Let's talk 2e! Conference for Parents
Parenting 2e: Hope, Help and Happiness
21 Expert Sessions Available Immediately
$120 $197
About this parents' conference
Join us for Let’s Talk 2e! Virtual conference, bringing HOPE, HELP and HAPPINESS to parents of gifted kids with learning differences all over the world! Twenty-one experts discuss topics important to you and your twice exceptional child.
- Managing Transitions
- Spiritual giftedness
- Strategies to relieve stress
- Homeschooling
- Alternative educational placements
- Education Strategies
- Identifying learning styles
- Emotional Regulation
- Communication
- Culturally diverse learners
- Strategies to address trauma
- Bullying
- Neurodiversity
- Giftedness and Autism
- Personality and learning styles
- Technology tips for your 2e learner
Launching your 2e child
Learn how to use research-based tools for yourself, your home and your child’s learning environment.
Get research-based strategies from gifted and 2e experts.
Gain a better understanding of your 2e child.
Feel more confident about helping your child thrive.
Here's what you get:
- Forever access to all 19 video presentations
- Forever access to all 19 audio mp3 versions to listen anywhere
- A special gift from each of our experts — 19+ gifts
- Enter our virtual Exhibitor Hall to find resources from: Education, Clinicians, Enrichment, Consultants and Associations
- Autum Romano, LMT, CNMT, RM — How to Use the Polyvagal Theory in Your Family or Classroom, Consultation: Increase emotional regulation for the whole family, and 2 Videos on Emotional Regulation Tools for Back to School
- Belkin-Blank Center — Strategies for Supporting 2e at Home and The Intersection of Gifted and Autism Presentation Slides
- Bev Nerenberg — EFT Tapping Points, EFT Basic Recipe, EFT Resources, and EFT Tapping with Kids
- Colin Seale — How Do You Define Success? and a Free Consultation with Colin Seale of ThinkLaw
- Dan Peters, Ph.D. —The 2e Journey from the Parent’s Point of View
- Dianne Allen, M.A., CAP, CET — “The Way of the Sensitive” Pocket Manual
- Heidi Molbak, M.S., NCC, CEP — Tips for Parents: Is Boarding School a Good Consideration for my Gifted or 2E Student?
- Joan Green, M.A. CCC-SLP — Chapter 1 of Assistive Technology in Special Education and Resources List
- Joseph Olan, Ed.D. — Top 10 Homeschool Tips for Parents
- Joy Lawson Davis, Ed.D. — “Bright, Talented and Black” Book Study Guide, “Bright, Talented and Black” Book Study Guide Answer Key, and Glossary for Gifted Education Advocates
- Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D. — Free Consultation, 10 Strategies for Successful Communication, and Understanding and Managing Transitions
- Kasi Ann Peters, MT-BC — Homeschooling the Gifted Resource Guide
- Marc Smolowitz — “The Power of 2” Documentary
- Nicole Tetreault, Ph.D. — A Lens Into Neurodiversity Handout and
18 minute talk with Neuroscientist, Nicole Tetreault talking about ADHD — Asynchrony and ADHD, adult ADHD, sleep hygiene, and rewriting the mind for positive neural plasticity. - Rachel McAnallen, Ph.D. — Ms. Math Presents Fun with Cards
- Robin Schader, Ph.D. — Conversation Script, Issue of “Connecting for High Potential”, Article on Conversations from “Parenting for High Potential”, and Resource List
- Susan Baum, Ph.D. — The Mythology of Learning: Understanding Common Myths About 2e Learners
Parents are raving...
Meet our experts & learn about their presentations.
Learn how to reach and teach twice-exceptional and gifted children from these expert presentations:
Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D.
OPENING KEYNOTE: Understanding and Managing Transitions for Twice Exceptional Kids
Wednesday, August 19
Often black and white thinking and rigidity are used as defining characteristics of gifted and twice exceptional people. They have a way of doing things in their mind’s eye, and it’s hard to accept different ways or let go and “go with the flow.” Anxiety, perfectionism, and overexcitabilities play into this profile. Parents and educators often struggle to address rigidity within the constructs of home responsibilities or the classroom. In this session we will discuss what rigidity looks like, why our gifted and 2e kids are often rigid, how they respond to expectations for flexibility and how you can implement gradual steps and adjust YOUR expectations to help transitions become less painful for everyone. A delicate balance of structure and flexibility is the best response to rigid thinkers and large doses of creativity and humor go a long way.
