Click here for the free mini-course from Emily Kircher-Morris and "Neurodiversity University"!

Find ways to engage neurodivergent kids and teens through their favorite fandoms using artificial intelligence to create coping skills for their unique situations.

TASK: Once you complete the mini-course, please complete the following on a Google Doc:

• Please create a brief STUDENT PROFILE using a pseudonym (no real names, please), age, grade, preferred fandom, and social skill in which he/she is struggling.
• Use the downloadable course handout listing steps to use ChatGPT, or other chatbot, to generate appropriate ideas for your specific social topic or issue. You and your student should continue to modify the AI responses using specific examples from the student's preferred fandom.
• Feel free to explore other fandoms not listed in the mini-course (Minecraft, Fortnite, Star Wars, Disney, Zelda, etc.) If your school has blocked ChatGPT, you can use a different chatbot, like Raina within MagicSchool.ai.
  
• Copy/Paste the final version of fandom-specific coping strategies you and/or your student developed using artificial intelligence onto your Google Doc after the profile paragraph.
• Using the "Discussion Questions" downloadable course handout, summarize your discussion with your student. There are two sets of questions. The first set of questions ask the student to evaluate the character's use and outcomes of specific coping skills. The second set of self-reflective questions prompt the student to analyze and evaluate which of the skills they've observed or tried in real situations, identify which skills they'd like to practice and why, and to identify further supports they may need as they practice.

GIFTED COMPETENCIES D and E

2 CONTACT HOURS - Requires student collaboration!

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR RESPONSE DOCUMENT TO YOUR DISTRICT COORDINATOR:

Brandi Goodwin: BGoodwin@npesc.org

Susan Capucini: SCapucini@npesc.org

Geneen Morrison: GMorrison@npesc.org

If you are from a non-member district, please send your work to Brandi Goodwin.

Riverside Insights Training Webinar with a guest speaker/ gifted coordinator from Dublin City Schools, Ohio

Many schools use the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) as a universal screener at elementary and intermediate grade levels to identify students with Superior Cognitive gifted ability. However, classroom teachers can use the CogAT data to glean information on all students' relative strengths to personalize learning and design interventions for flexible learning groups. Watch this 1-hour webinar and complete the activity below for a 3-contact hour study in developing student profiles, increasing equity in identifying student strengths and access to appropriately challenging learning opportunities.

• Watch the webinar.
• Click on the "Grouping Resources" link above to explore CogAT templates for examining the ability profiles of the students in one of your classrooms. Contact your gifted coordinator for help in obtaining student ability results.
• Choose a template to develop a new grouping strategy in your classroom based on students' relative strengths.
• State a learning objective and differentiate the process students interact with the content and/or differentiate the product in which they will successfully demonstrate understanding or mastery. Aim for DOK Level 3 or Bloom's Taxonomy levels of Application, Evaluation or Synthesis

Consider using an AI tool like https://app.diffit.me/ or magicschool.ai to help you develop tasks that require students to think at higher cognitive or DOK levels. Invite your gifted coordinator to your planning period if you'd like help with this step! Teacher support is an integral part of our role that we are eager to provide.

GIFTED COMPETENCIES A, B, E, G

3 CONTACT HOURS - Consider collaborating with your gifted coordinator!

PLEASE EMAIL YOUR COMPLETED GROUPING TEMPLATE AND DIFFERENTIATED TASKS GEARED TOWARD STUDENT STRENGTHS TO YOUR DISTRICT GIFTED COORDINATOR:

Brandi Goodwin: BGoodwin@npesc.org

Susan Capucini: SCapucini@npesc.org

Geneen Morrison: GMorrison@npesc.org

If you are from a non-member district, please send your work to Brandi Goodwin.

In the name of gifted program equity and access, some educators advocate for the use of local or building norms to identify gifted program candidates rather than national norms. Read the article "Is there a trade-off between racial diversity and academic excellence in gifted classrooms?" published by The Hechinger Report and respond to the following questions.

