At the 2024 National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Annual Convention in Seattle, WA, the Professional Learning Network honored a team of researchers with the prestigious Network Award for their groundbreaking work on Project Appalachian Coders. This award celebrates sustained and impactful professional learning initiatives that equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to excel in gifted education.

Project Appalachian Coders is a five-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program. Its primary aim is to empower in-service teachers to effectively integrate computational thinking (CT) into their classrooms, emphasizing the needs of gifted learners and striving for inclusivity across all student demographics. Central to this project is the use of Code.org’s professional learning programs and resources. The research team includes Principal Investigator Dr. Carla Brigandi from West Virginia University, together with co-investigators Dr. Karen Rambo-Hernandez of Texas A&M, Dr. Jiangmei Yuan of Pennsylvania State University, and Doctoral Candidate Maryann Hebda from Baylor University.

Characteristics of Effective Professional Learning

The success of Project Appalachian Coders stems from its alignment with research-backed principles of effective professional learning, which are essential for improving teacher efficacy and practice. Key elements of effective professional learning include:

1. Content Focus:
Professional learning activities should focus on subject matter and how students engage with content. For CT, this means equipping teachers with strategies to simplify complex concepts like coding and computational logic, making them accessible to young learners.

2. Active Learning:
Effective professional learning prioritizes hands-on engagement. Teachers should actively participate in activities such as exploring coding resources, experimenting with tools, and coding, rather than passively attending lectures. 

3. Coherence:
Professional learning must align with educators’ existing knowledge, beliefs, and broader school or district goals. For example, schools prioritizing mathematics can benefit from integrating CT into math instruction, fostering cohesive and complimentary teaching practices.

4. Duration:
Sustained engagement over time is essential, with effective professional learning programs requiring a minimum of 20 contact hours spread across a semester or longer. Professional learning activities offered in smaller, consistent increments ensures that teaches have time to implement new strategies, reflect on their practice, and make iterative improvements.

5. Collective Participation:
Engaging teams of teachers from the same grade level or school fosters a collaborative learning environment. Teachers learn from and with one another, strengthening their practices through shared insights and challenges. This collective approach was a cornerstone of the project’s design.

Innovations in CT Professional Learning
Most CT professional learning programs primarily rely on initial workshops, with varying degrees of ongoing support. Although some programs provide follow-up coaching or peer collaboration (e.g., Jocius et al., 2022; Ketelhut et al., 2020; Luo et al., 2023; Nugent et al., 2022; Rich et al., 2021), others lack the sustained support necessary to achieve lasting change (e.g., Carter & Crockett, 2018; Roberts et al., 2018; Simmonds et al., 2019). Project Appalachian Coders transcended this limitation by implementing a comprehensive CT professional learning model that combined initial training with sustained mentoring and community building.

Teachers were introduced to the Code.org curriculum through immersive workshops that emphasized the fundamental principles of CT: decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithmic thinking. The program then provided ongoing assistance through various channels, including:
• In-person professional learning communities,
• Online instructional videos,
• Classroom visits and observations,
• Virtual and in-person mentoring sessions, and
• Support from in-school CT teacher leaders.

This holistic approach bridged the common disconnect between professional learning sessions and real-world classroom application, ensuring that teachers could seamlessly integrate CT into their daily teaching practices.

Impact and Implications

Preliminary findings from the project’s empirical studies suggest that sustained CT professional learning improves teachers’ confidence in teaching computational concepts and increases their use of CT practices in the classroom. Teachers reported feeling more prepared to integrate CT into core subjects like mathematics and science, and student engagement with CT activities improved significantly.

Moreover, Project Appalachian Coders underscores the importance of tailoring professional learning to diverse classroom contexts. By equipping educators with adaptable resources and fostering a collaborative learning community, the project demonstrates how sustained PL can drive meaningful change in both teaching practice and student outcomes.

