GiftEDventure uses an extended session format — unlike traditional conference sessions, each session unfolds over two days, giving you the opportunity to collaborate, practice, reflect, and apply what you're learning. Choose your strand and commit to both parts. The depth is worth it.

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How sessions work

GiftEDventure sessions aren't one-and-done. Every session runs across two days, giving you the time to really dig in — to collaborate, practice, reflect, and leave with something you can actually use. This isn't a highlight reel. It's the whole film.

You'll choose your sessions in advance and attend both parts across Tuesday–Thursday. Think of it like a two-day workshop packed inside a three-day conference. The video here explains the idea in more detail.

Program Schedule

Tuesday Keynote

This session will take place on Tuesday, August 4 from 11:30-12:30.

A Meaningful Mess: Utilizing Passion Projects to Make Learning Meaningful

If you're looking to refresh gifted services, make school a place learners want to be, or find innovative ways to see and support giftedness, Genius Hour is the best place to start. It transformed my teaching and my students' experiences, reigniting my passion and giving learners the space to thrive.

In this session, I'll show how my framework, the 6 Ps of Genius Hour, makes passion-based learning both manageable and meaningful. When Implemented well, Genius Hour becomes a powerful way to identify and serve gifted learners - letting them lean into strengths, build authentic skills, and make real impact.

Wednesday Keynote

This session will take place on Wednesday, August 5 from 11:15-12:15.

Courageously Creative

Creativity is not a bonus skill reserved for the arts. It is a powerful cognitive process that applies across learning, writing, collaboration, and problem-solving, equipping students to think deeply and innovate courageously.

In this presentation, educators will explore the many ways creativity shows up in students and classrooms every day. Participants will discover their own creative strengths and consider the four key components of creativity: fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. Together, we will examine the barriers that keep both adults and children from taking creative risks and explore how developing protective spaces for creative thinking can transform learning for everyone.

This session will also highlight the powerful connection between creativity and social-emotional learning. Most importantly, educators will leave with a comprehensive creativity curriculum and a renewed understanding of why creativity is one of the most essential future-ready skills we can nurture in students.

Thursday Keynote

This session will take place on Thursday, August 6 from 11:30-12:30.

GLOW UP: Turning the Lights Back On for Gifted Learners

Gifted learners were never meant to glow quietly. They come to us with intensity, curiosity, imagination, questions, contradictions, and sparks of possibility that do not always fit neatly inside traditional school structures. Too often, those sparks are dimmed by compliance, repetition, low ceilings, and learning experiences that ask bright students to wait while the world catches up.

It's time to turn the lights back on.

In this energizing keynote, Brian Housand invites gifted educators to stop designing for quiet compliance and start designing for brilliance. Through humor, heart, and practical strategies, participants will explore how to GLOW UP learning by generating intrigue, layering complexity, offering meaningful agency and witnessing student thinking in ways that honor both intellect and identity.

Strand Sessions

Strand A Sessions

These sessions will take place on Tuesday, August 4 from 1:45-2:25 and Wednesday, August 5 from 1:45-2:45.

Pobody's Nerfect: Strategies to Support Perfectionistic Tendencies with Emily Kircher-Morris

One child panics when a single mistake is made. Another child breaks down when asked to work in groups. A third child has low self-esteem and refuses to turn in work. What do they all have in common? They are all perfectionists. While many professionals who work with children are able to recognize perfectionism when they see it, they may be unsure how to help a child overcome this barrier. This presentation will give specific strategies to use in the classroom or counseling setting to work both individually and in groups with students to overcome perfectionism.

Equity, Excellence, and Access: Leveraging MTSS to Support Diverse and Twice-Exceptional Gifted Learners with Katie Lewis

Giftedness is expressed in diverse ways across cultural, linguistic, and learning backgrounds, requiring equitable and responsive practices to ensure students are recognized and supported. This session explores how a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) can be leveraged to identify, nurture, and develop the potential of diverse and twice-exceptional (2E) gifted learners. Participants will examine strategies for culturally responsive instruction and service delivery that reduce barriers, build on student strengths, and expand access to meaningful gifted learning opportunities.

