2015 concurrent sessions convention/concurrent... · be ready to walk away with multi-standard...

35th Annual GAGC Convention March 9 - 10, 2015

Concurrent Sessions

Monday 8:00 – 8:50

Athena B

Creativity

Middle, Elem.

A Next Step for Ensuring Equitable Creativity Assessment in Georgia

C. Alex Alvarez, Anne Cardella, Donna Campa, Danielle Gibbs, Lauren Whittaker ~ Valdosta City Schools

Join this hands-on session to learn about a new research-based creativity performance assessment. Participants will be

provided an opportunity to review, use, and score the new A&W Buttons Creativity Performance Assessment. This

new assessment can be considered as a second measure opportunity for school districts that does not require students to

draw, write, or possess extensive vocabulary; thus supporting ESL students and providing an alternative approach to

that of the Torrance Figural Assessment and the Profiles of Creative Abilities (PCA).

Athena D

Creativity

Middle Elem.

Creative, Real-World Independent Projects: Differentiation That’s Fun!

Melanie Bondy ~ Mind Vine Press

Gifted students need high-level choice-based projects that inspire creativity and growth. Teachers need clear student

guidance that differentiates in every aspect, structured checkpoints and comprehensive assessments.

This teacher presentation will demonstrate the creation and management of successful interdisciplinary projects that

incorporate choice within a structure and allow teacher facilitation.

Learn to challenge and motivate your students year-round while alleviating your workload.

View student portfolios, exhibits and photos. Excellent handouts. Leave refreshed with methods to implement right

away!

Athena G

Creativity

All Levels

Craving Creativity?

Leigh Mason Hummell, Stephanie Sumner, Laura Fedorchuk, Ron McAllister, Lisa Stark ~ Forsyth County Schools

Be ready to walk away with multi-standard based lessons and project ideas infused with creativity! You will learn to

utilize creativity to push your students deeper into Bloom's Taxonomy and DOK through quadrant D activities. Come

experience projects on Bravery Through The Decades, the Trojan War, Shark Tank, Creativity Wars, Tech Fair, and

many more.


Monday 8:00 – 8:50

Athena J

Mathematics

Middle, High

Real-Life Math Investigations That Require Insight, Collaboration and Creative Thinking

Ed Zaccaro ~ Hickory Grove Press

Nurture your students’ curiosity and creativity as you present them with real world situations/dilemmas that require

insight, intuition, creative problem solving and collaboration in order to reach effective and accurate solutions. These

investigations will allow students to (1) Simulate an engineering team as it searches for solutions (2) Take on the role of

lawyers who are analyzing how statistics have been manipulated (3) Become a team of journalists trying to determine

why the math in several news articles is incorrect and what the consequences could be. Show students that math is much

more than rote learning and formulas.

Olympia 1 & 2

Creativity

All Levels

A Creativity Celebration: A Bizarre Bazaar – Double Session

Bonnie Cramond, PhD; Meg Easom Hines, PhD ~ University of Georgia

Get your creative juices flowing and have fun while learning some strategies that you can incorporate into your

curriculum. We will have various interactive stations around the room where you can experience strategies for

developing creativity. Each station will also have information on the strategy as well as how the strategy may be used in

different content areas and for different age groups. After 20 minutes, we will indicate that it is time to change, and you

will be able to pick another station. This bazaar of creativity strategies may result in some very bizarre sights, sounds,

and products, but we hope you will enjoy yourself and get some great ideas for developing creativity in your students.

Parthenon

Teachers, Admin

All Levels

SLDS Gifted Eligibility Form

Hubert Bennett, PhD ~ Georgia Department of Education

NEW!!! This session will look at the FREE Gifted Eligibility Form that is available through SLDS. We will

demonstrate the process of entering a student's achievement results onto the form. These results will then be stored with

the student throughout the student's educational career - even if they transfer to another school or school system. This

session is for both the beginner and experienced Gifted Eligibility Form user. Experienced users- please bring your

questions, comments, and suggestions. This application is available to all Georgia Public schools.


Concurrent Sessions

Monday 9:00 – 9:50

Athena A

Curriculum

Middle High

Building and Sustaining Advanced Academic Programs

Lynn Dennons, Brandi Sabb ~ College Board

The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP Programs

by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP, and by eliminating

barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups. Learn best practices from

across the region to support a rigorous curriculum for all. You will be provided research and online tools to help

students and families aspire, explore, choose, and enroll in AP Courses in your institution. You will also identify and

develop strategies appropriate for the culture of your school or district

Athena B

Curriculum

Elementary

Creating Confident Orators

Teri McGraw ~ Fayette County Schools

Come learn some useful tips to hold an effective orator's meeting that if incorporated in your classroom will leave your

students with an invaluable life skill - the art of public speaking! Participants will learn a fool-proof formula for running

an orator's meeting with multiple roles so that each student is responsible for the meeting’s success. Not only will your

students learn the components of an effective speech, but also the many essential roles to run an effective orator's

meeting.

Athena C

Curriculum

All Levels

SOCRATIC INQUIRY: Addressing 21st Century Standards with a Two Thousand Year Old

Strategy

Richard Courtright, Ph.D. ~ Duke TIP

The implementation of Common Core State Standards provides myriad opportunities for differentiation to meet the

needs of gifted learners. However, educators may wonder about the best means to address the standards related to

speaking and listening. The solution lies in one of the greatest teaching-learning models: Socratic method of inquiry.

