giftED24: Full Schedule

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7:30am CST

Marketplace Open

Friday December 6, 2024 7:30am - 10:45am CST

Salon Ballroom Foyer (3rd Floor)

Friday December 6, 2024 7:30am - 10:45am CST
Salon Ballroom Foyer (3rd Floor)

7:30am CST

Registration Open

Friday December 6, 2024 7:30am - 10:45am CST

Salon Ballroom Foyer (3rd Floor)

Friday December 6, 2024 7:30am - 10:45am CST
Salon Ballroom Foyer (3rd Floor)

8:00am CST

Prompt Engineering for G/T Educators AND Students to Create Engaging and Complex Artifacts

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST

Salon E (3rd Floor)

Learn how to write robust prompts to create engaging G/T activities and supports. This session empowers teachers and students to craft quality prompts, resulting in detailed and complex artifacts that enhance learning and creativity. Leave with quality prompts that are tweaked to fit YOUR students.

Speakers

Bruce Ellis

Director of Professional Development, TCEA

Bruce’s versatile classroom teaching experiences lend authenticity to his workshops. His 20+ years of experience, enthusiasm for educational technology, and his hands-on approach to training have helped educators effectively utilize educational technology and improve student success... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST
Salon E (3rd Floor)

Creativity and Instructional Strategies

Keyword AI

8:00am CST

SEEDs of Wonder: The Secret Ingredient for a Thinking Classroom

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST

Pearl 1 (2nd Floor)

Join us to learn more about how the Silverquicken Episodes for Enrichment and Diagnosis (SEED) program can help you bring both rigorous and fun learning into your classroom. This soon-to-be-released book, co-authored with Brian Housand, provides educators with 20-30-minute “SEEDs”—story-based puzzles, games, and activities that build problem solving, creativity, teamwork, and metacognitive skills that we know our gifted students need to thrive. Be among the first educators to experience the book, and learn how you can plant these SEEDs in your own classroom!

Speakers

Brian Housand

Coordinator, University of North Carolina Wilmington

Dr. Brian Housand, is the coordinator of the Academically or Intellectually Gifted program at University of North Carolina Wilmington and creator of Gifted360.com. Dr. Housand earned a Ph.D. in educational psychology at the University of Connecticut with an emphasis in both gifted... Read More →

Chris Ryan

Co-Founder CEO, Silverquicken Education

Teacher, author, and curriculum developer, Chris Ryan is CEO and co-founder of Silverquicken. He spent 15+ years growing an education startup to the world’s largest provider of GMAT test-preparation services, after close to a decade of consulting and teaching high school chemistry/physics... Read More →

Leslie Kerner

Co-Founder, COO, Silverquicken Education, Inc.

Educator, curriculum designer, parent, and community builder, Leslie Kerner is the COO and co-founder of Silverquicken. She’s spent 20 years developing K-12 education products and services. At Amplify, she worked closely with teachers and administrators around the country to bring... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST
Pearl 1 (2nd Floor)

Creativity and Instructional Strategies

8:00am CST

Rookie to Rock Star with Depth and Complexity

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST

Pearl 2 (2nd Floor)

Rookie to Rock Star provides practical strategies, actionable insights, and inspiration to enhance the practice in supporting G/T learners. G/T specialist, support staff, or classroom teacher ALL means ALL! . Depth/Complexity is effective w/instructional approaches, differentiation techniques, and social emotional support systems crucial for the holistic development of G/T students.

Speakers

Michelle Clayton

GT Specialist, Denton ISD

Michelle has taught 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Grade, as well as Special Ed and ESL. She is currently a Gifted and Talented Specialist (K-5) with Denton ISD, andhas been for the past 11 years. Michelle values giving students opportunities for productive struggle and self-reflection, as well... Read More →

Angie Jeffcoat

GT Specialist, Denton ISD

Angie has been an educator for 28 years. She has taught Pre-K, K, 1st, 2nd, Dyslexia and is currently an EXPO/GT Specialist for Denton ISD. She has been in that role for 7 years. Angie is passionate about giving All learners opportunites to take their learning beyond the walls the... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST
Pearl 2 (2nd Floor)

Differentiated Curriculum

Keyword Depth & Complexity

8:00am CST

Setting Up Innovation Labs to Actively Engage Students

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST

Salon A/B (3rd Floor)

In this session, participants will hear from gifted specialists and how they implemented an enrichment/innovation lab for their campuses. The campuses range in economic status so the participants see how this can be done with various levels of support.

