SA Gifted Education Conference, 2010
Creating contexts for challenging and supporting achievement.
FLINDERS UNIVERSITY, STURT CAMPUS 19th–20th MARCH, 2010
Flinders University is proud to host the State Gifted Education conference and invites all interested educators, parents, researchers and administrators to come and be inspired by the impressive group of presenters gathered together for this event.
In particular, we welcome Professor Carolyn Callahan from the University of Virginia to Adelaide on her first visit to Australia to present at our conference. Prof Callahan is a highly respected international speaker and will be sharing with us the insights gleaned from her research, teaching, leadership and publications.
We are also very pleased that two eminent professors from Flinders University, Professor Martin Westwell and Professor John Halsey will be presenting at our conference.
For any enquiries about the conference, please email Lesley Henderson at Lesley.henderson@flinders.edu.au
Presenters
Professor Carolyn Callahan, University of Virginia
Commonwealth Professor of Education; Chair, Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Policy; and Associate Director, National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, Curry School of Education
Carolyn M. Callahan received her Ph.D. in the area of Educational Psychology with an emphasis in gifted education from the University of Connecticut. Since that time she has been on the faculty of the University of Virginia where she has developed the graduate program in gifted education, the Summer and Saturday Program for gifted students, and has been the director of the University of Virginia National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented for the past 12 years. She has done research across a broad range of topics in gifted education including the areas of the identification of gifted students, the evaluation of gifted programs, the development of performance assessments, and gifted program options. In collaboration with the other staff of the University of Virginia program, she has developed and delivered the highly successful annual Summer Institute on Academic Diversity for the past 5 years. Further, she was one of the editors of Aiming for Excellence: Gifted Program Standards, which is now widely used as the framework of criteria against which gifted programs are judged. As part of her work outside the university, Dr. Callahan has worked with over 300 public school districts across nearly every state in the development of program designs, curriculum, and evaluations. Finally, Dr. Callahan has received recognition as Outstanding Faculty Member in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Outstanding Professor of the Curry School of Education, Distinguished Higher Education Alumnae of the University of Connecticut, and was awarded the Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children. She is a past president of The Association for the Gifted and the National Association for Gifted Children. She also sits on the editorial boards of Gifted Child Quarterly, Journal for the Education of the Gifted, and Roeper Review.
Friday, March 19th, 10.15-11.30am Keynote on “Lessons Learned from Gifted Program Evaluations”
C. Callahan Presentation 1 (PDF 1MB)
In conducting program evaluations, we come to see what works and what doesn’t in the creation and implementation of services for gifted students. Drawing on the experiences of my colleagues and myself over the past several decades in gifted program evaluation, I will discuss the aspects of programs for gifted students that have contributed to a challenging and satisfying learning environment for these individuals and those factors that have impeded smooth and effective program implementation.
Friday, March 19th: 12-1pm on “Designing and Evaluating Gifted Programs”
C. Callahan Presentation 2 (PDF 764KB)
Most educators think of evaluation as the last step in program planning, but the most effective program planning begins with a consideration of what we are hoping to achieve (our goals), a means of determining if we are getting there, and a plan to determine whether or not we achieve those goals –exactly the process of planning program evaluation! How can the evaluation process be the servant of sound program planning?
Saturday, March 20th: 9.15-10.15am on “Everything I Learned About Gifted Children I Learned from Star Trek”
Like Captain Kirk and his crew, parents of gifted students are often exploring uncharted territory with enigmatic beings! Parenting gifted students is a daunting task, but one which can be guided with some basic principles that we can extract from the adventures of the Starship Enterprise. By following these basic principles we can help ensure the academic, social and emotional development of gifted children.
Saturday, March 20th: 11:45-1pm Keynote on “Demythologizing Gifted Education”
What do you believe about gifted children, their identification, and the most appropriate way to provide an appropriate education? Unfortunately, many of the beliefs we hold come from the folklore of the field rather than sound consideration of the research evidence or the latest models of cognition and learning. In this session we will look at some common, prevailing myths of the field and what experts offer to shatter those myths.
