M1: Data Findings on Advanced Coursework and Practical Applications in Your School District – Kristen Hengtgen, PhD, Nora Bartlett, English Teacher, JCPS, Tiffani Morrison Instructional Coach Gifted, JCPS, Casey Kirk, District GT Educator, Williamstown Independent Schools
M2: GT Bootcamp: Marching Together to Success – Toddie Adams, PhD
M3: The Sky is Full of Hands-On, Minds-On Science – Rico Tyler
M4: Product vs. Process: Creating Systems for Identification in the Visual and Performing Arts – Jilliane McCardle, EdD, Peter Edwards, EdD, and Christopher Budano, PhD
M5: The Governor’s Scholars Program: 41 Summers of an Inspiring and Uplifting Community of Learners – Aristofanes Cedeño, Ph.D. Executive Director and Academic Dean, Governor’s Scholars Program
A1: Giftedness in Foster Care: What We Have Learned Thus Far – Yvette R. Robinson, MAEd, CEO and Founder of Xavier House Unlimited
A2: The Basics of Gifted Education for Educators and Parents – Julia Roberts, EdD, Mahurin Professor of Gifted Education; Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies, Western Kentucky University
A3: What it Really Means to Teach Mathematics: Guiding Principles for Student Flourishing – Dr. Jonathan Thomas, Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Kentucky
A4: One-Room Schoolhouses: A Deeper Dive – Lynette Breedlove, Ph.D., Director of The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science. And Tracy F. Inman, Ed.D, consultant
A5: Inspire the Innovators! Ideas for Building a Classroom Culture that Fosters Innovation and Creative Thinking – Elizabeth “B” Joyce, Assistant Director of Programming, The Center for Gifted Studies, WKU
BloomBoard invites all KAGE attendees to Happy Hour in the Bluegrass Pavilion
RSVP if you’d like to join them for complimentary appetizers and drinks!
If only our children came with instruction manuals! Every child has his or her own subtle needs and differences, so what works with one child does not necessarily work with another. When you add giftedness, it gets even more complicated. Many parents of gifted and talented (GT) children find it difficult to talk to others about their parenting challenges and concerns. It can feel as though you are humble-bragging even though your concerns are legitimate. Understanding more about your gifted child can help. This session, sponsored by KHEAA and led by Lynette Breedlove, PhD, focuses on five points to keep in mind as you navigate the incredible journey of GT parenthood. Join us on February 26 at 7 PM, click here to register.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
KAGE Business Meeting. Everyone is welcome.
Concurrent Sessions (see below for session descriptions)
Justin Mitchell | Developing Creativity: Lessons from Disney
What Stories Do Your Data Tell?
Our world is filled with data. Schools collect all types of information about students. This session will explore how we can leverage data to share the good news about gifted education in our districts but also highlight the areas for improvement. Interactive tools will be demonstrated. Together, we will discuss ideas for using data more fully to tell the story of gifted education in our individual contexts.
Focus: Advocacy and Identification
Intended Audience: Parent, Teacher, Instructor, Administrator, Gifted Coordinator, Researcher, Anyone interested in Gifted Education
Presenter Tyler Clark, Julia Link Roberts, and Elizabeth “B” Joyce, The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University
Gifted Artists and Creators
This session will focus on activities that can be used to support gifted artists and creativity superstars in the classroom. Activities are good for K-12 students and can be adapted for the classroom. A brief discussion of the Studio Habits of the Mind will open the session and then participants will have stations to explore that target high levels of artistic ability.
Focus: Enrichment, Art, Dance, Music, and Theater,
Intended Audience and Level: Teacher, Elementary, Middle, and High School, Anyone Interested in Gifted Education
Presenter Casey Kirk, Williamstown Independent Schools
The Impact of Adoption and Foster Care on Gifted Students
Students in today’s classrooms have many unique backgrounds, and gifted and talented students are no exception. We will share research with gifted students who are also adopted or in foster care on the overlapping challenges they experience. While these students have unique obstacles and needs, there are underlying commonalities in how they may view themselves and their giftedness through their lens of adoption or foster care. We will explore situations in the classroom and home that may present challenges for gifted-adopted or gifted-fostered children, particularly when teachers and caregivers are not aware of these stressors. We will explore the complications related to these students transitioning schools or homes and what affects socioemotional development such as trust, loss, loneliness, trauma, and peer and community support. We will combine these additional perspectives of giftedness by discussing presentation of perfectionistic tendencies and propensities for underachievement. Excellence gaps, already problematic for underserved students, can be exacerbated with the addition of students’ experiences in adoption or foster care. Attendees will learn how to address and recognize these complexities, while simultaneously encouraging students’ strengths, developing their talents and passions, and advocating for gifted-adopted and gifted-fostered children in the their home or school.
