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Preconference Speakers

Bridging Learning Differences: Perceptual Thinking Patterns

About Vida Groman:

Vida Groman has been working as a teacher, consultant and therapist for the past twenty years. At the present time, she owns her own counseling, coaching and training business, LifeWorks. She offers workshops, classes and counseling in the areas of conflict transformation, diversity issues, team building, communication skills, and Personal Thinking Patterns-PTP™.

Vida has a Masters of Education in counseling from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She received her B.A. from William Paterson College of New Jersey in Wayne, New Jersey. She is a certified consultant of Personal Thinking Patterns-PTP™ since 1989. She is also an ad-hoc instructor for the University of Wisconsin Extension in the areas of diversity, PTP and conflict transformation. Vida has also trained over 200 teachers and administrators in the Madison Metropolitan School District, Madison, WI since 1994, in addition to working with numerous groups of teachers in other school districts in the Midwest.

About Denise Jess:

Denise Jess is an educational consultant, specializing in community-building, conflict resolution/transformation, diversity issues including intellectual diversity, multicultural education and curriculum and program writing and design. She has worked extensively with educational institutions, community groups, social service, governmental and health care agencies and businesses in these areas. Denise taught at the elementary level for eleven years, where she facilitated a multi-aged classroom, utilizing integrated, learner-centered curriculum. She is actively involved with the training of student teachers and social work students from the University of Wisconsin system, serves as a guest lecturer and ad hoc instructor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and facilitates numerous workshops at local, state, and national conferences. She also works with a wide range of client groups on diversity, conflict and program issues. She is the author and co-author of eight published curriculum packages for teachers and students, focusing on culturally accurate portrayals of history.

Denise has a Masters in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She also received her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.