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F A L L 2 0 1 4

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 2

F L A G B A N N E R

H I G H L I G H T S I N T H I S

I S S U E :

Message from FLAG’s presi-

dent

Operation Hounds Tooth

Challenge grant accepted

Highlights from the Annual

Conference

2014 FLAG award recipi-

ents

Shout outs from FLAG’s

president

F A L L 2 0 1 4


I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E P A G E 3

R E G I O N R E P O R T S P A G E 4 - 5

O P E R A T I O N H O U N D S T O O T H P A G E 5 - 6

C H A L L E N G E G R A N T ? A C C E P T E D ! P A G E 6

H I G H L I G H T S F R O M T H E A N N U A L

C O N F E R E N C E

P A G E 7

2 0 1 4 F L A G A W A R D R E C I P I E N T S P A G E 8 - 9

R E G I O N I V A N N U A L M E E T I N G P A G E 1 0 - 1 1

L A S T W O R D : S H O U T O U T S P A G E 1 2

B O A R D

M E M B E R S

P r e s i d e n t

S t e p h a n i e G e o r g i a d e s

( H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y )

S e c r e t a r y

D r . C h r i s W e b e r ( D u v a l C o u n t y )

A w a r d s C o m m i t t e e

L y n n A l b i n s o n

( V o l u s i a C o u n t y )

B y l a w s C o m m i t t e e

D i a n n e A z z a r e l l i ( H e r n a n d o C o u n t y )

I n t e r n e t & T e c h n o l o g y C o m m i t t e e

H e r m a n C a r d o n a

( H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y

L e g i s l a t i v e C o m m i t t e e

C a t h l e e n B l a i r

( O k a c h o b e e C o u n t y )

M e m b e r s h i p C o m m i t t e e

D r . B e s s W i l s o n ( S t . J o h n s C o u n t y )

P a r e n t L i a i s o n C o m m i t t e e L o u r d e s G a r c i a A l v e r


P u b l i c a t i o n s C o m m i t t e e

K a t i e O w e n s


S p e c i a l P o p u l a t i o n s C o m m i t t e e

C a t h y H o o p e r ( B a k e r C o u n t y )

T r a i n i n g a n d S u p e r v i s i o n C o m m i t t e e D r . J o y c e S w a r z m a n


R e g i o n a l C o o r d i n a t o r s

I I — M a r y M a r g a r e t E n f i n g e r & C a n d a c e G a u t n e y

( L e o n C o u n t y )

I I I — D r . C h e r y l l A d a m s

( A l a c h u a C o u n t y )

I V — T e r r i P o p e - H e l l m u n d

( O r a n g e C o u n t y )

V — C h r i s t i e R a y


V I — I r e n e B e n f a t t i

( C o l l i e r C o u n t y )

V I I — S u z a n n e O t e r o

( P a l m B e a c h C o u n t y )

F l o r i d a D e p a r t m e n t o f E d u c a t i o n

G i f t e d S p e c i a l i s t C a r o l B a i l e y

( L e o n C o u n t y )

F L A G B A N N E R

If you would like to publish articles or pictures in the winter issue of the

FLAG Banner, all materials are due on or before January 12, 2015. Materi-

als should be forwarded to [email protected].

FLAG wants your Shout Outs, short messages saying congratulations, well-

done, thank you or “hey, we have some good news.” Shout Outs should be no

longer than 75 words and can include a high resolution photo (JPEG attach-

ments please). Please send your WINTER “shout Outs” by e-mail by January

15, 2015 to [email protected]


On behalf of the Board of Directors of

FLAG, thank you for participating as a

conference presenter, exhibitor, adver-

tise, volunteer, and/or participant at this

year’s conference held last weekend in

Tampa. We are so thankful you were

able to join us at this year’s “Growing

Creative Learners in Florida” confer-

ence. It was a huge success and we

owe it all to you. We value and appre-

ciate your support of gifted education

and look forward to seeing you again in

Tampa, September 2015, as we bring

the conference back to Corbett Prepara-

tory School if IDS and the peacocks.