Julie is the Founder of With Understanding Comes Calm, LLC, through which she passionately guides parents of gifted and distractible children, mentors 2e adults, trains teachers on how to understand and address 2e strengths and struggles.
Julie serves as Secretary to the Maryland Superintendent’s Gifted and Talented Advisory Council and is an advisor for “The G Word” full feature film. Julie is the SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) Maryland liaison, a SENG Model Parent Group (SMPG) trained facilitator and on the Simultaneous Supports committee for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). She is trained in the suite of tools “Putting the Person into Personalized Learning” through the 2e Center for Professional Development at Bridges Academy. Julie is also an invited member of the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum Professional Membership Committee.
A frequent speaker and prolific writer, Julie is also the mother of three twice exceptional children who keep her on her toes and uproariously laughing.
Nicole Tetreault, Ph.D.
A Lens into Neurodiversity– In and Out of the Classroom
Wednesday, August 19
Neurodiversity and twice-exceptionality go beyond learning in the classroom, neurodiversity is a way of being and navigating in the world. The journey begins from birth and continues through life. Twice-exceptional children express great gifts and challenges where their efforts do not match their imagination and original ideas. Often these children are asynchronous and test all over the map, leaving them deflated, anxious, and demotivated. Understanding the brain processing and nontraditional learning styles of twice-exceptional students opens the development of creative teaching strategies and solutions. With advancements in neuroscience and psychology research, we can design education specific to the individual while meeting the needs of the whole person. Join this session to understand ways to activate and encourage positive neural pathways and mindful techniques to nurture a divergent thinker and mind. Guide your twice-exceptional student to thrive with compassion and understanding. Teach them to be liberated and empowered along their life journey.
Roby Marcou, M.D.
A Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician's Approach to The 2E Child and Adolescent
Wednesday, August 19
Developmental and Behavioral Pediatricians provide wholistic care which focuses on understanding each patient’s unique profile and managing the social, behavioral, emotional, learning and medical impacts of that profile. Care reflects on the developmental pathways and focuses on individualized, anticipatory management to ensure we strengthen strengths and remediate areas of need. This session will focus on some of the themes of DBPeds and on understanding how this can be important for a 2E child or adolescent.
Dr. Roby Marcou has been working as a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician for nearly 30 years, practicing in Alaska, Texas, Indonesia and Singapore as well as throughout East and South-East Asia. She was educated at MIT, UPenn School of Medicine, Stanford University Hospitals and Boston Children’s Hospital. In addition to her clinical practice, she has been on the faculty of the National University of Singapore , has presented at conferences for teachers and parents throughout Asia and has conducted audits of support services programs within a number of International Schools in Asia. She works extensively with schools to support her patients and to support educators and for 6 years was fortunate to learn more about learning as a Middle School teacher at Jakarta Intercultural School. Dr. Marcou currently works in Singapore, throughout Asia and at the Chesapeake Center in Bethesda, Maryland
Susan Baum, Ph.D.
What me organized? It's a Matter of Style
Wednesday, August 19
2e kids have unique profiles that are influenced by their personality preferences. In this session you will learn how style influences, relationships, organizational skills, learning preferences, and expectations. In this session we will explore four kinds of personality preferences and what happens when we interact with those whose preferences or profiles are different from ours. Using the QPI (Quick Personality Indicator) we learn how to create environments and expectations that allow us to thrive and relate. Most important, you will gain insight into your own preferences and how that impacts your understandings of your 2e learner.
Susan Baum, Ph.D. is the Director of the 2e Center for Research and Professional Development at Bridges Academy, a school for twice exceptional and Provost of the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education. She is the author of many books and articles focusing on meeting the needs of special populations of gifted students including the award- winning 3rd edition o To be gifted and learning disabled. Her research and experience in the field of twice exceptional education have earned her much recognition: 2010 recipient of the Life Time Achievement Award granted by the Weinfeld Group, 2011 recipient of the Connecticut Association for the Gifted “Friend of the Gifted Award; the 2015 Distinguish Professional Alumni Award from the Neag School of Education; the Lifetime Achievement Award from AEGUS and the 2e Newsletter in 2017, and the Alexinia Baldwin Award from National Association for Gifted Students in 2019
Colin Seale
Beyond "Full Potential": Reconsidering What Success Means for 2e Children
Wednesday, August 19
All parents want their children to be successful. But parents of 2e children often feel an added pressure to unleash their child’s “full potential.” This webinar will give parents of 2e children powerful, but practical tools to understand the harms of the “full potential” myth and practical tools to move towards a more healthy, hopeful, and happy path to set children up to excel.
