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Berta Seminar Oct. 24-25 to Feature Expert in Gifted Education

September 29, 2011 | Gifted Ed, News, WKU | No Comments

The Center for Gifted StudiesThanks to generous support from The Berta Excellence in Education Fund, Dr. Tom Hébert, author of Understanding the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Students and nationally recognized expert in gifted education from the University of Georgia, will share his expertise Oct. 24-25 in Bowling Green.

The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU will host two presentations by Dr. Hébert at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center, an evening seminar and a daylong workshop.

The evening session, from 6:30 to 8 Oct. 24, is designed for parents and others interested in the social and emotional development of gifted children. Dr. Hébert will focus on the search for meaningful friendships, heightened sensitivity and empathy in children, managing stress, moderating perfectionism and maintaining healthy motivation. Discussion will focus on how parents must take good care of themselves in order to celebrate the social and emotional lives of their children.

The six-hour workshop, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 25, is titled Understanding the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Students and is designed for parents, educators, counselors and school administrators. This seminar presents a comprehensive treatment of social and emotional development in gifted students. Topics include theories that guide our understanding of the lived experiences of gifted students, social and emotional characteristics and behaviors evidenced in gifted learners, friendships and family relationships that supports them, identity development, and contextual influences that shape their social and emotional lives. In addition, participants learn strategies for designing a supportive classroom environment for social and emotional development. Through case studies, activities and media, educators gain a better understanding of their students and learn methods to address their social and emotional needs. EILA credit is available.

Both events are free and open to the public. For information and to RSVP, contact The Center for Gifted Studies at (270) 745-6323 or email gifted@wku.edu.

Contact: Tracy Inman, (270) 745-6323.

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By Corey Alderdice

State Recognition Ceremony for Duke TIP Program May 28 at Diddle Arena

May 24, 2010 | News, WKU | No Comments

The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU will host the Kentucky  Recognition Ceremony for the Duke Talent Identification Program at 2 p.m. May 28 in Diddle Arena.

Dr. Terry Holliday, Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education, will provide the keynote address.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program’s (Duke TIP) 7th Grade Talent Search identifies students in 16 states in the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest who have scored in the 95th percentile on a grade-level achievement test. As part of the program, these academically talented students take above level college entrance exams (SAT or ACT) to learn more about their abilities.

Duke TIP hosts annual Recognition Ceremonies to honor the seventh-graders who score highest on these SAT or ACT exams. Of the more than 61,000 participants nationally this year, 24,301 students have been invited to attend State Recognition Ceremonies and 1,903 students have been invited to the Grand Recognition Ceremony.  More than 1,400 Kentucky students will be honored at the event on WKU’s campus.

A record 50 students have been named 2010 William and Dorothy C. Bevan Scholars. These outstanding students have earned a perfect score on one or more sections of the SAT or ACT.  The Kentucky students are Katherine Adams, Sacred Heart Model School in Louisville; Andrew Brown, Muhlenberg North Middle School in Central City; James Conti, Turkey Foot Middle School in Villa Hills; Saralina Schell, Bowling Green Junior High in Bowling Green; and Chelsea Southworth, Winburn Middle School in Lexington.

In addition to the Duke honors to be bestowed, students will be introduced to the programs they are eligible to participate in provided by The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU and will also have the opportunity to tour campus.

Contact: Cara Pitchford, (270) 745-3014.

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By Corey Alderdice

Take Part in an Online Discussion of Gifted Education Friday at 11 AM, 6 PM CDT

January 21, 2010 | News, People, Staff | No Comments

by Corey Alderdice

There are two great passions that I have as an employee of the Gatton Academy:

1) Helping to get parents, educators, and other adults better informed and excited about the important role gifted education plays in our schools and communities; and
2) Experimenting with the power of social media (like Twitter and Facebook) to shape our discussions online.

The Gatton Academy (@gattonacademy) and The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University (@giftedstudies) have been excited to join in what has become a vibrant community of parents and educators on Twitter who share news, information, and insights about gifted education.  Over the past several months we have come to fully realize how working together makes us a stronger body of advocates.  You can check out a list of gifted education advocates on Twitter at by clicking here.  With Twitter, our conversations are usually shared back and forth through individual tweets.

Beginning this Friday at 11 a.m. (Central) and 6 p.m. (Central), Deborah Mersino (@deborahmersino, Ingenious Blog) will host the first Gifted and Talented Chat, better known at #gtchat.  If you’re interested in participating, you need only sign up for a Twitter account.  Observe, think, and share.  It’s that simple.  When tweeting as part of the chat, simply include the #gtchat hashtag at the beginning or end of your tweet.  Using a Twitter client like HootSuite or TweetDeck can make this easier.  You can also follow the chat by Twitter’s search page or as an RSS feed.

If you’d prefer to simply look in on the discussion this time around, you can always come back to this page and follow the updates below.  This is the first of what will become a weekly discussion on gifted ed.  If you have questions about using Twitter or would like more information, send an email to academy@wku.edu.


