the
Committees
Local Organizing Committee
Dr. Hava Vidergor, PhD
Conference Chair
Dr. Hava Vidergor, PhD is a senior lecturer of curriculum and instruction in the Graduate School at Gordon Academic College of Education, Israel. She received an M.A. in Educational Leadership with distinction from University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a PhD in Gifted Education from Haifa University, Israel. Her research interests center on Gifted education, learning in hybrid environments, curriculum planning and design, and innovative teaching-learning strategies. She has published numerous papers and presented widely in international conferences. She is the author or editor of several books: Applied Practice for Educators of Gifted and Able Learners (with Carole R. Harris), Innovative Teaching Strategies and Methods Promoting Lifelong Learning in Higher Education: From Theory to Practice (with Orly Sela) and Enhancing the Gift of Leadership (with Dorothy Sisk). She serves on editorial board of reviewers of several international journals including Roeper Review, where she edited a special issue on curriculum and instruction with Joyce van Tassel-Baska. She also served a lecturer and pedagogical coordinator of a certification program for teachers of gifted. Her Multidimensional Curriculum Model (MdCM) focusing on developing high order thinking and future thinking literacy in K-12 students was published in a book titled Multidimensional Curriculum Enhancing Future Thinking Literacy. E-mail havavi@gordon.ac.il
Dr. Roxana Reichman
Co-Chair of conference
Dr. Roxana Reichman has graduated with a PhD from State University of New York at Buffalo. She is an expert in educational administration, comparative education, and gifted education, and has been working as faculty member and researcher at Gordon Academic College for 25 years, while also working for 10 years at Haifa University in the MA program in Educational Management. She has published in the fields of teacher education, gifted education, higher education, new pedagogical methods, and assessment. As expert in curriculum development, she has presented in many conferences, including as keynote speaker. Over the years, she has held different positions such as Head of a two years Gifted Program which she has developed for in service teachers, academic coordinator of undergraduate programs (BEd), Head of an 18 month program for retraining academics in becoming teachers (75 students and 30 faculty members), Head of the Graduate program in Learning, Instruction and Mentoring (MEd) and Erasmus Coordinator for Faculty, Staff and Students exchange. She took part in six international programs and has been vice coordinator of Tempus program DOIT, leading the curriculum assessment team of this program. At present, she is Senior Lecturer and Head of the MEd Department of Educational Administration and Organization (over 250 students and 35 faculty members) and Head of the two years Program for Teacher Education for Gifted and Talented (for in-service teachers). Roxanar@gordon.ac.il
Menachem Nadler
Head of Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students in the Ministry of Education, Israel
Menachem Nadler, M.A is the Head of Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students in the Ministry of Education in Israel. He has a practical-engineering degree in electronics & computer from the Open University in Israel, a bachelor's degree in education from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and a master's degree in information & communication technology(ICT) in Education from the Derby University in England. Menachem graduated the academic program for school principals and served for many years as a teacher, educator, college lecturer, and as a principal of Enrichment center for Gifted and Excellence students responsible for the cultivation of students from 3rd to 10th grade. In his previous position before he was appointed head of the division, he worked as the Israeli Northern District Supervisor in charge of programs for the gifted and outstanding students and of self-managed elementary schools.
The Gifted and Outstanding Division, under his management, has promoted nurturing programs for the identified population, open and budget additional frameworks and programs for nurturing, developed pedagogical tools practices of working with gifted and outstanding students within regular schools and heterogeneous classes while emphasizing equal opportunities for peripheral areas and reducing disparities. One of the goals that Menachem promotes in his role is to expand the circles of belonging and influence of the gifted and outstanding students through the cultivation programs. The goal is to direct them to personal and human excellence along with the development of talent and ability, to create positive and influential leadership that will contribute to all humanity. E-mail: Menachemna@education.gov.il
Pnina Zeltser
National Supervisor for Gifted Students in the Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students in the Ministry of Education, Israel.
Pnina Zeltser, M.A., National Supervisor for Gifted Students in the Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students in the Ministry of Education in Israel. M.A. in mass communication at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. B.A. in education and arts at Tel Aviv University. Visiting lecturer at Beijing University in China – Directed the Department for Hebrew and Israeli Studies. Founder and director of the Center for Gifted Students in Hod Ha-Sharon, Israel. Directs the professional development of Israeli educators in programs for gifted and outstanding students. Represents the division in many conferences in Israel and abroad, presenting topics such as: gifted education policy and implementation, developing creativity among educators of gifted students, future oriented pedagogy, and teaching strategies for gifted students.