In the midst of the ever-changing edu-

cation environment, challenges to dis-

trict budgets, and the varying degree of

delivery of services in Florida, it is

more important than ever to speak with

one voice on behalf of gifted learners!

Thanks to your participation and the

contributions of all the committees, and

regional coordinators, we have been

able to maintain our services to mem-

bers and even add some new focus and

relevance!

For example, we have worked very

hard to build our membership and en-

courage committee work. We present-

ed a conference to help teachers and

parents of gifted learners receive the

training and comradery that is other-

wise absent in our state. FLAG contin-

ues to promote resources and articles

targeted to teachers, parents, and ad-

ministrators, and the quarterly newslet-

ter is back in publication. We are plan-

ning our theme for the 2015 regional

meetings and Tampa conference, and

with the upcoming elections we now

have a full slate of Executive Commit-

tee nominations for the 2015-17 mem-

bership years.

Thank you to all past, present, and fu-

ture committee chairs and committee

members. Committee work is very

important to the future of FLAG, and it

is my goal to build a team that is willing

to work together to ensure a meaningful

annual conference, quality quarterly

newsletters, professional and engaging

regional meetings, and a network of

parents, teachers and administers to

unite our gifted learner advocates from

around the state. If you are interested in

sharing your talents as a committee

member, please visit the website http://

www.flagifted.org/board/committees/

and drop me an email at presi-

[email protected] . I am happy to

introduce you to the committee chair,

and will share your contact information

with them. We are beginning to plan

our 2015 calendar of events, and need

all of your help to ensure a successful

year of advocacy and learning.

If you are interested in helping to plan

and present future conferences, please

consider joining the Conference Com-

mittee this year. Send an email to con-

[email protected] with your interest

and skill set and we will be happy to

find a sub-committee for you. We need

help in the following areas: conference

book/program, bags and giveaways,

decorations, sponsors/advertiser, ven-

dors/exhibitors, auction items/

presentation, presenter liaison

(including vetting, scheduling, and all

communications), professional develop-

ment set-up and certificate distribution,

registration, name tags, talent/

entertainment, volunteer recruitment

and organization, invitations/marketing,

A L E T T E R F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T

signs & directions, website updates

and social media marketing, and much

more. It is sure to be a lot of fun again

next year.

As we look toward our 2015 member-

ship year, I look forward to moving

ahead with a proclamation requesting

that Florida recognize September as

Gifted Education Month, and facilitat-

ing a Legislation Day in Tallahassee.

I am thrilled to report that the FLAG

BOD has approved the appointment of

Kathleen Caspar as Legislative Com-

mittee Chairperson. Kathleen is a

Pasco County Civics Teacher who is

interested in playing an active role in

these endeavors. As per our ByLaws,

it “shall be the function of this Com-

mittee to influence the Florida Legis-

lature and, when directed by the Exec-

utive Board, the US Congress, on is-

sues consistent with the mission of

FLAG. This influence may occur

through the provision of information

or testimony regarding such issues,

representing FLAG in legislative coa-

litions, contracting with a legislative

consultant, and serving as liaison be-

tween FLAG and the consultant.”

Kathleen will share quarterly articles

in our FLAG newsletter as well as

“Call-to Action” notices to the board

and membership when the need arises.

If you are interested in serving as a

member on the Legislation Commit-

tee, please contact me at presi-

[email protected] with your interest.

It has been my privilege to work with,

and for, you this year, and I look for-

ward to your continued involvement

in FLAG at future regional meetings

and conferences. Thank you again for

the contributions you’ve made to

FLAG. Volunteers and leaders like

you are vital to FLAG and to gifted

education!

Warm regards,

Stephanie Georgiades, M.A. ■


Board Members: Candace Gautney and Mary-Margaret

Enfinger

2014-15 FLAG Conference – October 17-18

Attended by Mary-Margaret Enfinger

Board Meeting

Membership for Region 2 is down to “8” members, ave-

nues to increase membership

Recruitment through Teacher / Parent Gifted Symposium

Promotion through Gifted Endorsement classes

Commenced Monday, October 20th

Recruitment through Gifted Advocate quarterly meetings

3nd Annual Gifted Symposium – February 28, 2015

Event Description: Leon County Schools and the Tallahassee

Gifted Network (TGN), in partnership with FLAG, will hold

our 3rd annual Gifted Symposium on Saturday, February 28th.

