“My country gave me a chance to see the world and to learn gifted education… And I thank [the Belin-Blank Center] for this chance.”—Hong Kyunghee, physics teacher from South Korea
The Belin-Blank Center trains teachers to effectively recognize, encourage, and teach the academically talented students in their classrooms. The Belin-Blank Center has worked with hundreds of teachers worldwide many of whom are now leading advocates for gifted education.
Several science, math, and technology teachers from South Korea have attended professional development programs at the Belin-Blank Center. With the help of translators, experts in the field of gifted education led sessions on concepts of giftedness and ways to differentiate lessons for students who are ready to learn more challenging content. The educators also learned about issues in identification, counseling, and creativity.
Dr. Laurie Croft, Belin-Blank Center administrator, works with Korean educators during a professional development program at the Belin-Blank Center.
Faculty members from The University of Iowa presented on best practices in science education, hands-on approaches to pure mathematics, and technology issues in the classroom. During the program, visiting teachers also developed curriculum units, interned with master teachers, and visited area schools to observe gifted programs. The teachers used their weekends to enjoy the country, visiting national parks and major cities.