Category Archives: CTYI

CTYI Gifted Conference 2015

Keynote Address

Mr Marcello Staricoff (England), Headteacher Balfour Primary School, Brighton and Associate Lecturer in Education, University of Brighton.

The Joy of Not Knowing (JONK) – It’s great not to know

Invited Speakers

Csilla Fuszek (Hungary), Director European Talent
Dr Mojca Jurisevic (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia), Education Professor
Dr Anna Maria Roncoroni (Italy), Psychologist
Dr Niamh Stack (University of Glasgow), Psychologist

Closing Address

Professor Tracy Cross (College of William & Mary) Psychologist and Fulbright Scholar to DCU

– 30 Years of Research on the Lived Experience of Being Gifted

Further details and registration

Gifted Education in Ireland and the United States

Gifted Education In Ireland and the United States

CTYI’s newest publication “Gifted Education in Ireland and the United States” was launched yesterday by Professor Deborah Eyre. Professor Eyre is an Honorary Professor at the University of Warwick and one of the world’s leading experts in gifted education. She is the author of many books and published research in the field of gifted education and has long been an advocate for gifted children. We had the pleasure of attending her presentation on Exceptional Performance and how we might create the conditions to support this in gifted learners in 2009 at CTYI’s conference of that year. We were looking forward to meeting her again and learning from her many years of experience.

Before launching the book, Professor Eyre gave a talk for parents entitled “Working with Gifted Children”, an interesting presentation with some really great practical advice for parents. There was standing room only in the lecture hall as parents of students attending classes in CTYI took advantage of this opportunity to listen to an international expert in the field. Those present were then invited to attend the launch of the book at the conclusion of Professor Eyre’s presentation. Moving proceedings to DCU’s 1838 Club, Colm O’Reilly first introduced Dr. Jennifer Cross who spoke briefly about the warm and productive relationship between CTYI and the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, before Professor Eyre took over the official duties. Launching the book, Professor Eyre said she was delighted to continue a long relationship with CTYI and spoke of the centre as a “beacon of excellence”, a sentiment shared by many in the wider gifted community.

We were honoured to have been invited to the dinner which followed the book launch. It is always a pleasure to join the staff of CTYI and other colleagues working in gifted education from around the world. Yesterday evening we enjoyed catching up with old friends and new. It is a great credit to CTYI that they have forged such strong relationships with gifted experts and educationalists far and wide. We are part of a large community who work to improve the experiences of gifted children in our education systems. It is invigorating to meet others in the field and share news and experiences which we can bring to our own groups and schools. We are delighted to let you know that at the conclusion of the evening, Dr. Colm O’Reilly did us the honour of agreeing to become the Honorary President of Gifted Ireland.

Gifted Education in Ireland and the United States is available through Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions.

CTYI Parents’ Groups

Gifted Education in Ireland: Educators’ Beliefs and Practices

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Dr. Jennifer Riedl Cross at CTYI, DCU

Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending the launch of a comprehensive report into gifted education in Ireland. In a groundbreaking study, Dr. Jennifer Riedl Cross along with her colleagues Professor Tracy Cross, Dr. Colm O’Reilly and Sakhavat Mammadov conducted a wide-ranging survey of teachers and principals beliefs and attitudes in relation to their gifted students.

This is the first study of its kind in an Irish context and is an important step forward for those who support and advocate for gifted learners in Ireland. In order to ensure impartiality and objectivity, CTYI asked the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia to carry out the study. A total of 470 teachers and 367 principals and other school staff took part by responding to the survey. The detail contained in the report sheds light on the experience of many of us and our children within the education system. For many years those of us who have been researching and advocating for gifted children have had our own anecdotal evidence of the attitudes to giftedness in our schools.

Now, for the first time, confirmation comes from those who teach and interact with gifted students on a daily basis in an educational setting. The study verified that our teachers’ attitudes towards gifted students are largely positive although some persistent beliefs not supported by research remain. Most believe that gifted learners need modification to the regular curriculum in order to be adequately challenged and many agree that they are more likely to achieve at higher levels if they are given opportunities to work with similarly matched peers. However, a large number of teachers consider it challenging to provide this without more resources, smaller class sizes and further training.

Among the most interesting aspects of the survey was the exploration of teachers’ own sense of efficacy in providing for their gifted students and their classroom practices. This part of the report is one to which we hope to return in more depth in a later post. CTYI have advised us that they will be happy to forward a copy to any interested parties. At more than 100 pages and a further 60 or so in appendices and additional information, we would urge anyone with an interest to do so. For those who would prefer an electronic copy, we are informed that one will be available shortly and we will post a link here.

