The 2009 Berta Excellence in Education lecture will be held October 26 and 27. There will be an evening session for parents on the 26th and an all-day professional development workshop for teachers and administrators on the 27th. Both workshops will be given by Dr. Virginia H. Burney and Dr. Kristie Speirs Neumeister, faculty members at Ball State University and experts in educational psychology relating to gifted young people. Both events are FREE and open to the public.
Virginia H. Burney, Ph.D. is a Consultant for High Ability Education at Ball State University, where she also teaches graduate courses in Educational Psychology relating to gifted education. She also has two graduate degrees in guidance and counseling and has worked as a school counselor and a guidance director. Ginny is a past president of the Indiana Association for the Gifted and recently concluded 5 years of service on the National Association for Gifted Children’s Board of Directors. She and her husband are the parents of three gifted children, now young adults.
Kristie Speirs Neumeister, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at Ball State University in Educational Psychology where she directs the Gifted Licensure series and teaches graduate courses in gifted education. She is Vice President of the Indiana Association for the Gifted and completed recent service on the Board of the Council for Exceptional Children: The Association for the Gifted (CEC: TAG). Her research interests center on the social and emotional needs of gifted students. She and her husband are the parents of a gifted first grader and infant twins.
Parent Night
Social and Emotional Characteristics and Issues of High Ability Children
This presentation will describe the characteristics of gifted children and associated (possibly problematic) behavioral manifestations of those characteristics. Issues that gifted children face will also be discussed, including tips for parents and teachers in assisting positive development.
Professional Development
Meeting the Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted in School
The affective characteristics and needs of gifted children interact with school culture to influence motivation and school achievement. Students with high ability are likely to have greater sensitivity to their environment which may be manifested in different ways and cause them to have some social and emotional issues. Participants will learn about and discuss the characteristics, behavioral manifestations, and issues facing gifted individuals. Through participation and interaction, participants will practice strategies for meeting the needs of these students and for assisting others in understanding gifted children. Participants will be assisted in understanding a framework for developing their own affective curriculum for gifted learners in the school. Resources will be provided.
It is thanks to the generosity of Vince and Kathleen Berta, that this event is free and open to the public. In 2001, Vince and Kathleen Berta of Bowling Green, KY, donated $100, 000 to The Center for Gifted Studies to establish The Berta Fund for Excellence. The Bertas realized that gifted children had needs that came from their strengths and meeting those needs required both parents and teachers. The Berta Fund for Excellence brings in experts in the field of education to conduct seminars and presentations designed specifically for the parents of gifted children. And because educating gifted students requires teachers as well as parents, The Berta Fund for Excellence also sponsors a professional development seminar for educators to learn how to better meet the needs of gifted young people in the classroom.
