GIFTED

Target Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

For perfectionists of all types, whether children or adults, this practical guide explains myths about perfectionism and provides a new paradigm with practical steps to turn the negative into positive, build resilience, and develop optimism. Whether you're a parent, a teacher, or even a tween or teen, this readable book will guide you through the maze and struggle of perfectionism, helping you implement the strategies that will work for you.

Perfectionism, winner of the 2018 TAGT Legacy Award for the best book for parents of the gifted, translates the research on goal setting, perseverance, mindset, and habits into tips and hacks for taming the perfectionist in all of us.

Participants must purchase their own book (available through AMAZON)

Location:  Online via Google Classroom 

Facilitator:  Mark Millar 

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members |  $50 - Non-Members

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington

 Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Debbie Shannon - shannon@esclc.org or 440.324.5777 x1112 

4:00 - 5:00 PM

Educators, administrators and parents of gifted students will gather to discuss relevant gifted topics. There will be three sessions offered from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.; October 9, January 22, and April 16. Come and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while learning and discussing various topics toward understanding and educating gifted students at home and in the classroom. Each session lasts for one hour; professional development credit will be provided.

Session One Topics: TBD

Audience: Educators, Administrators and Parents of Gifted Students

Contact Hours: 1

Facilitators: ESC Gifted Supervisors

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington

Assistance: Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100

REGISTRATION LINK

Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

Lori G. Wilfong, Ph.D., began her career in East Los Angeles, CA, teaching English as a second language to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders for the Los Angeles Unified School District. This sparked her interest in motivating adolescent readers and led to positions in Rootstown Local Schools and Maple Heights City Schools as a literacy coach and literacy specialist. Upon completion of her doctoral degree in Literacy Education from Kent State, Wilfong taught for 17.5 years in the Middle Childhood Education program at Kent State University at Stark. In 2020, Wilfong assumed the role of Director of the National Writing Project at Kent State. Beginning in 2024, she transitioned to the Kent Campus to serve as Director of the Reading and Writing Center as well as Program Coordinator for the graduate literacy program. She remains an active consultant in several area school districts, furthering her research interests in the teaching of writing, vocabulary, and small group instruction. 

Location:  ESC of Lorain County

Presenter: Dr.Lori Wilfong 

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members |  $75 - Non-Members 

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington 

Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

Ian Byrd and Lisa Van Gemert provide you an approachable, comprehensive guide to Depth and Complexity.

In it, they share 27 bite-sized chapters that will:

• Show educators exactly how the framework works in a real, live classroom

• Teach you what you need to know about all aspects of the framework

• Address special situations, like working with early elementary grades and planning

• Take you further in your Depth and Complexity practice than you ever thought possible

By the end of The Gifted Guild’s Guide to Depth and Complexity, you will understand the framework, how it fits in your classroom, what parts you may wish to ignore, how to change what you don’t like about how you’re currently using it, and why it’s the tool you need to blow the ceiling off of your classroom.

Participants must provide their own book. It can be purchased at AMAZON.

Location:  Online via Google Classroom 

Facilitator: ESC Supervisor, Alice Ogonek    

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members |  $50 - Non-Members 

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington 

Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

JAN 10 - MAY 4, 2025

Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

Gifted Toolbox Modules 1.0 is perfect for New Teachers. Topics includes asking better questions, lesson design and objectives, underrepresented gifted students, what's a WEP, and more!   The Modules have been designed to provide teachers with the tools necessary in order to understand issues in gifted education, and to create learning environments that promote the growth and development of gifted learners. The content will include articles and videos, as well as responding to reflection questions. 

All work will be submitted in a timely manner through Google Classroom and must be completed in order to receive 15 hours of Gifted PD credit.  A certificate of completion will be awarded once all assignments have been completed.

Location:  ESC Gifted Supervisors  

Facilitator: ESC Supervisor, Alice Ogonek    

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members 

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington 

Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

JAN 10 - MAY 4, 2025

Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

Gifted Toolbox Modules 2.0 is designed to provide teachers with strategies and tools to help develop a learning environment that promotes the growth and development of high ability learners. Topics include lesson designing, pre-assessments, depth and complexity, underachievement, and more!

The content will include articles and videos, as well as responding to reflection questions. All modules will be submitted through Google Classroom and must be completed in order to receive 15 hours of Gifted PD credit. A certificate of completion will be awarded once all assignments have been completed.

Location:  ESC Gifted Supervisors  

Facilitator: ESC Supervisor, Alice Ogonek    

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members 

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington 

Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

JAN 10 - MAY 4, 2025

Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

Gifted Toolbox Modules 3.0 provides educators with strategies for understanding and challenging gifted students in the regular classroom. The modules include topics such as differentiation, asking questions, social and emotional needs, adolescent brains, executive functioning, creativity and more! The content will include articles and videos, as well as responding to reflection questions. All modules need to be completed in order to receive 15 hours of Gifted PD credit. All work will be submitted through Google Classroom.  A certificate of completion will be awarded once all assignments have been completed. 