Focus: Advocacy, Identification, Information, Social -Emotional, Twice Exceptional
Intended Audience and Level: Pre-K, Elementary, Middle, and High School Teachers and Student Teachers, Anyone Interested in Gifted Education,
Presenter Kathy Green, University of Iowa; Alissa Cress, Purdue University; Mariel Tader, Cornell University
Gifted Tricks: PBLs, Critical/Creative Thinking, Deductive Reasoning, and more!
Gifted Education is an excellent—and important—opportunity for students to “put away the textbook” and engage in higher-level thinking, as well as to develop 21st century skills (communication, collaboration, technology, etc.) and essential life habits (persistence, healthy skepticism, leadership, etc.). This presentation will introduce a range of strategies for Gifted teachers to maximize this engagement. After a brief overview of Webb’s Depth of Knowledge, we will review several key strategies, working through specific examples (PBLs, Critical/Creative Thinking Exercises, Deductive Reasoning Tasks). During the presentation, teachers will be provided with (FREE!) booklets that feature “ready-to-use” examples of these various strategies so they can immediately go back to the classroom and implement the strategies covered in the session. These booklets will serve as a valuable resource for teachers who want to provide their gifted students with challenging and engaging learning opportunities.
Focus: Instruction, Integrated curriculum
Intended Audience and Level: Elementary and Middle School, Teacher, Instructor, Gifted Coordinator. Anyone Interested in Gifted Education, Enrichment
Presenter Ben Bache, PBL Project
Ode to Joy: Remembering Why We Do What We Do
During these unprecedented times of pandemic, division, continued inequity, interrupted learning, and exasperated educators, we need some positivity. We need to be reminded of the many joys of our profession; that joy takes various shapes from utilizing a researched-based strategy that effectively challenges advanced learners or develops healthy partnerships between school and family to the face of a child who finally owns their unhealthy perfectionism or the hearty laughter of kids finding others like themselves. Join me in this rediscovery. This session inspires to be both practical in its advice and shared successes as well as uplifting and encouraging. Hear wisdom and joy from a wide variety of professionals in gifted education as we share their stories of practical strategies and tips effective for advanced learning as well as times they found joy working with these learners.
Focus: Informational, Inspirational
Intended Audience and Level: All
Presenter Tracy Ford Inman, Gifted Education Consultant
Using Local Norms to Ensure Equitable Identification
This presentation will explain what local norms are and how they can be used, along with other evidence, to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to be identified for the gifted program. We will explore what sources of student data are available to districts and we practice calculating local norms.
Focus: Identification, Leadership
Intended Audience and Level: Teacher, Instructor, Administrator, Gifted Coordinator, Researcher, Anyone Interested in Gifted Education
Presenter Kathie Anderson, Kentucky Department of Education
Sparkling through the dark: Leadership for our uncertain, multidimensional future
What does leadership look like at a time when communities are digesting more change than ever? As the pace of change accelerates across the globe, our shared future becomes more uncertain. Dynamic, volatile times demand agile and creative thinkers to discover new paths forward. Gifted students are on unique trajectories with more access to experiences and resources–accompanied by inherent responsibilities. Their creativity and other exceptional skills position them to lead; that, combined with their adaptability and tendency to be lifelong learners, points to the need to bring others along as they discover new and better ways forward. The modern era of conflicting information and divergent perspectives demands objectivity, broad perspective, and the ability to facilitate others toward common ground. This talk explores how the experiences we provide our young people prepare them to respond to ambiguity—ultimately supporting more resilient communities. It brings into view the intersection of expansive thinking and sound judgment, concluding with three approaches for educators to provide experiences that help our brightest young minds develop thinking skills that leverage their greatest traits.
Focus: Advocacy, enrichment, Identification, Leadership, social-emotional, Integrated Curriculum
Intended Audience and Level: Parent, Teacher, Instructor, Administrator, Gifted Coordinator, Researcher, Anyone Interested in Gifted Education
Presenter: Chris Reitz, Columbia University, Parent of Gifted Child
The Heart Work: What It Takes to Build Psychological Safety for Students
Discover strategies for fostering a psychologically safe learning environment that encourages embracing and learning from mistakes. Learn to transform setbacks into valuable learning opportunities and help students to take risks. Walk away with practical strategies to create a culture that values mistakes as a vital part of the learning journey. We invite you to join Katrice Quitter, Head of Partnerships, for a transformative learning session.