We are presently looking for a guest speaker for the event.

Are you interested in serving as a reporter for the FLAG Banner? Do you have an idea for an article?

Please contact Katie Owens for more information: [email protected]

R E G I O N R E P O R T S

R E G I O N I I

By: Mary-Margaret Enfinger

FLAG will be represented at the symposium this year, not only through print media, but through a brief presentation at the

introduction of the event and through a booth.

4th Annual STEM Bowl - May 15, 2015

Event Description: Leon County Schools will be hosting our 4th annual STEM Bowl for our Gifted and Talented students. This

day-long event involves over 20 elementary schools (out of 23) sending teams to participate in both STEM engineering and

brain bowl competitions.

R E G I O N I I I

By: Cheryll Adams

I sent an email with the conference flyer to all Region III co-

ordinators.

These Region III members were speakers at the FLAG con-

ference held October 17 and 18 at the Sheraton Suites Tampa

Airport Westshore. We have many talented individuals in

Region III. If you did not submit a proposal for a presenta-

tion this year, please consider doing so for next year.

Dr. Elizabeth Shaunessey-Dedrick and Dr. Cheryll Adams

will be presenting a pre-conference on the Common Core

State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards at

NAGC on November 12. Others presenting sessions with

them are Dr, Susan Johnsen, Dr. Alicia Cotabish, Dr. Debbie

Dailey; Dr. Gail Ryser, and Dr. Claire Hughes.

Dr. Cheryll Adams will receive the Distinguished Service

Award from NAGC at the annual conference in November for

her years of service to the field.

Dr. Chris Weber and her co-authors have a second book se-

lected for co-publishing with NAGC. The working title is

Implementing Differentiated Instruction for Gifted and Ad-

vanced Learners: A Case Studies Approach.

mailto:[email protected]


Region V hosted the FLAG conference Friday event of Creativity Night and “Appy Hour”. Over 80 conference attendees were

eligible to attend through an additional fee paid during conference registration. FLAG has also joined with Pinellas County and

Hillsborough County (both Region V) to receive the Challenge Grant. As Region V representative I will be working to provide

online professional development for teachers across the State using the M2 Math Curriculum. The online PD will be offered

free of charge. The first set of teachers (exact number still pending) to sign up will also receive the curriculum in conjunction

with the grant funding. Additionally, the training will be recorded with links housed on the FLAG website for future teachers

to experience the instruction in a self-paced environment.

Of note, Dr. Lauri Kirsch from Hillsborough County in Region V received the Gifted Coordinator Award to be given during the

2014 NAGC conference in Baltimore. Maggie Aldana from Thonotosassa Elementary in Hillsborough County is a Javits Frasi-

er Scholar. ■

R E G I O N V R E P O R T

By: Christie Ray

O P E R A T I O N H O U N D S T O O T H By: Steve Haberlin

I had an experience this past school year

that really got me thinking about wheth-

er the curriculum I was using was ade-

quate to teach my gifted students to

grow into creative, productive-and re-

sponsible-adults. As part of a research

project, one of my students decided to

start a teacher recognition program at the

school, which would involve students

each month voting on their favorite

teacher and providing that teacher with a

goodie bag and certificate. The project

sounded innocent enough, but without

wisdom and responsibility, creativity can

run rampant. The student decided that

he didn’t care for a particular teacher,

even though that teacher secured the

highest number of votes, and fixed the

voting results so that a different teacher

won the contest. Word got out and the

teacher who was slighted obviously was

upset and asked that the program be ter-

minated. There I was sitting in the assis-

tant principal’s office, trying to explain

how this project was meant to be a posi-

tive, productive experience.

Nevertheless, the experience caused me

to reflect on what we should be teaching

our high potential students—and

prompted to seek answers. What causes

one child to grow up to become Adolph

Hitler and another to become Mother

Theresa? What is the difference in life

that produces a Saddam Hussein as op-

posed to a Martin Luther King, Jr.?

