CULLOWHEE (February 5, 2016)—Robin Sechrist is the only Academic or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) teacher at Efland Creeks Elementary School in Orange County, so when she had the chance to join other teachers at “How Do Gifted Students Grow? AIG Concepts and Digital Resources” she jumped at the chance. And she is glad she did.
Sechrist and 26 other teachers took part in the January program at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, a national leader in professional development.
“I’m the only person at my school that does what I do, and to have the chance to be in the room with others and talk about issues and solutions has been tremendous,” Sechrist said. “The time and collaboration here have been invaluable.”
Teachers from across North Carolina were able to learn how to adapt and extend classroom-learning experiences to better address the academic development of their gifted students. Participants were able to focus on incorporating central concepts into the curriculum, implement the tools of inquiry and creative thinking, achieve depth and complexity within content areas, embrace acceleration in the classroom, and utilize multiple digital resources and digital strategies.
“The staff here was phenomenal,” Evergreen Charter School in Asheville teacher Fynn Crooks said. “The presentation by NCCAT faculty member Elizabeth Joyce was great with the right amount of humor and insights. She taught it in a way that can be used immediately in the classroom.”
The level of differentiated instruction for teachers and resources helped give participants plenty to take home to their districts.
“It was very meaningful and gives me several thoughts and strategies to take back to my district,” said Amy Daughtridge of Sandy Ridge Magnet Elementary in Durham.
Duke University faculty Dr. Kristen Stephens, Associated Professor in Academically Gifted Program, and Alissa Griffith, Lecturing Fellow Program in Education, led the program along with Joyce.