Brain-Friendly Study Strategies, Grades 2-8

Amy Schwed is an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz. During the past eleven years she has developed courses in how to teach reading/language arts at both primary and intermediate levels, as well as children's literature and differentiated instruction classes, plus supervised student teachers. In addition, she created and taught a graduate course, "Integrating Study Skills and Multiple Intelligences". That course, combined with a shortened version developed for in-service teacher training, was the genesis of Brain Friendly Study Strategies and has undergone continual growth and change. Her professional background includes 31 years as a public school educator in kindergarten through eighth grade; reading teacher and consultant in elementary, middle school and junior highs; teacher of middle school gifted and talented students; New York State "Newspapers in Education" turn-key trainer; staff development and in-service teacher trainer for many school districts; and workshop presenter for parent education training. In addition to being a teacher trainer, she has been a repeat presenter at many professional conferences, including the International Reading Association, the New York State Reading Association, local reading councils, and other state conferences. She developed and conducted a district-wide Young Author's Conference for several years. She has been a returning guest lecturer at Vassar College and Manhattanville College. Since beginning research to design the integrated study skills graduate course, she has become actively involved in discovering as much about how the brain learns as possible. This has become an on-going, fascinating educational process, exciting and informing her current teaching. That research broadened the scope of Brain Friendly Study Strategies well beyond Multiple Intelligences. She loves being a teacher of current and future teachers! She may be reached at: (845) 462-2269 or amyschwed@optonline.net . Janice Melichar-Utter has worked with students at all levels from preschool to college during her thirty-four years in education. She was an adjunct professor at Mount Saint Mary College teaching Foundations of Literacy. Presently, Jan tutors women recovering from substance abuse. Working as a reading specialist for eighteen years, primarily at the middle school level, Jan learned to adapt strategies to meet the challenges of learning disabled and gifted readers. In the Social Studies classroom, she was passionate about developing brain friendly study strategies and memory techniques to bring success to all students. Guiding students to understand how they learned became paramount to covering curriculum. Jan presents teacher workshops on a variety of topics throughout the Hudson Valley, including the New York State Reaching Association Conferences, Mid-Hudson Reading Council Fall Conferences, the IRA Convention in Toronto, and was a guest lecturer at Vassar College for over 20 years. As readability editor and consultant for Scholastic-Grolier, she involved her middle school students in focus groups to evaluate books. She is a member of professional organization such as ASCD, MHRC, Delta Kappa Gamma, and APCE. Currently Jan is using her educational background for work in Christian ministry. She and her husband Jim, an ecology professor, live in the Hudson Valley of New York and share five children and four grandchildren in their combined family. You can reach her at 7 William Way, Stormville, NY, 12582. E-mail: mrsjmutter98@aol.com

A Guide to Study Strategy Activities in the Chapters, With Corresponding Grade Levels Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction 1. Introducing the Brain: Hooking Into Your Memory 2. Learning What Works for You: Modalities and Styles Awareness 3. Rethinking How We Learn: Each Brain is Unique 4. This Way to a Healthy Brain: The All-Important "TIONS" 5. Be-Boppin' the Brain: Musical Rhythmic Studying 6. Talking Tightens Memory: Walking Down Verbal/Linguistic Lane 7. Pumping up Memory With Muscles: Running on the Bodily/Kinesthetic Track 8. Seeing Your Thoughts: Sightseeing on the Visual/Spatial Route 9. Organizing to Know: Marching Down Trails of Logic 10. Learning Together: It's More Than Just Me 11. Timing Is Everything: Planning the Journey Thinking About How We Study: Understanding the Path to Classroom Success Appendix References Index

"The book piqued my curiosity and hooked me in from chapter one. This is an easy, friendly read with great strategies and lots of examples. It provides interesting and important information for educators." -- Marilee Sprenger, Educational Consultant "The authors have solved the classroom teacher's dilemma in one innovative, comprehensive, teacher-friendly book. They cleverly present a myriad of easy-to-follow strategies that are applicable to the increasingly diverse learning styles of students. Kudos to the authors for giving teachers a treasure trove of novel, concrete, and fun-filled strategies that will reach, rally, and rouse all learners." -- Patricia DeLessio, Professor of English and Reading "This book is an interactive, user-friendly view of brain-based research and its influence on teaching and learning. Highly accessible to the reader, it is welcome addition to the field." -- Reva Cowan, Associate Professor of Education "An outstanding set of keys to understanding learning challenges and successes, and is an important key for teachers of Grades 2-8 who wish for more effective learning strategies for the classroom." -- The Bookwatch, June 2008