While these are obviously extreme ex-

amples, the answers to these questions,

though we may never entirely know,

should prompt researchers and educators

to consider what roles schools may play

in the development of influential leaders.

The characteristics and traits that lead to

individuals to abuse their power and

talents or use them to benefit society

demand consideration, particularly in

light of the gifted and talented. Opera-

tion Houndstooth Intervention Theory,

created by Dr. Joseph Renzulli at the

University of Connecticut, attempts to

shed light on the traits of creatively pro-

ductive individuals, who contribute to

what the model refers to as social capital

or actions that positively benefit society

and the well being of others.

Operation Houndstooth Intervention

Theory

Operation Houndstooth emerged from

Renzulli’s three-ring conception model

(Renzulli), which expanded the defini-

tion of giftedness by attributing gifted

behavior to the intersection of three ele-

ments: task commitment (motivation),

creativity, and above-average ability.

Within the context of the Three-Ring

model, Renzulli sought to understand the

educational and environmental factors—

or background components—that result

in socially constructive giftedness. In

other words, why does a student use

their gifts and talents to help others and/

or society in general? Through literature

review and Delphi technique classifica-

tion studies, Renzulli arrived at six co-

cognitive traits.

1. Optimism

2. Courage

3. Physical/Mental Energy

4. Romance with a Discipline

5. Sensitivity to Others

6. Vision/Sense of Destiny

While Renzulli has determined six co-

cognitive traits, he does not propose that

one trait is more important than another,

but that they work together in some

combination.

While research on the model remains in

its early stages, the theory provides hope

that perhaps educators and schools can

help young people develop the qualities

that will lead to responsible, productive

leadership. Though Common Core and

academic curriculum hold a strong place

at the educational table, and rightfully

so, doesn’t it make sense to also focus

upon the character development and

Continued to page 6


qualities that could help to produce

adults, not only talented and motivated,

but inherently driven to help make the

world a better place? It is for this reason

that it is recommended that researchers

should continue testing the tools and

methods that might help students devel-

op the traits espoused by Operation

Houndstooth as well as school adminis-

trators and teachers be willing to experi-

ment with various programs.

While teaching children to be optimis-

tic, courageous, etc., may prove to be a

worthwhile goal, the challenge lies in

exactly how to instill these traits. Ren-

zulli himself admits that character de-

velopment programs, particularly those

that rely on direct instruction, have his-

torically proved largely unsuccessful.

Renzulli also discourages forcing chil-

dren into participating in service-

learning projects. Rather, Renzulli ad-

vocates for a systematic approach,

which relies first on students taking

inventory of talents and interests, then

having the opportunities and resources

to pursue those interests through first-

hand investigations. Through engaging

in investigations and creating products

for authentic audiences, students will

learn these co-cognitive traits through

direct experience.

During a recent workshop at Confratute,

a week-long gifted education training at

UCONN, researchers suggested that

school administrators and teachers con-

sider using the following methods to

begin implementing Operation Hound-

stooth:

1. Consider the physical space/

classroom. Can these traits be dis-

played in some manner in the learn-

ing environment?

2. Using literature to teach the traits

through biographies and other text.

Literature circles and class discus-

sions can be held on literary char-

acters and people throughout histo-

ry, who demonstrate one of more of

the six traits.

3. Journaling and writing tasks such

as composing a thank you letter to

someone.

4. Creating a romance with a disci-

pline through exposing students

through Type one activities such as

guest speakers.

O P E R A T I O N H O U N D S T O O T H

5. Allowing students to work on ser-

vice learning projects.

Testing these methods, and others, will

require schools and teachers open to the

idea of developing the co-cognitive

traits in their students and allowing re-

searchers to document the impact. For

Operation Houndstooth to be success-

ful, it first requires buying into the idea

that, as educators, we can and should be

teaching the gifted to be socially re-

sponsible as well as creatively produc-

tive. Lacking in adequate research and

specific instructional techniques, the

question becomes: should teachers wait

until we have all the facts—if we ever

do-or should we begin to at least try to

teach the co-cognitive traits of Hound-

stooth? Considering the cost of failing

to instill values and wisdom in our fu-

ture leaders and high-potential individu-

als, personally, I choose the latter.