Colin Seale was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, where his struggles gave birth to his passion for educational equity. Using his experience as a math teacher, later an attorney, and now a keynote speaker, contributor to Forbes and The 74, and author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students, Colin founded thinkLaw, an award-winning organization that helps educators close the critical thinking gap through powerful, practical instructional strategies and curricular resources.
Joan Green, M.A. CCC-SLP
Technology to the Rescue: 10 Tech Treasures to Help 2E Students Thrive!
Wednesday, August 19
As parents and educators, it’s overwhelming to keep up with the ever-changing world of accessibility features, browsers, apps, websites and devices. Joan’s got your back! She is always on the lookout for affordable everyday technologies to help others thrive in life. As an SLP and technology implementer, her mission is to help students, families and teachers learn more about what they may not realize exists to not only improve communication, literacy, learning,and cognitive challenges but to maximize success and happiness. Let’s reduce stress and help our kids thrive! Twice exceptional children deserve to be shown tech tools to nurture their talents and interests.
Joan Green received her undergraduate as well as graduate education at Northwestern University. After spending time working in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools and home care, she formed Innovative Speech Therapy in the Washington, DC area in 1992, so that she could provide top quality rehabilitative and intervention services using her unique approach combining cutting-edge technology with individualized action plans. She continues to prioritize her own learning by attending and presenting at workshops and conferences, networking with colleagues, and exploring emerging technologies. In addition to providing 1:1 therapy, professional development and online webinars and courses, Joan has published 4 books. Her most recent bestselling publication is titled, “Assistive Technology in Special Education, 3rd Edition: Resources to Support Literacy, Communication and Learning Differences.” Joan was born and raised in Buffalo, NY and lives in Potomac, MD. She is the proud mother of 4 wonderful young adults and two loving pups, Teddie and Cody.
Bev Nerenberg
A Revolutionary Technique for Stress-free and Pain-free Living
Wednesday, August 19
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT “Tapping”) draws on the ancient wisdom of Eastern medicine’s acupuncture (but without needles) and blends it with cutting-edge insights of modern Western psychology. The result is a self-administered energy healing technique that helps relieve and/or eliminate negative emotions and physical aches and pains, often in minutes. By “tapping” on the body’s acupressure points, people quickly dissolve the energetic blocks that have been hindering their physical or emotional recovery and well-being. Tapping is easy to learn, quick, effective, non-invasive, surprising and free!
Bev Nerenberg was a Senior Vice President of Operations for a regional multi-million dollar, Inc. 500 (#144) computer distribution company and then a Director of Operations for a chain of Montessori schools. She is an experienced business leader, familiar with most of the inherent challenges and solutions. Everything shifted for her in 2008. That is when she discovered Emotional Freedom Techniques from a DVD called The Tapping Solution. It changed the direction of her life. From her first experience with EFT – disappearing her lifelong acrophobia (fear of heights), to the relief she got from anger, jealousy, physical pains and worry, she knew she wanted to share this modality with as many people as she could. Bev then devoted herself to learning all she could about Emotional Freedom Techniques by reading, taking courses, practicing, practicing, practicing and continuing on to become Certified as an EFT Practitioner and started Wellness At Your Fingertips. Bev does this work because of her love of teaching and empowering people with this life-altering tool. She is able to help them overcome stress, pain and illness and have the opportunity to become healthier, happier, more successful, and in general, live their best life possible.
Joy Lawson Davis, Ed.D.
