Scholarship opportunities with CGA

Over the past 6 years, the Coppell Gifted Association has provided scholarships to 199 CISD personnel who desired to increase their knowledge in the area of gifted or talented learners. The following is who, to date, have benefitted…

• Elementary, middle, and high school teachers
• Enrichment, Curriculum and Staff Development Specialists
• Administrators
• Teachers of Visual Arts and Performing Arts
• Librarians
• Media Specialists
• Counselors
• Gifted and Talented teachers

I spent some time researching upcoming workshops and conferences that the CGA scholarship committee has considered for scholarships.  This list is by no means exhaustive, just meant as a starting point for those ready to ‘dive into gifted teaching.’

FALL 2012

1. Texas Association of Gifted and Talented

Annual Conference Building Connections 2012
http://txgifted.org
The TAGT Conference is November 28-30 in Dallas, Texas.  The conference is held yearly, but conveniently every other year in the DFW metro. Since this is our most well attended conference, scholarship options have already been determined:

• TAGT 3 day – $439 award covers the $385 conference fee with the balance towards travel expenses.
• TAGT 2 Day – $311 award covers the $275 conference fee with the balance towards travel expenses.

Highlight: Join TAGT as they celebrate 35 years of connecting and empowering parents and educators of G/T youth and more than 2,000 educators who share a passion for meeting the unique needs of gifted and talented students. This experience features over a hundred intensive training sessions in fifteen strands of designated subjects for those who need training in different specialties, including a strand certified for CE Credits from the APA for psychologists. Don’t miss this opportunity to broaden and deepen your knowledge, your connection to your education community, and to the gifted and talented students in your life.

2. SMU Gifted Students Institute

Distinguished Lecture Series
http://smu.edu/education/gsi/lectures.asp
These typically run $125 for a full day and following is the upcoming schedule

• Wednesday Nov 7,2012. 8.30 a.m.- 3.00 p.pm
  Constructivism in the Gifted Classroom
  Dr. Ann Batenburg, SMU
• January 2013
  The Fundamentals of Gifted Assessment
• April 2013
  Affective Curriculum for the Gifted

3. National Association for Gifted Children Annual Conference

Reaching Beyond the Summit, Education with Altitude
Denver, CO. November 15-18
http://www.nagc.org/
NAGC hosts the largest annual convention devoted to gifted learners each fall. Classroom teachers, gifted/talented coordinators, school administrators, researchers, parents, college and university faculty, and more, will converge for the 59th Annual NAGC Convention. Throughout the events, you will witness the power of diverse viewpoints—from the field and from the classroom—coming together to make learning and life a challenging and rewarding experience for our nation’s gifted learners.

In the past 5 years CGA has provided 16 scholarships to the NAGC conferences. It is held every year with future conferences scheduled:

• November 6-10, 2013, Indianapolis
• November 13-16, 2014, Baltimore

SUMMER 2013

4. Confratute

July 14-19, 2013
University of Connecticut
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/confratute/
Confratute was created by the Naeg Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development in 1978, when Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis decided that they wanted to host a summer conference focused on Enrichment Teaching and Learning. They didn’t want it to be just any conference, though. They wanted to combine the best qualities of a CONference with a summer instiTUTE and add a whole lot of FRAternity in between.  For one week every summer, educators converge on the beautiful flagship campus of the University of Connecticut in rural Storrs, CT. Confratute offers a jam-packed schedule of events to engage, inspire, and rejuvenate educators.

CGA has provided 3 scholarships to Confratute over the last 2 summers.

5. SMU’s Advanced Placement Summer Institute

http://smu.edu/education/teachereducation/ap/2012classschedule.asp
New and experienced AP and Pre-AP teachers spend four days exploring the latest methods and curriculum topics in Advanced Placement Program education. Participants conclude their Institute experience at SMU renewed their enthusiasm for the AP Program and equipped them with new ideas and resource materials to use in their classrooms.

Conference information for 2013 is not yet available, however it is usually held four days in June at the Plano SMU campus.

To my knowledge, UTA and TCU campuses offer similar AP summer institute course offerings.

6. Eric Jensen

http://www.jensenlearning.com/workshops.php
June 17-22, 2013, San Antonio, TX
Register for the #1 attended brain-based course in the world—discover the brain’s best-kept learning secrets in one short week and get enough research-based, classroom-tested, practical strategies for years!  You’ll learn the principles and strategies for positive changes that can skyrocket achievement scores.

June 24-25, 2013, San Antonio, TX
This amazing 2-Day event gives you the extreme skills and insider knowledge, with practical classroom-tested tools to reach every student, nearly every time. You will learn how to successfully understand and intervene with reluctant, hyperactive, and apathetic or even disconnected learners in a totally new way. You’ll get positive, practical, research-based strategies that can skyrocket achievement scores.

7. National Conference on Differentiated Instruction http://www.sde.com (or) Midwest Conference on Differentiated Instruction, this year held in Chicago, 2013 details to come.

8. Advanced Placement Annual Conference

http://apac.collegeboard.org/
July 19-20, 2013, Las Vegas, NV
What they have to say about the conference-
You will have the opportunity to:

• Share instructional strategies with colleagues that lead to AP success.
• Enhance your classroom by exploring new resources and technology.
• Develop strategies for building and improving an AP and Pre-AP program in your school.
• Participate in workshops and sessions focusing on AP courses and Pre-AP strategies for new and experienced AP teachers.
• Hear results of the AP exam and discuss student performance with AP Development Committee members.
• Learn methods and policies to increase educational access and equity.
• Network with colleagues from across the United States and around the world.
• Explore exhibits featuring new textbooks and classroom technologies.
• Earn continuing education units (CEUs).

9. Region 10 Education Service Center

Advanced Academics
http://olc.region10.org/catalog/Courses/Advanced-Academics-GT
GT online courses are available each semester during the 2012-2013 school year.
Dates for GT online courses:

• September 4, 2012 – December 14, 2012
• January 7, 2013 – May 17, 2013
• June 7, 2013 – August 16, 2013

Following is a list of the 2012-13 GT online training classes available

• Foundations of Gifted Education – 6-hour update
• GT for Administrators/Counselors
• Module 1: Nature and Needs of Gifted and Talented Students
• Module 2: Assessment and Programs for Gifted and Talented
• Module 3: Differentiating Instruction for Gifted and Talented Students
• Module 4: Designing Curriculum for Gifted and Talented Students
• Module 5: Setting Standards for Gifted and Talented Students

The above classes are each $75 and 6 GT Credit Hours

• Research Skills for GT Teachers

Cost for this class is $100 with 12 GT Credit Hours

To summarize, the Coppell Gifted Association board believes that one of the best ways to improve education for gifted students is to provide educators with opportunities to learn about gifted education. Therefore, the primary focus of CGA fundraising efforts is to fund scholarships for CISD educators to attend gifted conferences. It is our hope that each educator will consider these opportunities in hopes of further enriching our CISD gifted learners.

 

Submitted by Michelle Bauer
CGA Scholarship Chair