Conference 2021 Wednesday February 24

ALL TIMES LISTED ARE CENTRAL TIME

8:00 am: Welcome and Keynote

  • Jane Paulin, KAGE President
  • Keynote – DR. JOY LAWSON DAVIS, Leading the Way to Equity & Excellence: A Call to Action – In the current climate of attention to social justice and equitable learning, gifted education has an opportunity to become leaders in developing and implementing high quality, equitable educational environments that addressed the needs of students from all backgrounds, including those who have typically been underrepresented in gifted & advanced learner programs. This keynote will serve as a call to action for key stakeholders in gifted education to lead the way to equity & excellence.

9:30 am Time with Vendors and KAGE Distinguished Student

9:30-11:20 am Morning Concurrent Sessions

11:20 am-12:20 pm lunch

12:30-2:20 pm Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

2:30-3:30 pm Closing Session

  • Keynote – COLIN SEALE, The Educational Equity Equation: Leveraging Gifted Education as the Pathway for Justice – So often, children who are culturally diverse, linguistically diverse, or living in poverty need to work twice as hard to get half as far. Prioritizing academic success for these students is crucial, but at what point do we question a system that places this unacceptable burden on already marginalized groups of students? Join Colin Seale, Author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students and Founder/CEO of thinkLaw, as he raises this question and answers it by breaking down powerful, but practical ways to ensure that (1) gifted education programs are actually designed to ensure gifted students learn lead, innovate, and break the things that need to be broken; and (2) school systems leverage the benefits of this instructional framework to make equity real at the classroom level.

3:30-4:30 pm, COLIN SEALE and PRUFROCK PRESS Virtual Book Signing

Conference 2021 Wednesday Sessions

9:30-10:20 am

Developing Creative/Productive Activities Across All Areas of The Curriculum, JOSEPH RENZULLI, Ed.D., UConn Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent DevelopmentWe define creative/productive giftedness as the process of applying knowledge and thinking skills to work that leads to development of a product, performance, service project, or any other ways in which people express themselves.  Creative/productive activities can be infused into any and all regular curricular areas or selected topics that might be covered in special programs for gifted and talented students.  It differs from lesson-learning giftedness in that it places students in the role of practicing professionals, even if they are operating at a more junior level than adult professionals. This presentation will begin with some examples how teachers identified student interests and then guided them through various creative/productive projects by providing opportunities, resources, and encouragement. A process called Curricular Infusion and a planning activity that uses a Creative Idea Generator for teachers will be presented and participants will be asked to use this planning guide to practice developing creative/productive activities for students.  Creative teachers produce more creativity in their students, and therefore the activity is designed to give teachers the tools and license to be more creative in their curricular planning.   

A Call to Action: Supporting Equity, Diversity, and Access for Gifted Students, JULIA L. ROBERTS, Ed.D. The Center for Gifted Studies and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, WKU; TRACY INMAN, Ed.D., The Center for Gifted Studies, WKU, and, LYNETTE BREEDLOVE, Ed.D., The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science – A critical new document created by The Association for the Gifted will be shared that presents a summary of research along with recommended action to address equity and access in gifted education for under-represented students. This is a critical issue in the field as must ensure all high ability students’ needs are met.

Eradicate Erratophobia with Odyssey of the Mind, JIMMY CORNN, Kentucky Odyssey of the MindAre your students afraid of making mistakes? So afraid to give the wrong answer they nearly paralyze their learning potential? Erratophobia is growing problem among our standardized test generation and Odyssey of the Mind can help students break through their fear. Through problems that focus on STEAM initiatives and divergent thinking, OM helps student see that errors are just part of the problem-solving process. Alumni and student testimonials will convince you to begin OM at your school.

More than a Tour: Live (and Lively) Learning for Your Gifted Students, CLAIRE GWALTNEY and REBECCA WISHNEVSKI, Kentucky Historical Society – In the time of COVID-19 museums have stepped up their game to meet the needs of Kentucky’s educators and students, and the Kentucky Historical Society understands your students need more than a pre-recorded tour! Join Museum Programs Specialist Rebecca Wishnevski as she shows you how the Kentucky Historical Society has worked alongside teachers to curate fun, live and interactive virtual experiences highlighting Kentucky’s rich history through tours and hands-on exercises.