Nurturing the Invisible 3E Learner: Black, Gifted & Twice-Exceptional
Thursday, August 20
Across the literature regarding twice exceptional learners, very little work has focused on the needs of underserved gifted learners who may also be twice exceptional. This session will focus on what we know about these remarkable learners and provide strategies to support their full development
Dr. Davis is a Gifted Education scholar who has focused her career on addressing the needs of diverse gifted learners. An award-winning practitioner, author of numerous publications, professional development expert, and member of several Advisory Boards, Dr. Davis has distinguished herself to become one of the nation’s leading voices of advocacy working to dismantle systemic barriers preventing the fair and equitable service to gifted learners from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Robin Schader, Ph.D.
Conversations and Questions: Key to Parent/Teacher/Student Communication
Thursday, August 20
We’ll talk about ways to discover, organize, present, and use interesting and relevant information about a child including unique interests, abilities, learning preferences, and life experiences. Imagine the benefit of being able to offer a “paper portrait” of your child to teachers who likely will be facing many unknowns this particular upcoming school year. What will contribute to productive, mutually beneficial discussions that support your child’s learning and growth, as well as open doors for exploration and exciting opportunities?
Robin Schader, Ph.D. has been active as a board member, trustee, and organizer of events and initiatives for various educational institutions, research centers, and professional associations, including Bridges Education Group in Studio City, CA. Having previously served as an assistant research professor at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, she received the 2020 Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional. Robin has published on topics such as giftedness, talent development, and twice-exceptionality. The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) named her as parent resource specialist, a role in which she supported parents and advocates in matching high-potential youth with appropriate educational opportunities, and in 2018, NAGC honored Susan Baum and Robin Schader with the Book of the Year Award for a volume they co-authored.Robin also was the founder and director of Music House, a nonprofit home-away-from-home in San Francisco for highly gifted young musicians from around the world.
Heidi Molbak, M.S., NCC, CEP
Now What...Now Where? When Your 2e Child Needs Help Away from Home
Thursday, August 20
How do you determine if your 2e child needs more support than you can provide at home? And even if you were to think about someone else, somewhere else, supporting your child, who would you turn to for help? For many parents, this process can be overwhelming, and they find it difficult to know where to begin. Even traditional mental health providers you turn to for advice or 2e experts may not fully understand or be trained on how to evaluate boarding schools and residential therapeutic programs, particularly in the context of your child’s giftedness. In this presentation an experienced 2e mom calmly and thoughtfully teaches you how to identify and evaluate key criteria when considering an out-of-home setting for your child, demystifies the process and the programs, reviews resources to help make an appropriate decision, and most of all walks with you from feeling scared to reassured.
For over twenty years Heidi has passionately studied schools, therapeutic programs and created educational opportunities for gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) students. Since 2006 through her educational consulting practice, Seed Starter, she has advised hundreds of families in the US and globally on finding appropriate educational options for their gifted and 2e students including boarding, day, and residential therapeutic schools and programs. In 2016 Heidi co-founded FlexSchool, a model of small schools for gifted and 2e students. She serves on the Advisory Board of Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Iowa and is a past Director for SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). She serves as a Board Commissioner of the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP) and is a frequent presenter at national conferences. Heidi is a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). She is the recipient of the Regina Matthews Oehmig Award for Excellence in Counseling. She holds an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Loyola New Orleans and an A.B. in English from Stanford University.
Kasi Ann Peters, MT-BC
Homeschooling Gifted or Twice Exceptional Child
Thursday, August 20
Finding the right educational fit for a 2e child can be wrought with anxiety and uncertainty. Making changes to a current situation can also cause tremendous stress. Homeschooling can be an ideal option for 2e children! We will discuss the many ways to homeschool (and why homeschooling is not really the correct term), bust the myths, discuss benefits and challenges of stepping outside the mainstream while creating a unique learning environment for your whole family.
Kasi Peters is a passionate advocate for gifted children and their families. She has served on the boards of many gifted organizations including SENG, Profoundly Gifted Retreat, and Gifted Homeschoolers Forum. Kasi holds a certificate in Gifted and Talented Education and is a Master Facilitator and Trainer for SENG Model Parent Groups and was awarded the SENG Facilitator of the Year award in 2017. Kasi is co-founder of Westside of Los Angeles Gifted, a local parent group whose mission is to connect gifted families with meaningful social opportunities and with appropriate resources. Kasi is also co-founder of Square Pegs, an independent consulting business dedicated to supporting families looking for alternative educational opportunities. She has been homeschooling her two 2e children since 2012 and loves talking to people about the opportunities available to those who choose to step away from the school system. Kasi is also a board-certified music therapist primarily working with children who have special needs.