Dafna Haran, PhD. from Haifa University, Israel. Dafna is the Director of Program for Gifted and Talented Students at Leo Baeck educational center in Haifa. She specializes in gifted self-contained classes for gifted students. She is also a coordinator at the Division for Gifted and Outstanding students in the Ministry of Education responsible for the special programs of gifted classes, as well as the coordinator for the certification program for teachers of gifted and excellent students at Tel Aviv University, offered by the Division for Gifted and Outstanding students in the Ministry of Education.
Daphna Haran, Ph.D.
Haifa University, Leo Baeck High School, the Division for Gifted and Outstanding students
Local Academic Committee
Dr. Roxana Reichman
Head of Academic Committee
Dr. Roxana Reichman has graduated with a PhD from State University of New York at Buffalo. She is an expert in educational administration, comparative education, and gifted education, and has been working as faculty member and researcher at Gordon Academic College for 25 years, while also working for 10 years at Haifa University in the MA program in Educational Management. She has published in the fields of teacher education, gifted education, higher education, new pedagogical methods, and assessment. As expert in curriculum development, she has presented in many conferences, including as keynote speaker. Over the years, she has held different positions such as Head of a two years Gifted Program which she has developed for in service teachers, academic coordinator of undergraduate programs (BEd), Head of an 18 month program for retraining academics in becoming teachers (75 students and 30 faculty members), Head of the Graduate program in Learning, Instruction and Mentoring (MEd) and Erasmus Coordinator for Faculty, Staff and Students exchange. She took part in six international programs and has been vice coordinator of Tempus program DOIT, leading the curriculum assessment team of this program. At present, she is Senior Lecturer and Head of the MEd Department of Educational Administration and Organization (over 250 students and 35 faculty members) and Head of the two years Program for Teacher Education for Gifted and Talented (for in-service teachers). Roxanar@gordon.ac.il
Dr. Hava Vidergor, PhD
Gordon Academic College
Dr. Hava Vidergor, PhD is a senior lecturer of curriculum and instruction in the Graduate School at Gordon Academic College of Education, Israel. She received an M.A. in Educational Leadership with distinction from University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a PhD in Gifted Education from Haifa University, Israel. Her research interests center on Gifted education, learning in hybrid environments, curriculum planning and design, and innovative teaching-learning strategies. She has published numerous papers and presented widely in international conferences. She is the author or editor of several books: Applied Practice for Educators of Gifted and Able Learners (with Carole R. Harris), Innovative Teaching Strategies and Methods Promoting Lifelong Learning in Higher Education: From Theory to Practice (with Orly Sela) and Enhancing the Gift of Leadership (with Dorothy Sisk). She serves on editorial board of reviewers of several international journals including Roeper Review, where she edited a special issue on curriculum and instruction with Joyce van Tassel-Baska. She also served a lecturer and pedagogical coordinator of a certification program for teachers of gifted. Her Multidimensional Curriculum Model (MdCM) focusing on developing high order thinking and future thinking literacy in K-12 students was published in a book titled Multidimensional Curriculum Enhancing Future Thinking Literacy. E-mail havavi@gordon.ac.il
Dr. Rama Klavir
Kay Academic College
Dr. Rama Klavir received her PhD and M.A. from Ben Gurion University, Israel focusing on thinking, problem solving process and learning of gifted and able students. Rama was a senior lecturer at Kay Academic Teacher Education College, in Beer Sheva, Israel and also was the Head the program for teacher educators of MOFET institute. She was a vice-principal of a secondary, and an elementary school. During her professional life she accompanied many experimental schools in promoting innovations. She served as an academic advisor in the Division for Gifted and Outstanding Students in the Ministry of Education and was part of the team which developed the certification program for teachers of Gifted in Israel. She also initiated and headed the national special program for excellent pre-service teachers (REGEV) in all of the academic colleges of education in Israel. She published four books and a large number of articles in these fields. She is currently focusing on inventing games, photography, developing creative thinking in teaching, visual research and writing. E-mail Ramaklavir@gmail.com
International Advisory Committee
Prof. Lianne Hoogeveen
Dr. Lianne Hoogeveen is Professor by special appointment on the topic ‘Identification, Support and Counseling of Talent’. She is Program Director of the Radboud International Training of High Ability (RITHA), a post-academic training at the Radboud Center of Social Sciences, qualified by the European Council for High Ability (ECHA). She coordinates the master specialization ‘Gifted Education’ at Radboud University. As a mental health psychologist, she examines and counsels adolescents and adults with high abilities at CBO Talent Development in Nijmegen. As part of the Behavioral Science Institute (BSI) of the Radboud University, Lianne Hoogeveen is involved in research on giftedness and education (Specialty: ‘Identification, Support and Counseling of Talent’), cooperating with colleagues of Dutch and international universities. She is a guest lecturer in several European and non-European universities. Since September 2020, she is the President of the European Council for High Ability (ECHA).
