The cognitive resources we need for learning, working, and living – and helping students learn and develop – are diminished by the negative effects of persistent economic insecurity, childhood trauma, feelings of insecurity related to belonging, and concern about acceptance and safety based on aspects of identity. In addition, all of our lives have been disrupted over the past several years by a global pandemic and significant social unrest, adding to “normal” levels of uncertainty. Knowing that all of this can rob us of mental bandwidth, we can attempt to create learning and working environments in which everyone can reclaim their lost bandwidth so we can work in productive and affirming teams in which each of us can learn and thrive.
Main concepts:
- Community – intentionality about building it
- Bandwidth – what is it and how does it get depleted
- Scarcity steals cognitive capacity
- Uncertainty – the great bandwidth stealer
- Reclaiming bandwidth in community
- Community – intentionality about building
Keynote Speaker:
Cia Verschelden, author of “Bandwidth Recovery”
Cia Verschelden most recently finished a two-year assignment with the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Before that, she was Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Malcolm X College – City Colleges of Chicago. She taught for over 25 years at two- and four-year public institutions in social work, sociology, women’s studies, nonviolence studies, and first-year seminar. Her administrative posts have included department chair, institutional assessment lead, and vice president of academic and student affairs. Cia has a B.S. in psychology from Kansas State University, an M.S.W. from the University of Connecticut, and an Ed.D. from Harvard University. The second edition of her first book, Bandwidth Recovery: Helping Students Reclaim Cognitive Resources Lost to Poverty, Racism, and Social Marginalization, was published in 2024 and Bandwidth Recovery for Schools: Helping Pre-K-12 Students Regain Cognitive Resources Lost to Poverty, Trauma, Racism and Social Marginalization in 2020.