Conclusion

The success of Project Appalachian Coders serves as a model for future initiatives aiming to blend professional learning with computational thinking. By adhering to evidence-based professional learning principles and emphasizing ongoing support, the project has advanced teacher efficacy and enriched classroom practices, particularly for gifted education. As computational thinking becomes an increasingly vital skill in today’s digital age, equipping educators with the tools to teach it effectively is not just beneficial—it is essential.

In honor of NAGC’s 70th anniversary, we asked Dr. Ann Robinson and Sheyanne Smith to contribute a series of blogs celebrating and remembering NAGC leaders. The third blog in this series looks at the contributions of an early NAGC leader, talent scout, and advocate for gifted education, Bill Vassar.

For a time, William “Bill” Vassar was a baseball scout for the Major League Baseball team, the San Francisco Giants. The job of a scout is to discover and recruit promising new players for the team. Scouts identify players through evaluating skills and potential for success within the organization. If a scout feels strongly that a player should have an opportunity to join the team, they go to the team manager and advocate for the prospect. He may have spent time in the stands of a baseball stadium, but Bill Vassar was a talent scout in more way than one. He campaigned to expand conceptions of giftedness, find students who were overlooked for services, and ensured teachers received appropriate training. Much like his eye for baseball, Vassar saw academic and creative potential in students and wanted opportunities for them to develop their talents. He championed gifted education at the local, state, and federal levels, and he provided service to the field by volunteering his time and expertise to organizations such as the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Vassar used the power of collective advocacy to move the needle in gifted education.  

William G. Vassar (1925-2004) began his educational career as a teacher, vice principal, and principal in Springfield, MA. In 1965, he was hired by the Massachusetts State Department of Education as the Senior Supervisor of the Academically Talented. After only one year, he was appointed as the State Director of Programs for the Gifted and Talented at the Connecticut State Department of Education. He was instrumental in the development of mandates and guidance for gifted programs in the state of Connecticut. To accompany state mandates, Vassar coauthored a 15-volume comprehensive plan for gifted students in the state of Connecticut titled “CONN-cept: Connecticut’s Programming for the Gifted and Talented.” According to his contemporaries, Vassar spent time going to superintendents’ offices around the state; he championed gifted programs to anyone who would listen—and to some who would not. He has been described by colleagues as a tenacious advocate for gifted students. He was passionate about ensuring gifted students had opportunities to be challenged. When he started in 1966, only four Connecticut towns provided gifted services to 500 students. Over the next 12 years, that number would expand to 114 programs and more than 5,000 students. Bill Vassar had a clear interest and knack for advocacy.

His fervor for gifted education did not stop at the state level. Vassar became involved with service organizations such as The Association for the Gifted (a Division of Council for Exceptional Children), Council for State Directors of Programs for the Gifted (CSDPG), and NAGC. Organizations such as these run on volunteer leaders providing their time and expertise. Vassar served as vice president and president of the NAGC from 1963-1968 and of the Association for the Gifted from 1969-1971. His volunteer work with NAGC allowed him opportunities to be involved in federal advocacy, as well as to consult with multiple states regarding policy. 

His relentless pursuit of opportunities for gifted students did not go unnoticed—he was selected to coordinate a 50-state survey for President Lyndon B. Johnson’s White House Task. Force on Gifted and Talented Education. He worked on this project from 1967-1968, but, according to a summary of milestones in gifted education by James J. Gallagher, the report from the task force was unfortunately never published. This work was not for naught. It was a precursor to the Marland Report, which led to the first federal definition of gifted and talented. Vassar served on a panel assisting Sidney Marland, and he provided a case study of program development in his state as part of the report. 

While we may not associate Vassar’s name with federal advocacy, the Marland Report, or classic texts in gifted education, his behind-the-scenes work was influential to the field. His service to gifted education through volunteer leadership roles in organizations, such as NAGC, made an impact on the field.  Advocacy comes in many forms, and volunteering for service is critical. Vassar is an example of using the power of grassroots movements with like-minded individuals to affect change. We can take a page from scout Bill Vassar’s playbook and come together as one. Sign up to volunteer for NAGC and be part of the movement. 