Megan Foley Nicpon, Ph.D., Katherine Schabilion, Ph.D., and Alissa Doobay, Ph.D.
Twice-Exceptionality: The Intersection of Autism and Giftedness
Thursday, August 20
Our knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has grown exponentially in recent years, but we are just beginning to understand what it means to be intellectually gifted and have ASD. This is a critical first step in evaluating, intervening, and supporting this exceptional population. High ability students with ASD show incredible intra-individual variability in skills. They often display areas of profound talent, and at the same time, they may experience substantial challenges that, without support, may severely limit major life functions. Common areas of challenge include executive functioning, interpersonal skills, anxiety, cognitive and behavioral rigidity, differences in sensory processing, and adaptive functioning. In this presentation, attendees will learn about the characteristics and needs of high ability students with ASD based on the existing literature and the presenters’ extensive clinical experience, and practical strategies for meeting the unique needs of these students at home and school will be provided.
Megan Foley-Nicpon is a professor in Counseling Psychology and Department Executive Officer for Psychological and Quantitative Foundations at the University of Iowa. She also serves as the Associate Director for Research and Clinic at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Dr. Foley-Nicpon is a licensed psychologist whose research and clinical interests include assessment and intervention with high ability students with disabilities, and the social and emotional development of talented and diverse students. She is an Associate Editor for the APA Handbook of Giftedness and Talent, andhas written over 50 referred articles and book chapters and given over 100 presentations at international, national, and state professional meetings in the areas of gifted, counseling psychology, and twice-exceptionality.
Dr. Katie Schabilion received her PhD in School Psychology from the University of Iowa in 2020. She completed her predoctoral internship at Avondale Elementary School District in Avondale, Arizona, and she is completing postdoctoral training at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Her clinical and research interests include twice-exceptionality, gifted education, and school-based advocacy for high ability and 2e students.
Dr. Alissa Doobay received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from The University of Iowa in 2010. She is currently a Licensed Psychologist and Supervisor of Psychological Services at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at The University of Iowa where she provides clinical assessment, therapy, and consultation services. Her clinical expertise is in the area of twice-exceptionality (individuals who are high ability or “gifted” and have a disability), particularly students who have Autism Spectrum Disorder, Learning Disorders, ADHD, anxiety, and mood disorders.
Autum Romano, LMT, CNMT, RM
Polyvagal Theory and the Science of Connection
Thursday, August 20
Twice-exceptional individuals have unique and highly perceptive nervous systems. When viewed through the Polyvagal lens, a deeper understanding and greater appreciation can be gained for how our children’s nervous systems react to their environment, a process called neuroception. The same environment may offer cues of safety to one individual, while another may be receiving cues of danger, which then influence their body and mind. When a foundation for understanding these neurobiological responses is used, we as parents can better understand the role we have as co-regulators. The process of co-regulation is vital for those who may not be able to self regulate on their own. I’ve created a program for neurodiverse families using the auditory intervention the Safe and Sound Protocol, created by Dr. Porges, author of Polyvagal Theory. This 5-10 day intervention retunes the nervous system to a setting of safety and social engagement, increasing connection, and general wellbeing.
Autum Romano lives with her neurodiverse family in the Old North End of Colorado Springs, CO. She graduated from the Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy in 1997 and has logged over 20,000 massages. She is a constant student and has taken dozens of additional courses over the years including the iLS Safe and Sound Protocol(SSP) and Focus System training in 2019. She has a massage therapy practice offering trauma-informed bodywork integrating SSP and using the lens of Dr. Porges’ Polyvagal Theory. She created a home program for families to listen to SSP together and is overwhelmed by the positive shifts that occur inside of families She is the author of the children’s book, Body Wisdom and the Polyvagal Theory. She and her husband, artist Daniel Romano, homeschool their artist-engineer-maker-inventor son, Foster. When not working on their projects, they can be found playing in the Colorado mountains.
Dan Peters, Ph.D.