This centuries-old approach can be used effectively in today’s classroom, in every subject, every grade. The basics of

the Socratic seminar that will be presented in this session can be learned in an hour and used throughout a lifetime of

teaching. This session will provide the basic “how-to,” with step-by-step guidance in how to set up and conduct a

seminar, including a rationale, teacher and student expectations/behaviors, the physical environment and content from

specific academic disciplines that may be used in the process of implementing Socratic seminars in the classroom.


Monday 9:00 – 9:50

Athena D

Creativity

Middle, High

Depth and Complexity? Meet Differentiation

Carrie Simpson ~ Pieces of Learning

We all know we need to differentiate for gifted learners, but often do not recognize how differentiation can help us

strategically support enrichment, extension and creativity in our classes. This session is designed to make that

connection by linking the work of Sandra Kaplan and Carol Tomlinson. Come view graphics that merge these concepts

and engage in discussions to reflect on how to apply this information to your classes. GT students need to develop and

embrace creativity and effective differentiation can be the start.

Athena G

Reading / ELA

Middle, High

Captivating Captions

Leslie Giraldo ~ Ware County Schools

Creatively use captions from high-quality sources, transforming a traditional close-reading activity into an engaging

event, like “The Zombie Zone” and “Sugar Love: A Not So Sweet Tale.” Gifted students will be challenged—and

intrigued—as they interact with items you’ve created in this hands-on session from captivating captions.

Athena J

Curriculum

All Levels

Enrichment Clusters: Using Technology to Streamline the Process

Virginia Stephens, EdD; Dolly Morris ~ Columbia County Schools

Many schools in Georgia have implemented Renzulli's Schoolwide Enrichment Model and have had great success

engaging all students through the use of Enrichment Clusters. Come to this session to learn how teachers in Columbia

County are using technology to streamline the cluster selection process. From interest inventories to sorting students,

technology makes the process painless!

Olympia 1 & 2

Creativity

All Levels

A Creativity Celebration: A Bizarre Bazaar – Double Session

Bonnie Cramond, PhD; Meg Easom Hines, PhD ~ University of Georgia

Get your creative juices flowing and have fun while learning some strategies that you can incorporate into your

curriculum. We will have various interactive stations around the room where you can experience strategies for

developing creativity. Each station will also have information on the strategy as well as how the strategy may be used

in different content areas and for different age groups. After 20 minutes, we will indicate that it is time to change, and

you will be able to pick another station. This bazaar of creativity strategies may result in some very bizarre sights,

sounds, and products, but we hope you will enjoy yourself and get some great ideas for developing creativity in your

students.


Monday 9:00 – 9:50

Parthenon

Teachers, Admin

All Levels

SLDS: Gifted Eligibility Form

Hubert Bennett ~ Georgia Department of Education

NEW!!! This session will look at the FREE Gifted Eligibility Form that is available through SLDS. We will

demonstrate the process of entering a student's achievement results onto the form. These results will then be stored

with the student throughout the student's educational career - even if they transfer to another school or school system.

This session is for both the beginner and experienced Gifted Eligibility Form user. Experienced users- please bring

your questions, comments, and suggestions. This application is available to all Georgia Public schools.

Concurrent Sessions

Monday 10:10 – 11:00

Athena A

Creativity

All Levels

Free Versatile Curriculum Tools (You make yourself!)

Laura Magner ~ Gwinnett County Public Schools

Money is tight and classroom tools are scarce. Engage students by using familiar items in creative ways. In this

session, participants will be shown multiple tools that can be made from free materials! Each material has several

classroom applications. From egg cartons to paint chips, learn how to use commonly discarded materials to create

fun, effective learning tools. Participants will leave with at least one free item!

Athena B

Curriculum

Elementary

Changing Perspectives About Reflective Writing

April Keck DeGennaro, PhD ~ Fayette County Schools

Gifted children’s minds work at warp speed. Thoughts come faster than children can write them leading to

frustration and dislike of writing. Capturing high-level thoughts effectively is a skill requiring practice. Writing

allows less aggressively-verbal children to process and share deep thoughts, preserves creative novelty, develops

brevity, and preserves ideas for sharing & future development. Participants will consider written reflection as an

essential element of gifted pedagogy, receive a document used to frame 1st-5th grade critical written reflection of

gifted curriculum, learn strategies to build high-level thinking and writing abilities through integrating short critical

written reflections after curriculum explorations.


Monday 10:10 – 11:00

Athena C

Social Emotional

All Levels

TIP-ical Kids: Social and Emotional Aspects of High Ability Children and Youth

Richard Courtright, Ph.D. ~ Duke TIP

Thirty-five years of working with gifted students in Duke TIP summer programs has provided evidence of the nature

of the characteristics of gifted/talented students. While individual differences (and exceptions to the rule) abound,

there are strong tendencies among gifted kids regarding their social and emotional development that can inform

parents and teachers, helping them to understand the response they receive from their children and students.

Awareness of these characteristics can turn the “rough seas” of interactions in school and in the home into “smooth

sailing” for everyone involved.

Athena D

Talent Dev.

All Levels

Que Bueno

Tommy Firesheets ~ Gwinnett County Public Schools; Lisa Hackney, EdD ~ Dalton Public Schools

Que Bueno! … Successful programs for poor or minority children, especially gifted and high ability children, must be

multifaceted and flexible. We tend to construct programs aimed at certain groups and at the “typical” low-income

minority child. However, in reality there is no typical child, as the circumstances leading to poverty are varied and

multifaceted. How can educators help children who are culturally and linguistically economically disadvantaged

(CLED) meet classroom, school, district, and state expectations in these times of testing and accountability? Designing

programs for gifted and high ability CLED students are vital to creating and fostering a culture of success and equity,

especially in high school AP and IB programs. It is never too early to look at your class or school’s data and design

appropriate programming options which will afford CLED students every educational opportunity and advantage. Join

us as we share the stories- obstacles and successes of programs in CLED districts- small and large.

