About Dorothy
I am Dorothy Gray, founder of Creative Brain Works. I am the creator and writer of the documentary film, The Brain Friendly Classroom©. I have been a teacher for nearly 40 years. My love for children and passionate desire to ease their struggles led me to develop a pioneering, innovative learning program.
I began teaching in 1973 and soon realized traditional teaching styles were great for some kids but not for everyone. (These traditional teaching styles are still pervasive today, in spite of the work of Harvard Professor Howard Gardner in the 1980s). A significant portion of our students do not learn well under the traditional system. They are sharp children but learn in different, unique ways. I knew this personally from my own childhood because I had been one of those children. As a teacher, I searched for ways to help those “different learners”. I never found any, so I began exploring and creating new solutions on my own.
I began by playing soothing music in the classroom. The effect was immediate; students became calm and ready to learn much more quickly. That was the beginning of what developed into my highly successful program, The Brain Friendly Classroom©. The program consists of simple techniques and ideas that are easy to implement and integrate into the classroom. The results are life-changing for teachers and students alike.
The Brain Friendly Classroom© contains FIVE KEY ELEMENTS correlated to each of the five senses. The more all of the senses are engaged while learning, the more anchored the learning becomes. In my program students feel safe, an imperative before learning can occur. As a result of these pioneering techniques, stress plummets, behavior problems disappear, learning easily occurs, test scores increase, and best of all…confidence sky-rockets! The amazing changes are noticeable to everyone. As the music teacher said to me one day, “You always get the good kids, Dorothy.”
During my years of research and experimenting, I developed, designed and conducted research to discover the effects music and relaxation had on reading. The findings showed music and relaxation both have a profound, positive effect. My research, “A Musical Interlude: Using Music and Relaxation to Improve Reading Performance” was published in the educational journal, Intervention in School and Clinic, March 2004; 39: 246-250.
I am a Licensed Teacher and Practitioner of Brain Gym®. This fun, movement-based system rewires the brain to function more efficiently. I teach Brain Gym workshops to educators and lay-people.
I have studied Neuro-Kinesiology, Rhythmic Movement Training (RMT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and more. These modalities further help students become confident and successful in their lives.
Today I am an adjunct teacher at a community college teaching remedial reading. I continue to use elements from my program with incredible results.
I also have a private business working with children and adults. I offer simple techniques to overcome ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, trauma and more.
My biggest passion continues to be helping transform children’s lives by sharing both my pioneering program and Brain Gym® to teachers, administrators, counselors, therapists, parents and lay-people.