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Articles from
March 2006
Purchasing Materials for Gifted Students
Are you looking for resources to support gifted students? While many publishers produce general education materials, some publishers specialize in the gifted. All of the following publishers offer online catalogs and ordering:
Many resources to support the Autonomous Learning Model
Specializes in creative problem solving and talent development
Practical ideas for working with the gifted
In addition to books, this site offers some free activities to do with children
A great resource for high-level math materials
Lots of higher-level thinking resources
Another great resource for high-level math activities
Many ideas for learning centers and independent studies and projects
Tools and information that help students survive and thrive academically, socially, and emotionally
Integrated science and humanities series, upper elementary through high school
Books for parents, teachers, and educators of gifted, talented, and creative children
Recommends books for gifted children
A great resource for puzzles and learning games
Books for both parents and educators
Resources to support differentiated education
A wide variety of resources for teaching and parenting gifted and advanced learners, including classroom materials, books, and journals
Includes support materials for gifted and talented and for critical thinking
Gifted Education Magazines and Journals
If you want to become more informed about issues in gifted education, you may want to subscribe to one of the many publications in the field. These publications fall into different categories. Each of these categories meets different needs. Publications written for the adult audience are either journals (covering research in gifted education), or more casual-style magazines (offering ideas and opinions in a less formal reading style). There are also publications directed toward gifted students. Here are some periodicals you may want to consider. Only those with Web sites have been listed.
Research Based Journals
Gifted Child Quarterly–Publishes research studies, as well as manuscripts that explore policy and policy implications. A subscription is available with membership to NAGC.
Journal for the Education of the Gifted–This is the official publication of The Association for the Gifted and reports the latest research findings on such topics as the characteristics of gifted children, effective schools, gifted children with learning disabilities, the history of gifted education, and building successful programs.
Journal of Secondary Gifted Education–Reports the latest research findings on such topics as teaching strategies with gifted and talented adolescents, programs at the secondary level, effective high schools and magnet schools, and Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Magazines for Teachers and Parents
Gifted Child Today–Articles include such topics as teaching strategies in gifted education, building a more effective gifted and talented program, working with gifted children who have learning disabilities, raising a gifted child, how to tell if your child is gifted, and effective strategies for parenting a gifted child.
Gifted Education Communicator–This publication provides information and strategies that help apply theory, research, and best practices in the field.
Teaching for High Potential–Filled with practical guidance and classroom-based materials for educators. Subscription is available with membership to NAGC.
Understanding Our Gifted–Addresses the intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted students through regular columns and feature articles.
For the Younger Audience
Creative Kids–Filled with games, art, stories, poetry, and opinions by and for kids ages 8-14.
Imagine–This is a periodical for middle and high school students who want to take control of their learning and get the most out of their precollege years. Each issue includes articles about summer programs, advice on planning for college, student reviews of selective colleges, and career profiles of accomplished professionals.
Misconceptions About Teaching Gifted Children
Edutopia, a large circulation (more than 100,000 readers) magazine published by the George Lucas Education Foundation, just ran a two-page spread titled "Sage Advice" in its March 2006 issue. This is a standing column in which readers respond to a prompt. This month the prompt was " How do you challenge and motivate gifted students?"
Initially, I was excited to see a large education publication giving attention to the topic. Many of the responses offer some good ideas--encourage projects that target a child's area of talent and passion, develop mentorship programs, have students prepare creative projects for real-world audiences, etc.
However, the editors of the magazine chose to publish such "sage advice" as "[have] them help us teach," "all kids need this ... then we would see that they all have gifts," and "keeping a talent-varied classroom under control is one of the most important concerns a teacher should have. Silence ... is of utmost significance"
I was disappointed that the editors of the magazine chose to run these latter suggestions. I believe it supports some misconceptions about teaching gifted children.
Sometimes, I start thinking that the kind of conversations I am having with teachers at gifted education conferences and the like are representative of the views of the general education population. Then, I run across something like this, and I realize that those of us in gifted child education have got to redouble our efforts to educate others about gifted children.
Should Gifted Underachievers Stay in Honors Classes?
I had an interesting conversation the other day with a friend and gifted/talented resource person at a middle school in a very good district. My friend has several students who, on standardized tests for language arts, score very high. These students are enrolled in honors English classes but perform poorly in these classes. The honors teachers want the students to be removed from their classes and placed back in grade-level English. Apparently, the students do not turn in their homework on a regular basis.
