Free Online Workshops
Thank you to all who joined us for these sessions! Catch a replay of each session using the links below.
SEM Update and Some New Research and Projects - Joseph S. Renzulli
A brief update on new development in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model and Renzulli Learning will also include recommendations for a few teacher-authored articles and my hope that some of you will think about sharing your own innovative practices. The best ideas in our work have always been based on successful practices that originated from our own teaching experience and ideas that have come out of the classrooms of creative teachers with whom we have worked. This is a challenge for you to do your own Type III, and we will publish it on our web site and recommend other places where it might be published.
One of my ongoing research interests relates to developing new instruments that deal with Assessment For Learning (e.g., Interest-A-Lyzers, Learning Styles Inventory, etc.) vs. traditional instruments that focus on assessment of learning—what students already know (standardized achievement tests, end-of-unit tests, etc.). Laurel Brandon and I are working on three new instruments on which students will responds to rating scale items on Engagement, Executive Functions, and (believe it or not) Enjoyment of Learning. Eventually, we hope to add these scales to the Profiler in Renzulli Learning and electronic analysis will make this easier for teachers to use.
My most challenging new project, which I will call a sub-theory of our overall work on SEM, is a paper tentatively entitled The Catch-A-Wave Theory of Adaptability: Core Competencies For Developing Gifted Behaviors For The Second Machine Age of Technology.
Joseph S. Renzulli is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, where he also serves as Director of the Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development. His research has focused on the identification and development of creativity and giftedness in young people and on organizational models and curricular strategies for differentiated learning environments that contribute to total school improvement. A focus of his work has been on applying the pedagogy of gifted education to the improvement of learning for all students. He was designated a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor at the University of Connecticut in 2000, and in 2003 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In 2009 Dr. Renzulli received the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Award for Educational Innovation. The American Psychological Association's Monitor on Psychology named Dr. Renzulli among the 25 most influential psychologists in the world. Although Joe has obtained more than 50 million dollars in research grants, he lists his proudest professional accomplishment as being the founder of the summer Confratute program at UConn, which began in 1978 and has served thousands of teachers and administrators from around the world.
The Power of Strength-Based, Talent-Focused Philosophy for Twice Exceptional Learners: Think Positive - Susan Baum
For too long bright students with academic, behavioral, or social challenges are subjected to remediation and other strategies designed to "fix" them. These twice exceptional learners are in need of an enriched learning environment that engages their advanced abilities and interests while allowing them to succeed despite their learning challenges. Research has shown that by a using a strength-based, talent focused approach such as the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, these students will not only increase their productivity but develop both academic and emotional regulation. Through stories of success, learn how to use enrichment effectively to meet the needs of this student population.
Susan Baum, Ph.D. is the Director of the 2e Center for Research and Professional Development at Bridges Academy, a school for twice exceptional and Provost of the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education. She is the author of many books and articles primarily focusing on understanding and nurturing the needs of special populations of gifted underachieving students including the award winning 3rd edition of her seminal work To be gifted and learning disabled. Her research and experience in the field of twice exceptional education have earned her much recognition: 2010 recipient of the Life Time Achievement Award granted by the Weinfeld Group, 2011 recipient of the Connecticut Association for the Gifted “Friend of the Gifted Award; the 2015 Distinguish Professional Alumni Award from the Neag School of Education; the Lifetime Achievement Award from AEGUS and the 2e Newsletter in 2017, and the Alexinia Baldwin Award from National Association for Gifted Students in 2019.
Using SEM pedagogy to Create Future Leaders and Change Agents: How Type III Enrichment Inspires Service, Social Responsibility, and Using Talents to Improve the Planet - Sally Reis
In this session, Sally will discuss how educators can focus opportunities, resources, and encouragement for talented students to help them develop a socially constructive product or service to others that brings about positive change locally and in larger audiences. Learn how teachers can help young people internalize the attitudes, values, and behaviors that promote our vision for Type III enrichment—using one's talents to make the world a better place.
Sally M. Reis holds the Letitia Neag Chair in Educational Psychology, is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, a UConn Teaching Fellow, and the former Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the Neag School of Education at University of Connecticut. She was a classroom teacher in public education as well as an administrator before her work at UConn. She has authored and co-authored more than 270 articles, books, book chapters, monographs and technical reports, and been the co-director of Confratute for almost four decades.
Understanding and Addressing Motivation Issues - Del Siegle
Lack of motivation is among the most frustrating issues facing parents and educators. Low motivation limits student opportunities and fulfillment. We will share research over the past 20 years that explored why some talented students are willing to tackle new challenges, while others seen insecure or uninterested. We will also share suggestions for increasing student motivation based on that work.
Del Siegle is a professor in the Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development program at the University of Connecticut where he serves as director of the National Center for Research on Gifted Education. He is a past-president of the National Association for Gifted Children.