Preparing Your 2e Child for a Successful Life: Focusing on What Matters
How do we prepare our 2e children to be successful adults? How much should we help them succeed? How do I make sure my child doesn’t get left behind? How do I prepare my child for life? Growing up in today’s world is increasingly complex as is parenting our children in this new age. With childhood and teen stress, anxiety, and depression on the rise, it is critical that parents focus on preparing their children with the foundational life skills necessary for dealing with adversity, making good choices, and creating a meaningful life. Participants will learn strategies for building their 2e child’s internal strength, responding to adversity, and being open to life’s possibilities.
Dan Peters, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who has devoted his career to the assessment, consultation and treatment of children, adolescents, and families, specializing in learning differences, anxiety, and issues related to giftedness and twice-exceptionality. He is passionate about helping parents and teachers engage children in the classroom, at home, and in life so that they can realize their full potential. Dr. Peters is co-founder and Executive Director of the Summit Center with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, and co-founder of Parent Footprint, an on-line interactive parent training program. He hosts the Parent Footprint Podcast with Dr. Dan, available on iTunes, Stitcher, Libsyn, and elsewhere. He is the author of Make Your Worrier a Warrior: A Guide to Conquering Your Child’s Fears, From Worrier to Warrior: A Guide to Conquering Your Fears, The Warrior Workbook (co-authored with Dr. Lisa Reid and Stephanie Davis), and Raising Creative Kids (co-authored with Dr. Susan Daniels). Dr. Peters blogs regularly for the Huffintong Post and Psychology Today and writes and speaks on topics related to parenting, learning differences, and education.
Kristina Collins, Ph.D., Ed.S.
“Gifted & ____”: Combating Victimization of Gifted Students with Other Exceptionalities
A student is being bullied when he or she is exposed to deliberate and repeated acts of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse. It can be direct or indirect. All children that experience bullying are socially and emotionally affected, and this is especially true of gifted students who typically exhibit higher than normal intensities, sensitivities and stress of high expectations. In this session, the presenter(s) expand the discussion of victimization beyond peer-to-peer bullying to include institutional programming’ role in creating environments that foster this phenomenon for “gifted and …” students. Implications, accountability, and recommendations for gifted and talented education (GATE) educators and parents are offered.
Dr. Kristina Henry Collins is the current President (2020-2022) for SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted), and serves as a member-at-large member on the board of directors for NAGC ( National Association for Gifted Children). Dr. Collins is an Educational Psychologist (Ph.D., University of Georgia) with a specialty (Ed.S) in gifted and creative education. She is the core faculty for Talent Development at Texas State University, San Marcos. She has over 25 years of diverse leadership, teaching, and program development in K-12, post-secondary, military (USN), and community-based settings.
Dianne Allen, M.A., CAP, CET
The Way of the Sensitive - How Spiritual Giftedness Impacts Life Experiences
This session will explore spiritual gifted traits, experiences and potential impact on 2e children, adolescents and adults. We will discuss person experiences with Intuition, Indigo Children and how to harness these unique gifts in a productive manner.
Dianne A. Allen, MA, CAP, CET is a mentor for Visionary Leaders. A visionary herself, she takes over 4 decades of formal and informal education and blends it with technically eclectic skills, experience and intuition to offer unique, expansive individual and business mentoring to visionary leaders. Dianne hosts 2 podcasts, Someone Gets Me which focuses on inspiring visionary leaders who may feel stuck or misunderstood by interviewing visionaries who have crossed the chasm and are living their inspired vision. Meditations for Visionary Leaders podcast is a series of guided meditations. Published books include: How to Quit Anything in 5 Simple Steps, The Loneliness Cure – A Guide to Contentment, Daily Meditations for Visionary Leaders, Hope Realized – A Daily Meditation book for Personal Transformation and Healing and Where Do You Fit In? Currently, Dianne is working with visionary leaders internationally to help them bring their vision and personal legacy into reality. For more information: www.msdianneallen.com and www.visionsapplied.com
Joseph Olan, Ed.D.
Engaging 21st Century Learners
Participants will be highly engaged in an experience that will surely give them insights, strategies, and evidence-based techniques that are effective in supporting a variety of learners and learning needs. This session will focus on proven supports that drive engagement and intrinsic motivation in learners. I addition, participants will see how findings in neuroscience in relation to cognition and learning support a culture of thinking and feeling. This session will conclude highlighting ways a culture of thinking and feeling in the home can systematically increase the level of engagement and/or intrinsic motivation of exceptional learners.
