8:30 - 9:00 Check-in and pick up program
9:00 - 12:00 Children’s morning session
9:00 - 10:30 Welcome, MCGT Friend of the Gifted Award, Layne Kalbleisch Keynote Address
10:45 - 11:45 Adult Breakout Session I
11:45 - 12:30 Lunch for adults and students
12:30 - 1:20 Richard Rusczyk Keynote Address
1:30 - 1:50 MCGT Annual Meeting
1:30 - 4:30 Children’s afternoon session
2:00 - 3:00 Adult Breakout Session II
3:15 - 4:15 Adult Breakout Session III
4:40 - 5:00 Book Swap session for students
All day Vendors & information
ADULT REGISTRATIONS CAN BE MADE ON LINE UP TO THE DATE BEFORE THE CONFERENCE. CHILD REGISTRATIONS AND LUNCH CHOICES ARE NOW CLOSED.
Children’s Program: Open only to children of registered adults who attend the conference. Kids in kindergarten through 7th grade must pre-register. They will choose a morning and an afternoon class led by experienced teachers - course descriptions. There are no facilities for children younger than kindergarten. Older kids may register to attend adult sessions or sign up to be volunteers in various areas of the conference (including assisting teachers in one of the kids’ classes or helping set up and clean up). Contact Shari at crowriver@mcgt.net for more information on volunteer opportunities at the conference.
Lunch: All will eat together in the school’s cafeteria. Please mark lunch choices on the registration form.
Exhibitors and Vendors: Arete Academy, Concordia Language Villages Friedrichs Education, Mad2Glad, MCGT (books from a number of publishers), Midwest Talent Search ,Mitch Maguire/Forward Progression Education, Tyler Institute, Usborne Books and more. (Some vendors may not be able to take credit card orders.)
Information and Catalogs: Best Prep, Destination Imagination, Educational Impressions, Free Spirit Publishing, Great Potential Press, Intermediate District 287, Mensa, Mindware, Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation, Minnesota College Savings Plan, MCGT Homeschoolers Chapter, National Association for Gifted Children, Pieces of Learning, Prufrock Press, University of St. Thomas College of Education, Youth Enrichment
League and more.
Cost: $55 for members, $70 for non-members (but pay the member rate if you join with your registration), $25 for second adult in the same family and $35 for each child in kindergarten through seventh grade whose parent(s) or guardian is attending the Conference. The fee includes lunch and snack. Credit cards may be used if registering
online.
Incentive for early registration: If you register by Oct. 16 (postmark or timestamp) you are entitled to pick up on the day of the conference a coupon for $2.00 off a purchase made at the MCGT table.
ADULT REGISTRATION
√ Each participant must register, using one registration form
per family.
√ Those who are not members of MCGT, or whose membership has expired, may join when they register.
√ Check out information on keynote speakers.
√ Indicate lunch preferences.
√ Registration deadline is October 26, 2015 to guarantee a lunch.
STUDENT REGISTRATION
√ Every child must register and attend with parent or guardian who isregistered for the conference. Postcards will be sent by November 1st to confirm each child’s class choices.
√ Cost per child is $35.00.
√ Registrations with postmarks of October 16 or earlier will be considered first-day registrations and given equal consideration for class choices. Postmarks will determine placements after that until classes are filled.
√ There are no facilities for children under kindergarten age.
√ Indicate lunch preferences.
√ Registration deadline is October 26, 2015.
Promotional Flyer: Conference Flyer
2015 Keynote Speakers –
Morning Keynote Speaker – Layne Kalbfleisch
Gifted, Twice Exceptional, and The Study of Each (Both) – Emerging Insights from Cognitive Neuroscience – An active question alive in the field centers on aspects of giftedness that may mimic behavioral qualities of psychological, learning, or psychiatric conditions. How do you discern between giftedness and impairment based on behavior? How can you characterize twice-exceptionality more precisely (in cases of specific learning disability, dyslexia, attention disorder, and autism spectrum disorder)? What is the nature of asynchrony in some gifted children? Recent evidence suggests that asynchrony is connected to the relationship between certain aspects of intelligence and executive function. In fact, this relationship may account for many of the idiosyncrasies we observe about giftedness on the individual level and provide a pragmatic means for bridging the gaps between assessment, identification, and support in both the classroom and the therapeutic environment. While this work is newly emerging and in progress, based on information from the most recent neuroscience in the study of giftedness and of twice exceptionality, new information will be presented that offers the listener distinct pathways for inquiry, insight, and new understanding.
Afternoon Keynote Speaker – Richard Rusczyk
Problem Solving: A 21st Century Education – The professional landscape moves quickly now, and will move much faster in the world today's students will shape. Preparing students for these rapid changes requires more than simply imparting speciXic skills that may quickly be obsolete. In this address, Rusczyk will discuss the shortcomings of the traditional approach to math education, and remedies to help prepare students for rigorous college classes and competitive careers. While the talk will focus on math-related topics, many of the issues we'll discuss are relevant to other areas of study.
Richard Rusczyk is the founder of Art of Problem Solving, co-author of The Art of Problem Solving textbooks, director of USA Mathematical Talent Search, and a co-creator of the Mandelbrot Competition. In 2012, he won the MATHCOUNTS distinguished alumnus award. He will also facilitate a morning workshop with the kids and an afternoon session for adult attendees.
Photo Release
By attending the 2015 MCGT Annual Conference, attendees agree to allow their names, likenesses and images either in audio, photographic or video format, recorded onsite during the conference to be used by MCGT for educational, promotional, and archival purposes.