Concurrent 60 min

Excellence and Innovation in Secondary Gifted Education

Saturday, November 15, 2025

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET

Location: Convention Center, 317/318

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Content Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Administrators, Classroom Teachers, Gifted Coordinators, Researchers

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Felicia A. Dixon (she/her/hers)

Professor Emerita, Department of Educational Psychology
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana, United States
Todd Kettler (he/him/his)

Executive Director or the Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development
Baylor University 76798
Waco, Texas, United States

Creating a classroom climate that allows for questioning, thinking, and innovating gives talented adolescents the freedom to explore issues and suggest novel possibilities. Such an atmosphere invites thoughtful discussion as well as the opportunity to suggest new pathways to understanding. In this interactive session, presenters and audience will discuss the ways to create such a thoughtful climate.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to analyze current models of secondary gifted education programs and identify characteristics that reflect innovation and excellence.
Participants will evaluate research based practices in talent development and determine their applicability to diverse secondary school contexts.
Participants will design strategies for integrating innovative program elements --such as advanced curricular pathways , mentorships, or creative problem-solving frameworks--into existing secondary gifted programs.