Prof Martin Westwell, Director, Flinders Centre for Science Education in the 21st Century, Flinders University
Martin brings a scientist's view to learning, science education, policy and industry engagement. Martin Westwell is the first Director of the Flinders Centre for Science Education in the 21st Century. The Centre, formally launched by the Premier in January 2008, supports the decision making of policy makers, leaders in education, teachers, parents and young people to help shape the future of science education. After completing his degree and PhD at Cambridge University, Martin moved to Oxford University as a Research Fellow in Biological and Medical Sciences at Lincoln College. While at Oxford, Martin undertook a number of research projects from producing artificial DNA, to drug discovery for tropical diseases and neurodegeneration. He also began a program of work in science education and public-engagement-with-science. Martin left academia to work in the biotechnology industry and then with a number of science education organisations returning to Oxford in 2005 as the Deputy Director of the Institute for the Future of the Mind. Here he ran the research program on the influence of modern lifestyles and technologies on the minds of the young and the old. Throughout all of the work at the Institute for the Future of the Mind, Martin worked with government, teachers, parents and others to provide access to scientific evidence to help inform their decision-making about the learning and education of young people. Martin has won a number of awards for communicating science to non-scientists including, in 1999, being named by The Times newspaper as Scientist of the New Century. Martin and his family moved to Adelaide in September 2007. His wife Val is a maths teacher and their two boys attend Bridgewater Primary School in the Adelaide Hills.
Friday, March 19th: 9.15-10.15am Keynote on “Thinking about simple things in complex ways”
M. Westwell Presentation (PDF 511KB)
Much-vaunted approaches from hands-on learning, an inquiry approach and personalised learning sometimes miss the point and, perversely, can limit the learning of gifted children. This can be particularly apparent in the transformation of knowledge into working knowledge. Examples from science education, educational neuroscience, and the use of information and communication technologies will serve to highlight the sometimes hidden opportunities to help gifted children to think in complex ways.
Professor John Halsey, Sidney Myer Chair of Rural Education and Communities, Flinders University
John is Professor of Rural Education and Communities in the School of Education, Flinders University. He is also a consultant in rural education through the Center for Relationalearning and the Public Education Department, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Prior to joining the School of Education, John was a teacher, a principal of two schools in South Australia- Ceduna Area School and The Heights School (both reception to year 12, one rural, one metropolitan), Associate Director of the Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia, an Executive Director in the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services and a Chief of Staff to a State Minister for Education and Children's Sevices. He also had experience working as an educational facilities project officer and for the Australian School's Commission Choice and Diversity in Education initiative. He is the former Executive Officer of the Rural Education Forum Australia. John has extensive experience in community consultation, policy development, decision making, human resources management and the preparation of submissions for funding and formal enquiries. John has represented Australia at the South Pacific Education Forum.
Friday, 19th March 1.30-2.30: Keynote on “Rural Places and Spaces: Rich Contexts for Gifted Education”
J. Halsey Presentation (PDF 4MB)
Typically, the design and delivery of gifted education programs and initiatives are embedded in urban contexts, opportunities and stimuli of a myriad of kinds. The intention of my presentation is to show that rural places and spaces, rural landscapes and environments, are also very fertile sources for gifted education. As well, the presentation will consider some of the issues associated with engaging students in rural communities in gifted programs.
Dr Jane Jarvis, Lecturer, School of Education, Flinders University
Jane Jarvis is a Lecturer in Education at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. She received her PhD in Educational Psychology (Gifted Education) from the University of Virginia, where she undertook research into creative problem solving in adolescents and also worked as a research assistant for the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Queensland and has worked as a school counsellor, teacher, learning specialist, behaviour intervention specialist and educational consultant in gifted education, special education, and disability services. Jane currently works with schools and teachers in Australia and overseas on implementing a framework of differentiated instruction to address the needs of diverse learners.
