Welcome

18th International conference European Council for High Ability (ECHA)

Empowering Every Talent Together.
Creative Ways to Enable Personal Growth.
31 August – 3 September 2022, The Hague

With great pleasure the National Talent Centre of the Netherlands would like to extend you a warm welcome to join our conference in The Hague, as we host the 18th Conference of the European Council for High Ability.

 

The field of Giftedness and Talent Development in the Netherlands is fully alive. The efforts of the earlier, internationally well-known Dutch pioneers who were advocating for the needs of highly able children since the late 80s, has by now led to a large community of individuals and organisations working in this inspirational field. Awareness of the importance of stimulating talent development, nurturing creativity and creating opportunities for optimal developmental growth continues to grow through the efforts of many working in the field of giftedness at local, regional and (inter)national levels.

NTCN is one of the European Talent Centres of the European Talent Support Network (ETSN). The NTCN is the Dutch Centre of Expertise in Giftedness, Creativity and Talent Development. Our mission is to contribute to the optimal development of gifted and talented children, adolescents, and adults in the Netherlands. We bridge the gaps between practitioners, policy makers and researchers. We actively search for ways to collaborate with other (inter)national organisations who are active in the field of giftedness and talent development. We connect initiatives and organisations who can strengthen each other in reaching their (shared) goals.

We are eager to share our experiences and insights, and to continue to learn from other countries as well. Our purpose is to contribute to building a strong international community, where acknowledging diversity is the new ‘normal’ and everyone can make a meaningful contribution to society in a way that matches their potential and personal needs.

CONFIRMED KEYNOTES

All keynote speakers at ECHA 2022 are confirmed! We are proud and honoured that they are part of the programme. Be informed and inspired by these experts in the field of talent development.

Dr. Matt Zakreski

Psychologist, professor, international speaker, & neurodiversity ally

 

Ndondo Mutua Mulli

Board Director, Mully Children’s Family Operations Director , Mully Children’s Family Kenya

 

Prof. Alexander Minnaert

Professor Inclusion and Special Needs Education & Clinical Educational Sciences, University of Groningen

Prof. Niamh Stack

Psychology Professor, Mary Immaculate College Limerick

 

Dr. Susan Baum

Director 2e Center for Research and Professional Development, Bridges Academy

Reasons to attend

  • An inspirational and meaningful conference theme
  • Diversity and inclusion to enrich the lives of every learner
  • Engaging every learner and allowing them to shine and thrive
  • Using innovative technology and other enriching resources for learning
  • Stimulating personal growth from a whole-person perspective
  • Active questioning if existing models and practices still meet current needs

CONFERENCE THEMES

  • Innovative Educational Practices

 

  • Creativity without Limits

 

  • Supporting Talent Development & Personal Growth

 

  • Connecting Research & Practice in Meaningful Ways

 

  • Engaging Every Learner: Motivation & Flow

 

  • Pupil’s voice

 

  • Creating New Traditions

 

  • Giftedness across the Lifespan

Parallel sessions

  • Paper presentation: presentation of 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes questions/discussion. Three paper presentations are grouped together around a theme in one session.

 

  • Poster presentation: posters presenting research results and case studies will be available to be viewed at all times during the conference. Posters will be grouped by theme.

 

  • Symposium: A group of three or four papers submitted around one theme.
    • 3 x 20 minutes presentation and 30 minutes discussion
    • 4 x 15 minutes presentation and 30 minutes discussion

 

  • Workshop: informative interactive sessions of 90 minutes in which the participants are engaged in demonstrations, hands-on activities and/or discussion, based on research or practices.

 

  • Dynamic flash presentation: presentation of 10 minutes by young/starting researchers followed by 20 minutes discussion. The idea is to provide young researchers an opportunity to present to a larger audience and be seen in the international community of researchers. These sessions would also be for launching hot topics in a more informal session.

 

  • Inspirational talk: TED-like talk with the intention to inspire the audience, for example by storytelling and/or sharing future perspectives. Exactly 18 minutes presentation without questions/discussion. Three talks are grouped together in one session.