• Pick a grade level and look at the universal screening event results for one gifted area: reading, math OR superior cognitive ability. Your district may use a grade level diagnostic measure like MAP or iReady. How many students were identified on your screening event using the national norms (95th percentile or higher) mandated by the state of Ohio ? If your district were to take the top 5% of students for participation in advanced programming, how would equity and access change for minority or low SES populations? Contact your gifted coordinator if you need help finding data to examine. Call your coordinator if you need more guidance on the differences between national and local norms.
• Use a 4A Response template to compile your current thoughts on the need, use, benefits and challenges of acceleration in your district.
• CLICK HERE to complete an exit form and receive your certificate.

GIFTED COMPETENCIES F, G

2 CONTACT HOURS

SHARE REFLECTION RESPONSES WITH YOUR DISTRICT COORDINATOR:

Brandi Goodwin: BGoodwin@npesc.org

Susan Capucini: SCapucini@npesc.org

Geneen Morrison: GMorrison@npesc.org

If you are from a non-member district, please send your work to Brandi Goodwin.

• Listen to Episode 23 of the The Gifted Ed Podcast, "The Whole Brain Child" based upon content from the book of the same name written by Dr. Daniel Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson.
• Download and read the attached book summary (below) of suggested strategies to help fully engage a child's developing brain.
• Choose 2 strategies and reflect on how you could apply or practice those approaches in situations in which your students sometimes feel unbalanced or dominated by their emotions. Try to choose challenges that you have encountered while working with gifted students: anger or upset over having to work with others in a group, disappointment over grades or feedback (perfectionism), frustration with transitions, etc.
• CLICK HERE to complete an exit form and receive your certificate.

GIFTED COMPETENCY D

1 CONTACT HOUR

• Listen to Host Emily Kircher-Morris of Neurodiversity University discuss various options for acceleration with nationally-known expert and director of the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education at the University of Iowa, Dr. Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, PhD. Click here to listen.
• The state of Ohio has adopted the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) as the research-based tool to use when considering a student for acceleration on a case by case basis. If you would like to review a sample of this guide, please contact your gifted coordinator to set up a visit! This document acts as a multi-faceted rubric that collects achievement, ability and above-grade performance data, demographic and psycho-social data, attitudes and available supports. After compiling anecdotes and data, a team of stakeholders reviews the rubric recommendation, discusses options and makes a decision about acceleration or other available options. Acceleration decisions based upon the IAS are largely successful. Written Acceleration Plans are developed to anticipate academic, social or emotional supports that may help the student with a successful transition.
• CLICK HERE to complete an exit form and receive your certificate.

GIFTED COMPETENCY F, G

1 CONTACT HOUR

• How can understanding the different profiles of gifted learners help you to engage students in learning?
• Choose two gifted students you've had experience with who exhibit different profiles (dominant vs. dependent, conforming vs. non-conforming). For your own reflection, note some of their "underachievement" behaviors. After watching the above TEDx Talk, how might you provide intervention or support to students exhibiting behaviors similar to the behavior profiles described in the video? Explain one of your ideas in the exit form below.
• Feel free to "converse" with an AI chatbot to develop a toolbox of strategies to help students with similar profiles to become more actively engaged in learning in your classroom.
• Who else may you recruit in your efforts to help your gifted students find purpose and develop into more confident, autonomous learners?
• CLICK HERE to complete an exit form and receive your certificate.
  

COMPETENCY D

1 CONTACT HOUR

• Read the article from Sarah Berger that shares guidelines to develop "an appropriately differentiated curriculum designed to address [gifted students'] individual characteristics, needs, abilities, and interests."
• Make a copy of the planning template to reflect on intentional strategies to incorporate meaningful, deliberate rigor into your gifted student curriculum and how this may be communicated with parents and students in your Written Education Plan.
• Although there are seven guiding principles, you may not have a strategy yet for each category when you submit your work. To improve upon your current level of differentiation, a few ideas are better than no ideas! You can always reflect on this chart each year and add more curricular modifications as your skill and understanding grows. Strive for progress, not perfection. Commit to annual growth and learning in providing differentiated opportunities for your students.
• CLICK HERE to complete an exit form and receive your certificate.
  

GIFTED COMPETENCIES B, C, F, H

1 CONTACT HOUR

SHARE THE PLANNING TEMPLATE WITH YOUR DISTRICT COORDINATOR:

Brandi Goodwin: BGoodwin@npesc.org

Susan Capucini: SCapucini@npesc.org

Geneen Morrison: GMorrison@npesc.org

If you are from a non-member district, please send your work to Brandi Goodwin.