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GIFTED IN FRANCE

The joy of discovery is certainly the liveliest that
the mind of man can ever feel.
--Claude Bernard (1813-78) French physiologist.
August 13, 2010

PLASMA FUSION ELECTRIC POWER
Science workshop for Kids 9-14+ years-old, see info below.

Sunday September 5, 2010
For Ages and Time: Two groups, two different times:
9-10 years-old: 12h00-14h00 (up to 8 kids per session)
11-14+ years-old and up: 15h00-17h00 (up to 8 kids per session)
Location: near Radio France, 16th
RSVP: by email before August 27th, space limited.
PLASMA FUSION ELECTRIC POWER
Stephen M. Elliott

The development of plasma fusion power plants will provide an abundant and environmentally clean supply of electrical power. Once fully developed, this method of producing electrical power will produce more energy than is needed by our growing population, will not contribute to climate change, and avoids the problem of high level radioactive waste.

Steve Elliott will present a seminar on plasma fusion power. The seminar will cover basic fusion reactions, the principle of the tokamak fusion machine, several tokamaks in different countries, and the ITER tokamak being built in France.

If you are interested in the environment, energy, and big science, bring your ideas and join us. Steve's first workshop for GiF was in the fall of 2009 when he did a two-part series on Thought Experiment. He is based in Colorado and travels to Europe for his work once or twice a year.

More About Steve:
Stephen M. Elliott: In 1975 at the Scaife Nuclear Physics Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, Stephen M. Elliott started working in charged particle physics. During his career, Mr. Elliott has worked on the development of ion beam sources, electron guns, linear accelerators, field emitting devices, magnetron sputtering cathodes, and plasma and ion deposited thin film coatings. In 1991, he founded Thin Film Consulting to provide charged particle beam device design and thin film process development services. In 1993, Mr. Elliott began using Vector Fields software for space charge beam device development. Since then, he has developed models for the simulation of X-ray tubes, neutron generators, plasma and surface ion beam sources, electron guns, cavity resonators, klystrons, and ion spacecraft thrusters.

Related links to Fusion Power:

a. http://www-cadarache.cea.fr/gb/activites/fusion/

b. http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/fu/Fusion_power

See you soon!

Best regards,
Helen Sahin Connelly
President, Gifted in France

GIFTED in FRANCE

May 24, 2010

"When we all think alike, then no one is thinking."

--Walter Lippman

Dear Friends,

Please take a moment to read the following updates as we approach the end of the academic year and go our separate ways until the rentree!

FOR PARENTS: Three June webinars (see the 2 charts below) are coming up and they are likely to be of great interest to you on different levels, especially for those of you wanting to foster creativity at home, for those of you who are in the midst of exhausting the system trying to understand your gifted child’s puzzling issues, and for those of you struggling with twice exceptional (2E) kids (gifted children with learning or other issues). These recorded webinars, in power-point format, feature three highly respected experts in the gifted, educational, and mental professional community. They are well spoken, and one of the most interesting points each of them makes, regardless of the situation at hand, is not to overlook your child’s potential talents and not to take their areas of strengths for granted. Each webinar is information packed. Please note that there are morning and evening showings for each of the three webinars, so respond accordingly in the SUBJECT. Even though the month of June is full of many activities, I hope you’ll join me for the following presentations that will hopefully give you a leg-up on options and different perspectives you did not previously consider. The only trick is I need a minimum of 5 people to keep each presentation. Please send in your RSVP asap if you are available to join us. Please remember to update your membership so we can continue to purchase these kinds of webinars to enlighten ourselves and those around us. Membership is 30euros and it’s good for a year from the time you join. Email: giftedinfrance@gmail.com

FOR KIDS:

1. Gifted in France is in the middle of hosting its 3rd annual Paris Spelling Bee. We had 73 students from over 30 schools register for the preliminaries. They are heading to the finals on Sunday May 30th with 16 finalists in each group, which consists of children in CE2-CM2 and 6eme-4eme. We wish them luck. The event is only open to the contestants and their families.