Sources Consulted

• Andree, B. (1978, Feb. 5). An advocate for the gifted: An interview with William Vassar. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/05/archives/connecticut-weekly-interview-an-advocate-for-the-gifted.html
•  Gallagher, J. J. (1994). (rep.). Current and historical thinking on education for gifted and talented students (pp. 83–107). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education. 
• “William G. Vassar Obituary”, Hartford Courant; Hartford, CT; December 1, 2004, via legacy.com (https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/hartfordcourant/name/william-vassar-obituary?pid=2872298)
  
  

Ann Robinson, Ph.D., is the Distinguished Professor and Founding Director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Dr. Robinson is also a past NAGC President, former editor of Gifted Child Quarterly, and the 2023 recipient of the 2023 Ann F. Isaacs Founder’s Award.

Sheyanne S. Smith is the High Ability Learning Specialist for the Nebraska Department of Education. She holds a bachelor’s of English and a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from Belmont University, and a Master’s of Education in Gifted, Talented, and Creative Education from University of Arkansas Little Rock. She is currently a doctoral student at William & Mary, specializing in gifted education administration. 

Early experiences matter! We know the preschool and early school years tremendously influence later life outcomes. We also know there are many unresolved questions about how best to support and provide access to advanced learning experiences for children who need them in the early years. As educators, policy makers, and caregivers . . . 

• How do we promote the image of the child as a competent and curious learner?
• How do we assess students’ strengths and talent areas in the early years?
• How do we match instructional needs with asynchronous development?
• How do we create socially just and equitable access to enriched and engaging learning opportunities in the early years?
• How do we build learning environments that promote inquiry and exploration?
• How do we successfully create school/family/community partnerships to promote optimal growth in all students?

Please join us by registering for NAGC’s Early Childhood Task Force Community Conversation on early childhood gifted education at 4 p.m. ET on October 28. Topics will include areas of alignment and tension between standards, policies, and practices in the early childhood and gifted education fields. We hope these conversations will bring people from the two fields together to collaborate on thinking about effective practices that challenge learners in all early childhood environments. 

We are interested in your input on what is happening and what perhaps should be happening, as well as ways NAGC can support young learners and their families and educators. During the Community Conversation, after a brief overview of the work of the NAGC Early Childhood Task Force, we will invite participants into breakout rooms to share their thoughts and experiences on questions such as these:

• What is happening in your context in relation to serving advanced young learners?
• What do you see as the most pressing concerns and the most important practices to employ?
• What would you like to see from NAGC?
  

 

The NAGC Early Childhood Task Force was established in June 2024. The charge from the NAGC Board of Directors is as follows:  

The Early Childhood Task Force (ECTF) is established as a time-limited group with the primary objective of providing the NAGC Board of Directors with an overview of key questions and options for supporting advanced development and talent in the early childhood years. The ECTF will address questions pertaining to areas of alignment and points of tension between the gifted education and early childhood fields; the needs of educators and caregivers who support advanced ability/talent development with this population; and sources of information for describing effective practices.

The Community Conversation is a first step to seek input and expertise regarding early childhood gifted education. The Task Force will also be hosting a Signature Session at NAGC 2024 entitled, “NAGC’s Early Childhood Task Force: Supporting Effective Practice in the Early Years,” at 11:15 AM on Friday, November 22, in Seattle. We will also be sending out a survey seeking input from those who are unable to join us for those events.

Anticipated outcomes of the Task Force work may include the following: 

• Recommendations for a revised Early Childhood Position Statement
• Questions for NAGC (Board and others) to consider regarding the degree to which NAGC standards do (or do not) reflect a developmental perspective
• Additional recommendations regarding actions the Board might consider for NAGC, including developing relationships with early childhood organizations, professional learning and outreach options, and avenues for further consideration of areas of tension. 

