CAG 60th Annual Educator & Administrator Conference

Many gifted youngsters are also challenged in ways that make traditional learning difficult. Labeled twice as an exceptional, these dually diagnosed students struggle in school in spite of their advanced abilities. Indeed, classroom teachers and teachers of the gifted are frustrated by the lack of good information about how to recognize these youngsters and how to best serve them. In the session, highly experienced experts in the field of 2e will share their knowledge about characteristics, identification, programs that work, and more.

The buzz word strategy for meeting the needs of 2e students is to focus on their strengths. Much confusion exists about what strength-based means and how it should be implemented while simultaneously assuring that areas of challenge are not ignored. At Bridges Academy, we have developed and tested a strength based, talent-focused instructional model that uses four distinct purposes for meeting students’ needs: talent development, student engagement and access, leveraging strengths for skill development, and dual differentiation. With many years of successful implementation, we invite you to learn about the Bridges Strength-based,Talent-focused Instructional Model and adapt it to your own settings.

Neuroscience is illuminating how no two brains are alike. One in five people have neurodivergent minds including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, and sensory processing disorder. Neurodivergence impacts people across a wide variety of intellectual, emotional, and creative processes, often where they express exceptionalities. Neuro-uniqueness is the “new normal,” where brain science leads us to nurture the entire individual: the gifts, the challenges, and everything in between where they live and thrive as liberated beings.

Why are many of our students shutting down when they are asked to write, more importantly, how do we turn this around? Writing can be difficult for many students, this can especially be true for our 2e population. Come join us in discussing the importance of creating a stress free environment that is conducive to exploration and risk taking, learn specific strategies for overcoming obstacles, and discover ways to support our students in finding their voice in written language. Our thinking about writing needs to change so that our approach to teaching writing can change.

Gifted students with learning disabilities may be hiding in your classroom! (Assouline, et al., 2010; Baum et al. 2017). There is a delicate balance between offering accommodations and fully nurturing cognitive and creative strengths.This session explores the research and practicality of building classroom environments that attend to the intellectual, social, creative, emotional, and physical well-being in which 2e students -and their classmates- thrive. Panelists will share strategies, tools, and welcome audience questions.

This presentation will define SLD and review the impact of SLD on the academic functioning of gifted students. We will also discuss the distinction between SLD and other possible contributors to academic underachievement; “masking” in twice-exceptional students; and best practices related to the identification, treatment, and accommodation of SLD within schools. Special attention will be given to the Response-to-Intervention (RtI) service delivery model and how it’s implementation may impact how gifted students with SLD are served.

Executive Function Skills are a major focus today in helping twice exceptional students be successful both in school and in their nonacademic lives. Indeed, there are many venues where parents and educators can learn strategies to help students become more aware and independent in their learning. The critical issue is students’ willingness to learn, practice, and apply these skills. Much evidence supports the notion that many of these skills can be developed through enrichment and talent development where students’ own drive, enthusiasm, and intrinsic motivation energized will discuss this process and provide illustrative examples.

If you have not had your questions answered, here is your chance. This is an opportunity to voice your concerns and ask specific questions about teaching strategies, advocacy, parenting, and more.