NCNC 2010 March 10-12

The Call for Proposals form is available (as a .pdf document). Submit your proposal now! Proposal submission deadline extended to February 1, 2010. A discount of $50 is given toward conference fee for accepted presenters.

• 2010 Conference brochure
• 2010 Conference registration form only

The 2009 conference program is available for viewing. This provides a sense of the types of sessions offered at our conference. Onsite registration will be available.However, in order to increase your chance of securing your first choice(s) for preconference session(s), please register as soon as possible.

A special thank you to the following companies and organizations that provided conference attendees information on or access to their materials and services.

Dates for 2010

Preconference sessions - March 10
Conference sessions - March 11-12

Keynote Speakers
     

• Dr. Susan Johnsen, Baylor University, TX
  
  Dr. Carol Tieso, The College of William and Mary

Featured Speakers

Dr. Kyung Hee Kim, The College of William and Mary

Dr. Tracy L. Cross, The College of William and Mary

Michael C. Thompson, Raleigh, NC

About NCNC

Join your fellow professionals in the field of gifted education in Williamsburg and share in discussions about curriculum, instruction, and assessment for high-ability learners at the Center for Gifted Education's National Curriculum Network Conference.

The primary purpose of the conference is to provide a forum in which educators may engage in dialogue and discussion of curriculum issues for high-ability and gifted learners. The goals are as follows:

• To provide networking opportunities for schools and teachers engaged in curriculum, instruction, and assessment for high-ability learners.
• To spotlight special materials, practices, and curriculum approaches that are responsive to the needs of high-ability learners.
• To provide introductory and advanced training for the implementation of William and Mary units for classroom use through workshops and small group applications.
• All sessions are held at the Sadler (University) Center of The College of William and Mary. Directions to the Sadler (University) Center

Hotel Information

Rooms for hotel accommodations are usually blocked at: Williamsburg Hospitality House at 1-800-932-9192 ($79 night, single/double occupancy; within walking distance).

Participants MUST mention The College of William and Mary NCN conference to get these rates. To search for other hotels in the area, contact the Williamsburg Hotel and Motel Association at www.williamsburghotel.com or 1-800-999-4485. Visit http://www.williamsburgcc.com/_website/ for more hotel information and a Williamsburg vacation planner.

Cost for 2010

• Pre-conference Workshop ONLY (Wednesday, March 10): $100
• Conference ONLY (Thursday, March 11 and Friday, March 12): $200*
• Conference AND Pre-conference (March 10 -12): $250 *

*NOTE: Conference costs include a box lunch only on March 11th.

Registration Deadline

• Registration deadline: February 19
• On-site registration available. However, in order to increase your chance of securing your first choice(s) for preconference session(s), please register as soon as possible.
• Purchase orders accepted.

Mail registration form and purchase order, check (payable to The College of William and Mary) or credit card information to Center for Gifted Education-NCN, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA, 23187-8795
Phone: 757-221-2166; fax: 757-221-2184; e-mail: cfge@wm.edu

Cancellations/Refunds

Refunds will be issued for cancellations received in writing by February 18 minus a $50 non-refundable processing fee. No refunds will be issued after February 18. Schools or individuals will be billed the full amount if a registered participant does not attend.

Directions

Click here for directions to The College of William and Mary.

PRECONFERENCE SESSIONS for 2010

Full day sessions

A The Center for Gifted Education Language Arts Curriculum (Grades 1-11)
Sherry Watts, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland

The goals of the Center’s language arts curriculum are to develop skills in literary analysis and interpretation, persuasive writing, vocabulary, grammar, and oral communication, while using specific models to support critical reasoning and in-depth exploration of the concept of change. The workshop will explore teaching models and student activities that support these goals, as well as features of specific units and the resources they employ.

B The Center for Gifted Education Science Curriculum (Grades K-8)
Noland Leith, Henrico County Public Schools, Virginia

The Center’s science curriculum units involve students in the exploration of real world, ill-structured problems as well as engaging them in the scientific inquiry process. Each of the units emphasizes development of the process of experimental design, a specific macro concept (e.g. systems or change), and various specific scientific content goals. The workshop will involve participants in understanding the background and processes involved with problem-based learning and experimental design. Participants will also explore the concept of systems and discuss the scientific content topics to be taught in the units.

C The Center for Gifted Education Social Studies Curriculum (Grades 2-10)
Molly Sandling, Williamsburg-James City County Schools, Virginia

The Center’s social studies curriculum goals emphasize developing understanding of social studies concepts, the process of reasoning, principles of historical analysis, and various content topics within several social science disciplines. The workshop will engage participants in activities around the teaching models used in the units, including the concept development model, the Paul model of reasoning, and a primary source analysis framework. In addition, the workshop will explore activities related to the content of the various units, including topics in history, geography, and government.

