More than a dozen national experts in gifted education will explore issues critical
to underrepresented populations.
Why attend?
EILA credit available
Keynote:
Serving Traditionally Under-Challenged Students through a Growth Mindset with New York Times best-selling author Mary Cay Ricci
Differentiation Strategies for Diverse Classrooms of Learners – Wendy Behrens and Christine Weber
With the diverse nature of today’s classrooms, how can we provide challenging curriculum
for all learners, especially those who are gifted and from under-represented populations?
This session focuses on the use of case studies to identify and analyze the unique
needs of underserved populations of gifted and talented students. Participants will
explore various differentiation strategies that can be used to engage all of their
students in the learning process.
Gifted Stakeholders Professional Development Interventions Concerning Norms and Realities
of the Urban Whole Child in Under-Served Populations – Ken Dickson
Urban under-served learners’ diverse needs are invisible, overlooked, and misunderstood.
The norms and realities associated with their giftedness require different identification
approaches. This session will examine prevailing norms and realities, including school
norms and realities that serve to exclude urban under-served learners from gifted
programs. Suggestions to reduce the impact of negative perceptions of urban under-served
learners’ norms and realities will be explored, so student access to gifted programs
can be maximized.
Increasing Opportunities for Innovation and Creativity for Diverse Learners: Engineering
Across the Curriculum – Debbie Dailey
To increase opportunities for innovation and creativity in STEM subjects, curriculum
for advanced learners should promote understanding of content and concepts through
active engagement in problem solving. This is equally beneficial for advanced learners
from low socioeconomic and diverse backgrounds. Participants will actively engage
in science and engineering practices as they work to develop solutions to real-world
problems; participants will explore ways to integrate engineering design into their
science lessons while addressing math and literacy standards.
Making Diversity a Priority! Ensuring the representation of English Language Learners
in your Gifted Program – Javetta Jones Roberson
English Language learners are increasing in population in school districts across
the US. Come to this session to learn strategies and skills in serving, identifying,
and retaining this dynamic population. Learn strategies to build a more diverse gifted
population on campus and within the district, best teaching practices for this demographic,
and ways to develop parental support in order to give these students opportunities
to flourish.
Reducing the Excellence Gap – Julia Link Roberts
The low percentage of students achieving at advanced levels is alarming. It is especially
low for children from lower income families, those who are African American and Hispanic,
and those who are English Language Learners. This session will highlight strategies
to engage more students to achieve at advanced levels. Remember, doing so creates
a brighter future for our students and for our communities.
Serving Traditionally Under-Challenged Students through a Growth Mindset – Mary Cay Ricci
Participants will discuss the importance of a growth mindset so that equitable access
exists for our underserved and under challenged students. Focus will be on both educator
and student in this interactive session. Concepts will include differentiation, deliberate
cultivation of non-cognitive skills, advocacy, and more.
Theory to Practice: Classroom Strategies to Support Gifted Students with ADHD – Debbie Troxclair
This presentation integrates theory with practice to enable educators to help gifted
learners with ADHD succeed. Teachers will learn how to address the strengths and weaknesses
of both giftedness and ADHD. In an interactive lecture, participants will learn to
apply presented strategies to create their own GT/ADHD toolkit, acquire a dual perspective
understanding of 2E learners who are gifted and have ADHD, and learn to prioritize
educational needs for selecting the best interventions.
Understanding the Twice-Exceptional Student – Tracy Inman
Students who have both gifts and disabilities may not ever be formally identified
as possessing either. Their strengths mask their weaknesses while the weaknesses sabotage
the strengths – leaving a person frustrated, underachieving, or even hating school.
This interactive session explores the 2e learner: What does he look like? How can
we identify her? How can his needs be addressed? What does success look like for her?
Using Dynamic Assessment to Serve Under-Represented Students with Gifts and Talents
– Yara N. Farah
School districts have little difficulty identifying students for gifted services when
they score at the highest levels on standardized tests. However, many highly capable
students do not do well enough to be considered, even though they can excel with services
if given the chance. Dynamic assessment is an alternate method to intelligence tests
for measuring intellectual ability in disadvantaged, twice exceptional, or limited
English proficiency students. This session explores dynamic assessment as a supplemental
source of information in flexible identification procedures.
Using Pop Culture to Engage and Challenge Gifted Adolescents – Kimberley L. Chandler and Jennifer H. Robins
Incorporating songs, artwork, and literature from popular culture in lessons can help
gifted adolescent students feel more connected to the curriculum in content-area classes
and can inspire greater self-efficacy and success. In this session, the presenters
will use the literature, art, and music of various contemporary decades to promote
higher order thinking and interdisciplinary learning.
Please contact Julia Roberts at
julia.roberts@wku.edu
or 270-745-5991.
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