The QAGTC 2026 State Conference will be a one day event for 2026 held on Friday 22nd May 2026 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Theme: Wellbeing of the Gifted Student: the Complex interplay of strengths and challenges
Key facilitators are Carolyn Prince and Anna Fowler
Carolyn Prince - Carolyn 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.
Abstract - 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.
Anna Fowler - Anna 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.
Abstract - 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.
Timetable for the Day
There will be three sessions to the day - Sessions 1 and 2 led by Anna Fowler and Carolyn Prince
They will provide you with ideas you can take back to implement in your school or profession.
Session 3 will offer 2 strands from key presenters which you attend the session of your choice.
Topics include:
- Falling from the Top: The Hidden Mental Health Crisis of High school
- Beyond Extension: A targeted, child-centred model for twice-exceptional earners
- Supporting the Well-being of our G&T Students: A Practical Example from a Brisbane School.
- Gifted and Overlooked: The Hidden Challenges of Neurodivergent High-Ability Students
- The Power of Inquiry "I think therefore I am"
- The Bootcamp – One Year On: Setting G&T students up for success in a mixed ability classroom.
Full details and registration in available at www.qagtc.com.au
Registration - QAGTC Member $300; Non-member $410; Presenter; $150
If you wish to take out membership before registering then you do so on this website before registering at the conference website. Hope to see you on Friday 22nd May 2026.
