Gifted children, particularly those of diverse backgrounds (race & culture), may be forced to manage an accelerated level of isolation, confusion, and ultimately disappointment if self-discovery and acceptance are not addressed appropriately by members of the educational and home community.
This session will create an intentional dialogue about diversity and the impact for children within their own circle of influence. The ability to thrive within one's own community is heavily dependent upon the person's ability to feel a sense of belonging. We will explore the challenges one faces during this self-discovery process and how we as teachers, administrators, and community partners can assist along the way.
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Digital Portfolios are a powerful tool for helping students self-assess and evaluate their growth, set goals, and communicate their learning. There are many ways to set up and structure these portfolios, one that we will be specifically focusing on is Seesaw. We will be looking in depth at how to use Seesaw in the classroom and as a school for assessment, time management, home-school communication, goal setting, progress monitoring, and more. We will also be sharing examples for how we are using this tool at Summit Elementary with our high performing and gifted students at all ages to extend their learning.
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Because problem solving can be difficult - even for gifted students - it is important for students to have a "tool-belt" of problem solving strategies. Many of the strategies presented in this session will force students to change their normal thinking patterns and approach each problem in a different way.
You will leave this session with many unique problem-solving techniques that will help all students be more successful in math contests and on tests. Each participant will leave the session with 10 problems they can take back and implement immediately in their classroom that will interest and challenge their students.
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Our path to Talent Development emphasizes inclusive practices, centered on personalized learning. Our processes emphasize identification of student potential and unmet needs, which in turn, drives programming in intellectual, academic, fine arts, leadership, creativity, and social emotional domains.
Our aggregate student population is high-achieving in relation to national norms, and as a result, student data is also considered in relation to local and subgroup norms to identify outliers within those contexts.
Our discussion will outline our Talent Development Handbook, a two year project designed to revolutionize the concept and reality of educational opportunity available to all students, K-12.
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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!
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Our gifted children face many stresses in the educational environment that impact their capacity for joy. Some are external, some internal. Research in neuroscience has led to conclusive findings regarding the connection between joy and learning.
This session will discuss the importance of joy in a child’s education and life in light of recent brain research. We will also share strategies that will help parents and teachers increase joy in their gifted and talented children and teens.
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Wisconsin currently has two active federal Javits grants for projects related to gifted students. Both focus on delivering appropriately challenging and culturally relevant instruction within the RtI framework.
Expanding Excellence is DPI’s grant on mitigating the excellence gap for low-income students and English Language Learners, especially at the primary level. The Smart Spaces grant to UW-Madison/WCATY expands access to high-quality blended curriculum for underrepresented gifted middle school students.
This session will provide an update on each project and will also provide numerous suggestions and strategies based on lessons learned that participants may find useful for implementing gifted programming in their own districts, schools, and classrooms. Issues addressed will include inclusive identification, programming within the RtI model, and parent involvement.
Participant Outcomes:
NAGC Standards addressed : 2, 3, 4, 5
Differentiation has been described as one of the most important aspects of effective teaching, especially in the field of gifted education. However, the limits of the process and the factors contributing to effective differentiation is vaguely defined. In this session, Dr. Bahar will discuss the results of his study on teachers' differentiation ability to meet the needs of mathematically gifted students.
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NAGC Standards:
Standard 1: Learning and Development:
Standard 3: Curriculum Planning and Instruction
Innovation relies on culturally responsive practices teaching and learning. Few, however, include any analysis of the personal equity analysis necessary to use the white power and privilege most Wisconsin educators were born with to disrupt racism.
This session will provide a unique view of changing demographics, provide a vocabulary necessary to function in our racialized social world, challenge participants to begin a racial autobiography as well as provide a variety of resources for the journey and the work. Information on teaching a similar pilot unit to high school students will be described.
NAGC K-12 Programming Standards explicitly addressed in this session:
What might a gifted second language learner "look like" in your classroom? How can you identify second language learners as gifted and talented? A brief description and overview of English language proficiencies will be explained. We will examine characteristics that may be displayed in gifted or "high potential" second language learners as presented by two veteran English as a Second Language teachers currently taking courses toward gifted certification.
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The presentation will be an overview of how Jack Young Middle School is addressing the curriculum needs of its advanced learners. Topics of discussion will include, but not be limited to:
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This session will share the Office of Civil Rights Educational Equity Reporting tool as a way for districts to review their own gifted and talented racial / ethnic representation rates. National and state data will be shared (briefly) and then recommendations will be shared for what district and building-level educators can do about this pervasive problem.
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Wisconsin's population is growing and becoming more culturally diverse. Many of us find ourselves interacting with students who come from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. Yet, very often little is done to change the curriculum to address their educational and social-emotional needs. In addition, failing to meet the needs of CLD students also contributes to the issue of underrepresentation in gifted and talented programs.
In this interactive session, educators will engage in exploring the professional dimensions of the Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) model. The purpose of this session is to present CRT practices that enrich the curriculum, hence allowing CLD students to show their true potential. The session will offer educators an opportunity that will focus on the four principles of CRT:
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