10:30-11:20 am

Ending the “Not My Job” Mentality Towards Gifted Learners with Sustainable Coaching Strategies for General Education Teachers, COLIN SEALE, ThinkLaw – From the harmful myth that gifted learners will be “just fine” to the confusion general education teachers have when teaching a fourth grader who understands Algebra II but still eats boogers, the only thing worse than lacking the skill set to reach gifted learners is the common mindset of “not my job” mentality to do so in the first place. Through easy-to-apply strategies that equip teachers to raise the bar for students they may believe are “too low” or “too slow” to engage in critical thinking, this session addresses the reality that gifted children are gifted all day, every day, and helps gifted education teachers use a helpful coaching framework to create this reality in all classrooms. 

One-Room Schoolhouses 2.0: Differentiating in Today’s Classrooms, TRACY INMAN, Ed.D., The Center for Gifted Studies, WKU – Teachers in one-room schoolhouses differentiated daily; they had to. Yet differentiation remains one of the most challenging aspects of teaching today. Tackle that challenge head-on by exploring research-based, practical strategies for both preassessment and differentiation. Leave with tools to differentiate process, content, and product through readiness, interest, and learner profile.

Championing Creativity: Tips for Identification and Services, JENNIFER STITH, Jefferson County (KY) Schools – Need tips for championing Creativity in your district, school and/or classroom? Come here a practical, inclusive suggestion for identification in Creativity. This session will give concrete, plausible implementation steps to helping your school/district identify students in the area of Creativity. We will finish the session with a plethora of practical teaching strategies to reach our creativity gifted students that can be used in any classroom, with any age. Come capture the Creativity Craze in this cool conference session.

Productive Struggle through a Popular Puzzle: Using Rubik’s Cubes in your Gifted Classroom, DIANA GETTMAN FLORES, You CAN Do the Rubik’s Cube, Educational Consultant – Learning to solve a Rubik’s Cube creates the productive struggle needed to challenge gifted students. While twisting and turning the Rubik’s Cube, students develop critical thinking, problem solving, and visualization skills. In this workshop, teachers will learn how to use Rubik’s Cubes in their classrooms as an enrichment activity, as math manipulatives, and to reinforce important 21st Century skills. Session participants will also receive information on ways to get low-cost and free materials and curriculum to bring Rubik’s Cubes into their gifted programs. 

12:30-2:20 pm, combined session

A Necessity, Indeed: Integrating Equity and Culturally Responsive Practices to Promote Student Success in 21st-Century Classrooms, JAVETTA JONES ROBERSON, Ed.D., McKinney (TX) Independent School District – The 21st century classroom is ever changing as diverse populations continue to be enrolled in schools. Being culturally competent and responsive will help educators and leaders to see gifts and talents in diverse student populations, particularly students who are poorly represented in gifted education and advanced level courses. During this workshop, participants will be provided with resources and strategies for advanced level students to improve student success for racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse gifted students. Participants will be equipped with research, participate in interactive discussions and data digs that can help incorporate equity and cultural responsiveness in their schools and districts. Participants will also have an opportunity to assist their teachers and fellow administrators in adjusting their curriculum and instructional practices to incorporate equitable culturally responsive strategies aligned to common core and state standards.

12:30-1:20 pm

More Equitable Gifted Identification Using Behavior Rating Scales, JOEL MCINTOSH, Prufrock Press – Using online or traditional behavior rating scales offers one strategy to identify students who exhibit gifted abilities. These scales also help identify gifted students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are English language learners, or who are twice-exceptional. This session will explore the use and benefits of four popular rating scales.

Questions, Questions, and More Questions! LYNETTE BREEDLOVE, Ed.D., The Gatton Academy for Mathematics and Science – “The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” This quote attributed to author, Thomas Berger, addresses the heart of teaching. Teachers must be masters at crafting questions for students, as well as masters at teaching students to ask their own. In this workshop, we’ll focus on questionings strategies to address the need for rigor in elementary classrooms, particularly to meet the needs of gifted learners.

