Gifted Learners
Do you find yourself scratching
your head, trying to figure out something that might actually challenge your child? He may have picked up reading at age three,
and perhaps he now doing third and fourth grade math at age six. He sees things differently and often seems bored with school.
You can't figure out how exactly to channel his education.
Gifted children, like all children, come in all shapes and
sizes, created uniquely by God for His glory. Some are quite gifted in one area and struggle in another area. Some come packaged
with ADD / ADHD or Aspergers. Some have IQ's that tip the scales. Some play musical instruments. Your child isn't challenged
with anything you give him to work on and you don't know where to turn to provide him with great learning opportunities and
challenges.
The talks listed below are mentioned in this section as they are designed with the gifted student in mind.
For the most part, we have not included talks that deal with ADD / ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, or other issues that your gifted
child may also be dealing with in this list, though we did include a couple of specific ones (Smart Kids Who Hate to Write,
Addressing ADD/ADHD, and The Biology of Behavior and Learning). For more detail on other talks that may deal with some of
the struggles that your child may have, check the following links:
Check the link to the Struggling Learners list if
your gifted child also seems to have ADD / ADHD or has a learning block or glitch in one area. Struggling Learners
Check the link to the Special Needs list if your gifted child has Aspergers or other disorder on the Autism Spectrum,
ADD / ADHD, is adopted, or has sensory integration issues. Special Needs
Check the link to all the Struggling Learners/Gifted
Learners/Special Needs talks for a listing of all the talks in the Struggling Learners/Gifted Learners/Special Needs area
and their descriptions. Struggling Learners/Gifted Learners/Special Needs
Here are the talks that parents of gifted children may find beneficial.
10:00
- 11:00 am (Friday, April 9)
Room 313: Vicky Servi - Challenging Gifted Children to Their Full
Potential
Gifted children have a wide range of abilities and emotional needs. They need to be challenged
and mentally stimulated to reach their full potential. Learn ways to motivate, encourage creativity, increase depth and complexity
of curriculum, use Socratic Questioning to challenge, develop and strengthen cognitive abilities, and teach problem-solving
skills. Add logic, reasoning, and critical thinking activities to your curriculum to engage your child in deeper thinking
and more effective learning. Discover activities to exercise all parts of the brain - brain building fun!
Teach your
children to use logic to analyze and evaluate evidence in order to create a deeper understanding of what is being learned
and to foster better communication skills. A child that has a deeper understanding of the subject and who can distinguish
between valid and invalid arguments inevitably becomes a better communicator. Expand your child's mind to think in new ways
and to search for the logic and reasoning behind the correct answers rather than asking your child simply to know the correct
answers.
12:30 - 1:30 pm (Friday, April 9)
Room 313: Lauri
Robins - Using Thinking Skills Games in Gifted Education
Explore the benefits of hands-on learning! We now
know that by exercising our brains throughout our lives, we can build new connections that result in stronger critical thinking
skills when we are young and will protect our minds from decline as we age. In this presentation, you will learn what research
is telling us about gifted kids and families. You will hear about the common learning styles that often accompany giftedness.
You will discover how tactile puzzles, games, and learning tools can provide the pace, complexity, and independence that your
bright kids crave. You will find out why diversity matters. You will see how you can strengthen your homeschooling curriculums
by including hands-on puzzles and games that will provide daily "brain fitness" for you and your family. You will
be inspired to develop a life-long love of puzzles and games in your children and yourselves!
2:00
- 3:00 pm (Friday, April 9)
Room 300: Dianne Craft - Smart Kids Who Hate to Write
If
you have a child who groans and fusses about writing, or still writes reversals, or spells a word orally correctly but leaves
out letters when he writes, this workshop is for you! This child's math papers are so hard to read because they are lined
up so poorly! These children are often thought of as sloppy, lazy, or unmotivated, when they really have a writing glitch.
They are using way too much energy for the writing process, thus are reluctant to put pencil to paper for anything. This often
is a true Dysgraphia. The writing learning gate is the most common gate that is blocked with gifted kids. They know so much,
but just can't get their thoughts down because of this blocked learning gate. In this workshop you will be shown a daily exercise
you can do with your child to get the writing into his ‘automatic' brain hemisphere, and take the stress out of his
writing system. This exercise is used throughout the United States by athletes!
3:30 -
4:30 pm (Friday, April 9)
Room 311: Jackie Worth - Educational Testing: The Tests , What
They Test, and Does My Child Need Testing?
Explore the realm of educational testing and learn whether or not
it will benefit you to have your child tested. Jackie will go through some of the major tests that the school districts and
private testers utilize when doing an educational assessment. What do these tests actually tell you about your child's learning
struggles? When are they necessary? Which ones should you ask for if you have your child tested? Come and hear Jackie unravel
some of the mysteries behind these tests.
10:00 - 11:00 am (Saturday, April 10)
Room
311: Joan Brennan - Gifted Education on a Shoestring
Do you have a gifted or talented child? Is your child
"Twice Exceptional?" Learn how you can adapt or differentiate the curriculum you already have to meet your child's
unique learning needs. Practical ideas will be offered for your immediate use.
12:30
- 1:30 pm (Saturday, April 10)
Room 300: Dr. Matthew Worth, DC - Addressing ADD/ADHD
Dr. Worth has designed an interactive lecture that will address the ever growing topic of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity
Disorders. He will present pictures of functional MRI's and SPECT scans of children with ADD/ADHD so parents can actually
see how their child's brain responds as compared to children without attention and/or hyperactivity problems. This presentation
will include the breadth, depth and application of ADD/ADHD, the most current research (published as well as "in the
works"), effectiveness of available treatment modalities, and insight into teaching techniques for these learners. Finally,
Dr. Worth will send you home with ideas and techniques to help your child improve his focusing abilities both with school
work and in life activities in general.
3:30 - 4:30 pm (Saturday, April 10)
Room
300: Dianne Craft - Biology of Behavior and Learning - Part 2
Remember when your mom told you that "fish
is brain food"? The brain is 60% FAT. For the brain "connections" to be made properly, proper fats are required.
Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADD, hyperactivity, and Sensory Processing Problems may be conditions of essential fatty acid deficiency.
Getting the protocol amounts of DHA every day can make a huge difference in a child's speech fluency, mood, reading ability,
and reactions to outside stimuli like loud noises, clothing tags, and transitions. Get the real skinny on fats! Learn how
to help your child feel better, and thus act and learn better. New research is coming out every day on the role of fats and
memory, mood, and learning ability! It's also the number one cause of post-partum depression in moms, according to all the
Harvard studies.
