By Lane Johnson
Learning Center Director
On Tuesday, April 10, Dr. Janet Zadina presented two workshops at NHC. These workshops were funded through a Title V mini-grant. In the morning, she spoke to 91 students and faculty about the Mystery of Attention. In the afternoon, she met with over 50 faculty members from around the district to discuss “Using Brain Research to Enhance and Energize Instruction.” Enthusiastic comments after the sessions reflect the success of her presentations. One participant wrote “. . . I feel more equipped to shape lessons to how the brain learns.” Another praised the presentation: “This is definitely one of the best presentations on learning I have ever been to.”
Dr. Zadina’s broad experience as both a teacher and a researcher was evident in the two workshops she offered. In the first, “The Mystery of Attention,” she focused on the student audience and gave them background information on attention as well as hints on improving their own attention. In her afternoon presentation directed to faculty, she presented research-based strategies and principles to enhance learning. A list of her references, suggested reading and web-based resources is available in the Faculty and Staff Center.
Dr. Janet Zadina, an experienced high school and community college instructor and reading specialist now engaged in neuroscience research, received her doctorate in the College of Education at the University of New Orleans, conducting her dissertation research on the neuroanatomy of dyslexia through collaboration with Tulane University School of Medicine. She is currently an associate professor in Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at Tulane, where she is researching neuroanatomical risk factors for developmental language disorders through MRI brain scans and working on research projects at VA Hospital on post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Zadina is co-author of Writing Now, a college developmental composition textbook. She presents keynotes and workshops on brain research and instruction for numerous regional and national conferences, as well as for faculty development workshops.
For more information on Dr. Zadina and her brain research topics, see her website at janetzadina.com.