Saturday 20th March 10.15-11.15am: on “5 Ways to Challenge Achievement in the Classroom”
J. Jarvis Presentation 1 (PDF 8MB)
In this workshop session, teachers are introduced to five strategies or tools that can be applied to modify a learning activity or assignment to increase the level of challenge for advanced learners at any year level. Participants are provided with a chance to “road test” these strategies during the session and will receive resources applicable within their own curriculum framework.
Saturday 20th March 1.30-2.00pm: on “3 Ways to Support Achievement in the Classroom”
J. Jarvis Presentation 2 (PDF 432KB)
In this workshop session, teachers are introduced to three strategies or tools that can be used within the classroom to support gifted students to maximize their potential, including those students who are reluctant to challenge themselves and those who may be underachieving. Participants are guided to consider how to incorporate these strategies into their own classroom practice or school context.
Fiona Smith, Principal Psychologist, Gifted Minds, Sydney.
Fiona Smith is the Principal Psychologist in the practice Gifted Minds. She is in the unique position of having a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in Psychology, full registration with the NSW Psychologists Registration Board, Associate Membership of the Australian Psychological Society and a Masters Degree of Education, majoring in Gifted Education. Fiona consulted to the University of New South Wales in the GERRIC Centre (Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre) from the inauguration of the Gifted Assessment Services in 1998 for six years. 2004 saw Fiona commence her private practice. During the last ten years Fiona has assessed over 2500 gifted children, adolescents and adults. Her preferred assessment tool is the Stanford Binet: Fifth Edition (SB5). Fiona is frequently invited around Australia to assess gifted children and adolescents, visiting Perth, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the Southern Highlands, Dubbo and other venues in rural NSW. Fiona was invited to assess in Beijing, in March 2007. She has wide expertise in talking to parent groups and teachers.
Saturday 20th March 9.15-10.15am: “Defining Achievement”
This talk will focus firstly on how we relate giftedness to achievement. Definitions of achievement, success and intelligence will be examined. IQ reports will be discussed in terms of how they can add to a more complete picture of achievement, underachievement and the translation of potential into performance. Profiles of visible high achievers will be compared with profiles of highly gifted students who are ‘invisible’ in the classroom.
Saturday 20th March 10.15-11.15am: “Optimising learning for highly sensitive and intense gifted students”
This talk is designed to help teachers create a challenging yet emotionally supportive environment at school and to help teachers and parents understand how high levels of intensity and sensitivity affect learning. Strategies to cope with extreme responses will be presented and discussed.
Frank Davies, Head of Education, Tabor College
Friday, 19th March 3.00-3.30pm: “The difference between teaching the student and teaching the ‘gifted curriculum’”
Dr Maria McCann, Gifted Education Consultant, Adelaide
Friday, 19th March 2.30- 3.00pm: “The Insightful Eye: Training Visual Thinking Skills through Art and Literature”
Friday, 19th March 3.00-3.30pm: “The Design of Enrichment Programs available for Primary and Secondary Students in 2010”
Chris Ramsden, Mindlab, Adelaide
Friday, 19th March 12.00-1.00pm: “Strategies to develop higher order thinking”
Kylie Booker, Immanuel College, Adelaide
Friday, 19th March 2.30-3.00pm: “Summer camps — feedback and planning”
Wendy Stewart, President, GTCASA
Saturday 20th March 1.30 - 2.00pm:
Alison-Jane Hayes, St Peters’ College
Saturday 20th March 1.30 – 2.00pm:
Jill Colton, Concordia College, Adelaide
Jill Colton's current position as the Coordinator of Learning Support at Concordia College includes overseeing the Gifted Education Program. Previous to this she has worked as an organiser and presenter in DECS and Independent Schools to promote and facilitate professional development and student based sessions. Jill has also worked at Flinders University as a tutor in the Middle and Secondary School Education degrees, and last year she presented “Theory and Practice of Differentiation” within the IBMYP Graduate Certificate.
Saturday 20th March 1.30–2.00pm: “Theory and practice of differentiation for students who are gifted”
K. Booker Presentation (PDF 1MB)
This session reviews models of differentiation and allows for discussion of how these theories may work in practice in the Middle School context. How can we systematically extend and differentiate our lessons and units of instruction for gifted students?