Speakers

Jessica Weiss

G/T Specialist, Leander iSD

Jessica received her degree in Early Childhood Development from The University of Texas at Austin and immediately began her career in education teaching in Leander ISD. Jessica is currently in her 15th year of teaching and has taught multiple grade levels.This is Jessica’s third... Read More →

Jennifer Cooper

G/T Specialist, Leander ISD

I have been in gifted education for 12 years. I co created the AIM gifted program in Manor ISD and was the lead gifted elementary coordinator while there. I have since moved to Leander ISD where I teach their gifted program known as QUEST. I have been a member of TAGT's Advocacy and... Read More →

Kathryn Gardiol

Coordinator of Advanced Programs, Leander ISD

Kathryn Gardiol is the current Coordinator of Advanced Programs in Leander ISD, bringing nearly two decades of experience in education to her role. She began her career as a third-grade classroom teacher and has dedicated the past 12 years to serving as a Gifted and Talented (GT... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST
Salon A/B (3rd Floor)

Differentiated Curriculum

8:00am CST

Revamp and Reignite: Transforming Your Middle School G/T Program

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST

Conference Room 1/2 (3rd Floor)

Does your middle school G/T program need a facelift? Discover how our district reinvented our program in response to declining enrollment. G/T Innovative Thinkers is a year-long course that provides a scaffolded approach to STEAM, entrepreneurship, leadership, and authentic research using project-based learning, depth & complexity, and social-emotional learning strategies.

Speakers

Lizette Ramirez

GT Specialist, Northside ISD

Lizette Ramirez is an esteemed Gifted and Talented (GT) specialist with over a decade of experience in the field of education at Sul Ross Middle School in Northside ISD. She has dedicated her career to advocating for and supporting gifted learners. Lizette is known for her innovative... Read More →

Ginger Brown

GT Instructional Support Teacher, Northside ISD

Ginger Brown has over twenty years of teaching experience, both across Texas and abroad. She has developed a deep understanding of the needs of gifted learners and the strategies that work best to support their academic, social and emotional growth. In her current role as an GT Instructional... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 9:00am CST
Conference Room 1/2 (3rd Floor)

Program Options and Design

Keyword Secondary

8:00am CST

Elevating Math Learning: Low-Floor, High-Ceiling Activities to Build Fluency and Flexibility

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 10:00am CST

Pearl 3 (2nd Floor)

M.C. Escher once asked, “Are you really sure that a floor can’t also be a ceiling?”. Join us to explore practical strategies and resources to develop fluency and flexibility in math, as well as build confidence and competence in gifted learners through the use of Low-Floor, High-Ceiling tasks.

Speakers

Katie Hitchman

GT Instructional Support Specialist, Northside ISD

Katie Hitchman has a passion for gifted education that has been developed and deepened over her 18 years in education. She now coordinates a total school clustering program for elementary schools as a district Instructional Support Teacher for the Advanced Academics Department in... Read More →

Kelly Cross

Elementary Math Instructional Support Specialist, Northside ISD

In her 17 years as an educator, Kelly Cross has been privileged to work with students and teachers in a variety of K-5 settings. She has worked as a classroom teacher, gifted and talented teacher, and now Instructional Support Teacher for Northside ISD. Her passion is in creating... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 10:00am CST
Pearl 3 (2nd Floor)

Creativity and Instructional Strategies

Keyword STEM

8:00am CST

Teaching Gifted Multilingual Learners with Depth and Complexity

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 10:00am CST

Salon C/D (3rd Floor)

Discover how to increase the rigor of instruction and provide gifted MLs with the opportunity to exhibit in-depth, complex thinking while also increasing achievement and proficiency in English. Activities that couple Depth and Complexity with sheltered instruction to meet both language and learning needs of gifted MLs will be shared.

Speakers

Marcy Voss

Consultant, Seidlitz Education

During her 36 years in public education, Marcy coordinated GT and BL/ESL Programs, served on the TAGT Board, and was Chair of the TEA GT Advisory Council. Marcy currently serves as Facilitator for the TAGT ELP, Chair of the NABE GT/Bilingual SIG, and Advisory Board member for NCRGE... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 10:00am CST
Salon C/D (3rd Floor)

Creativity and Instructional Strategies

Keyword Multilingual, Depth & Complexity

8:00am CST

Distracted: Why G/T Students Can't Concentrate (And What We Can Do About It) [Secondary Focus]

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 10:00am CST

Conference Room 20/21 (3rd Floor)

It's not just you. Classrooms all over the world are experiencing an attention crisis, and gifted students are especially vulnerable. Join us for a lively discussion about what drives their attentional vulnerabilities, and discover how we can apply neurological principles to foster better attentional self-regulation and improve student learning.

