more than one area (education, parenting, human services).

Friday, July 20 (9:00 am—2:00pm)

Trainer applicants will make a short presentation for staff and colleagues. This session helps the Gurian Institute determine applicants’ level of skill presenting, rapport with an audience, and appropriate apprenticeship requirements.

GI Staff will be available following the close of this session to answer questions, process applications, etc.

Return to top of page