Combined ECHA and igMCG conference, 16 – 18 June 2025.

Organisers

Karlstad University

City of Karlstad

Local organising committee

International committee

Venue

The venue, Sundsta-Älvkullegymnasiet, an upper secondary school located at walking distance from the city center. It is the third largest school in Sweden and has around 2000 students. It is a new and modern school equipped with the latest technology.

Read more about Sundsta-Älvkullegymnasiet.

Destination Karlstad

Read about the city of Karlstad

More about activities related to ECHA and IGMCG at Karlstad University

GiftED doctoral programme

The GiftED doctoral programme (Forskarskolan GiftED) has funding from the Swedish Research Council 2021-26. It is a partnership between Karlstad, Stockholm and Mälardalen Universities, with 10 current doctoral students. The image GiftED have embraced is of Swedish summer daisies (prästkragar). This image is a twist on the international flower associated with gifted education, the poppy. We shift orientation from the problems of tall poppies to the joy of summer, appreciation for growth, and an icon of Sweden. The capital letters ED at the end of GiftED are an important highlight to show the emphasis on education. GiftED supports the conference with some of their funding as a doctoral programme activity.

Read more about GiftED doctoral programme

The Nordic Network for GiftED Education, NNGE

NNGE has funding from the Swedish Research Council 2022-24 and represents all five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The focus of the network is on gifted education research. The icicle image is chosen as an iconic representation of Nordic country winters. The particular winter image provides a point of differentiation to the GiftED doctoral programme summer image, but is connected through the imagery of plants. Thus the frosted plant is also a re-conceptualisation of the international gifted poppy symbol. The image and any publications may be frozen moments, but our gifted education research and networking continue dynamically. NNGE supports the conference with some of their funding as a Nordic network activity.

Read more about The Nordic Network for GiftED Education, NNGE

Important dates

Start of Submission: May 2024
Submission deadline: November 1, 2024
Notification of Acceptance: February 1, 2025
Early Bird registration closes: March 1, 2025
Late bird registration closes: May 15, 2025

Submission

When you submit a contribution to the conference you mark to which of the conferences the submission is best suited.
Naturally you can submit contributions to both conferences if they are different.
Both conferences follows the two main themes. The first theme is on how to apply gifted education within inclusive settings and systems. The second theme is on how to create sustainable solutions and futures for gifted education: sustainable for children and students; for teachers and school systems; and for research on gifted education. Each conference have different guidelines, options and sub-themes to follow.

Guidelines for ECHA contributions

Themes: Themes will soon be available
Type of contribution: Oral presentation, Poster, Workshop, Symposia, Round table.
An abstract of maximum 300 words are submitted. References excluded.
Abstracts will be peer-reviewed.
 

Download Guidelines for Authors for more details

Guidelines for igMCG contributions

Themes: Research, Theory in practice
Type of contribution: Paper, Short communication, Poster, and Workshop.
A text is submitted for each proposal. Notice that the text must follow the igMCG14-template.
Text limitations: Papers, maximum 6 pages. Workshops and Posters, maximum 2 pages. Short communication, an abstract of maximum 500 words.
Contributions are peer-reviewed. You will be asked if you can participate in the review process.
Accepted contributions may be included in the conference proceedings.
 

Download the igMCG14-template
Download Guidelines for Authors for more details

Registration and Preliminary fees

ECHA –members
Early bird (deadline March 1, 2025): 2500 SEK
Late bird (deadline May 15, 2025): 3500 SEK
MCG –members
Early bird (deadline March 1, 2025): 3200 SEK
Late bird (deadline 15th of May 2025): 4200 SEK
Non-members
Early bird (deadline March 1, 2025): 3500 SEK
Late bird (deadline 15th of May 2025): 4500 SEK

Conference dinner is included in the conference fee.

Programme

Sunday 15th: afternoon and evening, some social activities
Monday 16th of June: 9:00 – 17:00
Tuesday 17th of June: 9:00 – 17:00 + Conference dinner
Wednesday 18th of June: 9:00 – 17:00 + evening, some social activities

Keynotes

Professor Kirsi Tirri

University of Helsinki, Finland and a Visiting Professor at St. John’s University, New York, USA.

Prof Tirri has an extensive publication record with around 300 research publications and over 30 doctoral students. Tirri has been the President of ECHA (European Council for High Ability) for the years 2008-2012, the President of the SIG International Studies at AERA (American Educational Research Association) for the years 2010-2013 and the President of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters for the years 2016-2017. She was a Research Director at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies for the years 2017-2019. She will present on the topic of gifted students in inclusive education.

Presentation of Abstract

Professor Tracy Riley

Massey University, New Zealand

Prof Tracy Riley is a leading scholar in gifted education, an award winning teacher and advocate for gifted learners. She is currently the Vice President of the World Council for Gifted & Talented Children, and an inaugural Board member of giftEDnz. She is Dean of Research at Massey University and a member of the New Zealand Deans and Directors of Graduate Schools and Australian Council of Graduate Research. Her research explores how teachers respond to giftedness, and she is leading a Teaching Learning Research Initiative applying gifted principles of differentiation in mainstream classrooms. She will present on sustainable gifted education research and praxis with lessons learned from New Zealand.

Presentation of Abstract

Associate professor Jorryt van Bommel

Associate Prof Jorryt van Bommel works at Karlstad University and at Inland Norway University of Applied Science. Over the past 20 years she has researched mathematics teaching at different levels and has focused on problem solving in the early years, differentiation and professional development of teachers. She teaches as teacher education and has been an invited speaker at several occasions. She is also a supervisor within the GiftED doctoral programme in Sweden. She will present on inclusive approaches to supporting students with mathematical talent, including in the early years.

Psychologist Jan Kwietniewski

Head of the Counseling Center for Special Talents (BbB) at the State Institute for Teacher Training and School Development in Hamburg.

Jan Kwietniewski is a graduate psychologist with a focus on diagnostic issues, having studies in Gdańsk (Poland) and Hamburg (Germany). He manages the specialist office for the promotion of the gifted in Hamburg and pursues a focus on school development and gifted education. His leadership in the area of individual support and towards systematic gifted education for all schools in the Hamburg region addresses the conference themes of inclusion and sustainable practice.