Seminars & Events

Each year we provide 3 to 4 Free Parent Seminars and 1 Educator Seminar per Term.

The parent seminars are developed with the same approach as the educator seminars with a focus on best practices for advocating and working alongside schools and teachers.

Parent-carer initiatives provide a space for parents and families to come together to share their experiences and learn from others. These may include seminars and workshops on topics such as developmental milestones, educational options, best practices in developing strong school-family relationships, assessments and career counseling.

Using research-based recommendations, the parent seminars aim to connect parents with their children and their children’s teachers, serving to not only strengthen community engagement but to also help build parental confidence in schools.

The seminars provide both a platform for parents to gain essential resources to support their parenting journeys and act as a forum in which individual parents can connect with other parents in similar situations to share their stories in a safe and supportive environment.

These seminars aim to set high standards for teachers and students and employ evidence-based strategies to support gifted and talented students.

The educator seminars on identification are relevant to all educators of kindergarten to Year 12 learners, including pre-service teachers, casual relief teachers, and early childhood professionals.

The VAGTC teacher seminars are aligned to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and meet the requirements under the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). All registered participants who complete the seminar will receive a VAGTC Certificate of Attendance, citing the relevant standards addressed under the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

For educators, professional development seminars and workshops range from the identification of high capacity students to understanding and working with assessments. Through our seminars, educators will learn how to interpret educational psychologist reports, and develop individualized learning plans, as well as working with families to support gifted children and young people’s education.

For example, identification for students who are gifted and talented includes identification of underachievers, EAL and culturally diverse students, as well as students with high capacity but present with learning challenges.

VAGTC also offers Tailored Seminars for Schools, Parent Consultations, and Mentoring for High-Ability Leaders.

Upcoming Seminars

April 23, 2024
19:30 -
21:00

It can be challenging navigating the complexities of making sure your gifted child has access to appropriate schooling and educational provisions. This seminar will give you practical tips and advice for proactively building positive relationships with the staff at your child’s school, as well as effective communication strategies for handling difficult situations. We will also discuss the importance of documenting dialogue with the school in the form of keeping records of important discussions and decisions. The workshop will be interactive, so please bring your questions!

ONLINE

Free Parent Seminar

Funded by the Department of Education

May 22, 2024
19:30 -
21:00

As parents of a gifted child, it can help to know what types of provisions schools could and do make for gifted children. This workshop will take you through some options for gifted programming, regardless of the sector of education your child’s school is in (government, independent, Catholic), from the classroom to external activities and competitions. The workshop will be interactive, so please bring your questions!

ONLINE

Free Parent Seminar

Funded by the Department of Education

May 28, 2024
19:30 -
21:00

School Reluctance/refusal ( Panel - Psych, Victoria (as parent) and past student - Isabelle (Victoria’s 24 y.o. daughter)

School refusal is a common struggle for gifted children which may stem from a variety of factors, including perfectionism, asynchronous development, heightened sensitivity, social anxiety and mismatched educational environments. During the session, we will hear from a psychologist, a parent and a gifted young adult and will explore the crossover between giftedness and school refusal. By examining the underlying causes, identifying early warning signs, and discussing effective strategies for prevention and intervention we can better support our young gifted students.This informative session is primarily for parents, but is equally helpful for educators and well-being coordinators

ONLINE

Free Parent Seminar

Funded by the Department of Education

June 13, 2024
19:30 -
21:00

Parents of a twice-exceptional child, who possesses both high intellectual abilities and a learning difference or disability, often have specific concerns and questions about how to best support their child’s unique needs. If you are a parent or educator wanting to learn more about how to support your child/student, please join us for an informative discussion session. The session will include how to advocate for your child, how to balance strengths and challenges, supporting their social-emotional well-being and more.

ONLINE
None at this time
Please keep checking back on this page and our socials for added seminars throughout the year and beyond.

Past Seminars & Events

Funded by the Department of Education

March 18, 2024
19:30 -
21:00

It can be challenging navigating the complexities of making sure your gifted child has access to appropriate schooling and educational provisions. This seminar will give you practical tips and advice for proactively building positive relationships with the staff at your child’s school, as well as effective communication strategies for handling difficult situations. We will also discuss the importance of documenting dialogue with the school in the form of keeping records of important discussions and decisions. The workshop will be interactive, so please bring your questions!

ONLINE
March 12, 2024
16:30 -
18:30

Amy Horneman and Claire Reid
Cost: ($30 for non members / $10 for VAGTC members

As educators we feel obliged to justify extending the learning of students who seem very capable, and so we turn to quantitative data measures such as standardised testing (PAT, NAPLAN etc) or classroom assessment grades and scores. This session will provide you with practical ideas ways of identifying giftedness beyond numerical data. You will have the opportunity to workshop using observational and behavioural checklists, and triangulating alternative (and qualitative) data sources in order to better identify giftedness in the students within your classrooms. The workshop will be interactive, so please bring your questions!

 

 

ONLINE

Thursday 9 November 7:00pm - 8:45pm

7:00pm VAGTC President Kathy Harrison will speak on what the VAGTC has achieved this year.

7:30pm formal business. Observers welcome but only VAGTC members may vote.

If you are a non-member but would like to sign up for any of the evening, especially the free discussion time, please register using the following link.

https://www.trybooking.com/CMXCK

AGM - Discussion Time

8:00 pm

In conjunction with this year's AGM, we are offering both members and other interested people the opportunity to join in informal discussion with members of the VAGTC committee.  Participants will be able to join a room of their choice or split their time between rooms.

Break-out Room 1: VHAP Come and meet with two current teachers and original curriculum writers of the Victorian High Ability Program ("VHAP").  Claire and Kathy are also presenters of the VAGTC parent and educator seminars.  Questions, suggestions and ideas welcome!

Break-out Room 2: Vision Come and meet with the current creative dream team - Laura, Karen and Amy - that designs, collects articles, edits and puts together the magnificent Vision magazine. Questions, suggestions for topics, contributors, and ideas on how to include student voice welcome.

Break-out Room 3: Variety of sector perspectives In this room you can meet with curren highly knowledgeable educators from the State, Catholic, Independent and home education sectors.  Bernadette, Susan and Victoria are keen to engage with you on any subject to do with supporting gifted students in their settings.

Come and hear from a diverse group of gifted and high-ability young people as they share insights that will enlighten and inspire those who work with them.

Light Refreshments provided

Registrations are essential by Wednesday 17th May

CHES (Centre for Higher Education Studies), 669 Chapel St, South Yarra VIC 3141

Seminars for educators, teachers, pre-service and CRT teachers

These seminars aim to set high standards for teachers and students and employ evidence-based strategies to support gifted and talented students.

The educator seminars on identification are relevant to all educators of kindergarten to Year 12 learners, including pre-service teachers, casual relief teachers, and early childhood professionals.

The VAGTC teacher seminars are aligned to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and meet the requirements under the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT). All registered participants who complete the seminar will receive a VAGTC Certificate of Attendance, citing the relevant standards addressed under the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

For educators, professional development seminars and workshops range from the identification of high capacity students to understanding and working with assessments. Through our seminars, educators will learn how to interpret educational psychologist reports, and develop individualized learning plans, as well as working with families to support gifted children and young people’s education.

For example, identification for students who are gifted and talented includes identification of underachievers, EAL and culturally diverse students, as well as students with high capacity but present with learning challenges.

As part of the VAGTC Membership, You are eligible for Free Membership at the Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented (AAEGT). To Receive this, you agree to pass on to them my email address, contact number, and postal address.