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By Corey Alderdice

Roberts, Inman Receive Book Award

October 16, 2009 | News, Staff, WKU | No Comments

Dr. Julia Link Roberts and Tracy Ford Inman of The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU have received a 2009 Legacy Book™ Award from the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT).

Dr. Roberts and Inman were honored with the Legacy Book™Award for the Most Outstanding Book for Educators for Strategies for Differentiating Instruction: Best Practices for the Classroom (published by Prufrock Press).

The Legacy Book™Awards are recognized nationally and honor outstanding literature related to gifted children and their education. TAGT distributes nominated books to a nationwide panel of reviewers who evaluate the books according to their long-term potential for improving the lives of gifted youth.

“We are honored to have our book recognized on a national level,” Dr. Roberts said. “Our goal was to write the book to be useful to preservice teachers and teachers new to differentiation as they implement strategies to ensure that each student makes continuous progress.”

Dr. Roberts is the Mahurin Professor of Gifted Studies and executive director of The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU and the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky. Inman is associate director of The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU.

Other winners include Carol Fertig’s Raising a Gifted Child: A Parenting Success Handbook (also from Prufrock) as the Most Outstanding Book for Parents; Social-Emotional Curriculum with Gifted and Talented Students, edited by Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Dr. Tracy L. Cross and Dr. F. Richard Olenchak (Prufrock Press), as the Most Outstanding Book for Scholars.

Prufrock, the nation’s leading resource for gifted and advanced learners, also published Roberts’ and Inman’s book Assessing Differentiated Student Products: A Protocol for Development and Evaluation.

TAGT will recognize the Legacy Book™ Award honorees Dec. 3 during the First General Session of the annual TAGT Professional Development Conference: Growing their Gifts at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. In addition, TAGT has invited the authors to present sessions during the conference.

Contact: Gifted Studies, (270) 745-6323; or TAGT, (512) 499-8248.

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By Corey Alderdice

The Center for Gifted Studies’ 2009 Berta Seminar Set for Oct. 26-27

October 15, 2009 | News, Parents, WKU | No Comments

The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU is hosting the 2009 Berta Seminar for Excellence in Education on Oct. 26-27.

An evening session for parents is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Oct. 26 followed by an all-day professional development workshop for educators and administrators from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CDT Oct. 27. Both events will be held at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center on Nashville Road in Bowling Green.

Thanks to the generosity of the Berta family, these events are free and open to the public. Presenters Dr. Virginia H. Burney and Dr. Kristie Speirs Neumeister, experts in educational psychology relating to gifted children, will discuss the social and emotional needs of gifted young people.

During the parent seminar, Social and Emotional Characteristics and Issues of High Ability Children, Dr. Burney and Dr. Neumeister will discuss the characteristics of gifted children and associated (possibly problematic) behavioral manifestations of those characteristics. Tips for parents and teachers in assisting positive development will also be explored.

On Oct. 27, teachers will spend the day learning how the characteristics and needs of gifted children interact with school culture in Meeting the Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted in School. Participants will practice strategies for meeting the needs of these students and for assisting others in understanding gifted children. Resources will be provided.  EILA credit is available.

About the Berta Seminar: Thanks to the generosity of Vince and Kathleen Berta, this event is free and open to the public. The Bertas realized that gifted children had needs that came from their strengths and meeting those needs required both parents and teachers. The Berta Seminar 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 Seminar sponsors a professional development seminar for educators to learn how to better meet the needs of gifted young people in the classroom.

For more information, contact  The Center for Gifted Studies, (270) 745-6323.

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By Corey Alderdice

Gifted Education Experts to Discuss Diversity During Sept. 25 Workshop

September 8, 2009 | News, Parents | No Comments

On Sept. 25, teachers, counselors, school leaders and parents are invited to attend Diversity and Developing Gifts and Talents, presented by The Center for Gifted Studies at WKU and board members of The Association for the Gifted of the Council for Exceptional Children.

During this daylong event, nine experts in the field of gifted education will discuss strategies for identifying gifted children of diverse populations and for developing their potential.

The keynote will be “Identification of Underrepresented Groups for Gifted Services” by Dr. Susan Johnsen of Baylor University.

Participants can attend such sessions as teaching twice exceptional students, communicating with families of diverse learners, addressing the needs of gifted students in rural schools and providing support to a diverse population of gifted students in a variety of settings.

The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Central time) at the Carroll Knicely Center, WKU South Campus. EILA credit is available. For information, click here or contact The Center at (270) 745-6323 or gifted@wku.edu.

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By Corey Alderdice

Full Video: Gatton Academy Seniors Discuss Being Gifted, Needs of High Ability Students at KAGE Workshop

August 31, 2009 | Academics, News, Parents, Student Life | No Comments

KAGE Panel on High Ability Students from Gatton Academy on Vimeo.

Eight high school seniors at the Gatton Academy share their experiences as gifted students. Topics included many concepts: teacher practices in elementary, middle, and high school that were effective; challenges gifted students face; the importance of rigor and research; and opportunities afforded by attending the Gatton Academy.

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By Corey Alderdice