WATG2017

(Additional Fee Required) This 3 hour pre­conference session will take you from being an absolute beginner with Google Classroom to a competent or advanced user who can consider how differentiation and enrichment might be approached with this tool.


In the first part of the session, attention will be given to the "nuts and bolts" of Google Classroom ­ how to find it, creating a classroom and enrolling students, adding assignments and resources, etc. In the second half of the session, we will talk about how to differentiate and/or enrich learning with Google Classroom. Time will be spent both hearing ideas about classrooms that are already being used and then generating our own ideas.


This session will be most valuable to those who bring a laptop (Mac, PC, or Chromebook) and who have an idea for a unit they would like to differentiate or enrich. In addition, a school gmail account is a must to be able to access Google Classroom.
HANDOUTS: tinyurl.com/DifferentiationGC
Participant Outcomes:

• Set up a Google Classroom, enroll students, and add assignments/resources.
• Take a lesson or unit and break it up into enriched or differentiated lessons that students can use.

NAGC Standards addressed

1. 1.6.1. Educators design interventions for students to develop cognitive and affective growth that is based on research of effective practices.
2. 2.4.2. Differentiated product­based assessments to measure the progress of students with gifts and talents.
3. 3.1.1. Educators select, adapt, and use a repertoire of instructional strategies and materials that differentiate for students with gifts and talents and that respond to diversity.

In this session participants will be introduced to the Integrated Curriculum Model.  We will spend time with quality literature and will look at some concrete tools that students can use to align with the analytical, communication, and reasoning skills that they need in order to learn at high levels.  Participants will engage in literary analysis as they explore content from Language Arts Curriculum developed at The Center for Gifted Education.

Participant Outcomes:

• Learn about the Integrated Curriculum Model.
• Read and discuss advanced literature.
• Discuss the needs of high-ability readers.
• Participate in literary analysis and interpretation activities.

EXHIBITOR SESSION: THINKING MAPS

Personalized learning requires that students are empowered to THINK independently and quickly “move” from one thought process to another. This session will walk you through why it’s important to have visual representations for our thought processes and how using this “language for learning” will lead to deeper connections, a strong personalized learning environment, and greater student independence. Students and staff learn how to collaborate,
communicate, think critically, and creatively respond to the demands placed on today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders.

PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES:
Learners will see how a systemic approach to THINKING will unlock to door to personalized learning, more rigorous instruction, and cross-curricular literacy.

You have 45 minutes to escape from this scenario! 

Using your wits and the wits of your teammates, you will explore some basic information to find the clues you need to "breakout" and win the game!

After the game, participants will be shown how to create their own breakout box games to use as an anticipatory set in the classroom to pique student interest and get them intellectually and emotionally involved in learning!

Participant Outcomes: 

• Understand the power of a breakout box experience 
• Be familiar with how to set up a breakout box game and where to find educational resources to support it.

Has your team been frustrated in trying to meet the needs of your highest readers? Do you find your curriculum is not providing opportunities for your advanced readers to grow? Do you struggle to measure your most advanced student’s progress in reading because standardized reading bench-marking makes it hard for the most advanced readers to show growth?

Our team has aligned our reading modules to the Jacob's Ladder Skill Progressions developed through the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary for all learners in the classroom. All students in the classroom are provided with modeling, practice, and assessment for each rung of Jacob’s Ladder.

During this session we will focus on planning process, a curriculum overview, as well as provide a sample unit, rubric, and assessment. We will share with you our data success stories and student writing examples. This session will leave you excited to get planning to meet the needs of all learners within your classroom.

Participant Outcomes:

• Learn about the skill progressions in Jacob’s Ladder and how to teach and assess those skills within their reading curriculum modules to grow all learners in abstract and interpretive thinking
• Have tools for monitoring the progress of their students on each skill in Jacob’s Ladder progression

As a parent of a gifted child, you know that giftedness affects their whole life, in some positive ways and some challenging ways.  This extended session will provide parents with tools to support their children as they navigate the ups and downs of giftedness.  Topics to be addressed will be typical traits of giftedness, anxiety, depression, self-compassion, building security in one's identity, and whatever other topics would be of help!  The session will include some lecture, some hands-on participation in helpful interventions, and time to support one another on this joyfully complicated parenting experience.

Participant Outcomes:

• Identify typical traits of gifted children and adolescents
• Identify symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Implement 3-5 parenting strategies to stabilize mood and manage anxiety