Join Dr. Elizabeth Schucker on the Turning the PAGE Podcast for a look back at NAGC25 with Dr. Jonathan Plucker, a nationally recognized researcher in creativity, talent development, and gifted education. You won’t want to miss this episode! Recorded live at the NAGC25 conference, Dr. Plucker joins us for a thought-provoking conversation about his positionality and perspectives on the label and word, “gifted.” As discussions continue around the language we use to describe gifted and advanced learners, we explore the history, perspectives, and pros and cons of alternative terminology, including “advanced learning.” Join us for a timely, insightful conversation that challenges assumptions, sparks reflection, and promises plenty of “aha!” moments!

Jonathan Plucker

Professor of Education, Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Jonathan Plucker is a Professor of Education and Program Director of the Master of Science in Education Policy program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. He also serves as director and principal investigator of the National Research Center on Advanced Education. His research focuses on creativity, talent development, education policy, and excellence gaps in educational achievement. He earned his Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Virginia. His books include Excellence Gaps in Education with Scott Peters, From Giftedness to Gifted Education with Anne Rinn and Matthew Makel, Creativity and Innovation, and Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education with Carolyn Callahan. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, American Educational Research Association, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. His honors include the APA Arnheim Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Psychology of Creativity and the NAGC Distinguished Scholar Award, as well as the E. Paul Torrance Creativity Award. He is a past president of the National Association for Gifted Children and the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts.

In this informative and resource-packed episode of Turning the PAGE Podcast, I sit down with Alicia Schroeder-Schock, an experienced educator, speaker, and gifted education consultant, and founder of 'Elementary Elevated', to explore a practical approach to differentiation that helps teachers increase rigor without increasing their workload. Drawing from her years of experience in both general and gifted education, Alicia shares how her Elevated Standards Planning Tool empowers educators to focus on purposeful thinking rather than on creating additional assignments for advanced learners.

Together, we unpack common misconceptions about differentiation and discuss how breaking academic standards into their nouns and verbs can help teachers identify the deeper thinking already embedded within grade-level expectations. Alicia also shares practical, low-prep strategies, including open-ended questioning, modified graphic organizers, pre-assessment, and curriculum compacting, that help educators create more meaningful and engaging learning experiences for gifted students while remaining aligned with grade-level standards.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, gifted support teacher, instructional coach, or administrator, this episode is filled with immediately applicable ideas that will help you differentiate with confidence, increase depth and complexity, and better meet both the academic and social-emotional needs of gifted learners. If you've ever wondered how to challenge advanced students without creating entirely separate lesson plans, this conversation offers practical solutions you'll be eager to implement in your own classroom.

Alicia's Bio:

Dr. Alicia Schroeder-Schock is an educator, consultant, and founder of Elementary Elevated, where she helps teachers design engaging, rigorous learning experiences for advanced elementary learners. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership from William & Mary and a master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut. Alicia presents nationally on gifted curriculum and differentiation and serves on the board of the North Dakota Association for Gifted Children.

Website: www.elementaryelevated.com

Email: elementaryelevated123@gmail.com

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In this special NAGC25 LIVE episode of Turning the PAGE Podcast, I sit down with Andi McNair, gifted education consultant, author, and founder of A Meaningful Mess, LLC. Together, we explore how educators can create meaningful, student-driven learning experiences that ignite curiosity, creativity, and innovation. Andi shares her journey into gifted education, practical strategies for implementing Genius Hour and passion projects, and ways to use purposeful differentiation to engage gifted learners at deeper levels. We also discuss how thoughtful gifted onboarding can build confidence, belonging, and long-term success for advanced learners.

Whether you're just beginning your gifted education journey or looking to re-energize your instructional practices, this episode is packed with actionable ideas you can implement right away. You'll walk away with practical strategies to foster creativity, empower student voice, differentiate with confidence, and create learning experiences that inspire gifted learners to reach their full potential. If you're ready to transform your classroom from simply covering content to cultivating curiosity and purpose, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Andi is the owner and gifted education consultant for A Meaningful Mess, LLC. A recognized thought leader in the field, she was named one of the Top People in Education to Watch by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences in 2016. Andi is dedicated to helping educators engage and empower today’s learners through practical strategies that foster creativity and student-driven learning. She is the author of several publications, including Genius Hour: Passion Projects that Ignite Innovation and Student Inquiry, A Meaningful Mess: A Teacher's Guide to Student-Driven Classrooms, Ready-to-Use Resources for Genius Hour in the Classroom: Taking Passion Projects to the Next Level, and Designing for Depth: A Framework for Purposeful Differentiation. Andi continues to advocate for gifted learners and strives to make teaching strategies both innovative and accessible.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andimcnair/