Athena G

Curriculum

Elementary

"Qualities of Leadership" Instructional Unit

Ann Scott Hanks ~ Fulton County Schools

In chronological order through American history, this unit examines positive leadership in politics, science, social

justice, the arts, sports, and business. It includes a pre and post test, daily assessments for both content and process, a

variety of high impact research based instructional strategies, many primary sources, and technology for instruction

and for student products. Science and Social Studies GPS, Common Core Literacy Standards, and Problem-Based

Learning projects are integrated throughout. Attendees will leave this session with a complete unit for 11 full days of

instruction for grades 4+5.

Athena J AP in Georgia’s Future


Curriculum

Middle, High

Becky Chambers, Bonnie Marshall, & Georgia McSwain ~GADOE

The College and Career Readiness Team at the Georgia Department of Education will present an overview of a

decade of Advanced Placement growth in Georgia and will discuss the benefits of Advanced Placement courses for

Gifted students, support and training for teachers, and critical areas that need our attention

Monday 10:10 – 11:00

Olympia 1

Mathematics

All Levels

Muggins Math: Aerobics for the Mind

Sue Shuler ~ Muggins Math

Come experience math, higher-order thinking skills, and fun in this hands-on math workshop utilizing award-winning

math board games in the Muggins Math Series developed by two former Georgia teachers. Games develop not only

math skills but socialization skills as players compete in these challenging, multi-leveled games for ages 5 to Einstein!

Prize drawing for Muggins/Knock-Out game at end of session.

Parthenon

Teachers

Administrators

Regional Representatives: Reaching Out Across Georgia for the Gifted

.

Emily Wilson ~ Muscogee County; MaryJean Banter ~ Peach County; Ruth Cowan; Angie Green ~ Murray County; Jan Jacobsen

~ Houston County

GAGC Regional Representatives will meet to network and brainstorm ideas to get the word out about gifted education

throughout the state. Experienced Regional Reps will share ideas and successful strategies to serve as a springboard for

new projects. The goal of this session is to bring clarity of purpose, unity of mission, and support for new and veteran

Regional Reps. The workshop will also include an opportunity to network and connect with other Reps from

surrounding areas to plan and support each other in this work

Concurrent Sessions

Monday 11:10 – 12:00

Athena A

Creativity

All Levels

A Creative Take on Critical Thinking

Laura Magner ~ Gwinnett County Public Schools

Participants will discuss the basic thinking skills that are part of critical thinking. What does a room full of critical

thinkers sound like, look like? These questions will be addressed. Multiple short thinker tasks will be explored. These

thinker tasks, in all four core areas of math, language, science, and social studies, get students critically thinking. They

can be stand alone lessons or an impetus to a full day's lesson.


Monday 11:10 – 12:00

Athena B

Curriculum

Elementary

Creating Global Kids Across Grade Levels with Current Issues

April Keck DeGennaro, PhD; Teri McGraw ~ Fayette County Schools

Gifted learners love to discuss current issues. Creating a curriculum for multiple grade levels is exceedingly easy

because one current issue can meet the needs of multiple grade levels when different universal theme lenses are used to

frame the discussion. The news is naturally engaging and gives authentic real-world discussion starters for students to

create high-level thoughts. Learn easy online resources and leave with a “set of universal theme lenses” that make your

current issues curriculum a robust program-wide favorite!

Athena C

Creativity

Middle School

How to Infuse Creativity in a STEM Program of Choice

Michele Hood, Lori McBride, Laurie Ecke, Kathy Mellette, Sonja Neville ~ Hall County Schools

E2 Academy teachers will be sharing some of our best lessons, websites, tips and strategies we use to develop critical

thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication into our STEM program of choice. E2 is now in our second year

and despite challenges we are successfully integrating 21st century skills across the curriculum in an interdisciplinary

manner. Our presentation will help you see new possibilities and perspectives; in order to bring creativity to your

classroom.

Athena D

Creativity

Al Levels

Creativity Outside the School Box

Sarah Kessel, Katherine Williams ~ Cobb County Public School District

Are you looking for a creative, learner-centered, constructivist approach to your gifted classroom? Project-based

learning and problem-based learning address this need. Creative problems and projects can serve as the catalyst for

jumpstarting inquiry and enthusiasm. Participants will learn how collaboration with creative agencies outside the

school system can boost hands-on PBL experiences, too.


Monday 11:10 – 12:00

Athena G

Creativity

All Levels

Creative Problem Solving Saves the Future

Marion M. Sebastian ~ Gwinnett Public Schools; Mary jean Banter ~ Peach County Schools

Give students a new perspective for using creative thinking to solve real-world problems in their community now or

extrapolating world issues into the future. The Future Problem Solving Program trains students to use a problem

solving process that can be applied within the curriculum, in challenging competition, and throughout their lifetime.

This exciting international program meets common core standards and is highly adaptable to many contents, delivery

models, and grade levels. Our world needs for students to develop these skills.

Athena J

Mathematics

Elementary

Math: It's Elementary!