Prof. Carmen Cretu
Carmen M. Cretu is professor at University of Iasi, the Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences and president of RO-Talent (Association of support for talented people), the first NGO for talented people in Romania, which is currently a Talent Point in Europe. She is board member of European Honors Council and also, board member of ECHA_SIG advisory committee. Her interest in talent education was consolidated after her doctoral fellowship at the Radboud University of Nijmegen, Netherlands in the early ‘90s and other postdoctoral stages in universities from US, UK, CH, ES and FR. Since 1991, she has introduced teaching undergraduate and master programs courses on talent education at her university. Besides she has supervised many Ph.D. theses on talent issues. At University of Iasi she teaches courses on Psychology and Education for talented students and Education policies and management. She has long-time experience in international research-action networking. Her research projects are concerned with HE education policy, provisions for talented youth and adults, curriculum policies for talented people, but also, on innovative education tools. Since 15 years ago, Carmen is appointed as an independent expert at Research Dept. of European Commission in Brussels and also at the Romanian Ministry of Education. Carmen wrote many books and articles on gifted education and was involved as senior expert in several major programs of educational reforms and innovation in the field of HEI policies and management, teacher training and curriculum development.
Prof. Stefania Pinneli
tefania Pinnelli Professor of Didactics and Special Education Needs at the University of Salento. Director of the master’s degree in Inclusive Education and Intervention Methodologies for the Enhancement of Giftedness and Talents, University of Salento. Director of Summer School and Director of Specialization Courses for Teaching Support for Pupils with Disabilities. Scientific Director of the Center for New Technologies for Inclusion, University of Salento. She is Director of: Specialization Degree of Specialized Teacher for disabled students as well as a Member of the PhD Board in Human and Social Studies, University of Salento. Member of the Scientific Council of the Iufi High School (Higher University Institute of Interdisciplinary Training), University of Salento. She is Professor of Teaching in: Pedagogy and Special Didactics, Special Didactics, Methodology for Bes Students Didactic Technologies, Technologies for Integration for Study Courses in the Pedagogical Area and for Primary Education Sciences of the University of Salento. In 2022 she directed the Summer School “EDU4+ Didattic end e psycoopedagogy for talents students”. Author of over 120 publications. In 2021 she edited, with Clarissa Sorrentino, the Italian translation and adaptation of the Renzulli scales for the identification of the behavioral characteristics of gifted students (Ericskon 2021).
Dr. Eva Vondrakova
Dr. Eva Vondráková is psychologist with long practice in state school counselling centres and schools. Private practice in Centrum Filip. Co-founder and president of the StaN (Association for Talent and Giftedness) - a member of ECHA, WCGTC and HELP. Author of project of the Centre for Development of Giftedness, founder and organizer of the Club of Parents and Teachers meetings, Club of clever and curious children, grant of program for GC in the Rosemarin Kindergarten; Co-author of the Mensa Gymnasium project, co-author of the chapter on GC Education in the White book, MSMT (Ministry of Education). Author of the Conception on Education of the Gifted (requested by MSMT). Author of many articles and chapters on GC education; teacher of future teachers. Eva is very active in international cooperation since 1990 year when she attended the 2nd ECHA conference in Budapest. ECHA National correspondent and the WCGTC Delegate for the Czech Republic. She was chair of the Local organizing committee of the 19th WCGTC conference, Prague 2011; a member of the Programme committee of the 14th ECHA conference Ljubljana 2014. Chairperson of the STaN international conference „Paradigm Shift in the Gifted Education“, Prague 2019. Mother and grandmother of gifted children. Her life motto is: „Never give up!“
Csilla Fuszek
Csilla Fuszek worked for 23 years in secondary and in higher education. From 2000 she has been specializing in the field of gifted and talented education. She worked for several years as a managing director of nationwide talent development programs designed for gifted students coming from disadvantaged background. She was a lecturer at Eötvös Loránd University from 2008 – 2016. Since 2009 she has been working for the Association of Hungarian Talent Support Organizations on nationwide talent support projects. She is the founding director of the European Talent Centre- Budapest. She was elected as the coordinator of the European Talent Support Network three times. She organized 4 major European talent support conferences in 2006, 2011 and 2014 and in 2021.