Summer Institute Information

This intense training experience is designed for teachers, administrators, parents and other professionals working with children. The Institute is committed to helping those working with children (and their families) gain knowledge of how the male and female brain learn, then applying that knowledge to their classrooms, schools, districts, communities and homes.

The Institute begins with registration from 2:00pm - 7:00pm on Sunday and ends at noon on Thursday for regular participants and noon on Friday for certification applicants. The regular session from Monday through Thursday is a prerequisite for individuals who wish to become Gurian Institute Certified Trainers.

Registration will take place on the second floor of the Lodge, building 28 in the Summit Village area of the campus. Please make travel arrangements to allow you to arrive and register on Sunday and stay through closing on either Thursday or Friday—we will start promptly on Monday morning!

All sessions will be in the Lodge, building 28, or Breckenridge House, building 25.

Breakfast and lunch each day is included in your registration; the cafeteria is on the first floor of the Lodge. Dinner is on your own.

On-campus housing is available in Breckenridge House and other nearby dorms. Additional information about on-campus and off-campus housing is located near the bottom of this page.

AM Session (8:30am - 11:30am) Michael Gurian Understanding the Minds of Boys and Girls
For a full description of all the sessions at the Summer Institute, please click here

PM Sessions (1:30pm - 3:30pm) Michael Gurian Leadership and the Sexes
Space limited to the first 75 people who register for this session

(1:00pm - 2:30pm) select one:
Kathy Stevens The Adolescent Brain - A Work in Progress
Adie Goldberg It's a Boy! It's a Girl! Now What??

(2:45pm - 4:15pm) select one:
Kathy Stevens Making a Good Brain Great! Teaching Kids Brain Science
Fran Spielhagen, PhD: He Says...She Says...
Claudia Sherry: In the Company of Women

Evening Reception from 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Spend some informal time with Michael, Kathy, Dr. John Ratey, Institute faculty, staff and fellow participants

AM Session (9:00am - 11:30am) Dr. John Ratey, M.D. Exercise Optimizes the Brain to Learn

“The hypothesis that exercise enhances school performance is supported by emerging research showing that physical activity sparks biological changes that encourage brain cells to bind to one another. For the brain to learn, these connections must be made.” Dr. Ratey will share his research on how physical activity has helped schools improve academic performance, decrease disciplinary problems and promote positive social-emotional development.

(1:00pm - 2:30pm) select one:
Kathy Stevens You Want Me to Read What?? Literacy and the Male Brain
Claudia Sherry: Lighting the Spark in our Girls in Math and Scienc
Mary Spence, PhD Understanding Aggression in Boys & Girls
Jesus Amaya, PhD Boys' and Girls' Fragile Brains

(2:45pm - 4:15pm) select one:
Dakota Hoyt Assessing Classroom Implementation
Diana Kastelic, PhD: How High School Boys & Girls Perceive School
Adie Goldberg It's a Boy! It's a Girl! Now What??
Kathy Stevens Developing Sustainable Professional Development

Wednesday, July 15 Strategies for Teaching Boys & Girls
All-day sessions beginning at 8:30am; select one age level (Birth to K - Elementary - Middle School -High School)

(8:30am - 9:45am) Fran Speilhagen, PhD Down from the mountaintop! I Learned It...I Love It...Now What Do I Do?

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 and see results from their good intentions. The presenter is an experienced teacher-educator, who also has 34 years experience in the K-12 arena. She will provide specific tools for addressing re-entry into one’s real life and how to make the valuable suggestions learned on top of the mountain part of daily routines.

Come together as a school team or form a team with your new Summer Institute friends! The goal of our action-planning session is to bring together what you've learned throughout the week AND to figure out how it all applies back where you work. This FUN (and funny!) and practical session will provide you with an effective action-planning tool that you can take back to your organization to get everyone working together and celebrating common goals.

These sessions will cover the curriculum, materials, contracting process, and all issues related to becoming a Gurian Institute Certified Trainer. A completed application and nonrefundable $50 fee must be submitted prior to these sessions. For more information, click certification.

Thursday, July 17 (1:00pm- 4:00pm)
Becoming a Gurian Institute Certified Trainer - How It Works

Friday, July 18 (9:00am-noon)
Modeling the Curriculum: Trainer applicants will make a short presentation, prepared Thursday evening, 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.

To receive a brochure by mail, please send us your mailing address. E-mail us at info@gurianinstitute.com or call toll free 1-877-382-7653.

To download our brochure (which includes the registration form) click here. To download only the registration form, click here.

We offer a 10% discount to organizations that sponsor five or more participants, making each registration $670.50

Payment may be made by check, money order or credit card (Visa, Mastercard and Discover accepted). Please send your registration and payment to:

Rocky Mountain Learning Enterprises
P.O. Box 60160
Colorado Springs, CO 80960-0160

If you have any questions, please contact Shari at our Colorado Springs office.
E-mail shari@gurianinstitute.com or call the toll free number 1-877-382-7653.

School districts that sponsor participants may submit a purchase order to our office in Colorado Springs. To receive either the early or regular registration rate, actual payment of these purchase orders must be received by April 18 for early registrants or June 13 for regular registrants.

Participants in the Summer Institute will receive a confirmation once we receive their payment.