 

Members of the Early Childhood Task Force include:

• Co-Chairs: Catherine Little, Nancy Hertzog 
• Members: Megan Parker Peters, Kimberly Myles, Alicia Schroeder-Schock, Aimee Sulit, Kisha McCray, Kelly Kearney, Jennifer Williams
• NAGC Staff Liaison: Lacy Compton
  

We hope you’ll plan to join us October 28 at 4 p.m. ET for the Early Childhood Task Force Community Conversation!

Hey there, NAGC family! Our team couldn’t be more excited to join you at the NAGC 2024 Annual Convention in the beautiful city of Seattle! We’ve been gearing up for the Creativity Network’s Super Sunday session, titled "Concocting Creativity: The Secret Recipe Revealed!", and trust us—it’s going to be nothing short of spectacular! Get ready for a dynamic, fun-filled, and insightful experience where we’ll dive deep into the world of gifted education, innovation, and creativity. Buckle up because we’ve packed this session with exciting takeaways, fresh ideas, and a few surprises to keep you on your toes!

This session is all about unleashing creativity and critical thinking in gifted learners. Picture curiosity simmering, critical thinking bubbling, and creativity overflowing as students face “impossibilities” with a dash of strategic brilliance. We’ll be your team of “chefs,” cooking up a menu of practical strategies and activities that meaningfully engage gifted learners in the creative process, spanning a variety of content areas.
Our secret recipe for learning experiences blends some of the finest ingredients from educational research. We’ll be using high-quality creativity theories and best practice gifted instructional strategies, mixing together the Williams’ model for Thinking and Feeling with the Torrance & Safter Incubation Model and stirring in elements of Kaplan & Gould’s Depth and Complexity with a dash of Visible Thinking. This concoction is designed to help students stretch their thinking, make connections, and embrace their full creative potential.

During the session, you will experience a teacher-tested, three-course learning experience based on the stages of the Incubation Model:
1. Heightening Anticipation
2. Deepening Expectations
3. Keeping It Going

After each "course," we’ll reveal how our secret recipe nurtures the thinking and feeling process through a specific content area while incorporating Williams’ Modes of Teaching. You’ll see firsthand how these strategies are designed to engage even the most advanced learners in critical thinking and creativity.

We also recognize that gifted learners can sometimes be sensitive to frustration and anxiety when faced with setbacks. So, we’ll be serving up a side of resilience-building tools and strategies to help them embrace challenges and view learning as a journey, not just a destination.

By the end of our session, you won’t just leave with ideas—you’ll walk away with a collection of recipe cards packed with content-rich, creative learning experiences that go far beyond bland assignments and junk-food exercises. These recipe cards will provide you with practical, hands-on activities that will inspire your students to think critically and creatively. Along with these, you’ll also have a ready-to-use template for designing and sharing your own "concoctions of creativity," ensuring your classroom is always buzzing with innovation.

But that’s just the start. You’ll leave the session not only energized but armed with a menu of teacher-tested strategies specifically crafted to challenge and engage gifted learners at every level. We’ll dive deep into how setbacks can be transformed into powerful catalysts for creativity, offering resilience-building techniques that encourage students to see obstacles as opportunities for growth. You’ll explore our secret recipe, which blends creativity theories with best practices to ensure your lessons remain meaningful and engaging for even the most advanced students. We’ll show you how to personalize these strategies, so you can craft your own unique learning experiences that will motivate and inspire your students.

And this is where the true transformation happens. We’ll help you shift from the educational equivalent of fast food—those uninspired, one-size-fits-all assignments—to passion-driven learning that sparks your students’ curiosity and feeds their hunger for discovery. You’ll learn how to turn your classroom into a dynamic space where every lesson becomes a satisfying and enriching experience. By the time we’re done, you’ll be equipped to serve up your own blend of creative learning that transforms even the most routine school days into something truly extraordinary.