Focus: Advocacy, Instruction, social-emotional, language Arts, integrated curriculum, math, science, social studies
Intended Audience and Level: Pre-K, Elementary, Middle and High School Teachers, Student Teacher, Anyone Interested in Gifted Education
Presenter Katrice Quitter, ThinkLaw
Building Bridges to Kindergarten: Supporting 2e learners and their families
Children with dual exceptionalities, diagnosed or demonstrating the need for learning support (developmental disability) AND enrichment, (potential giftedness) are often misunderstood by educators and caregivers. As a part of this pilot project, Building Bridges to Kindergarten (BB2K), a diverse group of children, several considered to be 2e, actively engaged in literacy, math, and science content with the opportunity to increase communication and social skills as a part of academic inquiry and learning. As children engaged with teachers in BB2K, a parent facilitator provided specific insight into community resources that challenge and support their child’s learning on topics including gifted programming, special education, behavior expectations, and opportunities for extracurricular activity appropriate for their child’s ability and interests. Additionally, the parent facilitator and children’s teachers provided guidance and mode to better prepare parents to be their child’s first and best teacher. Child pre- and post-performance data showed significant growth in 94% of participating children. Caregiver surveys showed a significant increase in understanding of giftedness, twice-exceptionality, and strategies to support young 2e learners.
Focus: Enrichment, Twice-exceptional
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education, Pre-K
Presenter Beth Schaeffer, Western Kentucky University
Advocacy: What makes advocacy effective
Advocacy in gifted education and talent development is speaking out on behalf of an idea, policy, best practice, or an individual child. Parents and educators can speak out at the classroom, school, district, state, and national levels. This session will highlight what effective advocates say and do. You will leave with an elevator speech to launch or continue your advocacy plan.
Focus: Advocacy
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education
Presenter Julia Link Roberts, The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU
Don’t Guess – Pre-assess!
Imagine a trip to your doctor. She, without examining you or even listening to symptoms, writes a prescription. Since the doctor attended years of medical school, she understands the typical issues of a person with your demographics so feels confident in her treatment. Will you get better? Chances are no – yet chances are strong that you won’t be seeing her again. Our students don’t have that choice. They’re assigned to teachers who also have years of schooling and who understand typical educational needs of learners in whatever grade or subject they teach. Too often well-meaning educators approach all students with the same treatment, regardless of need. The key to matching treatment with individual is data collection or preassessment. This session explores preassessment best practices and strategies, complete with student examples. You will generate a variety of ready-to-use preassessments, so you can ensure a class of healthy learners next fall.
Focus: Assessment, Instruction: Language arts, integrated curriculum, math, science, social studies
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone New to Gifted Education, Teacher, Instructor, Gifted Coordinator Elementary, Middle, High School
Presenter Tracy Ford Inman, Gifted Education Consultant
Beginning with the end: Talent development in the Arts
This session will explore the unique benefits of artistic ways of learning along with methods used by arts teachers develop talent. We will explore the process and relationships of these methods and skills so attendees can utilize them when teaching not only the arts, but any subject. Additionally, we will explore the psychosocial trials and benefits experienced by gifted individuals which may occur as the result of an artistic approach to talent development. Finally, we will discuss methods attendees can use to teach their gifted students how to work through the psychosocial trials and embrace the positive psychosocial outcomes. Models and methods discussed will include: Subnotik, Olszewski-Kubilus, and Worrell”s Mega Model, Renzulli’s 3-Ring Conception, Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT). These will be connected to: Creative processes, Bloom’s taxonomy, Coaching processes and the Scientific method. Psychosocial issues we will explore will include: anxiety, perfectionism, motivation, failure, and shame.
Focus: Information, performing/visual arts, social emotional, twice exceptional
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone interested in Gifted Education, Parent, Teacher, Instructor, Gifted Coordinator; Elementary, Middle, High School, student teacher
Presenter Kathy Green, University of Iowa
Empowering Confidence in Teen Girls through LEAD
In this interactive session, we will explore free resources and curriculum from the Young Women LEAD initiative that provides conferences, clubs, and evidence-based curriculum for high school girls.
Focus: Advocacy, Enrichment, Leadership, Social Emotional, Integrated curriculum
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education, High School
Presenter Kimberly Code, Northern Kentucky University
Transform Students into Inquisitive Historians
Transform students (grades 6-12) into historians by diving deep into primary & secondary sources. Teach critical thinking, inquiry, and research skills as students immerse themselves in passion projects.