Gail Fiddyment ~ Clarke County Schools

Many elementary teachers admit that they lack a deep understanding of math and are ill-equipped to teach Common

Core standards. In this session, teachers will explore new strategies and tools used to develop number sense and

place value, including number talks, non-algorithmic problem-solving, and hands-on activities utilizing tools such as

tape diagrams, area models, number disks, and drawings. The presenter will provide teachers with suggestions for

enriching and extending math for gifted students and resources, including books and websites.

Olympia 1

Curriculm

High School

Honors Mentorship in Hall County: A balanced approach to fostering rigor and creativity.

Jennifer Killingsworth ~ Hall County Schools

This session will focus on fostering creativity in a career-focused mentorships for gifted juniors and seniors. You will

see how to use blended learning approaches for students, while still providing a curriculum that is rigorous and fosters

creativity for the individual. Participants will learn about curriculum approaches used, management of the program

using technology, and see student outcomes for those who have successfully completed the program. Join us to see the

amazing opportunities afforded gifted students in this program!


Monday 11:10 – 12:00

Olympia 2

Teachers, Admin

Assessment

CogAT: Cognitive Abilities Test

Tara Mathis, Jinny Hurdle ~ Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt / Riverside

CogAT Form 7 reflects the most up-to-date research on how best to measure cognitive abilities and learning styles.

CogAT 7 introduces a variety of enhancements, including new item types, a reduced language load to make the

instrument even more appropriate for ELL children, an expanded instructor support package, a choice of methods of

administration, and more. Demonstration of the new online administration and reporting options to understand how

to best identify cognitive ability and learning style.

Parthenon

Creativity

All Levels

Improv and Creative Dramatics to Develop Self-Confidence in Gifted Learners

Richard Cash, PhD ~ nRich Educational Consulting, Inc.

Improv and creative dramatics is an enjoyable and effective way to build communicative language, critical reasoning,

creative thinking and problem solving skills. It can also be a great way to build the self-confidence of gifted learners,

because there are “no wrong answers.” Join Dr. Cash, an academic and theater trained teacher, as he takes you

through interactive practices of improve and creative dramatics. Participants will experience how gifted learners can

become more self-confident, expressive and articulate through improv and creative dramatics.

Concurrent Sessions

Monday 2:30 – 3:20

Athena A

Social Emotional

Middle School

Helping Students Discover Their "Element"

Kathy Melette ~ Hall County Schools

I believe THE most important work accomplished in a classroom is a young person discovering their unique ability,

talents and passions. It is important to help our students develop a vision for their future and the confidence (and

willingness)to explore opportunities. My interactive presentation will offer participants new perspectives, engaging

lessons and resources to help young people discover their strengths and passions.


Monday 2:30 - 3:20

Athena B

Creativity

All Levels

Integrating Performing Arts to Teach Creativity

Ami Ray ~ Hall County Schools

Performing Arts and Drama forces participants to solve problems creatively. Integrating Performing Arts and Drama

into classroom curriculum, delivery and products can assist in the development of student creativity.

In this presentation, attendees will learn the theory of an integrated performing arts classroom. Further, attendees

will receive a practical guide in creating such a classroom environment.

Athena C

Creativity

Middle School

Student Inspired Projects: Creative, Authentic, Service Based, Standards Driven

Michele Hood, Sonja Neville ~ Hall County Schools

Do you want to inspire your students to create authentic projects that weave their interests with ELA, Technology, and

Science standards and then add Service Learning and Critical Thinking components? Leave today with everything you

need to facilitate middle school projects that will motivate your students to learn and create! A panel of teachers and

middle school students will detail their journey of creative, inspired learning and then answer your questions!

Athena D

Creativity

All Levels

Odyssey of the Mind....Beyond the Box

Lisa Hackney, EdD ~ Odyssey of the Mind

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving competition for problem solvers from 5 to ? Odyssey of the Mind

is a creative and innovative way to address state and national standards while having FUN. This hands-on for kids

and hands-off for adults program helps students look for the question behind the problem to create multiple

solutions.

Athena G

Curriculum

Elementary

The Art and Science of Wonder

Kara Gazaway, Julie Anderson ~ Gwinnett County Public Schools

Participants will learn how to guide students through the process of inquiry. Student inquiry has the possibility of

opening minds to unexplored worlds through wonders, research, trial and error, and communication skills.

Wondering can encourage natural curiosity and classroom engagement. Students can greatly benefit from this

hands-on learning experience and take ownership of their own learning. These students can help build lasting

curiosity in their community and become the leaders of tomorrow.


Monday 2:30 - 3:20

Athena J

Social Emotional

Middle, High

Creative Acceleration

Adriana Stanley, Kate Theobold ~ The Advanced Academy of Georgia

Your gifted students often need experiences beyond the traditional K-12 classroom. Join a conversation about the

many resources that are available through partnering with university systems and other programs tailored to meet

gifted students’ academic needs. For middle and high school age students, the opportunities range from

supplemental instruction to summer programs to full-time residential programs. Learn how to navigate the options

and determine the possibilities for your student.

Olympia 1

Curriculum

Middle, High

Internships That Change Their (and Our) Worlds: Infusing the Career Internship with a

Curriculum of Creativity!

Carol Graham ~ Fulton County Schools

The high school gifted internship course proves to be the pinnacle of the K-12 gifted education experience when

viewed through the lens of the creative learner! Borrowing from Gardner's Creating Minds, Maslow's theory of the

creative personality, Renzulli's Multiple Menu Model, A Parallel Curriculum (Tomlinson, Kaplan, Renzulli, Purcell,

Leppien, Burns 2002), the CPS matrix (Treffinger and Isaksen), and studies in epistemic cognition (Costa), this

presentation demonstrates how to infuse an internship program with a curriculum of creativity. The end product is

career defining and life changing!

