Outreach & Events

Center for Talent Development (CTD) aspires to affect educational policy in a positive way and to educate the public about giftedness. Through outreach and advocacy efforts, CTD informs parents, teachers and school personnel about the characteristics and needs of gifted learners and empowers them with the knowledge and confidence necessary for meeting those needs successfully.

Here, you’ll find information on CTD’s annual family conference, fall conference for educators, Gifted Education Seminar, Saturday parent seminars, and special events. Also, for those of you who run your own school or program for gifted students and would like to share the information with CTD contacts, you might want to consider our label rental services.

You might also be interested in the Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy's new master's degree program in gifted education. 
 

Annual Family Conference: June 23, 2012

Each summer, Center for Talent Development hosts an enriching and informative afternoon event designed to guide gifted students and their families in making wise educational decisions. Parents hear from professors, psychologists, school administrators and businesspeople on diverse topics ranging from gifted children’s needs to saving for college. Students in PreK through grade 3 enjoy an afternoon of games and activities, while students in grades 4 through 12 attend mini-classes presenting fascinating applications of their favorite subjects and introducing them to various career paths. Educators who attend can earn professional development units.

• What the First Year of College is Really Like (grades 9 through 12)
• Developing Talent & Passion: How to Turn an Idea into a Reality (grades 7 & 8; joint session with parents featuring Jonny Cohen)
• Physics: Blast Off! (grades 4 through 6)

Brochures and registration materials will be available in late March. If you would like to be placed on the mailing list for the 2012 conference brochure, visit CTD's Contact Us page.

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Fall Conference for Educators
Each fall, Center for Talent Development hosts a conference for educators, informing them of best practices in gifted education and inspiring them to strive toward mastery of their craft and better instruction and support for gifted students.
 

The keynote speaker for the 2011 Conference on October 15 was Dr. Sandra Kaplan, Professor at University of Southern California. In her workshop titled "Differentiation: 8 Key Components," Kaplan discussed best practice approaches to differentiating curriculum and instruction for gifted and high ability students.

The eight components each represent a different aspect of academic rigor and challenge for gifted students. In a truly differentiated approach, from learning depth and complexity to understanding the classics, to thinking like a disciplinarian, to integrating current events, students are engaged in moving from simple to complex understandings and skills. The final component, learning-to-learn, stresses the importance of developing skill sets and dispositions that help gifted students to develop as intellectuals—individuals who are excited about what to learn and know how to approach learning. Her workshop included demonstrations of lessons, examples of curriculum, and the opportunity to translate this approach to differentiation into participants’ own curriculum.


 

Click on the image to view and print last year's flyer.



Click on the image to view Dr. Kaplan's biography.

 

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Saturday Parent Seminars
Meeting the needs of students is an important goal, but at Center for Talent Development we recognize that parents of gifted children have needs, too. Parents often have questions about how to support and encourage their children and help them reach their potential. This is why we offer free, interactive Parent Seminars in Evanston, Naperville, Palatine and downtown Chicago, all in Illinois. By featuring a range of speakers and experts on topics related to giftedness, CTD empowers parents to play an active and informed role in ensuring the best education for their children.

Visit the Parent Seminar Schedule for information on upcoming seminar dates, topics and speakers. Seminars run from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays.

Gifted Education Seminar
If you’re seeking a comprehensive overview of gifted education, you’ll find it at the Gifted Education Seminar, occurring each summer on the Evanston, Illinois, campus of Northwestern University. For information on this summer's Gifted Education Seminar visit the Illinois Association for Gifted Children web site.

By the end of the course, participants are able to do the following:

• understand the breakthroughs and trends in the history of gifted education and research;
• recognize and dispel myths associated with gifted education;
• understand the intellectual, social and emotional characteristics of gifted students;
• develop an understanding of the process used for the identification of gifted students;
• understand the different program options available for gifted children;
• recognize various curriculum design models for gifted education;
• apply curriculum design models to district curriculum for the purpose of development; implementation and evaluation of instruction for gifted students; and
• analyze components of current school gifted programming and identify and evaluate models currently in use.

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Special Events
To serve the gifted population throughout the Midwest, Center for Talent Development staff attends many state gifted conferences, state award ceremonies, Illinois camp fairs, parent meetings and national educational conferences. Please check the CTD calendar for upcoming events. If you know of an event that CTD should consider attending, please email ctd@northwestern.edu.

 

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