Operation Houndstooth Articles: http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/oht/

houndst.html ■

C H A L L E N G E G R A N T ? A C C E P T E D ! By: Christie Ray

This grant will offer, free of charge, professional development

and curriculum to teachers across the state while studying the

effects of problem-based learning in math using the M2 cur-

riculum. Select teachers in Hillsborough County and Pinellas

County will participate in the pilot program receiving curricu-

lum and coaching support. The professional development

piece will then be offered to a limited number of teachers

across the state free of charge through FLAG. In addition,

sessions will be recorded and posted on the FLAG website for

anyone to utilize as self-paced professional development on

using M2 to differentiate and accelerate math through prob-

lem-based learning. ■

Hillsborough County Schools has paired with Pinellas Coun-

ty Schools and FLAG to win a $35,000 Challenge Grant from

the Florida Department of Education.

The Challenge Grant Program for the Gifted was established

in 1981 to encourage public schools and districts to imple-

ment exemplary programs that appropriately challenge gifted

students. Projects funded under this program are designed to

improve the quality of existing programs, initiate a model or

demonstration program, or expand student participation in

existing programs. Project activities support the improvement

and further development of provisions for enhanced and more

rigorous curriculum and services for gifted students in a

school, district, or group of districts.


H I G H L I G H T S F R O M T H E A N N U A L C O N F E R E N C E


Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award: Meryl Liu, Por t Orange

A 6th grader at Creekside Middle School in Port Orange, Meryl Liu is a talented artist and accomplished pianist. Her artwork has

been selected as the state winner of Florida in the Doodle 4 Google art competition, and the grand winner of the Music K-8

Magazine Cover Contest. She has participated in many piano competitions, including local and state events, and even earned an

international 2nd place in Stockholm, Sweden.

2 0 1 4 F L A G A W A R D R E C I P I E N T S By: Lynn Albinson

Excellence in Creative Teaching Award: Matthew Peterson, Jacksonville

Matthew Peterson, a Math teacher and Head Gir l’s Swim Team Coach at James Weldon Johnson College Preparatory

School, incorporates Paideia seminars into his classroom where he came up with a format and grading system for students to

take quizzes using the Paideia structure. “Gifted students often need teachers who think outside of the box to create instruction-

al strategies that best meet their needs”, stated Brett Hartley, Assistant Principal of Curriculum.

Continued on page 10


Scobee Scholarship Recipient

Diana Ortiz, Haines City High School IB East, Haines

City

A senior in the IB Program, Diana embarked on her quest

for scientific knowledge when her mother was diagnosed

with Lupus. She is interested in research and would like

to find a cure for her mother’s auto-immune disorder.

Diana plans to attend the University of Miami and be-

come a physician.

Scobee Scholarship Recipient:

Trevorn Hodge, Bartow Senior High School, Bartow

Trevorn Hodge, a senior , is an aspir ing trauma sur -

geon. He is enrolled in the Medical and Fire Academy at

his school where he will receive EMT certification upon

graduation. Trevorn plans to attend either Johns Hopkins

University or the University of Florida and major in

Emergency Medicine and Neurology.

C A L L I N G A L L F L A G C R E A T I V E T E A C H E R S !

Here’s your chance to bring your ideas to life in the classroom with a FLAG Creative

Teacher Mini Grant!

The purpose of these grants is to recognize and assist FLAG members in develop-

ing and implementing creative classroom projects. Each mini-grant applicant

must be a FLAG member in good standing at the time of application submission.

The maximum amount awarded will be $500 for each teacher.

The selection criteria include creativity, innovation, benefits to students, and ex-

pected educational outcomes of the project.

Complete the application form at http://www.flagifted.org/annual-awards/

classroom-mini-grants/

and submit no later than December 19, 2014!

The grants will be awarded in the spring of 2015.

Recipients will be recognized at the 2015 FLAG annual conference.

