She is an in-born teacher, loving wife and mother of three.

She is also a Graduate teacher of English and has taught English at all levels for the past 15 years.

She has a TESOL certificate from the University of California Riverside. In addition, she is an experienced teacher trainer, founder and director of ‘The Wasteland Challenge International School of English’. Maria is the President of the organizing comitee of the International Brain and Education Congress®. She is a researcher at heart and loves challenges to keep her alive.

She is a Multiple Intelligence and NLP practitioner and She has attended drama, mime and storytelling courses.

She holds a BA in the teaching of English from CAECE. University.

She has contributed some articles to the Buenos Aires Herald education News and Teachers’ Magazine. She has also lectured locally and internationally for the University of California Riverside

E-mail: maalmeida@speedy.com.ar

Nancy Fernandez (Vice-president)

She is keen on socializing and working with students of all levels. She loves being with children and enjoys spending time with her lovable two godsons.

She has been teaching English for more than 15 years. She worked as a headmistress in one of Vaneduc’s bilingual schools in Castelar, Buenos Aires. She has been the head of the English department for many years. She has attended courses for teachers in the USA and England. She worked as FCE supervisor in Switzerland and Germany. She has been involved in brain research for many years and at the moment, she is in charge of promoting the mission statement and goal of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. E-mail: nanymfernandez@hotmail.com

Lucrecia Prat Gay

Bio data

LUCRECIA PRAT GAY de TEISAIRE:: Head of English Primary at Rio de la Plata School, has been putting into practice the Brain Friendly Revolution for five years now. Teacher Trainer with multiple presentations throughout the country, a Literature teacher for IGCSE examinations,and a Self-Esteem Practitioner who worships Shakespeare.Also a passionate actress and a loving mother to Juan and Jazmin. E-mail

Bacigalupe Maria de los Angeles

BIODATA

MARÍA DE LOS ÁNGELES BACIGALUPE (2nd March, 1973) has been studying how studies on Memory from Cognitive Neuroscience can help Education since 1999 thanks to Research Grants by the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), Argentina. She teaches at the University as Assistant Teacher in charge of practical classes on Biological Foundations of Education. Graduated in Graduate Studies in Education at UNLP, she has been granted by the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECI) to study Neuroscience and got training in Anatomy and Nervous System Cellular Studies in Spain. She has published and presented at Congresses some works on Neuroscience for Education, Educational Research on Memory, Teaching Neuroscience for Educators, and Learning Skills and Neuropsychology of Memory. She works on Neuropsychology at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital Dr. A. Korn, Argentina, as part of her Research Grant, and she has been a Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) International Associate. Contact: mbacigal@huma.fahce.unlp.edu.ar

Silvina Massa de Muñiz

An in-born teacher, loving wife and mother of three, has taught English at all levels for the past 20 years.

Silvina graduated as a teacher at the Universidad Católica Argentina, and discovered brain-friendly teaching in 1999. She has attended many lectures and Conferences on the topic (S.E.A.L Conferences1999 and 2001, for example) which made her plunge into the study of some aspects related to this new way of viewing education, such as the use of colour and music in the classroom, Brain-gym, and recently, assessment and evaluation

She became an Associate to the School of Preceptors, England, and a self-esteem practitioner, Self-esteem Association, United States, as well as internal moderator for IGCSE English, Literature, Child Development and Computer Studies examinations.

Silvina has published in 1999 Happy English to You, a course-book for the teaching of English in state schools as well as many articles on the subject in school magazines.

At present, she is the Kindergarten and IGCSE coordinator at the Colegio Rio de la Plata, Capital, where a model based on teaching with the brain in mind is being put forward since 2000. She also teaches Language and Literature at Godspell College, Boulogne, a school that believes that teaching for understanding having the theory of Multiple Intelligences (Howard Garner, Harvard) as a working methodology, is the key to success in life.

To sum up, a true believer in brain-friendly teaching!

Ana M. Leiguarda

Ana M. Leiguarda is graduate with honors of Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. She works with children and teens and also at university in the Didactics II chair. She is especially interested in how the brain works, has published several articles and conducted workshops in Argentina, Spain, and The USA.

GABRIELA LOMBARDO

Gabriela Lombardo loves teaching and learning. She is a passionate teacher of English. She loves music and dancing and has attended some workshops on circle dancing. She graduated as a sworn translator from Universidad del Salvador and has been teaching English at all levels for sixteen years. She has been a yoga practioner since 1992. She has also studied some cellular memory techniques such as Touch for Health and Three in One Concept and facilitates them. She is also a Brain Gym® instructor and consultant. She is currently working as a teacher of English at Horacio Watson School, giving in-company training and working with Brain Gym sessions. She has always been interested in brain-friendly and humanistic approaches to teaching and learning as well as enjoying the process. She is also committed to providing students with tools to connect with their own selves and lead a better lifestyle.

PATRICIA SAHADE

Patricia Sahade is a teacher from the heart and has been teaching since always. She is a loving wife and a mother of three adolescents. She graduated as a BA in Mathematics at the University of La Plata and has worked in research and teaching for more than 20 years. (Teaching; Faculties of Economy, Mathematics and Engeniering (UNLP;UNBA) /Research C.I.C. and CONICET) After a close family member went through a life threatening disease, she felt a deep need for a change and began a spiritual journey. During this journey she reconnected with dance and movement. She studied dance therapy and became instructor of Rhytmic Expressive Gym. She is a Flower Essence Practitioner. She is also Instructor and faciltator of Brain Gymâ and facilitator of Touch for health and One Brain techniques. She feels happy to have been able to fully use her experience as a researcher, in all fields she has engaged in.

Argentina