NEWS
19th ECHA Conference
Expanding Horizons: The
Odyssey of Talents and Gifts
The Equity in Gifted Education project participating in the 19th ECHA Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece, where were presented the project’s strategies for supporting gifted students from low socioeconomic backgrounds
The 19th ECHA Conference, taking place during 28 – 31 August 2024 in Thessaloniki, Greece, brought together educators, researchers, and experts in gifted education to explore innovative strategies under the theme “Expanding Horizons: The Odyssey of Talents and Gifts.” This event provided a platform for sharing insights and fostering collaboration in the field. Among the projects presented was also the Equity in Gifted Education project, which focuses on improving the identification and support of cognitively gifted students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and migration families. During the conference, EGE partners successfully established valuable partnerships and received constructive feedback on the project’s methodologies, further enhancing the commitment to fostering equity in gifted education.
ECHA Conference theNetherlands
2nd October.
The Equity in Gifted Education project participated in the ECHA Conference in Nijmegen, the Netherlands on the 2nd of October, where Birgit Broekhoven (project leader) presented the project’s strategies.
ECHA Netherlands Presentation EGE Project The issue our EGE project focuses on is equity in gifted education. We want to make an impact on micro, meso and macro level nationally and Europe-wide.
At all levels, the strategy of our project is to involve educators and parents, and to connect educational practice and research. If these activities would be carried out in a single country it would be impossible to get awareness on equity in gifted education at an international, European level. By working in various countries, the impact EU-wide will be an important objective and have a realistic chance to grow. To spread awareness and create impact at meso level, we had the opportunity to do a presentation on the project at the European Council for High Ability (ECHA) conference in Nijmegen, the Netherlands on 2 nd October 2024. During this day, ECHA Practitioners/Specialists in Gifted Education came together and there was plenty of sharing of knowledge and exchange of experience. After the conference, visitors were fully informed of developments in the field. In short, the ECHA conference was an excellent opportunity for us to spread word about the EGE project.
Teacher Training in Prishtina
On November 19-20, 2024, teachers from Kosovo and Ireland began training in Prishtina as part of the Erasmus+ project Equity in Gifted Education, with a
focus on academic language development.
Advancing Equity in Gifted Education: International Teacher Training in Pristina From November 19th to 21st, 2024, educators from Ireland, Kosovo, and the
Netherlands gathered in Pristina to address the challenges of supporting gifted students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Led by trainers Birgit Broekhoven and Lineke van Tricht, this workshop brought together teachers from various levels, from primary to secondary education.
The training began with an introduction to the EGE program and a recap of the Erasmus+ project “Creating Equal Opportunities at Schools.” Throughout the training teachers collaborated to create academic word lists using textbooks from subjects like biology, history, geography, and language studies. They worked first in country teams and then in international groups, sharing insights and cultural exchanges, including a fun activity where they taught each other academic terms in Albanian and Irish.
The second day focused on developing diverse exercises to engage students with academic vocabulary, inspired by the Dutch academic program. By the end of the workshop, participants left with practical exercises to try in their classrooms and new ideas for further development. This workshop marks an important step in piloting strategies aimed at creating more equitable opportunities for all gifted learners, ensuring that every student can achieve their full potential!
Teacher Training in Belgium
On September 26, 2024, Dutch and Flemish teachers started with the firsttraining in Antwerp for the Erasmus+ project Equity in Gifted Education, focusing on academic language and identification of cognitive talent.
One of the activities in Erasmus+ project Equity in Gifted Education is training teachers, in order to prepare them for teaching the academic language programme. On Thursday 26th September 2024 this training started for Dutch and Flemish teachers and took place in Antwerp, Belgium.
A group of Dutch and Flemish teachers met and learned about the scientific as well as the societal urgency of teaching academic language. By doing a test, the teachers underwent what it means to lack academic language. Then they checked their own textbooks and workbooks on academic language as
opposed to domain-specific language. During the second part of the training, the teachers were i ntroduced to the academic language programme and developed a mini lesson which they tried out with the participants. The last part of the programme was an introduction into the COVAT, the cognitive abilities test developed by Marlies Tierens of Thomas More University of Applied Sciences. She explained the process of administering the COVAT and showed the online tool.
All in all, it was an active start of the activities in the Equity in Gifted Education project. In March the group will meet again, exchange experiences, and learn more.