Designing for Depth: Gifted Learning in STEELS — With & Without Tech with Colleen Epler-Ruths

Gifted learners require intentional acceleration and meaningful enrichment to fully engage with the rigor and potential of the STEELS standards. This two-part session supports educators in moving beyond "more work" or faster pacing to design learning experiences that promote depth, complexity, and authentic problem solving. Participants will explore best practices for acceleration and enrichment within STEELS, with an emphasis on differentiating content, process, product, and learning environment for gifted students; leveraging STEELS practices and cross-cutting concepts to create high-level cognitive demand; and identifying when acceleration is most appropriate and when enrichment adds greater value. In response to increasing screen time, this session also highlights purposeful "offline" strategies that maintain rigor while supporting student engagement and well-being.

Supporting Low SES Gifted Students with Brian Booker

This session addresses the "Excellence Gap" — the disparity in academic achievement among various student subgroups — specifically focusing on the intersection of giftedness and socioeconomic status. Participants will explore how systemic barriers and traditional identification methods often overlook "non-traditional" gifted learners, particularly low socioeconomic status (SES) learners. The session aims to shift the focus from simply "finding" gifted students to actively cultivating their talent by supporting educators in becoming more effective "talent scouts."

Strand B Sessions

These sessions will take place on Tuesday, August 4 from 3:30-4:30 and Wednesday, August 5 from 3:00-4:00.

*Note the different times on each day.

Direction of Depth: A Framework for Purposeful Differentiation with Andi McNair

We often plan for what to do when learners don't understand, but what if they do? Gifted learners don't need something different; they need something deeper. When educators know how to design for depth, differentiation takes care of itself. In this session, Andi McNair will show how depth-driven design transforms learning from passive to an active experience — like surfing, where every learner is fully engaged. Using her framework, educators will see that meaningful differentiation is simpler than we make it and entirely within reach. Participants will learn how to use the Direction of Depth Framework to design meaningful learning experiences for early finishers and those who already understand, why the first 8 seconds of class matter for engagement, how to differentiate by identifying each learner's next best step, and how to build productive struggle so all learners — including the gifted — grow through challenge.

Design Your Year with Sarah Young

Healthy classrooms don't happen by accident. They are designed with purpose. In this collaborative planning session, educators will explore how to create a cohesive, engaging year of learning by organizing themes, curriculum ideas, schedules, routines, and instructional systems into one manageable framework. Participants will build a customized scope and sequence while developing practical classroom tools that save time and reduce stress throughout the year. Leave with a clearer vision, classroom-ready resources, and a plan that helps you teach with intention from the very first day. This session is best suited for pull-out gifted teachers or coordinators who work with them.

Transforming High-Ability Math from Compliance to Complexity with Lyn Hilt

For many gifted learners, mathematics has become a game of compliance — racing through worksheets and mimicking procedures to reach the correct answer first. However, true mathematical talent requires the struggle of complexity. This session challenges the traditional acceleration model by integrating Peter Liljedahl's Building Thinking Classrooms framework to disrupt the mimicry cycle. Participants will engage with high-leverage practices specifically tailored to the needs of high-ability students and will examine how to build K-12 accelerated pathways that prioritize high-ceiling tasks and conceptual depth over mere speed. Educators will walk away with a strategic roadmap for implementing telescoping and compacting models that ensure gifted students are not just moving faster but thinking more deeply.

Beyond the Myth of "They'll Be Fine": Social-Emotional Wellness for Gifted Students with Natalie Bowen

Gifted learners are often perceived as students who will "be fine" because of their academic strengths, yet many experience heightened intensity, perfectionism, anxiety, asynchronous development, and social challenges that can significantly impact their well-being. This session will help educators better understand the unique social-emotional wellness needs of gifted students and recognize how these needs may present in the classroom. Participants will explore common characteristics of gifted learners while learning practical strategies to foster emotional regulation, resilience, belonging, and healthy coping skills. Through reflection, discussion, and real-world examples, educators will leave with actionable tools to support gifted students as whole children — academically, socially, and emotionally.

Strand C Sessions

These sessions will take place on Wednesday, August 5 from 8:30-9:30 and Thursday, August 6 from 9:15-10:15.

*Note the different times on each day.

Rabbit Holes with Purpose: Designing Curiosity That Goes Somewhere with Brian Housand

Curiosity is one of the greatest strengths gifted learners possess — and one of the hardest to harness well. This workshop helps educators move beyond treating curiosity as enrichment or distraction and instead design learning experiences that channel interest toward depth, judgment, and meaningful outcomes. Participants will explore how rabbit holes work, why they matter, and how to guide students from initial fascination to sustained inquiry and creative output. Through modeling, hands-on design work, and practical tools, teachers will learn how to invite exploration without chaos. The focus is on purposeful curiosity that strengthens thinking, builds ownership, and leads to learning that actually goes somewhere.

