Baylor School of Education Hosts Conference for Teachers and Parents of Gifted Students

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The Baylor University School of Education's Center for Community Learning and Enrichment (CCLE) will host the Fall Conference in Gifted Education, "Surviving and Thriving with Gifted Children at Home and at School," on Friday, Sept. 9, to Saturday, Sept. 10.
The conference, presented by the Association for the Gifted and Council for Exceptional Children (TAG-CEC), will be held on the fifth floor of the Cashion Academic Center on Baylor's campus and is for teachers and parents of gifted students.
Registration is required to attend the conference. Registration for Friday is free. The registration fee for Saturday is $100, which includes lunch.
The event, sponsored by the Baylor University School of Education, Midway Independent School District and Waco Independent School District, will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, with registration and a welcome address, followed by a keynote speaker.
Dr. Tracy Cross, Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., will speak on "The Development of Students with Gifts and Talents," at 6:45 p.m. Friday. Cross, who is director of the Center for Gifted Education at William and Mary, will discuss how the lives of students with gifts and talents are made much more complicated than some of their peers.
Following Cross' presentation, attendees will break out into table topics from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. Topics will include: unique social and emotional needs of gifted students, options for programming, building partnerships with schools, standards-related advocacy, planned enrichment at home and in the community, informal learning opportunities and coaching homework.
The conference will continue at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, with registration and a welcome address, followed by a keynote speaker. Dr. Cheryll Adams, director of the Center for Gifted Students and Talent Development at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., will speak on "Surviving the Differentiated Classroom." Adams, who is president of TAG-CEC, will provide teacher-tested suggestions and ideas to facilitate management issues in the classroom.
Following Adams' presentation, breakout sessions will be held from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch.
Dr. Julia Roberts, Mahurin Professor of Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., will speak on "The Teacher's Survival Guide: Gifted Education" at 1 p.m. Saturday. Roberts will discuss the basics needed for teachers and parents who are new to gifted education.
Following Roberts' presentation, breakout sessions will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. followed by a summary of the conference and the awarding of door prizes to attendees.
Speakers during the breakout sessions include: Dr. Cecelia Boswell, director of advanced academics for the Waco Independent School District; Dr. Ken Dickson, coordinator for gifted and talented education and magnet programs for the Baltimore County Public Schools in Towson, Md.; Dr. Krystal Goree, director of clinical practice at Baylor; Dr. Kimberley Chandler, curriculum director at the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.; Sneha Shah-Coltrane, consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; Dr. Monique Felder, director of the Division of Accelerated and Enriched Instruction for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland; Dr. Gloria Taradash, education consultant and a former president of TAG-CEC; Dr. Susan Johnsen, professor of educational psychology at Baylor; and Karen Rollins, licensed professional counselor.
The Association for the Gifted (TAG) was organized as a division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in 1958. TAG helps professionals and parents work more effectively with gifted children.
CCLE, located in the School of Education at Baylor, provides programs for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
www.baylor.edu/soe/ccle or e-mail CenterSupport@baylor.edu.
--> by Katy McDowall, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805