Now, let me introduce you to the dream team of “chefs” who’ll be guiding you through this extraordinary culinary adventure:

Dr. Brian Housand, the tech-savvy professor from UNC Wilmington, has been revolutionizing the integration of technology in gifted education for over two decades. He’s presented in 40 states and internationally and is the co-author of Using the Schoolwide Enrichment Model with Technology. Whether you’re a Star Wars lover or a fan of all things Disney, Brian is sure to keep you entertained while delivering powerful strategies.

Andi McNair, our innovation expert, is on a mission to change education. Author of Genius Hour and A Meaningful Mess, she brings an infectious energy to the room. Andi’s all about empowering learners to take charge of their education, and she’s ready to share how you can make that happen in your own classroom.

Stephanie Higgs, also known as Little Miss Gifted, is an award-winning educator and instructional coach who is all about arts integration and creative teaching. Her experience in weaving arts into learning proves that education is limitless. Stephanie’s ready to show you how thinking outside the box can unlock new possibilities for your students!

Justin Mitchell, an 8th grade Social Studies teacher and Gifted & Talented Coordinator from Kentucky, is a master at making history come alive. A 2021 Kentucky History Teacher of the Year and a leader in education policy, Justin is here to connect the dots between gifted education, history, and creativity.

So, get ready for a Super Sunday that’s going to be jam-packed with inspiration, collaboration, and a whole lot of fun! Don’t miss our session, "Concocting Creativity: The Secret Recipe Revealed!" We can’t wait to see you there and share everything we’ve been cooking up. See you soon, Seattle!

The European Council for High Ability held its biannual conference this past August in Thessaloniki, Greece. The folks at CTY Greece at Anatolia College put on a fantastic event, filled with engaging workshops, numerous networking opportunities, and enlightening keynote addresses from leaders in gifted education, including Colm O’Reilly, Del Siegle, Franzis Preckel, and Amy Shelton. As a presenter, I aimed to effectively represent the work my colleagues and I are doing at Davidson Academy Online. However, as an attendee and the Curriculum Coordinator at DAO, I kept an eye out for innovations and information that I could bring back to my team. While I’ve dabbled in research, I’m still a practitioner at heart, so classroom-ready concepts were the most appealing. This year, talent development models were a major focus, and while these models are research-based, they truly shine in active educational settings, making them the perfect souvenir from Thessaloniki. 

Researchers have largely moved away from static concepts of giftedness in favor of multidimensional models that consider environmental, socio-affective, and opportunity-based factors. While this shift is generally positive, it hasn’t always been realized in either school settings or in broader cultural conceptions of giftedness. Older models—which focus on academic performance and rely heavily on IQ scores—create challenges for identifying gifted students. In these models, a child is either gifted or is not, and access to specialized educational opportunities is often restricted. Talent development models, however, take a broader approach, allowing teachers to focus less on identifying stereotypically gifted characteristics and more on creating environments that allow talent to flourish. Talent development models–such as Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, and Worrell’s (2021) Talent Development Megamodel and Preckel et al.’s (2020) Talent Development in Achievement Domains (TAD) Framework–encourage educators to cultivate abilities in specific domains and while also supporting the development of psychosocial skills. This emphasis on malleable talent and continuous growth is especially important for educators in gifted programs or self-contained classrooms, where gifted characteristics are well-known, and identification isn’t the driving purpose. Rather than simply teaching educators how to recognize innate abilities, talent development models can be used to train teachers how to foster and refine students’ domain-specific skills. 

This is where curriculum comes in. Unlike models of giftedness that focus on identification, talent development models offer classroom-ready applications and are approachable enough to be usable by teachers at all experience levels. Teachers become “talent scouts,” searching for potential in all students, and identification is on-going, as talent might be found in different domains at different points in a student’s development. Additionally, the phrase “talent development” is likely to be more palatable to stakeholders who might be skeptical of gifted education. Research on frameworks such as the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (Renzulli, 1977) has found that these approaches offer challenging and strength-based opportunities for all students (Reis & Peters, 2021). And since neither normative results or ceilings are defined within talent development models (Preckel et al., 2020), teachers can collaborate with students to set personalized goals and benchmarks, guiding them toward excellence in their chosen domains. 