Focus: Enrichment, Instruction, Social Studies
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education, Teacher, Instructor, Gifted Coordinator, Middle, High school, student teacher
Presenter Shannon Slate, Christian County Public Schools; Ashley Buzzanca, National History Day in Kentucky Coordinator, Kentucky Historical Society
Building a Local KAGE Chapter
Community based local KAGE chapters can transform opportunities for gifted people of all ages. Involvement between parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and students provides a unique opportunity to make changes in the lives of gifted students. A local chapter can provide information, support, and enrichment to members interested in the gifted services. This session will answer the who, what, where, and how of building a strong local chapter. The presenters will share resources and information on starting a new KAGE chapter or jumpstarting a dormant chapter.
Focus: Information
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education
Presenter Kim Nettleton, Morehead State University; Sharon Boswell, Fayette County Public Schools
Boxed Lunches will be served. Grab a lunch and take it to a session.
University Faculty Lunch Break
University Faculty are invited to bring their box lunches and come to the lobby to the right of the elevators. During this informal lunch break, you will have a chance to talk with other faculty members.
Facilitator: Kimberly Clayton-Code
Forget Learning Loss – Fill the Gap
Without a doubt, most all GT students are academically prepared for college or the workforce – especially if we are doing our jobs as gifted educators. But have our GT students obtained the Durable Skills necessary to complement their academic prowess to be successful in college and the 21st century job market? In education, we are taught to fill the gaps. In the current frenzy of standardized testing, new math, personalized learning and Response to Intervention, a large gap is broadening out of control – creativity. This gap is not necessarily an achievement gap, but a void in our students’ educational experiences. Creativity and other Durable Skills must be given room to breathe and prosper in our educational curriculum. Learn how Odyssey of the Mind can fill these gaps our educational system has unintentionally created while also being a time-effective, efficient supplement to curriculum at any grade level.
Focus: Enrichment, Information, instruction, leadership, performing/visual arts, social-emotional, twice exceptional, art, dance, language arts, integrated curriculum, math, science, social studies, theater, music
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education
Presenter Jimmy Cornn, Boyle County Schools, Kentucky Odyssey of the Mind
Finding Those Lost in the Shuffle: Serving High School Students
What does a thriving gifted program look like at the high school level? When interviewing a gifted high school student a few years ago, he told me that he thought he wasn’t gifted any more because there were not any programs for gifted students at the high school. The Center for Gifted Studies acknowledges that advanced placement classes are not a replacement for gifted programing. If that is the case, then what changes need to occur in order to plug students into classes and programs that will allow them to continue to develop their gifts and interact with their gifted peers while at the same time explore potential career pathways and extracurricular activities? This proposed workshop will discuss how Union County High School sought to answer these questions and provide classes and services specifically designed with high school students in mind. It will discuss how we created an accelerated opportunity for eighth grade students, followed by GT coursework at the high school level with courses designed by and for gifted learners. It will discuss specific courses that have already been developed, how topics are selected for the following year, and how courses fit into the curriculum established by our board of education. Participants will be able to effectively communicate with administration on the importance of GT centered high school coursework and its benefits. They will also begin to develop their own potential coursework for their students. Finally, participants will be able to effectively service students who are not pursuing their area of identification. Following our presentation, workshop participants will be invited to an active discussion around their current program offerings and best practices in their service of gifted students at the high school level.
Focus: Enrichment, Information, instruction Art, dance, language arts, math, music, science, social studies, theater
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education; Parent, Teacher, Instructor, Administrator, Gifted Coordinator, anyone; Middle, High School
Presenter Abigail Wheaton and Tamela Howard, Union County Schools; Union County Public Schools
Finding and Servicing Our Multilingual Learners
This presentation will offer perspectives on identifying and serving multilingual gifted and talented students. Our multilingual learners are continuously underrepresented in gifted and talented programs nationwide. Attendees will gain practical insights into supporting our fastest growing population in public schools, giving students the opportunity to reach their full potential. We will touch on informal and formal educational assessments, parent communication, and empowering all teachers to recognize talents and remove barriers for students.
Focus: Advocacy, enrichment, identification, information, instruction, Integrated curriculum
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education: Pre-K, Elementary, Middle, High School, Student Teacher
Presenter Michelle Lynch, Glasgow Independent Schools
Fun for Your Brain: A Roundup of Creative Thinking Activities
Join us for a mad dash through a few of our favorite resources that foster creative thinking in your classroom. We will cover strategies that can be used in mathematics, language arts, and across subject areas. You’ll learn about Hink Pinks, Link Winks, Esti-Mysteries, and more in this take-and-teach session.