2. Also, a reminder that on June 6th for kids 9+up there's a creativity workshop, which will combine words and visual arts: "Making Characters Jump off the Page" A Creativity Workshop for Kids 9+ with Cybèle Troyan and Cathy Altman Nocquet. Sunday June 6th 2-6pm (see end of page for details).

List of upcoming Webinars presentations by GiF, courtesy of SENG:
RECORDED WEBINARS	DATE	COST
Developing Your Child’s Creative Thinking Ability: Strategies for Parents (and teachers), with Dr. Joyce Juntune	Morning Presentation: Thursday June 3rd : 10h00-12h00 RSVP by May 31st	10€ for non GiF members, 5€ for members
	Evening Presentation: Thursday June 3rd: 19h30-22h00. RSVP by May 31st
Navigating the Quest for Help: Understanding Your Gifted Child’s Puzzling Behavior, with Dr. Steven Curtis	Morning Presentation: Thursday June 10th 10h00-12h00. RSVP latest by June 6th.	10€ for non members, 5€ for members
	Evening Presentation: Thursday June 10th, 19h30-22h00. RSVP latest by June 6th.
The 2E Enigma: How Do I Know My Child is 2E -- and How Can I Best Support Him/Her? With Susan Baum, Ph.D	Morning Presentation: Thursday June 17th: 10h00-12h00. RSVP latest by June 12th.	10€ for non members, 5€ for members
	Thursday June 17h: 19h30-21h00. RSVP latest by June 12th.
IMPORTANT NOTE: please be sure to note the morning or evening presentation in your RSVP and reply by the given deadline so we know whether or not to hold the presentation for that day. We need a minimum of 5 people to proceed. The presentations are by a laptop hookup to a tv monitor. Since the handouts/slides to these presentations are numerous, I’m not sure if I can guarantee copies for everyone. We’ll see how it goes.
These Webinars are provided by SENG, www.SENGifted.org. SENG is committed to sharing complex issues relating to the social and emotional needs of giftedness. Webinars reflect the opinions of their speakers and do not necessarily represent the philosophy of SENG. SENG invites your comments and discussion about these webinars.

BELOW ARE EXPLANATIONS OF THE WEBINARS:

Developing Your Child’s Creative Thinking Ability: Strategies for Parents with Dr. Joyce Juntune

Creative and innovative thinking are valued as skills in the workplace. Creativity also provides an important and necessary outlet for gifted children. What can parents do to make the development of creativity a natural part of family life? Join creativity expert Dr. Juntune for ways to have fun as a family while fostering creative and innovative thinkers. Joyce Juntune is a Lecturer in the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. She teaches graduate level courses in gifted education and undergraduate courses in creativity. Dr. Juntune was one of the developers of Project REACH – a staff development program for integrating creative thinking into content area classrooms, and served as its Director for 5 years. She bookmarkwas the Executive Director of the National Association for Gifted Children for ten years and the Executive Director of the American Creativity Association for six years. She has traveled extensively across the United States and Canada providing training to thousands of teachers in over 500 school districts in the areas of creative thinking, instructional improvement, differentiated curriculum, creative problem solving, and gifted education. She has also provided training in creative thinking and problem solving to law firms, hospital and health care professionals, corporate managers, small business owners and managers, and members of the transportation industry.

Navigating the Quest for Help: Understanding Your Gifted Child's Puzzling Behavior with Dr. Steven Curtis Parents of gifted children often struggle to understand how to best meet their son's or daughter's needs. When a gifted child has some type of puzzling behavior, or social or learning challenge, this struggle can intensify which can result in numerous visits with professionals and people in the know. This "quest for help" can be a very frustrating and exhausting experience. In this webinar, Dr. Curtis will begin with a description of the pathway of the "quest for help" that so many parents of gifted children take. This will be followed with a presentation on the common characteristics of gifted children, how gifted children are identified, common controversies and myths, and how gifted children are often misunderstood and mislabeled as having something else. Participants will then learn about possible educational options and ways to create/implement a strength-based strategy of success. The goal of this webinar is to help parents better understand the needs of their child, know how and when to intervene, have a better understanding of whom to turn to for help, and feel more empowered to help their gifted child find success. It will also empower positive communication between parents and educators. By participating in this webinar, parents and caregivers will find that the quest for help is much less costly and more effective in the long run. Dr. Steven Curtis is a Child Clinical Psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist. He has worked in medical, school, and university settings for 25+ years. He was trained at Utah State University and at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is the former Special Education Director at Seattle University and teaches part time at Antioch University. Dr. Curtis engages in private practice with Lifespan (www.lifespanps.com) and specializes in helping gifted children with Behavioral, Social and Learning Challenges.