Olympia 2

Curriculum

All Levels

Embracing Education Technology: The Next Generation of Adaptive Learning for

Advanced Learners

.Matthew Mugo Fields ~ GiftedandTalented.com

This session featuring Matthew Mugo Fields, President of GiftedandTalented.com, will explore the complex

educational needs of gifted learners and explain how innovative educational technology, along with decades of

Stanford research in the area of adaptive learning, can be used to meet gifted student’s needs and insure they reach

their full potential.

Building on over forty years of research, GiftedandTalented.com was chosen by Stanford to co-develop and offer the

next generation of its adaptive digital curriculum and blended learning implementation programs


Monday 2:30 - 3:20

Parthenon

Social Emotional All Levels

Developing Promotion Strategies for Self-Regulation: Critical Skills for Underrepresented

Students' Success in Gifted Programs

Richard Cash, PhD ~ nRich Educational Consulting, Inc.

Self-regulation, the skills used to achieve success, is oriented toward facing challenges (promotion) or avoiding failure

(prevention). Students with promotion orientation approach tasks with confidence to succeed, even in the face of

obstacles and setbacks. Students from diverse and economically disadvantaged backgrounds may be underrepresented

in gifted programming due to their lack of promotion strategies for self-regulation, or their over-use of avoidance

strategies acquired during previous experiences. This session will frame promotion orientation and growth mindset

theories to provide techniques for teaching self-regulation strategies of achievement.

Concurrent Sessions

Monday 3:30 – 4:30

Athena

A - J

Regional Round Table Discussion

Concurrent Sessions

Tuesday 8:00 – 8:50

Athena A

Social Emotional

Elementary

My Favorite Day of the Week: How to creatively design a gifted resource

environment where students thrive and teachers survive!

Pat Owens, Cathy Dial ~ Hall County School District

What makes a gifted resource program a student’s favorite day of the week? How do you personalize and organize a

large gifted program where each student thrives and the teacher survives? Ideas we will share include student

organization, parental communication, and activities to meet the affective needs of students. Gifted resource teachers

will have time to collaborate in this session to share successful ideas.

Athena B

Creativity

All Levels

Engaging Gifted Learners Through Brain Bites

Sheila L. Walden, PhD ~ Clayton County Public Schools

Participants will learn how to engage and motivate gifted learners through "Brain Bites" a year round student choice

program that can be used to supplement a gifted resource pull-out program. By giving students a choice in assignments

it boosts their creativity and motivation (Lasley, 2013). The activities in Brain Bites focus on the common core state

standards and are crosswalked with the gifted strands. When we teach to student's strengths and interests we promote

creativity and critical thinking.


Tuesday 8:00- 8:50

Athena C

Curriculum

Elementary

Order in the Court!

Gail Fiddyment ~ Clarke County Schools; Diane Swann ~ Rockdale County Schools

Mock trial allows students to assume the roles of attorneys and witnesses as they learn about the judicial system. As

students study materials and develop a case, they practice critical thinking, creative problem-solving, fact-finding, and

public speaking. In addition, they learn about relevant legal principles and the role of the government in making and

enforcing laws and protecting the rights of individuals. The presenters will share ideas and resources for implementing

mock trials for gifted students.

Athena D

Curriculum

All Levels

Friendship Elementary: Advanced Scholars’ Program

Guy Cassels, Jr; Brian Johnston, Mary Brandes, Nichole Hill, Kristin White ~ Hall County Schools

The Advanced Scholars’ Program at Friendship is an innovative approach to achieving growth within our

gifted/higher students. In this program the 9 weeks curriculum is compacted into a 7 week instructional period. The

last 2 weeks are reserved for student chosen, project based inquiry that is designed to take the curriculum taught much

deeper and make it more lasting and impactful for the students. In this session, we will be doing a brief overview of

what the program is, how it is designed and lessons learned from our first full year of work.

Athena G

Creativity

Elem / Admin

Fostering Creative Productivity Through Enrichment Clusters

Catherine Schreiber, PhD; Carla Montgomery, EdD ~ Henry County Schools

Enrichment Clusters enable creative productivity to blossom in all segments of a school’s population. Our school,

Luella Elementary, has been engaged in this endeavor for the past two years with outstanding results. From inception to

implementation, this session will take you through the process of successfully developing school-wide enrichment

clusters without outside funding.


Tuesday 8:00- 8:50

Olympia 1

Creativity

All Levels

Infusing Creativity into the STEM Classroom

Scott Chandler, Ben Fouts ~ Muscogee County Schools

This presentation is based on the ideas and principles of Harvard’s Project Zero Classroom. It will focus on several of

the strategies and activities that are used to integrate the development of both creative and critical thinking into the

upper elementary and middle school classroom. These strategies developed by Howard Gardner, Dave Perkins and

other researchers are techniques that can easily be integrated into your everyday classroom instruction. Participants will

be actively engaged in several hands-on activities you can take back and use with your students tomorrow to help

develop divergent thinking skills. Through the use of art and mechanical objects students will begin considering the

contradictions and relationships that exist around them. Through these fun and engaging activities, we have been able

to enrich and enhance the reasoning and problem solving skills our 4th and 5th grade gifted students.

