December 2018

In this issue:

• Regional GT Professional Learning Opportunities
• OAGCT Conference
• #OKGT Facebook Group
• Parent Resources
• Classroom Resource

Regional GT Professional Learning Opportunities

The Oklahoma State Department of Education is excited to announce free professional learning workshops for the 2018-2019 school year. These workshops are being offered in different regions of the state and are designed to support educators with effective instructional strategies aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards. These workshops are perfect for educators looking to identify a new PL Focus or deepen expertise in an existing PL Focus. For more information on PL Focus visit https://sde.ok.gov/professional-learning-focus.

To register and view upcoming workshops, please go to https://sde.ok.gov/2018-2019-professional-learning-workshops. To accommodate more regions of the state, OSDE will offer additional workshops in January and February. Please continue to check the website for new workshops.Click to edit this placeholder text.

OAGCT Conference

The annual Oklahoma Association for the Gifted, Creative, and Talented (OAGCT) conference is Friday, February 15, 2019 at The University of Central Oklahoma. The call for proposals is currently open along with registration. All pertinent information can be found on their website at www.oagct.org

#OKGT Facebook Group

Want to harness the power of social media to get connected to other gifted and talented teachers across Oklahoma? Join the Oklahoma Gifted and Talented Education page on Facebook. This page has been created for Oklahoma educators to share information and collaborate to enhance the instruction and success of our gifted students!

Parent Resources

Many parents are thrilled when the letter comes home informing them that their child has qualified for gifted services at school. These parents have recognized their child's unique talents for a while and now the school will provide an environment to foster those talents. But we all know that the academic and talent development the student will receive at school must be coupled with social and emotional support in the home. Here are a few books to share with your parents to help them fully understand the uniqueness of their student and how to best support their education at school and in the home.

• The Joy and the Challenge: Parenting Gifted Children 
• Gifted: Raising Children Intentionally by Chris Davis
• Smart Parenting for Smart Kids: Nurturing Your Child’s True Potential by Eileen Kennedy-Moore & Mark S. Lowenthal
• Why Smart Kids Worry: And What Parents Can Do to Help by Allison Edwards
• Ten Things Not to Say to Your Gifted Child: One Family’s Perspective by Nancy N. Heilbronner & Jennifer Heilbronner Munoz
• I’m Not Just Gifted: Social-Emotional Curriculum for Guiding Gifted Children by Christine Fonseca

Classroom Resource

Building student connections means building trust and ensuring the best learning outcomes. Using the right classroom engagement strategies, you can make this a regular occurrence in all your classes. Teachers that connect meaningfully to students can make the biggest difference in their lives. It ends up being what they’re known and remembered for. The positive impact you make can last long after your students have created lives outside of school. The K20 Center at OU has created an easy to use website full of engagement strategies to make learning meaningful for you and your students. Take a look through the strategies cards and decide which one will you choose to use in your class next week.

Visit us online: Gifted and Talented Webpage

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