Focus: Instruction: Language arts, Integrated curriculum, math
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education; Teacher, Instructor, Gifted Coordinator
Presenter Elizabeth Joyce, The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU
Empowering Gifted Coordinators: Excellence in Gifted Programming
Join our dynamic presentation where we will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in your role as a Gifted Coordinator and ensure all your gifted learners are successful in the classroom. Are you a new or experienced Gifted Coordinator seeking to excel in your role or refresh your Advanced Academic programming? Do your teachers need ways to support their gifted learners through differentiated instruction? In this session, learn best practices for incorporating professional development experiences in the Gifted and Talented role to support all learners and effectively collaborate across academic teams, reflect on gifted identification processes to equitably identify advanced learners, and determine effective differentiated learning pathways and strategies to ensure all advanced learners are successful. Leading with a strengths-based, flexible grouping model based on the right cognitive ability data will enable all your advanced learners, including emerging bilingual students, to successfully learn to their fullest potential. Come discover how you can make a significant impact on the lives of gifted students and their educational journeys.
Focus: Identification, leadership
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone interested in Gifted Education, Administrator, Gifted Coordinator
Presenter Vickie Driver, Riverside Insights; Monica Simonds, Richardson IS
Effect Change through Above-Level Testing
Above-level testing gives teachers insight into the level at which a student is ready to learn, but the data also can be used to drive decisions at the district level. Come learn about the Talent Identification Program of Kentucky and how some Kentucky gifted and talented coordinators used TIP-KY results as a catalyst for conversation and change in their districts. Panelists will present their experiences and conduct a Q&A session.
Focus: Advocacy
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education, Teacher, Administrator, Gifted Coordinator Elementary, Middle School
Presenters Julia Link Roberts and Jennifer Wilson, The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University
Panelists Renee Lackey, GT Coordinator, Elizabethtown Schools, Heather Hicks, District GT Coordinator, Boone County Schools,Lesli VanWhy, GT Coordinator/Resource Teacher, Marion County Schools
Giftedness in Music: Identifying Students and Meeting Their Needs
In this session, we will examine how to identify musically gifted students and explore strategies for challenging them in the music classroom. Participants will experience a variety of musical activities designed for non-gifted elementary-aged students, followed by the same activities with a modified approach for those who are gifted in music. Be prepared to sing, dance, clap, and make music.
Focus: Identification, Visual or Performing Arts
Intended Audience and Level: New to Gifted Education; Parent, Teacher, Elementary
Presenter Michele Paise, Morehead State University
Resources for VPA From a “Not-So-Artsy” Teacher
How do you help your students who are identified in visual & performing arts if you can’t even draw a stick person? Or sing your way out of a paper bag? This session will present engaging, hands-on lessons that can easily be implemented for elementary and middle grades. Online resources will also be discussed to help you challenge your VPA students even if you’re not so “artsy” yourself. At the end, a list of grant opportunities available to Kentucky teachers for field trips and visiting artists will be given – some applications are as few as 3 questions to apply!
Focus: Performing/Visual Arts; Art, Dance, Music
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education, Elementary and Middle School
Presenter Amy Gambrel, Bell County Schools
Enrichment, Resource, Mentorship – Creating a GT culture 4-12
Imagine, instead of GT services appearing as stand-alone activities, the services create a GT culture throughout a school district. Elementary students learn that their GT education will grow with them through high school – they receive support from traditional resource classes and work with middle and high school GT students during enrichment activities. Diverse GT opportunities are available in grades 4-12, and by the time they are in high school students design their own service plans.
Focus: Enrichment, Leadership, Building a GT Program
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education
Presenter Tisha Weaver, Garrard County Schools
Looking Back: Stories from the Premier Class of Craft Academy
This session will take a retrospective examination of the entrance and exit experiences of the premier class of the Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics. From their application to final interviews, the first class of Craft Academy students shared their high school and Craft Academy experiences. Their stories detailed educational opportunities and challenges in both academic and personal growth. As residential high school experiences expand, student voices can provide guidance for shaping gifted programs, transitioning students from secondary to college classrooms, and providing enrichment opportunities for students to be considered.
Focus: Enrichment, Information
Intended Audience and Level: Anyone Interested in Gifted Education, Parent, Teacher, Administrator, Gifted coordinator, Researcher; Middle and High School
Presenter Michael Kessinger, Kim Nettleton, and Lesia Lennex; Morehead State University
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