Gifted Education in Ireland Study 2014

CTY Ireland
Dublin City University
Dublin 9
Ireland

Tel: 01 700 5634
ctyi@dcu.ie

CTYI Conference 2014

Understanding Gifted Children In Ireland we do not formally recognise gifted students within our education system. Most teachers qualify having had little or no training in teaching gifted students and, unlike many other countries, we have no specialist teachers in the field. This weekend’s conference at CTYI, DCU provided a rare opportunity to learn from true experts as several such speakers were flown in from around the globe to share their wisdom and insights. As usual, the vast bulk of the audience was made up of parents who, while soaking up the information with great interest and enthusiasm, were wishing their children’s teachers were there to hear the same.

These speakers were highly regarded international academic experts but each and every one of them was down-to-earth, engaging, entertaining and more than happy to answer questions and to chat to anyone during coffee or over lunch. A huge thanks to CTYI for organising such an interesting and uplifting day.

We believe the presentations will be posted on the CTYI website soon and we may cover some of them individually in due course but, for now, here is a rundown on who and what you missed!

Student Perceptions of High-Achieving Classmates

Prof Albert Ziegler is Professor of Educational Psychology and Chair for Educational Psychology and Research on Excellence at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He has published approx. 300 books, chapters and articles in the fields of talent development, excellence, educational psychology and cognitive psychology. He is also Secretary-General of the International Research Association for Talent Development and Excellence (IRATDE) Editor-in-Chief of Talent Development & Excellence.

Spatial Skills, Learning and Academic Achievement: A Scientific Perspective

Prof Amy Shelton is Director of Research at CTY and Professor at the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University. She has PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Vanderbilt University and is a postdoctoral fellow of the Department of Psychology at Stanford University.

Working Together to Support Your Highly Able Child At School

Dr Niamh Stack is a Senior University Teacher in Developmental Pyschology in the School of Psychology at Glasgow Unversity and Development Officer for the Scottish Network for Able Pupils (SNAP), providing CPD to teachers focused on gifted development. She is actively engaged in research activities related to gifted and talented education.

Dr Margaret Sutherland is a Senior Lecturer in Additional Support Needs and is Programme Leader for the Masters in Inclusive Education and the Certificate/Diploma/Masters in Inclusive Education at Glasgow University. She is also Director of the Scottish Network for Able Pupils (SNAP) and a member of the General Committee of the European Council for High Ability (ECHA) http://www.echa.info/about-echa . She has written several books and papers in the field of gifted education and given keynote talks at national and international conferences.

To Accelerate or No to Accelerate, Is That The Question?

Dr Lianne Hoogeveen is a Developmental Psychologist and Head of the Centre for the Study of Giftedness at Raboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. She is involved in post-academic education for psychologists and teachers and in individual counseling of gifted children, youngsters and adults. She is a Board member of ECHA.

The Role of Networking in the Life of Talented Kids

Csilla Fuszek Is Director of the European Talent Centre in Budapest, Hungary. With a background in teaching, Csilla Fuszek has focused and become specialized in the field of gifted and talented education. She has worked as a managing director of nationwide talent development programs aimed to promote equal opportunities to the disadvantaged and was the managing director of the Csányi Foundation which is one of the biggest civil education foundations focusing on talent support in Hungary. She has been a lecturer at Eötvös Loránd University since 2008 and since 2009 she has been working for the Association of Hungarian Talent Support Organizations. csilla.fuszek@talentcentrebudapest.eu

Gifted Adolescents’ Resistance to Report Cyberbullying

Prof Regina Connolly Director of the MSc in Electronic Commerce degree programme at Dublin City University Business School and has responsibility for postgraduate courses in Information Systems. Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Internet Commerce.

Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Children

Prof Tracy Cross Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Psychology and Gifted Education, Executive Director, Centre for Gifted Education, College of William and Mary, Virginia, USA . He has published well over 150 articles and book chapters, and four books. He has been the editor of five journals in the field of gifted education (Gifted Child Quarterly, Roeper Review, Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, and Research Briefs), and is the current editor of the Journal for the Education of the Gifted.

Perceptions and Practices: Gifted Education in Ireland

Dr Jennifer Cross is an Educational Psychologist and Research Assistant Professor at the College of William and Mary, Virginia, USA. Her research focuses on the social environment of schools and the development of attitudes, particularly those regarding social structures. She has presented at numerous local, national, and international conferences, and published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including Roeper Review, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and Journal of Early Childhood Literacy.