Location:  ESC Gifted Supervisors  

Facilitator: ESC Supervisor, Alice Ogonek    

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members 

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington 

Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

JAN 10 - MAR 14, 2025

Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

In The Collaborative Classroom, Trevor Muir brings to light the dynamic possibilities that occur when students learn to work together. Muir shares how to teach students to do it effectively so that teachers can actually love group work. He shares the tools, techniques, processes, and inspiration developed from his own classroom and from the insights and experience gained from master educators and industry leaders.

Participants will learn how to...

• Effectively manage collaborative work time

• Design the optimal groups

• Help students give and receive constructive criticism

• Facilitate student-led collaborative class discussions

• Empower all students, introverts and extroverts from any grade and any subject area, to purposefully and meaningfully collaborate.

Location:  Online via Google Classroom 

Facilitator: ESC Supervisor, Alice Ogonek   

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members |  $50 - Non-Members 

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington 

Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

JAN 10 - MAR 7, 2025

Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

Vertical Differentiation for Gifted, Advanced, and High-Potential Students outlines 25 engaging tools and strategies to stretch student thinking, promote deep learning, and provide layers of challenge in the classroom and beyond. It is essential reading for educators looking to support and extend student thinking across content areas and grade levels.

Each strategy is expertly designed to foster deep inquiry and conceptual understanding by guiding students to justify conclusions, apply critical and creative thinking, develop solutions to real-world problems, and transfer learning across contexts. Packed with both "tried and true" thinking models and new, innovative ideas with concrete examples, this resource ensures that no matter where students are in their learning journey, they’ll find themselves challenged and engaged. 

Participants must provide their own book. Can be purchased through AMAZON.

Location:  Online via Google Classroom 

Facilitator: ESC Supervisor, Cathy Fischer   

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members |  $50 - Non-Members 

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington 

Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

4:00 - 5:00 PM

Educators, administrators and parents of gifted students will gather to discuss relevant gifted topics. Come and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while learning and discussing various topics toward understanding and educating gifted students at home and in the classroom. Each session lasts for one hour and professional development credit will be provided.

Session 2 Topics: TBD

Audience: Educators, Administrators and Parents of Gifted Students

Contact Hours: 1

Facilitator: ESC Gifted Supervisors

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington

Registration Link

Assistance: Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

Audience:  Teachers of Gifted Students 

Based upon her book, Vertical Differentiation, Dr. Mofield, will share strategies designed to foster deep inquiry and conceptual understanding by guiding students to justify conclusions, apply critical and creative thinking, develop solutions to real-world problems, and transfer learning across contexts

Emily Mofield, Ed.D., is an Assistant Professor of Education teaching courses in gifted education and in the Ed.D. Program for Learning Organizations and Strategic Change. Dr. Mofield is passionate about equipping teachers with high-quality resources to use to identify, serve, and teach gifted and high-potential students. Dr. Mofield has co-authored award-winning curriculum for gifted/advanced students (with Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth). Her co-authored book, Collaboration, Coaching, and Coteaching: Sharing Strategies to Support Gifted Learners was recognized as Book of the Year for 2021 by the National Association for Gifted Children (with Vicki Phelps). Dr. Mofield is regularly invited as a featured speaker at various conferences and leads professional learning addressing rigor, differentiation, social-emotional learning, and instructional coaching for school districts and special groups. Emily's research has been published in prominent journals including Gifted Child Quarterly, Journal of Education for the Gifted, Roeper Review, and Gifted Child Today. She enjoys spending time with her wonderful husband, loving daughter, and her sweet "pandemic" poodle.

Location:  ESC of Lorain County

Presenter: Dr. Emily Mofield 

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members |  $75 - Non-Members 

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington 

Registration Link

Registration Assistance:  Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100 

4:00 - 5:00 PM

Educators, administrators and parents of gifted students will gather to discuss relevant gifted topics. Come and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while learning and discussing various topics toward understanding and educating gifted students at home and in the classroom. Each session lasts for one hour and professional development credit will be provided.

Session 3 Topics: TBD

Audience: Administrators, Educators, and Parent of Gifted Students

Contact Hours: 1

Facilitators: ESC Gifted Supervisors

Event Fee:  Free - Gifted Consortium District Members

Member Districts:  Amherst, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Firelands, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Perkins, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Wellington

Registration Link

Assistance: Tracy Butchko, butchko@esclc.org, 440-324-5777 x1100