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Kelley King - Associate Director Kelley King is a 20+ year veteran of the public school system, an international speaker, an author, and the mother of both a son and a daughter. As Associate Director and a Certified Trainer for the Gurian Institute, Kelley travels widely to deliver keynotes, teacher workshops, and consultation to educators and parents. Additionally, she develops cutting-edge training curricula for both on-site trainings and online coursework and supports the development and marketing of GI certified trainers around the world. Kelley’s education background includes licensure in special education, regular education and school administration. She has worked at the elementary, middle and high school levels in regular education, special education and gifted and talented programs. Kelley has worked in schools serving diverse racial, linguistic and socioeconomic student populations, as well as schools ranging from rural, one-room schoolhouses to large suburban schools. Kelley has provided teacher training in a number of inner-city, Title I schools across the country.
Wamsley Elementary School, Rifle, Colorado "This was a several part series on public radio about Wamsley Elementary where I did a lot of training (3-4 days onsite, all teachers took the online class and attended Summer Institute). They were strong adopters of the strategies. "They have been on 'academic watch' (meaning that they were close to being disciplined or reconstituted by the state) for two years and are 51% Latino and Title I. They just got word that they have come off of academic watch with the state - huge news! They were one of only eight schools in the state to accomplish this." Kelley’s work has been featured on The Today Show, National Public Radio, and National Health Journal, as well as in Newsweek magazine and in Educational Leadership. Kelley co-authored (with Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens) two books which were released in March 2008: Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls: Elementary Level and Strategies for Teaching Boys and Girls: Secondary Level.
Kelley writes: "I have engaged in intensive study of the gender-based brain differences and nature-based strategies for teaching and learning since 2004. As a school principal, I led my school through an improvement process targeted at closing the gender gap, including the analysis of the data, professional dialogue and training, and the identification and implementation of effective strategies. Through action research, I have been able to demonstrate the effectiveness of 'Minds of Boys' and 'Boys and Girls Learn Differently' theory to enhance the achievement of all students. "In 1994, I became the mother of a son (and in 1995, a daughter) and have been drawn into the foreign and perplexing world of the male brain. Long before I read about Gurian’s work and the neurology of the boy brain, I was inventing motherhood-survival strategies like having my son do push-ups while practicing multiplication tables or having him hold a chin-up while trying to recite his spelling words forwards and backwards. Without understanding the science behind it, I was instinctively using a nature-based approach when I tapped into his unique and inherently 'male' biological design. "As a certified trainer, I am somewhat unique in that I am currently engaged in the daily work of schooling and parenting. I am neither a retiree nor an empty-nester. My stories are a rich tapestry of first-hand, in-the-moment testimonials (the kind that start out with, 'This actually happened in a third grade class last week…') about the theory that can yield extraordinary results in classrooms and at kitchen tables across this great nation. I can tell the stories with the happy endings – that my son lived to learn his multiplication tables and that my very own school landed on the cover of Newsweek. Knowing the Audience: "I AM the audience. I have walked in the shoes of the regular classroom teacher, the special education teacher, the teacher of the gifted, and the school administrator for 20 years. I walk alongside many others in the journey of parenting. I have immediate credibility with both educators and parents as a result of both my professional and personal roles and the national exposure that my school and I have received. I understand the competing demands, the distractions, the mindsets, the politics and the resources of public education. I live the everyday ups-and-downs of school life from board policy to playground rules, high-stakes testing to skinned knees, over-extended resources to Pajama Day. I understand the push-pull relationship of mounting pressure to increase test scores, and the need to foster playfulness and joy in learning. I walk in these shoes. I can speak from the head, the heart and the hands. This is my life work and those in the audience are my trusted partners and colleagues. Delivering the Message with Power and Purpose: "I bring energy, intelligence, a sense of humor, the ability to read a crowd, home-grown personal and professional stories, strong oral communication skills, on-my-feet thinking and wit, and an ongoing commitment to adult learning. I deliver a dynamic, engaging, relevant and practical training to both large and small audiences and am comfortable tailoring presentations to meet the needs of the school or organization. I began seeking trainer-of-trainer roles very early in my career and now, as the Education Division Director, speak regularly in front of groups, facilitate meetings, deliver trainings, and craft presentations for many different audiences. Finally,
and perhaps most importantly, I believe that this work is urgent and compelling.
It is an incredible time to be in education. Societal evolution has far outpaced
biological evolution and, at the same time, our scientific knowledge base is
exploding before our eyes. The confluence of these events creates awe-inspiring
and unprecedented opportunities. I am a strong proponent of supporting all
children and I also recognize the difficulties that our boys, in particular, are
experiencing in schooling and in life. The nature-based approach that helps
girls - and is absolutely essential for boys - must be shared broadly so that
teachers, administrators and parents can help their students.
"Through
speaking engagements, membership on The Boys Project board, and professional
writing, I am helping to spread the word that boys and girls learn differently
so that all children may benefit from best practice in their classrooms and in
their homes. It is my sincere desire to fulfill this important mission in
schools and communities across the country."
"With Boys in Mind / Teaching to the Minds of Boys" |
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