糖心Vlog传媒LR professor gives keynote speech at international conference
Curriculum developed at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock recently took a worldwide stage during an international conference for researchers and educators who work with gifted and talented students.
Dr. Ann Robinson, professor of educational psychology and founding director of the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, participated in the conference, both as a keynote speaker and workshop presenter.
The setting for the conference 鈥� Odense, Denmark, the childhood home of Hans Christian Andersen 鈥� was inspirational, something Robinson said she incorporated into her workshop on using biography-based curriculum for gifted readers primarily in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale Theatre at the Andersen Museum and Archives in Odense, Denmark
For an educator fascinated by creativity, 鈥渢he location itself was magical,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淚t was just a fairy-tale setting.鈥�
Biographies that depict Andersen鈥檚 childhood or that focus on the early years of notable historic figures like Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein are the types of texts Robinson had in mind when she created the Blueprint for Biography gifted and talented curriculum in recent years.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely engaging for both teachers and kids,鈥� Robinson said.
Some attendees of Ann Robinson’s keynote speech pose for a photo to tweet from Symphony Hall in Denmark.
In addition to leading the workshop, Robinson gave the keynote speech, titled: 鈥淲hat makes a practice best? Evidence-based recommendations in gifted education.鈥�
One of the challenges for Robinson 鈥� associate editor of Gifted and Talented International, the journal for the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children 鈥� was to craft a message that could apply to both researchers and educators from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
Those perspectives from other countries also were educational for Robinson, who noted that teachers and researchers in other parts of the world have their own ideas and perspectives on the best ways to educate gifted students.
鈥淭here are different approaches, and that鈥檚 part of what makes that conference so truly fascinating,鈥� Robinson said.
This wasn鈥檛 Robinson鈥檚 first World Council conference, which is held every other year.聽It won鈥檛 be her last, either. Robinson already plans to attend the 2017 conference in Sydney, Australia.
Note: Main photo courtesy of Sam Oldenburg, Center for Gifted Studies