Recipients will need to provide receipts, a grant report, and photos to FLAG at the

completion of the project.


R E G I O N I V : A N N U A L M E E T I N G

Photo: Martha Kesler, Terri Pope-Hellmund, Dr. Gillian Eriksson, Dr. Lianne Hoogeveen, Dr. Carole Ruth Harris

Nearly 100 gifted advocates gathered to share trends, technology, and best practices while joining renowned international

researchers at a special engagement. FLAG, in partnership with University of Central Florida’s Faculty Advocates for Gifted

Education (ADAGE), hosted the annual Region IV conference at the Morgridge International Reading Center on the UCF

campus Saturday, March 15, 2014.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Dr. Lianne Hoogeveen is a developmental psychologist and head of the Center for the

Study of Giftedness (CBO) at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

She is a board member of the ‘Internationales Centrum für Begabungsforschung (ICBF)

(Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany) and member of the Executive

Committee of the European Council for High Ability (ECHA). She teaches at Radboud

University and is a guest teacher at other universities, in and outside the Netherlands. She

is involved in post-academic education for psychologists and teachers and in individual

counseling of gifted children, youngsters and adults. She conducts research on giftedness

and education, specifically academic acceleration. Concerning research and education, she

cooperates with colleagues of other universities around the world.

Dr. Carole Ruth Harris is the Director of G.A.T.E.S. Research and Evaluation.

She holds a Doctorate in gifted Education from Columbia University, Formerly Associate

in Education in International Education at Harvard University and researcher on the Hol-

lingworth Longitudinal Study at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has taught

education of the gifted at University of Hawaii and international education of the gifted,

creativity, and qualitative research methods at University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Dr.

Harris is the author of more than 60 articles and book chapters and has given more than 170

lectures and workshops for teachers and educators at nationally and internationally. She is a

Continued on page 13

By: Terri Pope-Hellmund


recipient of the Gowan Award from the National Association for Gifted Children and a Fellow of the American Association

for Educational Research. Recent publications include Fostering Creativity in Children, K-8: Theory and Practice, with M.

Lynch (Allyn & Bacon), and The Fragility of the Faceted Child: Gifted, Culturally Conflicted, Isolated. In Eriksson, G. &

Wallace, B. (Eds.). Diversity in gifted education: International perspectives on global issues (Routledge), and Applied Practice

for Educators of Gifted and Able Learners (Routledge) with H. Vidergor.

Dr. Gillian Eriksson, (Gifted Education

Program, School of Teaching, Learn-

ing and Leadership, UCF), started off

the day with, “Lessons from the Best:

How top scoring countries meet the

needs of their gifted students”. She

presented research on three countries

that outperform the USA in educational

ranking and how they treat the status of

education as a profession and invest-

ment in teaching the gifted. Dr. Eriks-

son discussed South Korea, Finland,

and New Zealand; all rated top per-

forming countries in achievement lev-

els for reading, science, and math. Who

decides how “best” is defined? From

the task oriented approach in South

Korea where the student success means

family success, to non-graded elemen-

tary education in Finland, and then the

rich multicultural extended family ap-

proach found in New Zealand, the key

seems to be a strong focus on the pro-

gress of the individual. One significant

difference between the USA and each

of these countries is the status placed

on the educational profession which is

much higher in these top performing

countries, some comparing the role of

the teacher to doctors and lawyers.

Recommended readings included Wal-

lace, B; Eriksson G., (2006), Diversity

in Gifted Education: International per-

spectives on global issues; Abboud, S.;

Kim, J., (2005), Top of the Class: How

Asian Parents Raise High Achievers—

and How You Can Too; White, S.,

(2012), Designing Defensible Class-

room Programs For Gifted Secondary

School Learners: A Handbook for

Teachers.