The 2E Enigma: How Do I Know My Child is 2E -- and How Can I Best Support Him/Her? With Susan Baum, Ph.D An increasing number of gifted students experience learning disabilities, attention deficits or social and emotional issues. Simply addressing these difficulties without consideration of their advanced abilities is rarely effective. In this session we will: • Discuss the characteristics of 2E students including those gifted students with ADHD, learning disabilities, or Aspergers Syndrome. • Dispel the myths and misconceptions concerning their needs. • Introduce The Talent Centered Model for 2e Students, with specific strategies for helping parents and professionals meet the needs of these special youngsters. Susan Baum, Ph.D. is co-director of the International Center for Talent Development and Director of the National Institute for 2E Research and Development at Bridges Educational Center for twice exceptional education. Professor Emeritus from The College of New Rochelle, Susan is an expert in twice exceptional education. An international consultant, Susan is published in the areas of twice exceptional students, primary-aged gifted students, and social and emotional factors affecting gifted students. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Gifted Students and is past president and co- founder of the Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students.

Creativity Workshop for Kids 9+up: "Making Characters Jump off the Page"
with Cybèle Troyan and Cathy Altman Nocquet
Sunday June 6th 2-6pm
RSVP: directly with Cathy Altman Nocquet altman.nocquet@free.fr 06 99 85 40 98 – For more information, visit http://can.writing.free.fr/

Kids in this four-hour workshop will use words and visual arts in concert to make fully developed characters, then deploy them in a variety of poems, scenes and stories. What is unique about the friendship between the Ninja palm reader and the rutabaga minstrel across the room? Why are the lioness and rocking chair characters rivals? Work with new friends on this fun and surprising project, then present your creations to parents at the end of the session.
Cost: 22 euros
10% discount for GIF members and for siblings
Location: near La Motte Picquet Grenelle metro

Finally, here’s an interview with Wenda Sheard by SENG regarding her speaking engagement with Gifted in France last February. Her topic was Gifted Third Culture Children.

Best regards,

Helen Sahin Connelly
President, Gifted in France
giftedinfrance.blogspot.com
giftedinfrance@gmail.com

GIFTED IN FRANCE
January 15, 2010

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
– George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman (1903)

Dear Friends,

Gifted in France wishes you and your families a very Happy New Year.

I am thrilled to announce a special guest speaker event with Dr. Wenda Sheard who will be addressing a topic that is likely to be of great interest to many bi-cultural or multicultural families living in France. GiF members have priority, but the invitation will open up to non-members as well. Please RSVP as soon as possible if you can join us.

Gifted Third Culture Children:
Strategies for Meeting Educational, Social, and Emotional Needs
Guest Speaker: Wenda Sheard, J.D., Ph.D.
Past President of SENG
Tuesday 16 February, 2010
19h30-22h00

RSVP is mandatory: deadline February 10, 2010, Space is limited (members have priority)
EMAIL: giftedinfrance@gmail.com, Subject: Gifted Third Culture Kids
(please include your cell phone/emergency numbers with your RSVP)
LOCATION: 16eme, near Radio France
COST: 5€ for members, 10€ non-members

"Striking similarities exist between gifted children and third culture children. Children in both groups experience feelings of aloneness, feelings of knowledge beyond that of their classmates, and feelings of gaps between them and their classmates. Children in both groups experience clashes between their school environment and their learning needs. Dr. Sheard will share successful strategies for meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of children who are both gifted and living away from their home country. The presentation will include time for questions."

