Danni Gugel is the senior director at The Nectar Group, a national education center focused on treating the root causes of learning challenges using cognitive neuroscience.
She received her BA in English education from Colorado State University, and her Master’s in education with an emphasis in reading intervention from Regis University.
Danni Gugel is an M.Ed., Senior Director at The Nectar Group Master Level Certified Cognitive and Academic Coach, Certified Teacher, Reading Specialist, Psychometrist, Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Certificate in Integrative Pediatric Neurology: ADHD and Autism.
After 13 years in education, her priority is still helping every student love learning and reach their full potential.
She strives to grow in neuroscience and education to better support children and adults with traumatic brain injuries, learning challenges, or disabilities.
Danni loves being able to present workshops to different communities to support and enhance their resources and knowledge of how to improve cognitive function. She is a national educational speaker and presents more than 50 sessions annually across the United States. Outside of work, you can find her exploring local restaurants and hidden treasures, reading, and spending time with her dog Atticus!
Teaching with the Brain in Mind: Lessons from Neuroscience
Have you always wanted to improve your child’s ability to follow multiple-step instructions, read more fluently, or grasp those tricky math word problems? Have you wondered if there are things you can do as the teacher to improve your child’s progress? The field of neuroscience has given us an immense amount of information on how the brain learns, and it provides a roadmap of how to teach while considering brain function in order to optimize learning. Take away easy-to-implement actionable steps that are quick and affordable but can make a huge impact in your homeschool classroom.
Participants will learn:
~ what neuroplasticity is,
~ the definition of the 7 core cognitive skills and how these impact learning and teaching,
~ how to identify cognitive weaknesses in your students,
~ classroom activities to support cognitive development, and
~ treatments and preview of other supports—such as movement, priming the nervous system, automaticity, and creating an environment to maximize your teaching tools and strategies.
Teaching Your Neurodiverse Mini-Me
Homeschooling children with learning difficulties can be hard for all parents, but especially if you yourself struggle with learning challenges such as dyslexia or ADHD. Most learning disabilities are hereditary, and so many parents find themselves teaching children with the same learning difficulties that they are challenged with themselves. The great news is that the field of neuroscience has taught us not only how to be better teachers with these issues, but also how to change and rewire the brain to overcome learning challenges, no matter the age of the child or the parent. Come learn about the amazing, malleable brain and how to harness neuroplasticity to help your child learn and reach his full potential.
Participants will:
~ understand neuroplasticity as the foundation for learning,
~ realize the critical role cognitive skills play in learning,
~ recognize symptoms of cognitive weaknesses as the root cause of learning challenges,
~ receive strategies to use in the classroom to improve learning, and
~ learn ways to harness neuroplasticity to improve cognitive function.
Conquering Executive Function Woes
Disorganization, poor time management, and difficulty shifting gears are just a few of the symptoms of poor executive functioning (EF). EF skills are important throughout all stages of life. They are what enable us to develop leadership and time management and prioritization, along with allowing us to follow multi-step instructions, think critically, and adapt to change. We’ll build a solid understanding of—and cover how you can help your child develop—these important skills.
Participants will learn:
~ what executive functioning is and why it matters,
~ root causes for executive function weaknesses and disorders,
~ how to accommodate for each of the 12 executive functions in your classroom, and
~ options for improving executive function.
Special Needs Panel
Have a student with a special learning issue–or suspect you might have one? Join this lineup of experts and experienced homeschool parents to get your questions answered!
Overcoming Dyslexia and Reading Challenges
Reading is the key that opens the door to an entire universe of learning. School can be overwhelming and frustrating at best when a child is struggling to read. There is real hope for treating the root causes of reading difficulties and disabilities. We’ll help you understand what can go wrong in reading development and how to help your child overcome all types of reading difficulties through the latest research in neuroscience.
Participants will learn:
~ the definition of dyslexia and other reading challenges,
~ what dyslexia looks like on brain imaging,
~ how dyslexia is diagnosed,
~ causes for misdiagnosis,
~ treatments for dyslexia and reading challenges, and
~ next steps for intervention.
Putting ADHD into Focus
ADHD can be exhausting for the child and the parent—especially when that parent is also the teacher! Join us to learn everything you need to know about ADHD. We’ll cover symptoms, diagnosis, and research-based options for treatments that work.
Participants will:
~ learn methods for diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
~ learn types and common symptoms,
~ understand the root causes of ADHD,
~ explore non-medication treatments that work—including nutritional interventions,
~ learn strategies to help your student with ADHD navigate learning in any environment, and
~ create a strategic plan for treatment.
