learning tools

The amount of time, audience and arrangement of groups is personalized for your school's needs.


teacher resources

Included in the workshop or presentation fee is a pre-visit discussion regarding the topics, audience, purpose, goals and level of concept information to be shared. This communication may be done by phone, email or in person and helps me meet your needs.

At this point, we also plan for the time required and costs. All handouts and samples needed are prepared by me. It is the responsibility of the school contact person to copy any packet materials I send and provide any technology, or other papers agreed upon. This varies by school.

gifted intervention activities

Workshop and presentation activities may be done as topics, or combined to provide connections among the different ideas. They also may be applied to specific subject areas, or in a general format. Building teacher confidence in meeting the needs of gifted and high ability children, by providing step-by-step support, is one of my goals. The exciting thing about the sessions, is that your staff can leave the meeting and be able to apply something to their classroom the next day... and grow.

Opportunities are available for sessions on helping students and parents understand the implementing of new differentiation, questioning, thinking skills and presentation formats. When they clearly appreciate the purpose, options, flexibility, use of creative and critical thinking and the challenges available, the program is more successful.

tiering compacting student contracts
  • General overview ­ what it is? What it isn't?
  • Assessments and Rubrics for differentiation
  • Management strategies ­ grading, record-keeping
  • Introduction for student understanding
  • Introduction for parent understanding
  • Curriculum compacting
  • Tiered assignments and ways to present them
  • Differentiating products
  • Differentiating content
  • Differentiating process
  • Independent study and developing contracts
  • Tic-Tac-Toe and Think Dots activity preparation
  • Cubing
  • Jigsaw
  • Creating cross-curricular literature based units
  • Using literature to support and enhance all subject areas
  • Developing differentiated learning centers and stations
  • Thinking about thinking ­ thinking skills for teachers and students
  • Questioning for teachers and students
  • Using Blooms to create questions and plans that provide differentiation
  • Gardner's Multiple Intelligences ­ overview and creating lessons
  • Themes and generalizations in units and lessons: cross-curricular and cross grade
  • Tony Ryan's Thinking Keys
  • RAFT
  • Paul's Reasoning
  • SCAMPER
  • Using literature circles and "circles" in other subject areas
  • Employing the "Totally Ten" idea in differentiation of any subject
  • Parent workshops: Understanding differentiation, Blooms for parents, summer thinking activities, school requests
differentiation workshop

The cost for the presentations and/or workshops is based upon the amount of preparation time, unique materials and the hours at the site, as well as the mileage and any other special requirements for the individual sessions. After we have discussed your particular needs, the actual cost can be determined. You receive an invoice for your business office. In addition, I send an outline of the plan we create, which lists the areas for which I am responsible and anything which you need to do for the day. As the session times near, I forward any materials that need to be copied and touch base with you again to make sure we have all the necessary pieces in place before our time together. It is important that the day is good for you, the organizer, as well as the staff.