MAGC Spring Conference 2025
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Matt Zakreski
They Just WON'T DO IT: How to Help Your Gifted Kid get Unstuck
One of the hardest things about working with gifted students is their resistance to participating in activities. These refusals can be incredibly frustrating for teachers, parents, coaches, and mental health professionals and often result in significant conflict between the student and their systems. Understanding how and why gifted individuals get “stuck” allows for meaningful and empathetic engagement around these behaviors, which raises the likelihood of the students attempting and completing their work.
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Social/Emotional Learning Games
Many gifted children can struggle with the social and emotional skills necessary to create and maintain relationships. While many Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs exist in schools, they are often not adapted to the unique needs of the gifted population. This presentation will also demonstrate some techniques on how to teach and model SEL skills for gifted children through the gamification of the lessons, both through the demonstration of games designed for this population and instruction on how to adapt games.
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Dr. Matthew Zakreski (known as “Dr. Matt”) is a seasoned clinical psychologist and professional speaker renowned for his expertise in serving neurodivergent individuals (people with different brains such as gifted, ADHD, Autism, and dyslexia). In doing hundreds of talks all over the world, Dr. Zakreski has cultivated a reputation as a dynamic keynote speaker, captivating audiences with his insightful presentations and empowering messages.
Dr. Zakreski holds a PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Widener University, where his research focused on social and emotional needs of gifted learners and branched out into best educational and occupational practices for neurodivergent people. His academic background, combined with extensive clinical practice, provides him with a profound understanding of how these different brains interact with societal structures and how to support them.
Valeria Jackson
Disrupting Inequity through Gifted Programing in Detroit
This engaging session will highlight the ways Detroit is actively disrupting inequity through gifted programming. Detroit is paving a successful pathway for all schools in Michigan to equitably identify and serve their gifted students, and we look forward to sharing our successes with the MAGC community. Covering the past and the present of both inequity and the power of Detroit's hard work and creativity to break down barriers, everyone will leave inspired and motivated to make sure all of Michigan's children access the education they deserve.
Cynthia Harris
High Quality Gifted Teaching in Action!
You've attended the PDs, you've read the books, but are you still wondering what high quality gifted education LOOKS like? This is the session for you! We will view recordings of teachers instructing gifted kids as a springboard for considering how to apply gifted pedagogy in real classrooms in ways that are applicable for all teachers. Bring your questions and your wonderings about how to make gifted education work in your classroom and prepare to leave with new skills that can be used right away.
Susan Solomon
AI & Me: Crafting Personalized Learning Pathways
Discover how AI can transform personalized learning by guiding students in designing individualized projects tailored to their interests, strengths, and goals. This session will explore practical strategies for leveraging AI tools to create dynamic, student-driven learning experiences that enhance engagement and autonomy. Learn how to implement AI-driven personalized learning in your classroom to support diverse learners and foster deeper exploration.
Nan Janecke and Kelly Schultz
You Just Don't Get It: What Gifted Students Wish Parents & Teachers Knew
Parents and teachers frequently wonder if they're doing the right thing for the gifted children in their care. Instructors wish the ten or thirteen-year-olds they teach could verbalize what works for them in the classroom. Parents wonder if what they're advocating for is really what their child needs. Whether you're new to gifted or an old pro, is what you know necessarily what gifted kids wish you knew about their lives in and out of the classroom? We asked our students, and now we'll tell you, what they want you to understand about how they think, feel, and function in the world.
Laura Citino
Interdisciplinary Philosophy: From Personal Understanding to Productive Response
Gifted students harbor heightened awareness of and greater emotional sensitivity to global social issues. Learn how interdisciplinary philosophy curricula can bridge the gap between students' personal understanding of complex topics like climate change, the consequences of AI, or political strife and their ability to integrate and respond productively and creatively to those issues. The presentation will provide an overview of the class as well as a closer look into a student-favorite unit on philosophical absurdism, including examples of student discussion outcomes and project-based learning.
Mark Talaga
How to Better Communicate with a Gifted Child
Issues with communication are the bedrock of relational frustration and can make talking with your gifted kid feel like you are stuck in a loop or talking to a wall. The multitude of reasons that go behind this issue are rarely talked about and the strategies to help improve the situation, even less. This session you will learn some of the common pitfalls that many parents and children fall into when trying to improve communication and how best to remove the stress from the situation so that you and your child are feeling heard.
Cassidy Loridan
Let Them Think! Moving away from a traditional classroom and towards a thinking one.
Hear about the research and instructional model from Peter Liljedahl and how it can transform the way you teach, and the way your students learn! This is an instructional model that can be implemented with any curriculum. Participate in a thinking task to experience it for yourself!
Sheri Dirkse
Unleashing Strategic Thinkers: Coding as a Catalyst for K-12 Development
Fostering strategic thinking skills in our students is vital as educational demands increase. This session will explore how integrating coding into the K-12 classroom can be a powerful tool for cultivating these essential abilities. Beyond simply learning syntax, coding provides a dynamic platform for students to develop problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking skills, all crucial components of strategic thinking. Participants will discover how meaningful coding experiences can teach technical skills and empower students to become effective problem-solvers.
Dr. Valeria Jackson and Dr. Precious Moon
Strategies for Teaching Gifted Learners...."Maximizing Skill, Will and Thrill"
Gifted students are capable of thinking at a level that goes beyond the usual expectations for their age, but they need an educational environment that offers both intellectual stimulation and emotional support to flourish. By providing opportunities for deep learning and fostering their natural curiosity, we can support gifted and talented students realize their full potential. Join us for this interactive session where we will explore strategies you can implement in your classroom on Monday including utilizing Depth of Knowledge questioning strategy and utilizing Project Based Learning to extend lessons.