Concurrent Sessions/Poster Sessions November 16, 2012 | 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM 11.1 Parents as Advocates: Building Effective Bridges of Communication
Dana Reupert, California Association for the Gifted, Riverside, CA How can parents become a dominant presence in promoting education of the gifted? Find out how to ensure that students have access to the best quality gifted programs and services that school districts can offer. Specific strategies to identify the role of parents as advocates are discussed. Audience: Administrators, Advocates/Association Leaders, Classroom Teachers K-12, Consultants, Coordinators, Counselors, Parents Room: Exhibit Hall A
3.3 F ive-Minute Professional Development: Snapshots of Best Practice That Can Be Put Into Practice Tomorrow
Jamie Christine Guess, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL Are you a K-12 educator looking for fresh ideas that you can implement tomorrow with the gifted students in your mixed- or high-ability classroom? The 5-Minute Professional Development series highlights various best practice techniques that educators can use right away and administrators can give to their staff on Monday morning. Combining theory and an explanation of techniques, along with a section for “putting it into practice,” the 5-Minute Professional Development series is a method of applied learning that both gifted and mixed-ability classroom teachers will find useful.
Friday
Professional Development
Audience: Administrators, Classroom Teachers K-12
Why We Run Our High School Like a Gifted Program
Room: Exhibit Hall A
What would it be like if high schools were run in such a way that the enrichments, differentiated teaching strategies, special programming, and flexibility common to high quality gifted programs were available to all? This high school opened doors and opportunities to increase rigor, develop student talent, and change mindsets to make it work. What was the catalyst? Administrative courage, a creative problem-solving spirit, and staff development as a start. In this session, participants hear an inspirational success story about how to transform a rigid institution into a child-centered school and reclaim excellence in a climate of minimum standards.
Melissa Stockton, Creative Flair Educational Consultants, Tolleson, AZ; Bertie Kingore, PA Publishing, Austin, TX
Linda Conlon, Quaker Valley School District, Sewickley, PA
Audience: Administrators, Classroom Teachers 9-12, Consultants, Coordinators, Counselors Room: 605
Promoting Rigor and Engagement for Gifted Students: A Leader’s Role
Leaders promoting rigor and engagement in learning environments can attain the higher achievement expected from gifted students. Advanced levels of achievement result from a rigorous learning environment where gifted students engage in high-level learning processes, experience support so they learn at and beyond grade-level, and demonstrate understanding through high-end products that evidence relevant, sophisticated content. Investigate how to support differentiation while facilitating change among teachers and students. Examine research-based examples of how rigor and engagement can affect higher achievement for gifted learners without overwhelming teachers. Exit with timesaving applications of the five instructional priorities required in a rigorous learning environment. Audience: Administrators, Advocates/Association Leaders, Classroom Teachers K-12, Consultants, Coordinators Room: 203
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National Association for Gifted Children | Reaching Beyond the Summit