Dr. Lisa Basista is one of those people who dynamically leads others with excitement and power and yet carries a sense of peace in her, a quiet reflectiveness that allows adolescents and adults around her to grow and learn.

Dr. Basista and I first met four years ago and ever since then I’ve been planning ways to have her speak at our Summer Institute.  She is a true student of the brain—with a keen eye for how knowledge of the brain can positively affect students and adults. Here’s more from Dr. Basista.

–Michael Gurian

I am so happy to be presenting at this year’s summer institute!  I have been a California teacher and administrator for over 30 years and have loved working with students at all levels:  K-12 through university.

Like many of you, I have attended many trainings over the years, and continuously strive to refine my instruction to best meet the needs of my students.  With that said, I hope you will believe me when I share that I can pinpoint the day that it all came together for me as an educator; the day that I wanted to shout out loud “so THIS is what it is all about!”

It happened when I was at the Gurian Winter Institute in Florida.  I listened to Michael Gurian speak about brain differences between males and females.  As he revealed brain scans that offered tangible proof of the differences, I felt awakened.  Then, he provided real world examples on how these differences affect teaching, learning, and living.

For each scan he showed and each example that he gave, I could think of ten more from my own experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Many of the major issues that I had struggled with in my classroom practice seemed to be represented in his talk about the brain. Many things came together for me right there, right then.

My experience at that Gurian Institute was so profound that when I returned to my site as a certified trainer, I immediately began training my faculty and staff. I was in a unique position as the Dean of an all-male military academy (the first female to hold that position in the school’s 106 year history, I might add) that already had great success working with males.

With that said, my faculty embraced the science behind the training and we soon decided to become a Gurian Model School. As you may have now figured out, I am referring to the Army and Navy Academy, which is hosting the 16th annual GI Summer Institute, and the third at ANA.

In my current role working with teacher and administrator candidates at Cal State University San Marcos, I ask my students to consider brain differences between boys and girls as they plan their lessons. Whether it is incorporating more kinesthetic activities to keep the boys moving, or considering the strong verbal skills of many girls, these things are not always part of the planning process, yet key to success.

This summer, I will focus on how to help girls succeed in our classrooms and beyond. I will be presenting Helping Girls Thrive.  This exciting session will examine the hyper social anxiety our girls experience today, and how to help them; questions of self-esteem and identity; and double-edge female need to please. My interest in this research comes not only from the brain-based research but my own experience working with teen girls who are overstressed, overstimulated, and overextended…yet still do not feel that their identity is activated and strong.

Whether you are a teacher, parent, or teen advocate, I hope that you will join me to learn more about the science behind how girls learn and grow, and to explore strategies for helping them thrive.

— Lisa Basista