Olympia 2

Research All Levels

Promoting Equity & Excellence through University-School Partnership for Achievement,

Rigor & Creativity: Project U-SPARC - Double Session A

Meg Easom Hines, PhD, Tarek Grantham, PhD, Brittany Anderson, Octavia Fugerson, Jeremy Pina, Stephanie Franks ~

University of Georgia

In schools both at the local and national level, culturally and linguistically diverse or low-income students are

underrepresented in gifted programs. In many of these gifted programs, educators and parents who advocate for equity

are faced with negative attitudes, unbalanced access, inappropriate assessment, and/or insensitive accommodations. As

a result, recruiting and retaining students from under-represented groups in gifted programs remains a challenge. This

session is devoted to highlighting key findings from a partnership called U-SPARC (University-School Partnerships for

Achievement, Rigor and Creativity) between a team of faculty and students in the Gifted and Creative Education

program at the University of Georgia and a local Clarke County School District elementary school. Panelists will

highlight ways in which structures designed to establish the partnership help to increase sustainability and advance

equity and excellence in school.

Parthenon

Teachers, Admin

All Levels

Coffee With Gail

Gail Humble ~ Georgia Department of Education

Come have a cup of coffee or tea with Gail Humble, Gifted Education Specialist for the Georgia Department of

Education. This session will offer participants an informal setting to discuss the education of high-ability and gifted

learners in Georgia. The session will also provide opportunities to network and problem solve with other professionals

who have similar interests and challenges.


Concurrent Sessions

Tuesday 9:00 – 9:50

Athena A

Creativity

Elementary

The Gifted Teacher's Depot: You Can Do It. We Can Help.

Kim Allen, Deanna Fawcett, Hall County Schools

This workshop will provide great tools for building an extraordinary elementary gifted classroom. Not your ordinary

tools...but we will present a variety of tools to enhance the use of technology, communication, collaboration, creative

and critical thinking, and problem solving. Some tools included are: STEM, Lego Engineering, Interdisciplinary

Units, engaging web tools, research methods, CPS, and much more. Join us in filling your "Gifted Teacher Toolbox".

Athena B

Creativity

All Levels

What's In The Box?

Sheila L. Walden, PhD ~ Clayton County Public Schools

Session participants will learn how to engage gifted students through a collection of object-driven logic riddles

designed to promote critical thinking and problem solving skills for all ages. They are fun and challenging puzzles

that require students to think about what's in the box or should we say "think outside the box". The object-driven

riddles can be used to teach: listening skills, divergent thinking, associative thinking and inference. Through these

riddles students will learn to recognize important ideas, clues and to examine ideas from different points of view.

Athena C

Creativity

All Levels

iFlipped My Urban Math Classroom: Tech Tips for Paperless Classrooms

Katrina Stanfield ~ Atlanta Public Schools ; Nikkita Warfield ~ Newton County

Tired of notebook paper littering your desk waiting to be graded? Do you want to convert your classroom environment

into a paperless student-led class setting? Participants will receive technology tools that can improve student and

teacher creativity and communication. The tools will help enhance instructional interdisciplinary connections,

integrate engaging teaching strategies, and help differentiate the learning environment. The participants will gain a

connected classroom guide to flipping their instruction, which supports nurturing the creative nature of many gifted

students.


Tuesday 9:00- 9:50

Athena D

Science

Elementary

Engage, Create and Innovate: The Science/Quirkles Link

Sherry Cook, The Quirkles / Creative3, LLC

"Do the questions at the end of your chapter." That’s in no way to engage gifted students! Storytelling, inquiry and

hands-on science will though! And inquiry based science does more. It develops skills that foster creativity and

innovation. Come prepared to have fun and learn lots too!

This presentation looks at traits of gifted innovators. Many of these traits can be enhanced. And, the very things the

Quirkles® teach—through integration of inquiry-based science and literacy—helps develop those skills. Who knows?

You may be nurturing the next Steve Jobs!

Athena G

Creativity

All Levels

Put on Your Thinking Caps: Creativity in the Classroom

Tonya Hampton, Stephanie Tyler ~ Rockdale County Schools

The Six Thinking Hats tool developed by Dr. Edward deBono is used to teach creative and critical thinking in all

content areas. In this session, participants will learn about Dr. deBono's powerful thinking strategy and how it can be

utilized in the classroom. The six colored hats can be used to help students see things from a different perspective and

allows for more creative thought. Teachers will walk away with a new perspective and resources to use in the

classroom.

Athena J

Curriculum

Middle, High

Creative Conversations: Incorporating Innovative Classroom Discussion for the Gifted

Learner

Eleta Morrison, Christie Wall ~ Houston County Schools

Why are classroom discussions such an attractive, yet daunting classroom strategy? When it comes to classroom

conversations, the full classroom, one-size-fits-all model is not the only mode of discussion. There is an art and a

science to choosing pairs, small groups, and large groups for varied topics, no matter your content area. This active

presentation requires participation, so get ready to immerse yourself in new strategies to take home to your classroom.


Tuesday 9:00- 9:50

Olympia 1

All

How to Start & Sustain A Local Chapter

Karen Higginbotham ~ Clarke County Schools

Local Chapter representatives and those interested in starting a Local Chapter are cordially

invited to join the GAGC Local Chapter Chair, and other Local Chapter leaders for this opportunity to swap ideas,

discuss concerns, and share tips, tools, and techniques for starting and/or sustaining enthusiasm and support for your

Local Gifted Program and Association Chapter.

Olympia 2

Research All Levels

Connections for Change: University-Community Partnerships to Promote Minority Student

Talent Development – Double Session B



Many educators want to collaborate with universities to support gifted education programming, yet few are successful

sustaining engagement with students. Project U-SPARC (University-School Partnerships for Achievement, Rigor and

Creativity), represents targets for local school improvement initiatives that aim to increase student achievement,

enhance rigor in the curriculum, and develop creative potential in students. University of Georgia faculty and students

and Stroud Elementary administrators and teachers work together in a freshman seminar designed as a service-learning

course where students gain experience with local schools, community groups and organizations to develop talent

among ethnic minority youth and close the achievement gap.