Speakers

Matt Wells

Science Dept. Chair, Cypress Fairbanks ISD

Matt Wells is a multiple award-winning teacher, Science department chair, AP consultant and workshop presenter based in Houston, TX. A Past-President of both the Science Teacher’s Association of Texas and the Texas Association of Biology Teachers, and a regular presenter at giftED... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 8:00am - 10:00am CST
Conference Room 20/21 (3rd Floor)

Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted

Keyword Secondary

9:00am CST

Connect in the Marketplace

Friday December 6, 2024 9:00am - 9:30am CST

Salon Ballroom Foyer (3rd Floor)

Make the most of the last day of giftED to visit with exhibitors and each other!

Friday December 6, 2024 9:00am - 9:30am CST
Salon Ballroom Foyer (3rd Floor)

9:30am CST

Project-Based Instruction: Building a Collaborative and Creative Community of Learners

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST

Southtown 3 (2nd Floor)

Build enthusiasm for any subject by creating blended-learning opportunities for every student that showcases their talents and knowledge. Design events with your students that develop their voice and foster choice to comprehend complex content in immersive and interactive experiences that help all students build confidence in sharing what they know.

Speakers

Jan Martinez

Teacher, Odyssey Academy, Inc.

Jan Martinez teaches 6th-8th grade Humanities at Odyssey Academy in SE Texas. She earned a BS in Sociology from Texas A&M and a ME in Curriculum and Instruction from UT at Arlington. In her 25 years of teaching middle school students in large public and small charter schools, she... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST
Southtown 3 (2nd Floor)

Creativity and Instructional Strategies

9:30am CST

Thinking Outside the Game Box: Family Adventures in Creativity and Critical Thought

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST

Pearl 1 (2nd Floor)

Family board games are a wonderful way to grow skills. Let's take game night one step further, and look at some "out-of-the-box" ideas to add into family night rotation. Explore new and different ideas to encourage families to grow critical and creative thinking skills outside of the classroom.

Speakers

Kathryn Galinat

GT Project Specialist, Austin ISD

Kathryn Galinat brings diverse experience in family engagement, adult education, language acquisition, and Gifted and Talented services. Her specialty lies in forging innovative opportunities to strengthen the bond between home and school, utilizing creative thinking and community... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST
Pearl 1 (2nd Floor)

Creativity and Instructional Strategies

9:30am CST

Unraveling Riddles and Cultivating Curiosity: The Magic of Scavenger Hunts

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST

Pearl 2 (2nd Floor)

Scavenger hunts can be an innovative tool to foster critical thinking, teamwork, and a lifelong love of learning. They can be tailored to reinforce specific subjects or topics. Explore a variety of hunts and discover practical tips for designing your own captivating hunts that motivate and engage your students.

Speakers

Yvonne Garcia

Gifted Specialist, Lockhart ISD

I currently serve as a Gifted Facilitator in Lockhart ISD. I have been teaching for 20 years in north and central Texas in grades 3rd-8th, math facilitating, GT teacher for grades K-5th. I enjoy sparking the imaginations of gifted students and their special needs. I have presented... Read More →

Sheila Mulbry

Gifted Specialist, Lockhart ISD

Sheila Mulbry currently serves as a Gifted Facilitator with Lockhart ISD. She is a constant advocate for gifted students and their special needs, and has presented staff development on gifted education for the past 20 years. She obtained BA degrees in Humanities (‘83) and Elementary... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST
Pearl 2 (2nd Floor)

Creativity and Instructional Strategies

9:30am CST

Purposeful Pathways: Designing Inclusive Kindergarten Screening for Gifted and Advanced Services

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST

Conference Room 3/4 (3rd Floor)

How does a district effectively consider all kindergarten students for gifted/talented and other advanced-level services according to the state plan? Discover how to develop a purposeful kindergarten screening process that aligns services and educational best practices to foster inclusivity and provide support for our youngest learners.

