2015 Course Review – Another Year of Outstanding Online Training for Gifted and Talented Teachers

quote paulo coelhoHappy Holidays from everyone here at TAGT On Demand!

As 2015 draws to a close, I would like to spend some time reflecting on what I’ve accomplished this year. Resolutions are great, but they are only effective when I pause at the end of the year to measure how far I’ve come.

Am I still going to the gym? Did I read all 30 books I resolved to read at the beginning of the year? Did I spend more quality time with my husband, and less time in front of the TV? Did my productivity at work increase?

I can tell you that I like the answers to some of those questions more than others.

No matter what the answers are, it’s exciting to see how far our TAGT On Demand team has come and how much we have accomplished in the last 360 days. It gives me hope and excitement for 2016.

Celebrating another year of delivering outstanding online training for gifted and talented teachers!

At TAGT On Demand, we are looking back at 2015 as well. We are celebrating another year of delivering outstanding online training for gifted and talented teachers. It is a pleasure to work in this amazing community of G/T trainers, school administrators, coordinators, teachers, and gifted students.

Two weeks ago we did a quick round-up of all the gifted and talented experts you’ll find featured at TAGT On Demand.

One of the resolutions we made for 2015 was to launch even more online training for gifted and talented teachers in 2015 than we did in 2014. We blew that goal out of the water!

This week we are doing a quick summary of all 21 courses we added to the TAGT On Demand library of online training for G/T teachers in 2015. That is over 50 hours of training added in 2015 alone!

So, here are the courses we launched for your gifted and talented teachers this year:

Building Differentiated Math Projects

ian byrdHow can doughnuts get your students to crave math? Gifted expert Ian Byrd breaks down the process of creating differentiated math projects that will entice students to–dare we say it–enjoy math. As students see the creative side of this polarizing subject even the most resistant will keep coming back for more.

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Inquiry, Connection, Autonomy: Advanced Learners Will Advance with Differentiation

True or false: AP courses are designed with gifted learners in mind. The answer may unsettle you. Learn to combat the myths that are hurting AP students, and wrap your head around the practical use of differentiation.

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Demystifying Differentiation in the Gifted and Talented Classroom

What?! Haven’t we had enough talk about differentiation? Maybe not, because you keep using that word; but I do not think it means what you think it means. Narrow down your definition of differentiation, and start making it work for you, with this course.

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Understanding the Neurology and Overexcitabilities of the Gifted

understanding the neurologyHyper efficiency should equal hyper equilibration, right? So why is your gifted student throwing a full blown tantrum in lecture? Decode the perplexing minds of gifted students with overexcitabilities, and learn how to turn challenging behaviors into strengths.

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Gifted? ADHD? Either, Neither, or Both?

Normal can be a relative term in the G/T world. Am I right? Sometimes very normal gifted traits can be misdiagnosed as ADHD, and students suffer with a lifelong stigma that could have been avoided if only someone had understood the gifted mind a little better. Learn how to spot the differences between gifted and ADHD characteristics.

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The Not-So-Fab-Four: Addressing Common Mental Health Issues in Youth

ADHD, Mood Disorders, Depression, and Conduct Disorder… way less fun than the Beatles, but vitally important for educators to have a firm grasp on. Learn what these four mental health issues look like in gifted people, and how you can best support and advocate for struggling students.

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Self-Regulation: Critical Skills for Underrepresented Students’ Success in Gifted Programs

The flower of genius can bloom in a full range of conditions, but some environments are harsher than others. Learn how to help underrepresented students beat the odds and succeed while developing self-regulation skills.

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Misdiagnosis, Dual Diagnosis of the Gifted

misdiagnosis dual diagnosis of the giftedHyper… Unable to sit still… Non-stop stream of chatter… What diagnosis would you expect this student to receive? ADHD, or just a normal gifted student? Learn how normal gifted overexcitabilities can be mistaken for serious issues, and how to support students with overexcitabilities.

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Self-Regulation in the Gifted Classroom: An Overview

Being gifted isn’t enough to ensure that a student will be successful throughout life. What if there were a set of skills that would all but guarantee a life of sound work and decision making? Self-regulation skills make all the difference.

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Social Emotional Dimensions of the Gifted and the Impact of Asynchrony

Imagine a body-builder who only worked out the left side of his body. Not only would he look ridiculous, but his strength would be compromised and off balance. This is what happens when we neglect the social and emotional needs of gifted students.

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Moving Past Perfectionism and Procrastination

tips for procrastinatorsWhat would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? That’s a fun thought exercise, but imagine being a perfectionist in the reverse situation: What would you avoid if you knew you might just fail to do it perfectly? Learn more about the perfectionism/procrastination struggle, and how to give G/T students a safe place to take risks.

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Motivating the Gifted Underachiever

Failure to launch is all too common for gifted students, but why? In this online training for gifted and talented teachers, discover the surprising causes of underachievement in the students who can seemingly master anything they want.

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Assessing GT Strategies: An Administrator’s Guide

This one’s for the administrators who want to understand the unique workings of gifted classrooms, and learn how to best evaluate their gifted programs. Get practical tips for bringing out the best in your advanced teachers and programs.

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Idealism and Depression in the Gifted

depression in the giftedBecause of the rapid workings of their brains, gifted people are at special risk for depression. You can develop the skills to support struggling students, and help them turn the roots of those depressive tendencies into positive strengths.

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Improving Verbal Skills for Children from Low-SES Backgrounds

Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds often have underdeveloped verbal skills. When you can’t communicate, many academic and career doors don’t open. How can you help them develop the verbal skills that will open more doors?

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Inside the Classroom, Outside the Box

The gifted classroom is the last place for a one-size-fits-all approach; but sometimes we make the mistake of assuming all gifted students are the same. You can learn the keys to identifying their differences, and guiding each individual toward autonomous learning.

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Introverts: The Quiet Gifted

introverts the quiet giftedWhy do some gifted students feel totally content keeping their brilliance quietly to themselves? Maybe they’re introverts. Hear some amazing ideas for engaging introverts and giving them a safe place to shine… quietly.

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Secondary Courses for the Gifted: Beyond More of the Same

Better. Stronger. Faster. Not just “harder.” The six million dollar man had nothing on solid gifted instruction. There’s a big difference between simply giving more difficult work to gifted students, and engaging them in a world of creative, self-sustained learning.

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Don’t Say “Use Your Indoor Voice”: Tips for Students with Psychomotor Overexcitabilities

Do you have a student who bears a striking resemblance to the Energizer Bunny? Then this is the course for you! Direct those awesome, challenging psychomotor overexcitability traits into productive skills.

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Uncovering Gifted, Diverse Learners

uncovering gifted diverse learnersSometimes gifted students just aren’t meeting their academic potential. Learn how to discern whether low-economic standing, or other factors are impacting your students, and what you can do to close the achievement gap.

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Building Depth and Complexity into Pre-AP and AP Classrooms

building depth and complexityHow can educators possibly compete with the appeal and speed of today’s media and keep students’ attention in class? It can be done! Learn how to use depth and complexity to get full engagement.

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Until Next Year!

We hope you have gained some amazing skills and insight from this year’s online training for gifted and talented teachers. We think you do incredibly valuable work educating our future leaders! Cheers to you and an exciting year ahead!

Photos courtesy of Flickr via BK, Karissa Burnett, Hartwig HKD, Nguyen Hung Vu, Tia Henriknen