Parthenon

Social Emotional

All Levels

Social-Emotional Needs of Gifted Children: Understanding the Rainbow

David Schwartz, PhD

Normally developing gifted and talented students have social-emotional needs. The problem is, they may not have

the skills and abilities to recognize and cope with them. This session will focus on identifying these social-emotional

needs and providing applied strategies for teaching and nurturing their development.


Concurrent Sessions

Tuesday 10:10 – 11:00

Athena A

Creativity

Elem, Middle

I-Create

Susan Minton, Jeremy Pirkle ~ Hall County Schools

Participants will learn how to effectively use technology to enhance student opportunities for creativity. Presenters

will share various apps and web-based applications that can be used in the classroom to promote creativity and

problem based learning as well as meet curriculum standards.

Athena B

Creativity

All Levels

Taxonomies of creativity and related questions: Evaluating one’s own creativity

David Monetti, PhD; Natalie Spencer, PhD; Haley Dowling, Camille Gonzalez-Acevedo, James Reffel, PhD ~ Valdosta State

University

Williams (1969), Stahl (1980), Nilsson (2012), and the revised taxonomy of Bloom (2001) give the creative thinker

frameworks to evaluate his or her own creativity. The authors have collectively taken the taxonomies and combined

them with specific questions into a rubric to provide the creative thinker with a contrivance for evaluation. This

session will demonstrate how the rubric can help gifted and talented learners better explore their creativity.

Athena C

Creativity

Elem, Middle

Teach Problem-solving with Chess

Dennis Jones ~ Championship Chess

Chess is a great way to present students with challenging problem-solving activities. Even with no chess experience,

you can challenge bright minds to solve problems that address complex spatial tasks and relationships, provide

collaborative or competitive challenges, and allow students to intuit and explain reasoning.

Athena D

Creativity

All Levels

Animation Nation: Engaging Gifted Learners With Technology

Kia Stephens ~ Atlanta Public Schools

Are you looking for a way to increase rigor, engage students and and work less? If the answer is yes, Animation

Nation is for you. In this session Kia will share how she utilized Stop Motion Animation, Digital Animation, and

Web 2.0 websites to reach minority gifted and non gifted learners. Through project based learning geared towards

producing original animations, she saw increased student engagement, academic competition winners, and an

increase in gifted identified students.


Tuesday 10:10 – 11:00

Athena G

Creativity

Elementary

Fostering Creativity through Interactive Learning Stations

Kendra Chambless, Danice Talbert, Bibb County

Experience interactive learning stations first-hand. Participants will be exposed to several different strategies to

foster creativity and independence in the classroom. Fluency, flexibility and originality will be highlighted through

the use of technology, open-ended questioning, and group collaboration. Guidance will be given to develop

rigorous activities to meet the needs of individual classrooms, including creating research based infographics,

utilizing elaborations with non-fiction texts and innovative problem solving.

Athena J

Science

Middle, High

Mechanisms of Solar Energy: Exploring the fundamentals of waves, energy, circuits, and

solar cells

Tyson Harty, PhD ~ Jasper County Schools

Solar energy is vital for humanity’s future, yet its fundamentals can be confusing to students. Explore hands-on

methods to integrate waves, circuits, and energy through classroom demonstration and lab activity ideas. Free

NASA resources and access to “Sun Power for Schools” lessons. This workshop is conducted by a NASA

Astrophysics Educator Ambassador and science teacher at Jasper County High School. It was developed in

conjunction with Georgia’s “Sun Power for Schools” program of Green Power EMC of Tucker, GA.

Olympia 1

Creativity

Assessment

The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking: A Basic Introduction and Classroom

Applications

Sarah Sumners, PhD ~ UGA Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development

You’ve heard of the “Torrance Tests”, but what are they exactly? How are they used? What are the practical

applications for their use in schools? Well here’s your opportunity to find out more about the Torrance Tests of

Creative Thinking (TTCT’s) and how to use them in your classroom. This workshop is purposed to introduce

teachers, administrators, and parents to the underlying constructs of the TTCT’s and strategies for creating an

optimal atmosphere to foster creative thinking in your classroom.


Tuesday 10:10 – 11:00

Olympia 2

Research All Levels

Using Frasier’s Four A’s and the Traits, Aptitudes, and Behaviors (TABs) Referral Tool to

Identify Under-represented Culturally Different Gifted Students – Double Session A



Educators who advocate for equity in gifted education are confronted with negative attitudes, unbalanced access to

opportunity, inappropriate assessment, or insensitive accommodations. Frasier's research on identification and

assessment addresses these issues and provides guidance on how to overcome barriers that inhibit the pursuit of

equity in gifted programs. Through a discussion of Frasier's Four A's, and her Traits, Aptitudes, and Behaviors

(TABs) Assessment Tool, this session will provide support for educators to understand practical techniques and

strategies to recruit culturally different students for gifted and advanced programs

Parthenon

Social Emotional

All Levels

Meeting the Needs of Twice Exceptional Students: Real Strategies for Success

David Schwartz, PhD

It is often said that Twice Exceptional students take twice the effort and cause twice the headaches. However, they

often deliver twice the product when directed. This session will focus on applied strategies for teaching the Twice

Exceptional student to succeed. The goal would be to develop a skill set that the student can use flexibly and

independently.

