George Betts will design a workshop, conference, or keynote for your school, district, or state organization.  George works with large and small groups, providing training and facilitation in the areas of differentiation of instruction and curriculum; lifelong, autonomous learning; social and emotional needs of gifted and talented learners; and program and staff development.  Dr. Betts works with teachers, administrators, counselors, and parents.

Differentiation of Curriculum and the Autonomous Learner Model: A Complete Approach to Facilitating Gifted and Talented Learners.

Three levels of curriculum differentiation will be presented.  These include what we do in the regular classroom, what teacher differentiation is necessary, and the highest level of differentiation, that directed by the learner.  The revised Autonomous Learner Model, based on the new book Autonomous Learner Model: Optimizing Ability, by George Betts and Jolene Kercher, will also be presented.  Time will be integrated into the presentation for synthesis.

The Autonomous Learner Model (ALM) for Teaching and Learning.

The Autonomous Learner Model for Teaching and Learning K-12 (ALM) was developed to meet the diversified cognitive, emotional, and social needs of gifted children in grades K-12.  The model is used for all children and youth in more than 700 school districts throughout the world.  The model was recently revised using data collected from students, teachers, and parents.

The Highest Level of Learning: The In-Depth Study.

If one of our goals as educators and parents is to facilitate independent, self-directed learners, we must include the in-depth study as the highest level of learning.  This process enable students to become learners, so they may become ultimately responsible for their own learning.  The in-depth study process takes time, facilitation, passion, and the interaction of the learner, the mentor, and the teacher/facilitator.

Journey of Life Long Learning (Keynote).

One of the major goals in education today is the facilitation of students to become life-long learners.  What skills, concepts, and attitudes are necessary for reaching this goal?   This motivational keynote provides the basic understanding necessary for facilitating our children and youth to travel the path of life-long learning.

Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted.

What are the social and emotional needs of the gifted?  Can they be met in our schools and homes?  Are these needs the same as or different from those of other students?  What is necessary for facilitating the emotional and social development of the gifted and talented?  This workshop explores these questions and many more, as well as specific techniques and activities which can be used to facilitate the affective development of gifted students.