Dr. Lianne Hoogeveen, Director CBO

(Center for Research in High-Ability

Studies), Radboud University Nijme-

gen, The Netherlands, delivered the

morning keynote. She presented,

“Critical Issues Impacting Education of

high Ability Students: Lessons from

Europe” as her topic. Dr. Hoogeveen

told of the formation of the European

Council for High Ability (ECHA) that

had been generated by an overwhelm-

ing demand for coordination from

most European countries, both West

and East. The major goal of ECHA is

to act as a communications network to

promote the exchange of information

among people interested in high abil-

ity – educators, researchers, psycholo-

gists, parents and the highly able

themselves. As the ECHA network

grows, provision for highly able peo-

ple improves and these improvements

are beneficial to all members of socie-

ty. The 14th International ECHA Con-

ference will be held in Ljubljana, Slo-

venia September 17-20, 2014. To see

a clip of the 2012 conference, follow

this link: http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=WY9sOSonPoY.

Dr. Hoogeveen spoke of the im-

portance of the teacher in the success

of the gifted student’s future. Be it the

autonomous student, the creative stu-

dent, the successful one or the one

who goes underground or is at risk,

even the multi-exceptional student

depends on a teacher as a critical

guide to a successful path. Suggested

reading includes Wolfensberger, M.

(2008), Six Habits of Highly Inspiring

Honours Teachers.

The afternoon keynote was delivered

by Dr. Carole Ruth Harris, Director,

Gifted and Talented Education Ser-

vices (GATES) Research. Dr. Harris

presented, “Viewing Giftedness as a

Cultural Prism.” She emphasized the

importance of culturally responsive

teachers and how they are critical to

opening doors for culturally diverse

and multilingual gifted students.

These students who consistently use

higher-order thinking in their native

language and who are occupied with

learning a new language and new sets

of cultural values and norms, lack the

experience to negotiate learning trajec-

tories in another language, culture, be-

lief system or artistic expression. This

duality enforces mental borders and

erects barriers to reciprocity. Teachers

need to interweave daily, common lin-

guistic expression to classroom instruc-

tion and utilize the broader linguistic

understanding including gestures and

cultural nuances. With the increased

mobility of populations, gifted students

experience a decrease in locus of con-

trol in a new educational system while

balancing the attributes and characteris-

tics of giftedness that set them apart

from other students. Understanding

giftedness requires a derivative view of

the way in which individual characteris-

tics are perceived, defined, and encour-

aged within multiple dualities. Dr. Har-

ris provided 15 suggested guidelines for

teachers in her presentation. A few are

listed below.

1. Be attentive to ability that is hidden

in the language of the classroom

but emerges in the native language.

2. Define giftedness in terms of the

sending as well as the receiving

culture.

3. Be sensitive to issues of locus of

control, self-esteem, and cultural

self-image.

4. Cultivate empathetic understanding

with frequent personal communica-

tion.

5. Encourage socialization and under-

standing through participation in

extra-curricular activities that pro-

mote understanding and tolerance

such as sport and the arts. ■

Visit our website: http://www.flagifted.org

F L A G A N A F F I L I A T E O F

T H E L A S T W O R D : F A L L S H O U T O U T S


Shout out to Katie Owens for documenting the entire 2014 “Growing Creative Learners in Florida” Annual Gifted Confer-

ence as our official photographer! —Stephanie Georgiades

Shout out to Herman Cardona for creating and facilitating FLAG’s digital conference presentation. —Stephanie Georgiades

Shout out to Pam Cebula, Terri Pope-Hellmund, Mary-Margaret Enfinger, Christie Ray, Lynn Albinson, Dianne Az-

zarelli, Dr. Bess Wilson, Dr. Joyce Burick-Swarzman, and Cathy Hooper for all of the work you did leading up to

and on the day of the conference. Your efforts paid off in a grand way. —-Stephanie Georgiades

Shout out to FLAG Board of Director members Dr. Cheryll Adams, Dr. Christine Weber, Dr. Bess Wilson, Christie Ray,

Cathy Hooper, Terri Pope-Hellmund, and Irene Benfatti for shar ing your exper tise and time as presenter s at the

conference. —Stephanie Georgiades

Shout out to Brian Housand for inspiring us to celebrate the GEEK in all students, and for presenting multiple outstanding

educational session throughout the conference. —Stephanie Georgiades

Shout out to Julie Williams for representing Hillsborough County’s gifted students by providing beautiful entertainment at

the conference though her musical talents.

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