Concurrent Sessions

Tuesday 11:10 – 12:00

Athena A

Creativity

Elementary

Project Based Learning: How to do it all and have fun

Cindy Poundstone ~ Fulton County Schools

Project Based Learning is the engaging way to combine common core, standards, tec

hnology, and teach across the curriculum without breaking a sweat. Students will remember and be able to apply their

learning after they know learning matters in the creation of products that are based in relevant real world projects.

PBL is a research based, kid challenging, and teacher approved approach to content areas and student growth.


Tuesday 11:10 - 12:00

Athena B

Creativity

All Levels

Using games and riddles to inspire creativity in gifted learners

James Reffel, PhD; Natalie Spencer, PhD, Camille Gonzalez-Acevedo, Haley Dowling, Katharine Adams, PhD ~ Valdosta State

University

School curricula should be inspiring and provide time for learners to think, create, and imagine (Banaji, Cranmer, &

Perrotta, 2010). Educational games, riddles, and challenges provide flexibility and time to focus on the unique aspects

of ideas and content. The use of games enhances creativity (Ott & Pozzi, 2012). Various creativity games and

creativity challenges may produce desired outcomes in gifted and talented learners. This session will demonstrate

multiple games, riddles, and challenges to inspire creativity in the classroom

Athena C

Creativity

Elementary

Healthy Changes, Soaring Performance

Ashley Rhye, Jamie Grainger ~ Hall County Schools

A new perspective on the role of wellness and physical activity in our school has transformed our culture. Our goal:

increase physical activity for students before, during, and/or after school for 30 minutes every day. The outcome:

increased brain activity translating into the ability to think more clearly and a healthier, high achieving school within a

healthier community. Come learn how we shifted our thinking and creatively used our time/resources with significant

results!

Athena D

Creativity

Elementary

"I've Got Proof!" Producing Evidence of Giftedness In Underrepresented Populations Using

Portfolio Artifacts

Sonja Fox ~ Gwinnett County Schools

Looking for alternative ways to document Creativity, Motivation and Mental Ability in students from underrepresented

groups? The strategies presented in this session support production of student portfolio artifacts which document these

abilities for referral and evaluation of students for gifted program placement. The session will include examples of how

strategies are applied in class sessions with students.


Tuesday 11:10 - 12:00

Athena G

Curriculum

All Levels

The Young Economist

Sherilyn Narker ~ Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Your students face choices every day. Each of these choices involve costs and benefits. Help them become better

decision makers with resources from the Federal Reserve. In this session, you will discover a treasure trove of free

lessons, print materials, and digital tools you can use to engage your students in economic thinking. Our lessons and

materials are aligned to K-12 standards. Each participant will receive a bag of educational materials and a flash drive

filled with electronic resources for the classroom.

Athena J

Science

Middle, High

NASA Powers of Ten: Scaling the Universe

Tyson Harty, PhD ~ Jasper County Schools

How big is big? How small is small? Help students understand the concept of size scaling and powers of ten as we

investigate the Universe. A presentation of recent NASA missions searching for distant objects will preface a hands-

on activity using photo cards to sequence objects from the subatomic to the astronomical. Participants will receive a

free copy of a 64-page Scaling and Powers of Ten activity guide, as well as various NASA mission materials.

Olympia 1

Curriculum

Elementary

HeroesMatter:Project Based Service Learning

Kristin Siembieda, Laura Martin ~ Fulton County Schools

Heroes Matter is a non-profit educational initiative empowering kids to make their world a better place through

creative problem solving and storytelling. In this service project based learning program, students will read a

mentoring text about heroes in Haiti and will then write and illustrate a hero adventure of their own, using creative

problem solving to address global issues. Curriculum is available allowing students to fulfill core requirements in

literacy, social studies and science.

Kristin Siembieda is involved in the first pilot of the Heroes Matter initiative, using it to teach writing, art, social

science and science and involving STEM projects. Along with non-profit director, Laura Martin, they will present

exciting results from this project, showing students actively engaged in learning that forms the foundation for creating

global leaders who have the capacity to bring creativity and effectiveness to address environmental and social issues.


Tuesday 11:10 – 12:00

Olympia 2

Curriculum

All Levels

Beyond Deficit Thinking to Engage and Connect: Utilizing Community Problem Solving (CmPS)

to Develop Talent in Students from Under-represented Minority Groups – Double Session B

Brittany Anderson, Octavia Fugerson, Meg Easom Hines, PhD; Tarek Grantham, PhD ~ University of Georgia

Teachers advocate for increased engagement by advanced students from under-represented minority groups. In the

partnership between the University of Georgia’s Gifted and Creative Education Program and a local school, teachers,

graduate students and faculty helped to establish a Community Problem Solving (CMPS) team of twelve, fourth grade

students. In Community Problem Solving, students are challenged with using the six-step creative problem-solving

model to identify, solve and carry out a plan of action to address a problem in their community. Project members will

highlight how they used professional development experiences, student data and Mary Frasier’s TABs instrument to

upstart the team, as well as, key supplemental CmPS activities for the team of students.

Parthenon

All

Avoiding Educator Burnout: Who Ya Gonna Call? Stress Busters!

David Schwartz, PhD

Educator Burnout is a serious problem in Talented and Gifted Educators. The success of your program is often

dependent on you and that puts a lot of stress on you. This session will focus on realistic things you and your

colleagues can do to avoid burnout and remain creative.

2015 concurrent sessions convention/concurrent... · be ready to walk away with multi-standard...

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