Keynote Speakers
Wednesday:
Françoys Gagné, Ph.D.
Professor Françoys Gagné is a French Canadian from Montreal, Quebec. He is better known for his Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT), which has been endorsed by educational authorities in many countries. Dr. Gagné has won major awards in the field of gifted education, among them NAGC’s Distinguished Scholar Award (1996).
Richart Courtright, Ph.D.
Dr. Courtright is the Gifted Education Research Specialist at Duke University's Talent Identification Program (TIP), which is a program that identifies gifted children and provides resources for their development.
Wednesday will also feature a strand specifically designed for administrators (Principals, Superintendents, Directors, Gifted Coordinators, and others responsible for overseeing gifted programming). Join Us!
Thursday:
David Sousa, Ph.D.
Dr. David Sousa of South Florida is an international educational consultant who has taught high school science, served in high- level supervisory positions, and has conducted hundreds of workshops across North America and in Europe. In the 1990s, Dr.Sousa turned a passing interest in brain research into a full-time job. He decided to learn more about the learning process and use that knowledge to change the way we teach. Dr. Sousa is the author of the book How the Gifted Brain Learns.
Felicia Dixon, Ph.D.
Felicia A. Dixon, Ph.D. is the former director of the master’s degree program in educational psychology and the license/endorsement program in gifted education at Ball State University. Author of more than 30 articles and chapters, Dr. Dixon received the Early Scholar Award from NAGC in 2004. She is a member of the board of directors of National Association for Gifted Children and is chairperson of the Task Force on Secondary Gifted Education of NAGC. Dr. Dixon is co editor of The Handbook of Secondary Gifted Education.
Friday:
Thomas Hebért, Ph.D.
Back by popular demand, Dr. Thomas Hebért is a professor of gifted and creative education in the University of Georgia's College of Education department of educational psychology and instructional technology. Dr. Hebért was the recipient of the 2008 Outstanding Alumni Research Award from the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education in recognition of his work in gifted education. The award is given to a senior-level investigator who has made significant research contributions to his or her field of study over a 10-year period. Dr. Hebért is the author of many publications on the social and affective needs of gifted children and adults.
Susan Assouline, Ph.D.
Susan Assouline, Ph.D., is Associate Director of The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Iowa. Dr. Assouline is the co-author of A Nation Decived and she is actively involved in the Research and Evaluation Division of the National Association for Gifted Children. Dr. Assouline is a former science teacher and school psychologist, and she holds an appointment as a clinical associate professor in School Psychology at the University of Iowa. Since the inception of the Iowa Acceleration Scale, she has consulted with hundreds of educators concerning the acceleration of their students.
More on speakers
Dr. David Sousa - How the Gifted Brain Learns
David Sousa is an international educational consultant and author of several books on brain science education. He has been a science teacher, district school superintendent in New Jersey, an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University and a visiting lecturer at Rutgers University. His advanced degrees are from Harvard University and Rutgers University. Dr. Sousa has received numerous awards from professional associations, school districts and educational foundations for his commitment to research, staff development and science education. A member of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, he has conducted workshops in hundreds of schools districts around the world, on brain research, instructional skills and science education.
In his keynote presentation, Dr. Sousa will address such questions as: How are the brains of gifted students different? What strategies are effective for students with particular gifts? What can be done to adequately challenge gifted students? What can we do to identify and help gifted students who are underachievers? How can we identify and help students who are both gifted and learning disabled?
Building on the latest discoveries in neuroscience, learning, and the nature of intelligence, Dr. Sousa will also examine why traditional talent-identification techniques are inadequate and will present methods that will allow you to identify giftedness and talent potential with greater accuracy than ever before.
Dr. Sousa offers real strategies for real classrooms which will presented during breakout sessions. A brand new edition of his bestselling book, How the Gifted Brain Learns is an indispensable tool for all educators and will be available for purchase.