Preconference workshops will be held on July 29. Abstracts for the workshops will be added below as they are available. Each workshop will be limited to 40 participants. You may register for one morning and one afternoon workshop. The cost for each is $50 USD. Lunch will be provided for participants attending both a morning and an afternoon workshop.
Morning Preconference Workshops
Developing a Community of Researchers in Gifted Education: Preconference Workshop for Doctoral Students and Early Career Researchers
Tracy Riley, Massey University
Margaret Sutherland, University of Glasgow
This preconference workshop will facilitate researcher development activities aimed at strengthening the gifted education research community through learning with, from and about each other. During the workshop, we will discuss transferable skills development, sharing opportunities and resources for enhancing communication and collaboration, personal development, research skills, and leadership. Doctoral students and early career researchers will also have the opportunity to share their research amongst a community of peers, network with other early career researchers, and meet with internationally renowned senior researchers in gifted education. In preparation for the conference, we will explore what you can do before, during and after an international event, so as to take maximum advantage of the networking and learning opportunities, including using social media and being socially active. The aim of this pre-conference workshop is to create a researcher community of people who will mutually benefit from maintaining regular contact, supporting and understanding one another’s research, and engaging in peer mentoring. It is hoped that this community will play a critical role in developing a research agenda for gifted education, by getting to know one another, and identifying research trends and needs in the field, potentially as an ongoing special interest group of the World Council.
*This workshop is free for doctoral students and early career researchers. Please email thomas.clark@wku.edu for information registering.
The Systemic Support Program: A Tool for Teachers to Develop Tailormade Interventions
Eleonoor van Gerven, Slim! Educatief BV
Twice-exceptional students experience problems due to being gifted and having a learning disability. This results in unique social-emotional and/or behavioral problems. In this session, participants will explore a solutions-focused approach for teachers, based on the concept of RtI and the involvement of the students’ ecological system, to use when coaching twice-exceptional students.
Transforming an Uninteresting Thing into Something Relevant for Creative Development
Sara Bahia, ANEIS & ULisbon
In spite of the development of research, theoretical framework on creativity, creative development and education, we are still far from disseminating more creative educational practices. How do we enhance creative practices? How can we look at a routine practice and transform it into a tool that may challenge creativity? This workshop intends to develop strategies to be used in different educational contexts in order to encourage creative development.
Afternoon Preconference Workshops
The ABCs to Identity Development of Twice-Exceptional Learners
Eleonoor van Gerven, Slim! Educatief BV
Debbie Troxclair, Lamar University
Twice-exceptional learners may waiver in their identity because of the duality of the ways in which they experience the world because of their twice exceptionality. The use of avatars for responding to literature is suggested as a safe way for learners to engage in a variety of literary settings as readers and writers. In this session an overview of what bibliotherapy is and how it can be a useful tool for helping twice exceptional learners develop their unique identities by merging bibliotherapy sessions with the infusion of avatars connecting identity development with literacy activities in the classroom.
Planning for Growth: Gifted Programming Design and Evaluation to Teach for Talent Development
Bronwyn MacFarlane, Arkansas State University
Mojca Juriševič, University of Ljubljana
To develop gifts and talents, advanced students need programs that provide rigorous articulation of multiple elements – curriculum, instruction, assessment, creativity, and more. Ideally, a differentiated advanced educational program should begin during elementary school and continue seamlessly through secondary education with an interdisciplinary and applied approach. In this interactive and experiential workshop session, participants will learn about specific elements critical to the design and implementation of gifted programs for advanced students and application to local settings. Emphasis will be placed on developing articulation plans with best practices from design to evaluation for high ability students.
The Power of AI in Transforming Gifted Education, Talent Development, and Creativity
Tyler Clark, Western Kentucky University
In this preconference workshop, we will examine how generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to transform the way we identify and serve students who are gifted, talented, and creative. Ideas for leveraging AI will be discussed with time for participants to practice and experiment with ways to use AI. An overview will be shared, followed by discussion of the role of AI in identifying and serving students including how educators may use the tools and how students may use the tools.
Twice-Exceptional Gifted Learners with ADHD, Overexcitabilities, and Learning Disabilities: Evidence-Based Case Studies from Lebanon, Jordan, and the UK
Anies Al-Hroub, American University of Beirut
This workshop is designed to explore the unique strengths and challenges of twice-exceptional (2e) students who are gifted yet also experience ADHD, heightened overexcitabilities (OE), or learning disabilities (LD). These learners often demonstrate exceptional intellectual abilities while simultaneously facing complex difficulties with attention, sensory processing, or emotional regulation, complicating their educational journey.
Drawing on evidence-based research and real-world case studies from Lebanon, Jordan, and the UK, participants will gain practical insights into the profiles of 2e learners. The workshop combines interactive discussions with research-backed strategies to provide participants with both theoretical knowledge and actionable tools to support these students holistically.