Upon quizzing my friend, I learned that each of these students comes from a difficult home situation. Her question to me was, “Should the students stay in the honors classes because they are obviously very bright, or should they be returned to the grade-level classes because they are not performing?”
A number of years ago, underachievement was one of the “hot topics” in gifted education. Much was written about it. It was defined, explored, and strategies were offered for resolving the problem. Unfortunately, underachievement is probably not a dilemma with a “cookie cutter” solution. Worse, it may not have any solution. Family instability is only one of many reasons for underachievement.
Students are strongly impacted by their families. For reasons we don’t fully understand, some youngsters will step beyond the difficulties at home and use learning as an escape or as something over which they can have control. More often, if a strong base is not offered at home, a child cannot get beyond that. This goes right back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If basic physical and psychological needs are not met, one cannot reach self-actualization.
Mentoring students can sometimes be helpful. To have any success when working with underachievers, though, there must be a very strong commitment on the part of the mentor and the ability to create a positive relationship with the student.
So, let’s go back to my friend’s question, “Should the students stay in the honors classes because they are obviously very bright, or should they be returned to the grade-level classes because they are not performing?” I would hope that before any changes are made, someone will attempt to address the personal difficulties of the kids.
Online Classes for Gifted Students
In addition to meeting the needs of mainstream gifted students, online classes are also of benefit to:
- those who live in rural areas where smaller populations reduce the number of available classes,
- families who are traveling for extended periods of time,
- homeschoolers,
- young people who need to devote an unusual amount of time to their talents in the arts or sports, and
- students who need to accelerate their learning.
The Stanford University EPGY Online High School is launching it’s program in September 2006. It will offer a fully accredited high school diploma with academically rigorous courses. University-level courses will be available in some subjects. Tuition is approximately $12,000 for a full-time academic year.
Lists of state-level virtual schools and links to obtain more information about them can be found at e-learners.com. It should be noted that not all of these schools will offer classes suitable for gifted students, but they are worth exploring.
Also, there are approximately 31 virtual charter schools in 12 states. Information about these and links to the actual schools are available.
So, keep an open mind when searching for differentiation techniques for meeting the needs of gifted students. Taking online classes—whether it’s one class or an entire curriculum—is one possible solution.
Blogs for the Gifted Classroom
You are reading a blog entry right now.
The blog is an evolving technology. Originally, blogs started as personal diaries on the Internet. As with many types of technology, people viewed them and asked, “What is the value?” Now, all kinds of individuals, organizations, and companies are looking at the possibilities--even wondering if they can survive without blog technology.
Blogs can be used in a variety of ways in schools. They can be used as a communication tool between the school and parents, between teachers to share ideas and problems, and as a tool for teaching students.
In education, where students frequently ask, “What is the relevance of the class I am taking?” blogging may be helpful. It is a method for communicating with others, for receiving recognition, and for improving students’ skills, all using the technology of the day.
When viewing blogs and suggestions for blogs, remember that this medium is not static. If you don’t like what you see, think about how could you make it more valuable. How can you use your creativity to find value for this technology?
To learn more about incorporating blogs into schools and the classroom, visit
Writing a blog can involve research, as well as writing. For instance, to write this blog, I did research on the Internet to find other Web sites, or links, to provide information for the reader to click on. Imagine a student doing this for a science or social studies class.
If you are using blogs in your school or classroom, let us know about them. Just click on the “add comment” link below this entry and tell us all how the blogs are being used and if they are beneficial.
Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities
 "Okay, let's break into our reading groups," called out my first grade teacher, Ms. Post. We all had an assigned reading group: jack rabbits, Tootsie Pops, peppermint sticks, and turtles.
I was a turtle. Slow and steady wins the race; we were told.
Other groups immersed themselves in grand stories about house-sized dogs; what would happen if you gave a mouse a cookie; and some kid's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
We turtles learned that "Spot can run."
By third grade, my classmates were reading wonderfully complex stories about far away lands from level "GG" in the SRA Reading Kit. I was reading about brushing my teeth in level "F."
After a time, I learned how to hide my learning difficulties. I was able to sneak my way into interesting, challenging classes and talk my way out of being discovered. I got caught once or twice. I failed honors English when the teacher finally discovered that I hadn't actually "read" anything he had assigned the entire year. I couldn't.
It took years to catch up, develop my skills as a reader and writer, and realize the potential I had.
The solution for me involved a handful of special teachers and professors, a committed mother with a background in special education, loads of superhero comic books, a membership to the science fiction book club, and a very large toolbox of coping skills that I developed over the years.
Computer spell checkers didn't hurt a bit.