If you request a refund prior to April 18th you will receive a full refund. If you request a refund prior to June 13th you will receive a refund less $50. Refund requests after June 13th will be considered on a case by case basis.

The Summer Institute is associated with the extended studies program of the College of Education, University of Colorado; and credit is available for those who are interested. All arrangements for this must be made online through the university.

College of Education programs are fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. These programs are also approved by the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Commission of Higher Education.

Participate in 21.5-contact hours July 13th through 16th, 2009 on campus at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. Participants will be expected to be in attendance at all sessions and to actively participate in all individual and group activities. In order to receive college credit for the Summer Institute you must attend and complete all sessions for which you are registered. A sign-in sheet will be available in each session and will be used to verify attendance. PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIGN IN as grades cannot be issued for participants who do not do so.

To earn 3 graduate credits students will complete requirement 1 and choose ONE of the following:

Submit a paper, 7-10 pages, on how the course content can be translated into practical application in the classroom or program. Included in the written submission should be a detailed lesson plan/action plan. Email submissions are acceptable, if the submission is in the form of a Word document, with appropriate APA formatting and citations (OR)
Using current school or district data, submit a paper (7-10 pages) evaluating the significance of data showing learning gaps by gender and, applying the knowledge gained through participation in this course, develop recommendations for implementing strategies to improve performance by both girls and boys in targeted areas. Include an assessment of the issues at work in your setting that will facilitate implementation, or what barriers you might expect to have to work to overcome. Email submissions are acceptable, if the submission is in the form of a Word document, with appropriate APA formatting and citations.

This assignment is due NO LATER THAN August 7th and grades will be submitted within two weeks of that date. Grades and transcripts can be accessed through the UCCS website.

If you have additional questions, please contact Carla Rupprecht in the College of Education Extended Studies office; telephone 719-255-4134, e-mail crupprec@uccs.edu

1. Leave the airport on Milton E Proby Parkway
2. At Powers Blvd. turn right, heading north to E. Fountain Blvd.
3. Turn left, heading west to Academy Blvd.
4. Turn right, heading north to Austin Bluffs Parkway
5. Turn left, heading west, to the University of Colorado, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway

(Please note: as you continue west on Austin Bluffs Parkway, the name of the road changes to Garden of the Gods when you cross Nevada Avenue. A number of motels and hotels are in the area of 500 Garden of the Gods Road.

Take I-25 south to Colorado Springs. Leave the interstate at the Garden of the Gods exit, #146. Turn left onto Garden of the Gods Road, heading east. At Nevada Avenue, the name of the road changes to Austin Bluffs Parkway. Continue straight, up the hill and turn left at the first light, onto the campus.

(Please note: the most convenient motels and hotels for off-campus lodging are located near the Garden of the Gods exit.)

Summit Village Housing offers a range of accommodations, including private and semi-private rooms at great rates! Single rooms are $51 a night (space is limited so apply early). A single room in a suite with four rooms is $34 a night. Visit http://www.uccs.edu/housing for floor plans and other information.

REMEMBER — THESE ARE COLLEGE DORM ROOMS, NOT HOTEL ROOMS. THEY ARE INEXPENSIVE AND DO NOT OFFER THE AMENITIES YOU WOULD FIND AT A HOTEL. REFUNDS ARE NOT GIVEN SO BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND NEED BEFORE RESERVING A ROOM.

THE GURIAN INSTITUTE DOES NOT MAKE THE HOUSING ARRANGEMENTS, SO DO NOT SEND YOUR HOUSING PAYMENT TO US. DO NOT SEND YOUR REGISTRATION PAYMENT FOR THE SUMMER INSTITUTE TO THE UNIVERSITY.

Make on campus reservations directly with the university. For information, e-mail Kelly Maestas kmaestas@uccs.edu or telephone 719-255-4445. Reference the Gurian Institute Training. The deadline for making reservations is two weeks prior to the beginning of the Summer Institute.

To check in once you arrive, go to Monarch (building 21 in Summit Village.) Arrangements can be made for early arrival or late departure.

Parking regulations are strictly enforced. If you drive a personal or rental car, you need a campus parking pass. Parking on Sunday is free.

If you stay on campus, the passes are provided by the University. If you are staying off campus, We will have passes available for purchase during registration. If you car pool from your hotel you can share the cost. Please indicate on your registration form if you will need a parking pass so that we have the appropriate number available.

Until June 1, 2009 the Comfort Inn is offering a special rate of $84.99/King bed and $89.99/Two queen beds for Summer Institute attendees. The Comfort Inn is a 5 minute drive to the campus and just minutes from a variety of restaurants.

Amenities: FREE continental breakfast, FREE wireless high-speed Internet access, free local calls, exercise room, microwave/refrigerator/coffee maker in rooms, heated indoor pool, free parking, and pet friendly. When you make your reservation identify the GURIAN SUMMER INSTITUTE.

The number of rooms is limited so make your reservations early if you want to take advantage of these special rates—after June 1, regular summer rates will be in effect and they are higher.

The address is 6450 Corporate Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919. The phone number is 719-262-9000.

There are a variety of other off-campus lodging options available. Most convenient would be those near I-25 and Garden of the Gods Road, west of the campus. Many restaurants are located in this area too.