Workshop Topics

Building the Eight Pillars of Capable Young Minds

What is the common thread of disability for special needs children, and what can we do about it? This seminar will explain the concept of executive control, describing how it helps children to navigate important developmental hurdles, both social and academic. Special emphasis is placed on the role of working memory, self-monitoring, and cognitive flexibility, particularly as they contribute to helping someone become productive and efficient. These important skills also enable problem-solving, goal-directed action, and adjustment in many areas of a child's life, ultimately leading to increased feelings of self-confidence. Strategies for building and coaching these skills are presented and amply illustrated with examples.

Helping Boys to Communicate and Connect

Drawing on his book, Boys of Few Words: Raising Our Sons to Communicate and Connect, Dr. Cox discusses the challenges so many boys face in learning how to be effective communicators. The obstacles faced by diverse groups of boys, including those who are anxious or shy, angry or resistant, or struggling with neurodevelopmental challenges, are covered in depth. This presentation helps clarify which kinds of communication obstacles grow from a boy's temperament, and which ones may be related to problems with learning or attention. In all cases, participants are given practical suggestions for reaching out to withdrawn boys or those bound by walls of silence.

Locating Significance in the Lives of Boys
Drawing upon the results of a recently completed, two-year global study (United States, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa), Dr. Cox discusses how boys discover a sense of purpose and significance in their lives. This study revealed five major dimensions of significance to boys, all of which are relevant to both schools and families. It provides unparalleled insight into the developmental, educational, and spiritual needs of 21st century boys, and calls for a new paradigm of intervention focused on pragmatic transcendence, real-time achievement, and reframing tradition. Building on the findings of his study, Cox discusses how schools can foster a deeper sense of purpose and significance among boys. He will address critical agents of achievement such as urgency, necessity, and recognition, exploring how schools can build upon existing programs to make them more transformative for boys. This program addresses boys changing perceptions of the boundary between play and work, and what implications this has for educators who want to connect with, and be relevant to boys. Rather than pathologizing the cognitive and behavioral differences frequently found among boys, this presentation emphasizes how to engage those differences in a meaningful way, making school a catalyst for purpose and significance in boys lives.

The Meaning of Life Before Twenty

The new horizon in education points toward evolving priorities for students, families, and schools. Students have an immediate need to understand the purpose of their education and how it supports meaning in their lives. How schools address this need is the critical difference between an adequate education, and one that aspires to excellence. Based on an unprecedented, two-year global study, Dr. Cox will discuss what young people identify as significant in their lives, and where they discover a sense of purpose. This is a unique opportunity to understand the values that shape young minds, and to engage a discussion about how education can assert itself as a guiding light of a civil, purposeful society. The transformative role of work will be highlighted, as it pertains to both boys and girls.

** Please note that workshops can be combined to create half-day or full-day programs. Please call for more information about workshop content or to read detailed outlines of workshops and seminars click here (pdf). We are happy to talk with you about presentation details and how programs can meet the needs of your group - 401-816-5895.