Thriving in Gifted Education: An MTSS Approach to Belonging, Support, and Success with Katie Lewis

How do we ensure that newly identified gifted learners from underrepresented populations don't just gain access to gifted programs, but truly thrive within them? Through the lens of MTSS, this session examines strategies for developing social-emotional competencies, leveraging students' strengths and cultural assets, cultivating mentorship opportunities, and building partnerships with families and communities to create sustainable networks of support and belonging.

Gifted Education Compliance for Educators with Shannon Eye

This two-part professional learning series provides educators serving gifted learners with a practical understanding of Pennsylvania's gifted education requirements under 22 Pa. Code Chapter 16. Participants will examine legal and procedural obligations related to identification, evaluation, eligibility determination, GIEP development and implementation, specially designed instruction, progress monitoring, procedural safeguards, and documentation practices. The training emphasizes compliance through real-world application, helping educators align gifted services with regulatory requirements while ensuring that gifted students receive an appropriate education designed to meet their individual learning needs.

Supporting Multilingual Gifted Learners with Brian Booker

This session addresses the "Excellence Gap" — the disparity in academic achievement among various student subgroups — specifically focusing on the intersection of giftedness and language development. Participants will explore how systemic barriers and traditional identification methods often overlook "non-traditional" gifted learners, particularly Multilingual Learners (MLLs). The session aims to shift the focus from simply "finding" gifted students to actively cultivating their talent by supporting educators in becoming more effective "talent scouts."

Strand D Sessions

These sessions will take place on Wednesday, August 5 from 9:45-10:45 and Thursday, August 6 from 10:30-11:30.

*Note the different times on each day.

Creating a Neurodiversity-Affirming School with Emily Kircher-Morris

Neurodivergent students — including those who are autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, twice-exceptional, and beyond — deserve learning environments where their strengths are recognized, their needs are respected, and they aren't expected to mask who they are to succeed. In this interactive workshop, Emily Kircher-Morris guides educators through a deep dive into the AWARE framework (Adapt, Wonder, Accommodate, Relate, Empower) — a practical model for reimagining support for all learners. Participants will explore real classroom scenarios, collaborate on inclusive strategies, and gain tools for shifting mindsets and practices. Together, we'll challenge deficit-based models and learn how to create schools where neurodivergent students feel safe, seen, and empowered to thrive. This workshop blends research, storytelling, and hands-on application — ideal for educators ready to move from awareness to meaningful action.

Gifted 101 with Shanna Haden

While this session is aimed at new gifted support teachers, veterans and administrators are welcome. Rules, regulations, and procedures are the main focus. Day 1 topics will include an overview of Pennsylvania's definition of gifted, a review of Chapter 16, and a review of the forms that support gifted education. Day 2 will focus on the procedural requirements of screening, evaluating, and planning for the instruction of gifted students. Additional topics may include supporting differentiation in the general education setting and supporting goal setting and instruction in an individualized setting.

Designing High-Cognitive Enrichment in ELA (Grades 4–10) with Kelli Tremba

Gifted readers don't need more pages to read; they need a different lens through which to view them. Too often, "enrichment" work inadvertently translates to busy work that fails to truly challenge advanced minds. This interactive, two-hour professional development session is designed for educators who are eager to surpass the "ceiling" in the secondary and upper-elementary ELA classroom. This session dives into live modeling of high-cognitive strategy shifts, exploring how to transform standard curriculum tasks into intellectual heavy lifting that reflects depth and complexity, interdisciplinary synthesis, and authentic, real-world connection. Scaffolded with concrete examples spanning grades 4–10, participants will leave with a practical toolkit to foster genuine critical thinking in their own classrooms.

SEW for Educators: Taking Care of You! with Natalie Bowen

Educators give so much of themselves every day — but who is taking care of them? This engaging, interactive professional development session is designed to help educators pause, reflect, and invest in their own well-being. Grounded in research highlighting the unique stress and burnout challenges facing today's educators, this session explores both the why and the how of self-care. Participants will examine the six dimensions of the Self-Care Wheel — physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, personal, and professional — and identify where they are thriving and where they have room to grow. Through wellness activities, collaborative discussions, and hands-on reflection, participants will leave with practical strategies they can implement immediately, whether they have one minute or five.

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