D Launching Middle School Students Into Mathematical Thinking
Dana Johnson, The College of William and Mary

If we did not engage in a mad rush to algebra and beyond in middle school, what could students learn? The standard curriculum in middle and high school is not differentiated well for high ability math students. Moving into high school courses early does not necessarily provide experiences and challenges of what real mathematics is. This session will provide some examples of topics and strategies for infusing more rigor and richness into the middle school mathematics curriculum and Algebra I. These include proof, making conjectures, problem solving using variables to model solutions, in-depth explorations of arithmetic operations using variables, recursive and functional thinking, and processes of mathematical reasoning that are unique to mathematics.

Half day sessions

E Gifted Programs and Services: What are the Non Negotiables?
Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska, The College of William and Mary

The focus of this session will be on the nonnegotiables of gifted programs and services. Participants will learn the critical needs in the field, including maintaining high standards for gifted students while aligning curriculum with content standards. Participants will understand how to use research-based best practices to appropriately differentiate curriculum, instruction, and assessment procedures. Participants will also learn about ideas for creating an optimal match between the learner and the curriculum-delivery system, quality teaching for gifted learners, and encouraging collaboration between home and the school to support talent development.

F Research Skills and Strategies for Elementary and Middle School Students
Dr. Kimberley Chandler, The College of William and Mary

Conducting original research is an important way to increase depth in content and to foster critical thinking skills for gifted students. The Research Model used in the Center for Gifted Education’s curriculum will be the focus of this session, in which the presenter will guide participants in developing an appropriate research project for gifted students. Topics covered in the session will include practical strategies for teaching students essential research skills, classroom management ideas, and suggestions for assessment of student work.


G How Do You Assess Creativity?
Dr. Kyung Hee Kim, The College of William and Mary

The seminar will begin with a brief discussion relating to the four Ps of creativity: The creative person, creative process, creative product, and creative press (environment). We will discuss what creativity is, what the characteristics of a creative person are, how the environment affects a creative person, and how we can measure creativity. We will also discuss the characteristics of well-known creative people and the nature of their accomplishments. Subsequently, we will talk about how teachers can recognize and encourage creativity in students. Finally, we will utilize the worldwide standard for measuring creativity, the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, to explore what creativity tests look like, what a creative person’s responses look like, and how we can score them.

H The Social and emotional Development of Students with Gifts and Talents
Dr. Tracy L. Cross, The College of William and Mary

The lives of our students with gifts and talents are made much more complicated than their nongifted peers. They must grow up within families, communities and schools that hold differing views of giftedness. They receive mixed messages on a regular basis. Consequently, their development includes both the common issues and stages of their respective referent groups and issues that are unique to them. This workshop will prepare participants to analyze the lives of students with gifts and talents within the school culture by understanding both the typical developmental patterns and those unique to the students with gifts and talents. Examples will be included to illustrate their patterns of social coping.

I Patterns and Profiles of Promising Learners from Poverty
Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska, The College of William and Mary

This session will provide an overview of the issues facing gifted children from poverty. Participants will learn about research-based best practices in curriculum and teaching strategies and professional development. Participants will also learn about cultural influences of children with varied demographic profiles and the psychosocial stressors encountered by these children. Finally, policy implications for improving these students’ education will be discussed. This session will draw from the new NAGC book Patterns and Profiles of Promising Learners from Poverty.

J Using Problem-Based Learning and Higher Level Questioning Strategies With Gifted Learners
Dr. Lori C. Bland, The College of William and Mary

Inquiry-based instruction, open-ended challenges, flexible grouping practices are some educational buzzwords. How can you pull these teaching strategies together in an effective and meaningful way for gifted learners to go beyond the regular curriculum? Problem-based learning and higher level questioning techniques are key ways to ensure that gifted students are challenged. During this session, teachers will encounter a real-world problem to solve. At the end of this workshop, teachers will understand the purpose for and benefits of using problem-based learning and higher level questioning with gifted students; learn core teaching models that they can use to teach their children how to solve real world problems; and how to fuse inquiry-based instruction, higher level questioning techniques, open-ended challenges, and flexible grouping to promote advanced learning.

K To Be or Not To Be: The Social and Emotional Dilemmas Facing Students with Gifts and Talents
Dr. Tracy L. Cross, The College of William and Mary

Why do some gifted students hide their giftedness, underachieve, or lie? Are these issues the same for females and males? This workshop emphasizes the research on the lived experience of being a gifted student in American culture. Social cognition, social learning theory, and the Stigma of Giftedness Paradigm are presented as means to understand the gifted students’ lives. Examples of how adults can help these students develop will be provided along with materials describing resources available.

L Literary Analysis for Gifted Children: Using Novel Study Guides to Promote Critical Thinking
Dr. Kimberley Chandler, The College of William and Mary

In this session, the presenter will share a template for developing picture book and novel study guides for use with gifted children. Participants will review examples of these guides, which utilize a research-based model for literary analysis, in preparation for developing their own. Emphases of the session will be learning to use the teaching models incorporated in the novel study guide (literature web, vocabulary web, concept development model, and Paul’s reasoning model), designing structured questions and activities that are appropriately differentiated for gifted students, and developing research activities that are interdisciplinary in nature. Participants should read a children’s book prior to attending the session in preparation for the application portion of the workshop.