“Originally developed by sociologist/anthropologist Ruth Hill Useem over 40 years ago (Useem, 1999; see also Pollack & Van Reken, 1999), the concept of TCK (Third Culture Kids) refers to children who have lived outside their passport country with their parents during childhood; these children have blended elements of their passport culture and the foreign culture into a third culture (Kidd & Lankenau, n.d.). Pollack and Van Reken describe the third culture as an interstitial culture, a culture between cultures.”

Wenda Sheard, J.D., Ph.D., is a U.S. attorney, teacher, and mother of three gifted children. After practicing law for nearly twenty years, she earned a Ph.D. in political science with an emphasis on education policy. From 2004-2006, Dr. Sheard lived in Hangzhou, China and taught at an international school. She's currently living near London, England and teaching at an international school. She’s the immediate past president of SENG (www.sengifted.org), a recipient of an Ohio Association for Gifted Children award, a presenter at state and national gifted conferences, and a writer of articles about gifted children, including "Lessons from our kissing cousins: third culture kids and gifted children" published in Roeper Review in 2008. She has helped teach the highly gifted portions of on-line gifted education courses and has presented at teacher in-service days

We will be making a donation to SENG as a gesture for the support and guidance they give to countless families and professionals in the US and overseas through their online publications, webinars and DVDs. Now, they are extending their support to Gifted in France with Wenda Sheard’s special guest appearance.

We hope you can join us.

Best regards,

Helen Sahin Connelly
President, GiF
giftedinfrance.blogspot.com
giftedinfrance@gmail.com

GIFTED IN FRANCE
October 28, 2009

"The biggest mistake we make in life is to treat everyone equally when it comes to learning."
− Mel Levine

Gifted in France: Upcoming morning and evening presentations for November:

Please take a moment to review and RSVP ASAP the meetings that are of interest to you. These are recorded Webinar presentations that were purchased from SENG and will be shown on a screen via projector/laptop. We welcome and encourage spouses, caretakers, teachers and other professionals to attend these information rich meetings. Open to all, GiF members have priority. GiF is extremely grateful to SENG for addressing these topics that are seldom understood and seldom shared in such a complete manner.

Cost: 10€ for non-members, 5€ for GiF members. RSVP: giftedinfrance@gmail.com

Location: Near Radio France, 16eme arrondissement. Details upon RSVP. Please respond by the indicated deadlines for planning and security reasons. Some of these presentations will take place at Maison des Association du 16eme, also in the 16^th, so please be sure to check your RSVP confirmations for correct locations.

MORNING PRESENTATIONS
TOPIC	DATE OF PRESENTATION	RSVP giftedinfrance@gmail.com DEADLINE
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults Recorded Webinar Presentation by James T. Webb, PhD	Tuesday 10 November, 10h00-12h30	RSVP: Mandatory, by 6 November. Subject: Misdiagnosis. Space limited.
The Autonomous Learner Model for the Gifted and Talented Recorded Webinar Presentation George Betts, PhD	Thursday 12 November, 10h00-12h30	RSVP: Mandatory, by 7 November. Subject: The Autonomous Learner Space limited.
Understanding the WISC-IV: What EveryParent of a Gifted Child Should Know Recorded Webinar Presentation by Paul Beljan, PsyD, ABPdN, ABPN	Tuesday 24 November, 10h00-12h30	RSVP: Mandatory, by 18 November . Subject: Understanding WISC IV. Space limited.
EVENING PRESENTATIONS
TOPIC	DATE OF PRESENTATION	RSVP giftedinfrance@gmail.com DEADLINE
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses ofGifted Children and Adults Recorded Webinar Presentation by James T. Webb, PhD	Friday 13 November, 19h30-22h00	RSVP: Mandatory, by 8 November. Subject: Misdiagnosis. Space limited.
The Autonomous Learner Model for the Gifted and Talented Recorded Webinar Presentation George Betts, PhD	Friday 20 November, 19h30-22h00	RSVP: Mandatory, by 13 November. Subject: The Autonomous Learner. Space limited.
Understanding the WISC-IV: What Every Parent of a Gifted Child Should Know Recorded Webinar Presentation by Paul Beljan, PsyD, ABPdN, ABPN	Tuesday 24 November, 19h30-22h00	RSVP: Mandatory, by 17 November. Subject: Understanding WISC IV . Space limited.

