Each year we provide 3 to 4 Free Parent Seminars and 1 Educator Seminar per Term.
What's a Parent Seminar?
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.
What's an Educator Seminar?
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
Free Parent Seminar
Funded by the Department of Education
What is an ILP/IEP/PLP?
Which gifted students require one?
What does a gifted ILP/PLP look like?
What does an ILP seek to achieve?
How does the psychologist’s report (if you have one) inform the ILP?
What does success look like?
These are a few of the questions that will be explored as we look at models for developing ILPs and some sample ILPs that identify interventions for an individual learner’s needs. There will be time for Q&A during the session.
Free for Educators
“Illuminating wisdom in schools; new insights from Iranian teachers’ perspectives.” Gifted and Talented International
Join us to discuss educating gifted students for wisdom as highlighted in the article that we will be looking at.
From the abstract:
“…teachers themselves should be wisdom role models, wisdom role models should be introduced to students, authentic Iranian stories should be narrated, events should be shown to students from different perspectives, and students should be asked to research social problems and identify wise/ unwise people. More research is needed in this field to assess the views of teachers in different environments and societies and then develop an educational approach to improving wisdom.”
What does teaching for wisdom look like in our context?
The article will be sent to you prior to the session so that you have a chance to consider it before the discussion.
Facilitator: Kathy Harrison
The chapter will be sent to you nearer the date.
Free Parent Seminar
Funded by the Department of Education
This seminar takes participants through some of the common social challenges faced by gifted children, including finding belonging, making (and keeping!) friends and navigating stressful situations such as teasing and bullying. Stories and strategies will be shared, along with common emotional experiences and predispositions which factor into the social development of gifted children. The session will be interactive, so please bring your questions and stories to share!
Free Parent Seminar
Funded by the Department of Education
How do I decide which school will be best for my child?
What research do I need to do?
What information can schools provide?
What questions should I ask?
How do school zones work? Can we apply out of zone?
These and other frequently asked questions will be explored.
Feel free to bring your own unique questions too
Free Parent Seminar
Funded by the Department of Education
Join us for an engaging and practical session designed specifically for parents of twice-exceptional students (children who are both gifted and have a learning difference or disability). This session will explore how to recognize and nurture your child’s unique strengths while understanding and addressing their challenges. We’ll share strategies for building confidence, supporting learning at home, and working effectively with schools to ensure your child thrives both academically and emotionally. Bring your questions!
Zoom link will be sent prior to the seminar.
Please keep checking back on this page and our socials for added seminars throughout the year and beyond.
Past Seminars & Events
We recommend this seminar as part of a two-part series.
Part 1:
As parents of a gifted child, it can help to know what types of provisions schools could and do make for gifted children. This seminar 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 session will be interactive, so please bring your questions!
The session will be run via Zoom (link to be provided after registration)
Leading Improvement for Gifted and Talented Students: Improved Provision for
High Ability and Gifted Students. (Chap 1)
A new release by Professor John Munro provides practical guidance for
educators to support students to achieve their potential.
Where do we start? How do we develop a vision? How do we plan for
professional learning to achieve our vision for our school?
Join Dr Susan Nikakis via zoom for a twilight discussion. These proved very
popular last year, helping participants to find time in their busy schedules
to interrogate articles about giftedness.
The chapter will be sent to you nearer the date.
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