22 - 23 MAY 2026

Registration

Registration (on Plaza level entry from Merivale Street). Delegates collect name badge and lanyard.

8:30 – Welcome by Anthony Stevens

Session 1

Belonging for the Twice-exceptional Learner

Belonging is recognised as a fundamental human need, a universal desire to connect with people, places, and experiences. Through belonging to something beyond ourselves, we find personal meaning, identity, relevance, and satisfaction. Sense of belonging promotes wellbeing, where individuals feel accepted, seen, and valued. While important for all, those from marginalised groups are more likely to face significant barriers to achieving a true sense of belonging.

Twice-exceptional learners, those who are both gifted and living with one or more disability, are frequently described as one such marginalised group. These learners exist at the intersection of two differing identities, neither gifted only nor experiencing disability only, and as a result, often do not fit neatly into the academic or social structures designed for learners with just one exceptionality. This can lead to social isolation and academic disengagement, making the need to belong, at school and in broader social spaces, all the more vital.

This session explores what research already tells us about twice-exceptional learners’ sense of belonging, how we can actively support the development of a true sense of belonging for these learners, and where the field needs to go from here.

Bio: Anna Fowler brings over 20 years of experience in education, spanning primary teaching, pre-service teacher education, tutoring, and research. She completed a Masters of Gifted Education in 2018, a Master of Education and Professional Studies (Research) in 2024 and is currently undertaking a PhD at Griffith University exploring sense of belonging experiences for twice-exceptional learners across the schooling years. Anna has taught previously with the University of New England, Armidale, and more recently with Griffith University. Her work sits at a meaningful intersection — combining her personal lived experience, classroom practice, and emerging research expertise to bring both rigour and authenticity to the field of twice-exceptional education.

Morning Tea

Morning tea and networking

Session 2

Beyond Ability: Leveraging Social Support to Enhance Outcomes for Gifted Students

Social support plays a critical role in the development and wellbeing of young people, yet its importance is often underexplored within gifted education. Social supports are multifaceted, arising from a range of sources — including parents, teachers, peers, and school staff — and expressed through emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support. These supports rely on trusting, reciprocal relationships that enable the exchange of encouragement, guidance, and resources.

For gifted learners, effective social support can help navigate experiences such as asynchronous development, social misunderstanding, and heightened sensitivities, while strengthening coping skills, academic motivation, self-concept, and wellbeing. Within school contexts, supportive relationships can act as both a protective buffer and a catalyst for positive engagement with learning.

This session explores what research reveals about the role of social supports for gifted learners and considers how educators can intentionally cultivate supportive classroom and school environments that better align gifted students’ educational experiences with their abilities, needs, and aspirations.

Bio: Carolyn Prince brings over 15 years of experience in education across classroom teaching in Queensland state schools, pre-service teacher education, coaching, tutoring, and research. She holds a Master of Education in School Guidance and Counselling from Queensland University of Technology (2019) and a Master of Education and Professional Studies (Research) (2022), which explored the experiences of underachievement among gifted learners. Carolyn is currently undertaking a PhD at Griffith University investigating the social support needs and preferences of gifted adolescents in Australian secondary schools. Her work focuses on understanding the experiences of gifted learners within formal education systems and identifying ways to better align their learning journeys with their academic abilities and aspirations. Carolyn has presented at conferences both in Australia and internationally and has delivered professional development workshops for primary and secondary educators across South-East Queensland.

Lunch

Lunch and networking

Session 3

Session 3: How is educational provision differentiated in the classroom?

The educational provision a school puts in place to facilitate gifted learning and to optimise the learning outcomes of these students will also be determined by how the school believes they learn.

This session will examine a learning-based approach to differentiating the curriculum, the pedagogy and the classroom culture and context. Examples of a recommended approach to differentiating each aspect of provision will be provided. Participants will be encouraged to evaluate their school’s approach to differentiation and recommend how it might be broadened.