DETAILS OF THE RECORDED PRESENTATIONS:

1. Common Misdiagnoses and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: What Parents, Educators and Psychologists Need to Know Presented by James T. Webb, PhD SENG Because they lack training, mental health professionals are misdiagnosing gifted and talented children and adults as having mental disorders. The characteristics of gifted/talented children and adults - particularly if not understood at school, home, or work - often are mistaken for significant behavioral or emotional problems that can be misdiagnosed as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Conduct Disorder, or Bi-Polar Disorder... Parents and educators, therefore, must become more informed about these issues. However, for other children and adults, their giftedness is related, but often overlooked, for diagnoses that are accurate such as Existential Depression, Bi-Polar, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, Sleep Disorders or Multiple Personality Disorder. That is, these children and adults do indeed have dual diagnoses - giftedness and some disorder. It is important that the aspects related to giftedness not be overlooked or misunderstood by professionals. This session provides information to help parents, educators, and health care professionals understand how they can differentiate gifted behaviors from behavioral pathology. Dr. Webb will describe commonalities and contrasts between the characteristics of gifted children and adults and the behaviors described in the DSM-IV that are used by mental health professionals to make differential diagnoses. In addition, Dr. Webb will discuss dual diagnoses and how treatment approaches with gifted children and adults often need to be modified. Dr. James T. Webb founded SENG in 1981, and is the lead author of award winning books including Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults, Guiding the Gifted Child, A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children, Grandparent's Guide to Gifted Children, and Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model. He was previously President of the American Association for Gifted Children, on the board of directors for the National Association for Gifted Children, President of the Ohio Psychological Association, and a member of the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Webb was recognized as one of the 25 most influential psychologists in a national survey published in Gifted Child Today. www.giftedbooks.com 2. The Autonomous Learner Model for the Gifted and Talented Presented by George Betts, Ed.D. SENG The Autonomous Learner Model is one of the leading models used in the field of gifted education. It was created by-and for-gifted kids. The flexible design of this model allows teachers, learners and parents to use this model in the school and in the home. The major goals are to meet the cognitive, emotional, and social needs of the gifted and talented and to facilitate the total growth as independent, self-directed learners. Not only is this webinar for teachers, parents and counseling professionals, but for students who seek to be autonomous learners. George Betts is a professor of special education in the area of gifted and talented education at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado, and former teacher/facilitator at Arvada West High School, Arvada, Colorado. He is the director of Center for the Education and Study of the Gifted, Talented, and Creative and the director of the Summer Enrichment Program at the University. He received the 1990-91 Distinguished Service Award from NAGC and was honored with the Life-Time Achievement Award by the Colorado Association for the Gifted and Talented in 1996. In 2003, George was selected as one of the 50 Most Influential Leaders in the Field of Gifted Education by the National Association for Gifted Children. In 2006, he was awarded the M. Lucile Harrison Award for Professional Excellence, the highest award presented to a professor at the University of Colorado. 3. SENG: Interpretation of the WISC IV: What Every Parent of a Gifted Child Should Know Information about Special Topics in Assessment of Gifted Children Presented by Paul Beljan, PsyD, ABPdN, ABPN The WISC IV offers more than IQ scores. While informative, the various domains of Full Scale IQ, Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, and Processing Speed can be misleading. This session focuses on WISC IV sub-test interpretations that will help parents get the most out of this robust tool. Too often parents receive scores from a WISC IV administration, but without the key meanings behind each subtest. It is most important for parents of gifted children to have an advanced understanding of the WISC IV, since they will generally be in the advocacy role for their child Dr. Paul Beljan is a Diplomate and Past President of the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology (ABPdN). He is in private practice at Beljan Psychological Services, Phoenix, AZ. Webinars provided by SENG, www.SENGifted.org. SENG is committed to sharing complex issues relating to the social and emotional needs of giftedness. Webinars reflect the opinions of their speakers and do not necessarily represent the philosophy of SENG. SENG invites your comments and discussion about this webinar following the session. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope to see you soon. Kind regards, Helen Sahin Connelly President, Gifted in France giftedinfrance.blogspot.com