• School of Education
• Centers, Institutes & Projects
• Center for Gifted Education
• Conferences & Professional Development
• Conferences
• Twice Exceptional Conference
• Session Descriptions
• Saturday, February 24th

2E @ W&M Online Conference Session Descriptions (Saturday)

 Saturday, February 24th

 

Dr. Ashley Carpenter (conference coordinator) welcomes you to the 

conference, reviews the online platform, how to navigate throughout the day, previews the schedule of events and introduced you to our Exhibitors.

 

 

Dr. Sally M. Reis and Dr. Joseph Renzulli 

Using the Schoolwide Enrichment Model to Develop the Gifts and Talents of 2E Students  

A challenge facing gifted education programs today is the inclusion of high ability/potential students (2e) who are experiencing learning difficulties. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model has addressed this challenge in two ways. As Joe will explain, we recommend that identification information be supplemented with non-test data that we refer to assessment for learning (as opposed to tests of what students already know). This information includes the assessment of interest, learning styles, preferred modes of expression, and executive function skills. Second, we need to use teaching strategies that focus on the development of interests, the use of creative and investigative thinking skills, and the production of a product, performance, or other outcome that enable students to express themselves and share their work. This session will focus on using the Enrichment Triad Model to engage and motivate 2e students, enabling these high potential students to pursue their interests and complete advanced level work that also helps them to address their learning challenges in enjoyable ways.

 

• Dr. Claire E. Hughes
• The use of AI isn’t “cheating”; it’s a pedagogical and assessment challenge. AI is being used by numerous teachers and students to support student learning. "AI pedagogy" refers to the methods and practices of teaching and learning that are specifically designed to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into education. By using a pedagogy that includes AI as a tool and as a thinking partner, teachers of twice-exceptional learners can circumvent a variety of disabling challenges as well as promote student strengths in thinking and learning.

• Sarah Lavezzo, M.Ed.
• Lauren Yacht
• Twice-exceptional learners have the ability to see unique solutions to challenging problems and have the intensity and drive to do something about it. As educators and parents, we can empower our 2e children to find their passions and use their gifts to make an impact on their world. This presentation will highlight the benefits of social action and will give teachers and parents practical strategies for implementing learner-driven social action projects in their classrooms and homes.

• Dr. Karem Roitman (FHEA, DPhil)
• In this session we will discuss the importance and challenges of teaching critical thinking to 2e students, in particular with a focus on the social world. We will discuss the challenges of how particular neurodiversities approach moral ambiguity in civic philosophy, and how philosophical thinking opens up space for self-awareness and socio-emotional wellbeing when taught as a skill.

Featured Session: They Just WON'T DO IT: How to Help Your Gifted Kid get Unstuck

• Dr. Matt Zakreski
• One of the hardest things about working with gifted students is their resistance to participating in activities. These refusals can be incredibly frustrating for teachers, parents, coaches, and mental health professionals and often result in significant conflict between the student and their systems. Understanding how and why gifted individuals get “stuck” allows for meaningful and empathetic engagement around these behaviors, which raises the likelihood of the students attempting and completing their work.

Featured Session: Insights Gained: Addressing the Needs of Twice-Exceptional Learners in Public School Settings

• Theresa Jackson
• Drawing from the dynamic experience of Prince George's Public Schools, MD, this presentation illuminates the many lessons learned in identifying and serving twice-exceptional (2e) learners in a large urban public school district. Uncover a rich tapestry of insights, strategies, and pivotal lessons tailored to meeting the diverse needs of these exceptional students within the public school system.

 

• Mrs. Brianne Hudak, M. Ed.
• Research shows that over fifty percent of gifted/2e learners are underachievers considered at-risk of slipping through the cracks. Therefore, educational leaders and specialists must properly identify these students, recognize the specific issue, and appropriately intervene as soon as possible to ensure both academic and social-emotional success.

• Ashleigh D'Aunoy, EdD
• Paula Majeau, M. Ed.
• Twice-exceptional students present a unique challenge with their ability to understand complex material while having challenges that make learning difficult, and considering their diverse needs can be time-consuming and overwhelming. We will introduce participants to the complexities of 2e students, the need for a shift away from a deficit lens to a strength-based model, and research-backed, strength-based strategies for instruction. Participants will leave with explicit tools to foster an environment where 2e students can thrive.

• Dr. Amy Haynes Clark
• How does a strengths-focused mentor change the path of a twice-exceptional student, when physically separated across the globe? Do relationships of trust and safety, shared interests, and common lived experiences lay the foundation for lifelong achievement? Can technology support building engagement with highly anxious learners? This presentation will share the answers to these questions as documented by my dissertation research on virtual meeting-based mentorships for twice-exceptional students with chronic anxiety.

Lunch break

• Sarah Jackson
• Planning for a successful year is a crucial part of being an educator. But planning for your twice-exceptional students to start the year prepared is a critical part of their success in your classroom and beyond. Learn about where 2e students get tripped up as they navigate a typical school day and discover practical, easy-to-implement tips you can use to make your classroom a space that meets and anticipates your 2e students' needs.

• Lin Lim, Ph.D.
• We all want 2e children to succeed, yet often parents and educators end up in a conflict that gets in the way of our joint goals of supporting 2e children's success. We include both perspectives to increase mutual understanding of the challenges and great opportunities faced by and when both groups work together. Based on the gifted and struggling book series, using a cohesive theoretical lens and strength-focused approaches, we now have common goals and processes to guide educator-family partnerships.

 Afternoon networking session. Stop by and make some new friends!

• Lisa Jobe, Esq.
• Acceleration has widely-established benefits for gifted learners, yet remains underutilized and denied to many highly-capable students, particularly those with twice-exceptionalities. While parent and educator perceptions about acceleration continue to improve with awareness and training, concerns remain. In this interactive session, we will examine lingering perceptions, evaluate current policies and practices, and identify additional needs in providing acceleration for twice-exceptional learners.

• Ley-Anne Folks, M.Ed.
• Gifted children with ADHD are a misunderstood group who often experience more challenges in school settings than expected given their giftedness. Join me to learn about the insider's perspective of being gifted and having ADHD in a school for gifted learners. With these insights, we will discuss ways to create an environment that nurtures these students' use of their strengths to navigate the complex social and academic world of their daily lives.

• Gayle Bentley
• Lin Lim, Ph.D.
• This presentation will start with a brief definition and the complexities of 2e children. This is followed by what we know about the following topics within the 2e field: noticing differences; perfectionism; anxiety, acceptance, leading with strengths, and your child as a whole person. Examples of presenter-curated picture books relevant to help parents and educators will be shared. We will also model some conversation-starter strategies. The last segment will include small group breakout practice with a debrief.

• Megan Cannella
• Advocacy is an integral part of parenting a gifted or twice-exceptional child. This session shares strategies to help parents find advocacy approaches that work for them and their child—by setting an individualized, responsive advocacy plan. Parents worry about being “that parent,” but we’re focusing on helping you to be your child’s parent—whatever that looks like for your family.

• Sarah Jackson
• As more and more districts are (finally) discovering twice exceptional students, many are contending with the question of what will they do for these students. In this session, the 2e instructional specialist from Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland will share insights about the continuum of services offered and other lessons learned as the program enters its 40th year of serving 2e students.

 

• Yekaterina (Katrina) O'Neil, Doctoral Student
• Being twice-exceptional is not easy, but when another axis is added to the mix, the challenges multiply. Nevertheless, bilingualism and biculturalism have their benefits, too. In this session, we explore the struggles and victories of bilingual and bicultural twice-exceptional individuals as they pertain to development, education, assessments, and everyday life.