The Schoolwide Enrichment Model is widely known in gifted circles, and frameworks such as TAD offer specific applications in domains such as mathematics, music, and the visual arts. However, teachers who don’t have a background in gifted education can still apply talent development principles effectively in their classroom via well-designed curricula and student-centered practices. Below are some recommendations based both on wisdom from the talent development models and the kind of practices we engage in at Davidson Academy Online. 

1. Utilize both diagnostic and formative assessment. Talent development models view giftedness as mutable, so continuous assessment is key. Diagnostic assessments help teachers understand students’ starting points, while formative assessments–such as portfolios, reflections, and rough drafts–allow teachers to monitor student progress and adjust the curriculum accordingly. Feedback from these assessments can help students to identify areas where they might need more support and where they’re ready for more challenge. 

2. Embrace differentiation. Differentiation is essential for talent development. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model advocates for curriculum compacting, which includes assessing students’ abilities, eliminating content they’ve already mastered, and replacing it with challenging alternatives. This method can be applied to all students, allowing teachers to serve multiple ability levels in one classroom. Student choice is another form of differentiation, one that embraces the idea that students' passions and interests play a role in talent development. While differentiation in a large classroom can be challenging, it can result in more satisfied students who are better equipped to reach their potential. 

3. Offer opportunities for real-world applications. Talent development models emphasize that talent can manifest both inside and outside of the classroom. It is crucial, therefore, that teachers find ways to marry what students are learning at school with skills that might be utilized in real-world scenarios. Teachers can achieve this through in-class project-based learning and through access to competitions, mentorships, and other talent-based extracurriculars. 

4. Build social-emotional learning and executive functioning training into the curriculum. Talent development models prioritize not only academic or artistic talent, but also the development of social and emotional skills. Strong psychosocial skills (e.g., motivation, concentration, self-confidence) are critical to the development of talent and can be cultivated by teachers and mentors. The TAD recommends that teachers work to minimize psychosocial delimiters (e.g., unproductive mindsets) and maximize enhancers (e.g., resilience, developed social skills). These skills are taught most effectively when they are integrated into the curriculum, meaning that activities should give students the opportunity to collaborate with their peers, take intellectual risks, struggle productively, and “fail well.” 

Many of these recommendations will not be new to veteran teachers, especially those familiar with gifted research. But for me, developing curricula based on talent development models is a significant shift away from traditional conceptions of giftedness. Rather than focusing on identifying a select few who meet predefined criteria, these models empower teachers to see potential in all students. This mindset can be useful for teachers who are in mixed ability classrooms but can be even more powerful for teachers in ability grouped settings who are hoping to find research-backed methods to nurture their students’ talents. Learning more about talent development models at ECHA reaffirmed that we’re on the right track at Davidson Academy Online, and I’m hopeful that these fresh insights will help me and my colleagues to continue refining our curriculum to better serve our students. 

Works Cited 
Preckel, F., Golle, J., Grabner, R., Jarvin, L., Kozbelt, A., Müllensiefen, D., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Schneider, W., Subotnik, R., Vock, M., & Worrell, F. C. (2020). Talent Development in Achievement Domains: A Psychological Framework for Within- and Cross-Domain Research. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(3), 691-722. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619895030

Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Worrell, F. C. (2021). The talent development megamodel: A domain-specific conceptual framework based on the psychology of high performance. In R. J. Sternberg & D. Ambrose (Eds.), Conceptions of giftedness and talent (pp. 425–442). Palgrave Macmillan/Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56869-6_24

Reis, S. M., & Peters, P. M. (2021). Research on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model: Four decades of insights, innovation, and evolution. Gifted Education International, 37(2), 109-141. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261429420963987