Best-selling author and parenting educator Tina Payne Bryson will discuss how teachers can tap into the “whole brain” of a child to help him or her succeed, at the next Education on the Edge lecture on Tuesday, April 5, at California State University, Northridge.

Tina Payne Bryson

Bryson, with child psychiatrist Dan Siegel, co-authored the New York Times best-seller “The Whole Brain Child,” which introduces parents and other caregivers to practical strategies to help them survive the difficult moments in their children’s lives, and how to use those moments to help their children thrive. During her talk, Bryson will take that concept and apply it to student-teacher interactions.

“We are very excited about having Dr. Bryson with us this year,” said Wendy W. Murawski, executive director and Eisner Endowed Chair of CSUN’s Center for Teaching & Learning. “Her strategies will appeal to educators and parents alike. She will help us learn more ways to engage students behaviorally, academically and socially.”

Bryson’s lecture is scheduled to take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Northridge Center of CSUN’s University Student Union, located on the east side of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

In addition to “The Whole Brain Child,” Bryson and Siegel also co-authored the New York Times best-seller “No-Drama Discipline.” Bryson is the executive director of The Center for Connection in Pasadena, Calif., where she offers parenting consultations and provides therapy to children and adolescents. She keynotes conferences and conducts workshops for parents, educators and clinicians around the world.

Bryson currently serves as the director of parenting education and development for the Mindsight Institute, where, along with Siegel, she teaches parents and professionals how to understand parenting relationships in the context of the changing brain. Bryson received her doctorate from the University of Southern California, where her research explored attachment science, childrearing theory and the emerging field of interpersonal neurobiology.

The Education on the Edge series is free and open to the public. However, reservations are required. For more information and to reserve a seat, visit www.CTLbryson.eventbrite.com.

CSUN’s Center for Teaching & Learning is the research, collaboration and professional development arm of the Michael D. Eisner College of Education. Faculty from departments across the college are conducting cutting-edge research and professional development to better address the needs of schools, as they work in collaboration with K-12 teachers and administrators, and community members.

The center was established in the summer of 2002 thanks to a generous gift from the Eisner Foundation, the family foundation of Michael and Jane Eisner. The center initially focused on neurodevelopment and how knowledge of those constructs can be taught to teachers — and ultimately impact the way they teach and the way students learn. It has since broadened its scope. Faculty and affiliates are researching and analyzing multiple innovative approaches to teaching, counseling, educational therapy, administration and professional development. The center also offers a speaker bureau that provides local schools and organizations an opportunity to bring these new approaches to their campuses. More information about the center can be found at www.csun.edu/ctl.

Center for Teaching and Learning, Education on the Edge, Michael D. Eisner College of Education