Speakers

Biselva Ortega

G/T Enrichment Specialist, Northside ISD

With 25 years of experience in education and 18 years as a GT Specialist, Biselva Ortega is dedicated to delivering engaging and stimulating learning experiences for students. She collaborates closely with teachers to enhance access to GT services through inclusive identification... Read More →

Vivian Burleson

District GT Testing Coordinator, Northside ISD

Vivian Burleson has spent over two-thirds of her 20-year educational career focused on gifted students at both elementary and secondary levels. As a wife, mother, and educator of gifted individuals, she understands the spectrum of blessings and struggles that accompanies giftedness... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST
Conference Room 3/4 (3rd Floor)

Identification and Assessment

Keyword Coordinators/Specialists

9:30am CST

Trials, Tribulations, & Triumphs: The Trail to Talent Development (Taylor's Version)

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST

Salon E (3rd Floor)

Are you ready to create a "Love Story" of student success? This session is your "Blank Space" to discover how to nurture gifted learners through the lens of Taylor Swift's inspiring journey. We'll explore how to build resilience, ignite creativity, and guide students on their own paths to greatness. Leave with actionable steps to transform your classroom into a "Fearless" talent development powerhouse.

Speakers

Brian Housand

Coordinator, University of North Carolina Wilmington

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST
Salon E (3rd Floor)

Program Options and Design

9:30am CST

Using College Board Programs to Support CCMR

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST

Conference Room 1/2 (3rd Floor)

Join the College Board as we share tools and resources available to support student opportunity and College, Career, and Military Readiness. We will examine the latest data trends and updates, including the expansion of digital AP Exams. Additionally, we will share the free tools and resources available to students as they navigate their college and career readiness paths.

Speakers

Lana Sveda

Senior Director, State and District Partnerships, College Board

Lana Sveda joined the College Board 2009. She supports districts in Texas and the Texas Education Agency. Ms. Sveda began her career as a middle school teacher. She has a Bachelor of Science in Applied Learning and Development from UT Austin and a Master of Public Administration from... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST
Conference Room 1/2 (3rd Floor)

Program Options and Design

Keyword Secondary, Coordinators/Specialists

9:30am CST

Demystifying Giftedness: Unveiling the Soul of the Gifted Learner for the Sake of Student Mental Health

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST

Salon A/B (3rd Floor)

Demystification was a practice originally reserved for students supported in special education used to empower students to be self-advocates. Join Dr. Erika Lucas for an enlightening session on how we can use this same practice with gifted students as we delve into the essence of giftedness, unraveling the intricacies that define the soul of the gifted learner. In this empowering conference session, we will explore how understanding the unique characteristics of giftedness can profoundly impact student mental health and well-being. From uncovering the challenges they face to identifying strategies for support and empowerment, this session is designed to equip participants with strategies and resources needed to nurture the holistic development of gifted learners through demystification. Don't miss this opportunity to foster a culture of understanding and support in your educational communities.

Speakers

Erika Lucas

Teacher, Unlocking EF

Dr. Erika Lucas brings over a decade of teaching experience in Pennsylvania's public school system, with a significant portion of her career dedicated to nurturing the minds of gifted middle school students and collaborating closely with their families. Her recent doctoral journey... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am CST
Salon A/B (3rd Floor)

Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted

Keyword Social Emotional Needs

10:30am CST

Connect in the Marketplace

Friday December 6, 2024 10:30am - 10:45am CST

Salon Ballroom Foyer (3rd Floor)

Last chance to visit with exhibitors before our last session!

Friday December 6, 2024 10:30am - 10:45am CST
Salon Ballroom Foyer (3rd Floor)

10:45am CST

MasterMind Session: Real Self-Care at Work: It’s Not About Bubble Baths or Juice Cleanses

Friday December 6, 2024 10:45am - 12:00pm CST

Salon Ballroom G-M (3rd Floor)

Self-care is often promoted as beauty products and massages, but real self-care is a deeper, more sustainable process that involves making the tough decisions that align with our values. For educators, practicing real self-care is critical—not only for your personal well-being, but also to maintain the capacity to show up for your students and families, and prevent burnout within your teams. In this session, psychiatrist and best selling author Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, MD will share her framework for real self-care that you can actually stick with (not like that skin care routine you abandoned last year). You’ll come away with an understanding of why boundaries, compassion and values setting are not “soft skills” but instead mission critical components of living and working in a sustainable way, and feel empowered to foster a proactive culture of burnout prevention in your teams and schools.

Speakers

Pooja Lakshmin

Author, Professor

Dr. Pooja Lakshmin MD is a psychiatrist, a best-selling author and a contributor to The New York Times. She serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at George Washington University School of Medicine. Pooja has spent thousands of hours taking care of individuals struggling... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 10:45am - 12:00pm CST
Salon Ballroom G-M (3rd Floor)

Program Options and Design