Now, I watch my bright, talented son learning to cope with many of the same challenges. Last April, he vomited just before taking the required statewide standardized achievement test. The struggle goes on.
More than a year ago, Rich Weinfeld approached me with the idea for a book about helping smart kids who face learning challenges. Rich and his coauthors (Linda Barnes-Robinson, Sue Jeweler, and Betty Roffman Shevitz) know that gifted kids with learning disabilities have powerful skills and abilities that can be tapped using the right approach. They wanted to write a book that showed others how to ensure the school success of these kids. I jumped at the idea of publishing the book.
I'm so proud to be able to announce that this month Prufrock Press will release Smart Kids With Learning Difficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential. In this book, the authors offer practical advice for helping these kids succeed in school.
The book addresses such topics as:
- identifying gifted/learning-disabled students,
- planning and developing accommodations
- what works and doesn't work in the classroom,
- building supportive learning environments, and
- the roles and responsibilities of parents, students, and school personnel.
 Recently, I asked one of my editors, Lacy Elwood, to interview the four authors of this book. At one point in the interview, Rich Weinfeld explains why he became involved with gifted kids with learning difficulties, "These were the kids who I felt had so much to offer, who had often experienced failure and frustration before coming to my classroom, and with whom I knew I could make a difference. My job was to make a difference for these kids who had so much potential but were falling by the wayside." Rich and his coauthors believe in these kids and have the tools to help them, tools that they share in Smart Kids With Learning Difficulties.
Read the entire interview with the authors. It offers a unique perspective on a group of educators committed to helping smart kids with learning challenges find success in school and life.
To this book's authors, from all of us turtles ... thank you.
Gifted in Music--Whose Responsibility Is It?
How much should we expect public schools to do for gifted students? We already want the schools to meet the needs of gifted students academically. Is it realistic to also expect schools to meet the needs of those who are gifted in music? One of my sons was a very talented piano player. He was not talented enough to be at the top of the class at the best music schools in the country, but he was heads and shoulders above his K-12 academic peers. It never occurred to me to expect the public schools to address his needs. Instead, I made sure we hired the best private piano teachers in our area. As he approached middle school, he spent a week for each of two summers at a music camp where the kids practiced five hours a day and had lots of private lessons and performance opportunities. He absolutely loved it. It was the first time he ever met others who shared his interest so passionately. I could not expect the public schools to offer these types of opportunities. We were fortunate, because we could afford the private lessons and the camp. It is much more difficult for those who are not in the same position. [However, there are organizations, such as The MusicLink Foundation that can help.]
I’m not sure what the definition is of a child who is gifted in music. We used to laugh about Todd because he would sing himself to sleep long before he could talk. After I would put him down for a nap, visitors would say “What’s he doing?” I replied that I always rocked and sang Brian to sleep, but I didn’t have as much time with Todd, so I just taught him to sing himself to sleep. When he was still very little, he would sit with a record player so he could listen to and sing with the music. I had lots of old 45 rpm records from my youth and I didn’t care if they got scratched, so he would play those over and over again. When Todd was 3, my mother sent out the piano that had been in our house when I was growing up. Todd begged to learn to play. I started teaching him and there was no stopping him after that. Eventually, Todd got his first college degree in music. Does that make him gifted? I don’t know. But I do know that I could not expect the public schools to meet his needs in music.
When observing children who have a strong interest in music, remember that they may have great strengths in one area, but not another and that is just fine. For instance, a young person may have talent singing, playing a specific instrument or type of music, composing, or conducting. Don’t expect a student (even one who is musically gifted) to be interested in all areas of music.
Supporting Gifted Children Podcast
This week, PBS' Merrow Report features an interesting podcast with gifted education expert, Penny Choice. The The Merrow Report is a PBS series that looks at critical issues related to youth and learning. I think Penny Choice's interview offers a good description of some of the issues teachers and parents of gifted children are facing.
John Merrow begins his interview with the following introduction:
Everyone knows that cream rises to the top all by itself, but what about gifted kids? Do they excel by virtue of their gifts, or do they need special attention? ... Penny Choice, an expert in gifted education in Illinois, is upset because public school programs for the nation's estimated 3 million gifted children are disappearing. The multiple causes are shrinking budgets, shifting priorities and, some allege, the federal law known as "No Child Left Behind," which is causing educators to focus their attention on children who are falling behind.
Hear what Penny Choice has to say about the unexpected problems facing gifted children. Visit the PBS Merrow Report podcast page to download and listen to the interview.
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