Challenge for All Professional Learning Series
(Flex and Summer Intensive courses)
Our approach extends beyond stand-alone workshops to help ensure international educators have the necessary support to do their best teaching, coaching, coordinating, and leading. Flexible, asynchronous courses with job-embedded tasks meet you where you are with three distinct entry points (foundations, applications and specializations). Four course cycles fit the busiest of schedules (fall, winter, spring, and summer intensive sessions).
45 Professional development hours and 3 graduate credit hours* through The State University of New York (SUNY) are available following successful course completion.
*To receive graduate credit for Level 3, two of the specialization areas must be completed and acceptance to SUNY’s non-degree seeking program is required
Level 1:
Foundations
Three Entry Points
A sequence of courses designed for school educators and administrators, the Challenge for All Series focuses on understanding, planning for and responding to the academic and social and emotional needs of highly able learners in the international school context.
Level 2:
Applications
Level 3:
Specializations
Time Commitment: Choose the option that fits best with your busy schedule.
Take your time.
Prefer to progress through a course at your own pace, ramping up when you have extra time during a break and stepping away from the course at busy times of the year?
Although you are free to complete the course as quickly as you like, if you need the flexibility of a 9-week block of time in which to comfortably complete your course, the flex series is the right option for you.
Speed it up.
Prefer to have a shorter, more intense block of time in which to learn? Do you find that it is more difficult for you to stay on track and complete work when there is too much flexibility in the timeline?
If you need the focused due dates of a 3-week block of time in which to expeditiously complete your course, the summer intensive series is the right option for you.
Meet Your Facilitators
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Anita Churchville is an educational consultant specializing in inclusion for international schools and is the founder of the HAGT Learners Collaborative. She previously created and coordinated the Gifted and Talented Education programs at the American School of Bombay, the American School of Doha, and Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador. In addition, she served as a Program Specialist, supporting over a dozen schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District in California.
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Dr. Selena Gallagher is the PK-12 Challenge and Enrichment Specialist at Cairo American College. She has co-authored a guidebook for international schools on highly able learners, and is a contributing editor for the Springer International Handbook of Giftedness and Talent Development in the Asia-Pacific.
Level 1: Foundations
This course is an ideal introduction for schools and educators who are just beginning the journey in addressing the needs of highly able learners.* You will develop an understanding of this unique population and explore key myths and misconceptions that may present as barriers to action in supporting these learners. We will address the thorny questions of identification and labelling while supporting you in developing a philosophy that aligns with your individual school context.
*Past participants of the Challenge for All Summit or other HAGT workshops and conferences may also find this to be a useful refresher and consolidation of theories and concepts.
Topics
Research, Theories and Frameworks for Understanding Giftedness
Types and Profiles of Giftedness, Including Underachievement and Motivation
Myth-Busting of Common Misconceptions
Identification (Measurement Tools and Characteristics)
Talent Development as an Inclusive Whole-School Approach
Social and Emotional Considerations
Overexcitabilities and Physiological Factors
Level 2: Applications
Building on Level 1 (Foundations), this course provides a practical introduction to essential strategies for meeting the needs of highly able learners. Suitable for classroom teachers as well as program coordinators.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of CFA Level 1, past participation in a Challenge for All Summit, past participation in other HAGT PD, or an equivalent level of prior learning.
Topics
Pre-Assessment
Curriculum Compacting
Advanced Differentiation
Acceleration
Depth and Complexity
Twice-Exceptionality and English Language Learners
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support
Level 3: Specializations
Designed for experienced classroom practitioners and those with a responsibility for developing or maintaining a highly able/gifted & talented program at their schools, options at this course level provide opportunities to develop expertise in topics of special interest.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Level 2 or an equivalent level of prior learning.
NOTE: You will need to sign up for 2 courses from the Level 3 options IF…
you are taking the courses for SUNY graduate credits OR
you are registering for the Summer Intensive courses
Level 3 Specialization Options
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Curriculum Telescoping
Discover how to implement curriculum telescoping—an effective grade-based acceleration strategy where advanced students rapidly progress through predetermined content timelines without skipping material—in this focused professional development course designed to enhance your instructional practices for highly able learners learners.
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Program Development /Application
Master the collaborative process of building sustainable gifted/highly able education programs through this leadership-focused course exploring talent development approaches alongside traditional gifted program models, equipping you with the self-assessment and team-building strategies needed to create lasting positive change for highly able learners in your school community.
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Enrichment Classes and Projects
Discover how to design and implement engaging enrichment classes, groups, and projects that allow highly able students who have already mastered basic curriculum to explore advanced concepts at their own pace. This is an ideal solution when acceleration options aren't suitable for your school’s philosophy or individual student profiles.
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Gifted Readers
Discover how to identify, understand, and nurture gifted readers in this practical course that explores their distinctive characteristics, examines key instructional challenges, and provides strategic approaches for connecting these exceptional students with high-quality literature that will encourage their continued growth as sophisticated readers.
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Gifted Mathematicians
Develop your skills in recognizing and nurturing mathematical talent across elementary, middle, and high school settings through this comprehensive course that explores the characteristics of highly able mathematicians, effective identification strategies tailored to your specific school context, and research-based approaches to supporting these students' unique learning needs.