 Laura Wilde is the president and founder of Encompass Learning. Dr. Wilde combines her interest and study of brain research in education with her extensive classroom experience to help better engage learners of all ages.
Her passion for the successful education of all learners was ignited by her graduate-school research in the area of autism. Laura received her Masters degree in Development and Disabilities and then transitioned into the field of regular education while pursuing a doctoral degree. Her dissertation entitled, “Fantasy as an Instructional Tool in the Classroom”, focused on one variable that teachers could use to intrinsically motivate students—imagination through classroom simulation.
In 1994, after receiving her PhD. in Educational Psychology, Laura decided the closest way into a learner’s mind was to become a teacher. She spent the next eight years teaching in a Title 1 school within the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest district in the nation. Laura experimented with ideas of motivation and interactive learning environments through classroom simulation within her own classroom. The interactive experiences Laura provided did increase student engagement, interest and retention of information, but it was advances in the field of brain research that told her “why” these methods worked so well.
As a teacher, Laura saw two great needs within the schools. The first was for students to be engaged in their learning. Laura’s interest and study of brain research in education led her to a set of techniques which were developed by Impact Learning, Inc. Laura brings together these skills with her knowledge of the brain and classroom.
A second great need Laura saw in the schools was for teachers to be supported, satisfied and engaged in their teaching. Laura brings a state-of-the-art coaching model from the business world into the field of education by offering professional coaching and leadership training for teachers and administrators. Laura is a graduate of Corporate Coach University International and is currently pursuing certification with the International Coaches Federation.
Laura has been active professionally throughout her teaching career. She became a National Board Certified Teacher in 1999 and has done outside consulting, training and coaching on a variety of topics with groups such as Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Cal State Dominguez Hills, California Council for the Humanities, Pleasant Company and Los Angeles Educational Partnership.
“Find out what you love. Do it because you love it. Stick with it. Start now.” Barbara Sher
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