Meeting Our Body’s Lifelines Through Science and Engineering Practices, RUTH OSBORNE, Whitley County (KY) Schools  – Allowing students to develop models and make claims supported by evidence and reasoning is an excellent opportunity to learn how the human body systems work interdependently to sustain life. Participants in this session will learn 1) how to engage students in hands-on learning experiences to learn about the circulatory, cardiovascular, respiratory system 2) how to develop a Bloom’s Chart for a culminating product 3). how to use the DAP Tool to differentiate the learning experience.

Talent Search in Kentucky 2.0, JULIA L. ROBERTS, Ed.D. The Center for Gifted Studies and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, WKU; TRACY INMAN, Ed.D., and TYLER CLARK, Ed.D., The Center for Gifted Studies, WKU – The Talent Search offered by the Duke Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) has been important for many young Kentuckians for four decades. As you may have heard, Duke TIP has closed, and will no longer offer the talent search. We at The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU are committed to talent development and understand the need for a talent search and programming to serve students. We are working to continue services previously offered in the talent search. Come join this session to discuss plans and offer your ideas for a new talent search in Kentucky.

1:30-2:20 pm

“Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights”: Using Literacy as a Tool for Social Justice in the Gifted Classroom, JILLIANE MCCARDLE, Ed.D., LAKEITHA BROOKS, M.S., and KAREN EDWARDS, M.A., Model Laboratory Schools at Eastern Kentucky University – During this interactive workshop, attendees will explore literacy as it relates to issues of social justice and the gifted learner. Using culturally responsive texts such as “Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights,” “All Are Welcome,” and “Just Ask” along with Teaching Tolerance’s Social Justice Standards, participants will discover the relevance of these texts (and many others) in developing skills that students need to address and challenge complex social issues.

Using Real-World Data for Elementary Environmental Studies, ABBY WATKINS, Population Education  – Discover activities that will give gifted students practice in collecting and interpreting data to better understand their local and global environment and human impacts on ecosystems. Create 3-D representations of global land use, model amounts and sources of fresh water, simulate world population growth trends, and more. The presenter will discuss how to differentiate these activities for different kinds of learners. 

Standard-Based Escape Rooms & Forensic Scenes, BEN BACHE, The PBL Project – Participants in this session will be introduced to the related strategies of Escape Rooms and Forensic Scenes, which help students to develop critical and creative thinking while reviewing standard-based content. Attendees to this virtual session will also be provided with dozens of FREE digital Escape Rooms and Forensic Scenes that they can use throughout the school year.

Dreams Don’t Just Come True, They’re Made True, JOSEPH D. WILCOX, Institutional Relationship Manager, KY Saves 529 – How to fund higher education is top of mind for parents, especially for families with gifted children. Teachers can be a great resource to families who are preparing their children for success. One of the biggest mistakes parents of gifted children make is assuming grants and scholarships will cover all of their children’s education costs. This happens for only a few lucky families. The rest will have to supplement awards with their own savings or by borrowing. In this workshop, teachers will learn an easy way to save using Kentucky’s KY Saves 529 plan. Passing on information about Kentucky’s plan to parents will help parents become more informed and make better choices around paying for their children’s education.

2:30-3:30 pm Closing Session

  • Keynote – COLIN SEALE, The Educational Equity Equation: Leveraging Gifted Education as the Pathway for Justice – So often, children who are culturally diverse, linguistically diverse, or living in poverty need to work twice as hard to get half as far. Prioritizing academic success for these students is crucial, but at what point do we question a system that places this unacceptable burden on already marginalized groups of students? Join Colin Seale, Author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students and Founder/CEO of thinkLaw, as he raises this question and answers it by breaking down powerful, but practical ways to ensure that (1) gifted education programs are actually designed to ensure gifted students learn lead, innovate, and break the things that need to be broken; and (2) school systems leverage the benefits of this instructional framework to make equity real at the classroom level.
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3:30-4:30 pm, COLIN SEALE and PRUFROCK PRESS Virtual Book Signing

Last updated 02/12/2021