Joseph Olan has worked with educators, parents, and students in multiple school districts in Texas in his career. Mr. Olan has been a social studies teacher, mentor, dept. head, academic coach, academic dean, and has presented on numerous educational topics in many schools across Texas.
Mr. Olan traveled to The Republic of Singapore in 2015 for a semester to collaborate and present. Mr. Olan has since become an advocate for leveraging social-emotional competencies and practices in support of academic performance, College Career and Military Readiness, and Global competence. Mr. Olan has also been a panelist at three Global Teaching Dialogues sponsored by the U.S. Department. He recently presented at the Safe at Home Global Virtual Ed-Camp and conference. He is a proponent of fostering 21st century employability skills through a social-emotional learning (SEL) lens.
His educational philosophy is “Educating the Mind without Educating the Heart is no Education at all” – Aristotle.
Rachel McAnallen, Ph.D.
This Isn't How We Did Math When I Went To School
Adults often remember the know how not the know why. In this session, the presenter will share creative ways that parents and teachers can help their 2-E learners to understand the “know why” or conceptual knowledge of mathematics not just the “know how” or procedural knowledge of the mathematical algorithms.
Known simply as Ms. Math to children across the country, Dr. Rachel McAnallen has devoted her life to sharing the joy and beauty of mathematics with learners of all ages. A professional educator for more than 60 years, she travels the globe teaching her subject at every grade level. In addition to her experience in the classroom, Rachel has served as a department chair, a school board member, and a high school administrator. She claims the latter position is responsible for the majority of her grey hairs. She has a passion for teaching, reading fictional mystery novels, and mathematical modular origami, though not always in that order. Recently Rachel has co-authored with Carol Williams, children’s math books and teaching manuals that accompany the books. A life-long learner, Rachel approaches the world around her with a boundless curiosity and a playful sense of humor that is reflected in her teaching style. She believes that mathematics is a language to be spoken, a music to be heard, an art to be seen, and a dance to be performed.
Marc Smolowitz, Director, Producer
CLOSING KEYNOTE: Getting to Know You: Trauma, Empowerment, and Giftedness
While making THE G WORD documentary, it has become abundantly clear to filmmaker Marc Smolowitz that gifted, talented, and neurodiverse experience is peppered by traumatic narratives of all kinds. So much so, one cannot undertake a full contemplation of the “state-of-the-state” of gifted and talented education without embracing a deeper understanding of trauma from a psychological perspective. In this keynote, Smolowitz will chart his own personal and professional journey with trauma and demonstrate how filmmaking for him has been, in part, about embracing empowerment through storytelling and making trauma-informed work. The latter is a concept that has been at the heart of Smolowitz’s films over the arc of a 30-year career, with subject matters that include LGBTQ civil rights, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, PTSD, poverty, sexual abuse and more. Smolowitz will unpack these difficult themes and connect them directly to giftedness by using real-life examples that help attendees walk away with new perspectives that can be useful in school settings, home life, work-life, and civil society at large.
Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award winning independent filmmaker based in San Francisco. With three decades of experience in the film and media business, Smolowitz is a director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films wearing many hats across the entertainment industry. The combined footprint of his works has touched 200+ film festivals and markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His long list of credits includes films that have screened at top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlinale, Venice, Chicago, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Krakow, Jerusalem, among others. His film company — 13th Gen — works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. Founded in 2009, the company is known widely for being active on some 10-15 concurrent projects, both independent and inside Hollywood, and it has successfully advanced Smolowitz’s career-long focus on powerful social issue films and filmmaking across all genres. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious IFP Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival’s Producers Network and Marche du Film marking him as one of USA’s most influential independent film producers.
The Exhibitor Hall
Don't miss out! Get your pass now.
$120
With the ALL ACCESS PASS you get:
— Forever access to all 19 video presentations
— Forever access to all 19 audio files (mp3)
— A special gift from each of our experts — 19+ gifts
— Access to an interactive webinar in October where you can ask questions with some of our experts
— Find 2e and gifted resources from: education, clinicians, enrichment, consultants, and associations in the Exhibitor Hall