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Articles from
January 2010
Connect With Gifted Education Advocates Via Social Networking
As a teacher or parent of gifted children, you know that finding others who share your passion for gifted education can be difficult. Finding information, resources, and support for gifted children can be a struggle. However, I believe that the growth of social networks offers a way to overcome the isolation that many advocates for gifted children feel.
The opportunities to become involved with other gifted education advocates using the Internet and social networking are numerous and rapidly growing.
For example, one gifted education advocate with whom I recently corresponded, Deborah Mersino, organizes weekly online chats during which gifted supporters from across the globe join in something called a "Twitter chat." If you are interested, join Deborah for a Twitter chat tonight to discuss "Delving Into the Digital Age: Tools & Tips for Teachers and Parents of Gifted Kids" at 7:00 p.m. EST. If you miss tonight's chat, simply visit Deborah's blog to find the date and topic for the next chat. Anyone can join the discussion, and doing so is very easy. To participate in tonight's chat, simply visit TweetChat, follow the set-up instructions, and use the special "hashtag" #gtchat in step 2 of the setup process.
Yesterday afternoon at Prufrock Press, my staff and I launched two exciting opportunities for our customers to connect and discuss gifted education topics of interest. As of yesterday, we began using both Twitter and Facebook to help our customers and other gifted education supporters to reach out to one another.
Twitter
Follow the ongoing discussion about gifted education and advocacy for gifted education by following our Twitter feed. My staff and I have started posting lots of interesting ideas, resources, and comments related to gifted education. By following us on Twitter, you can join in that discussion. All you need to do is join Twitter and follow our Twitter feed. Click the icon below to join the discussion on Twitter!
Facebook
Become a fan of Prufrock Press on Facebook. We have big plans for building interesting and engaging content for our Facebook page. My editors will be encouraging discussions, posting pictures from gifted education conferences, and keeping you updated on the latest news in gifted education. We want our Facebook page to be a rich source of news and information about advocating for and teaching gifted children. However, don't just become a fan of our page--visit the page, post your ideas, and join in the discussion. Click the icon below to join the discussion on Facebook!
I want to emphasize that my staff and I want to use our Twitter and Facebook presence to help connect our customers and fans with each other. We will use these tools to build an exciting, interactive social network focused on friendships, information, resources, and support. The more gifted education supporters who join us, the more exciting the experience will be. So, get involved today by joining Ms. Mersino's weekly chats, following Prufrock Press on Twitter, or becoming a fan of our page on Facebook.
Advocating for Your Gifted Child
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the designated coordinator of gifted education at the central office
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the superintendent or a principal
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a "lead teacher"
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the gifted resource specialist in a school
There are two different types of advocacy:
Microadvocacy—seeking to alter attitudes, beliefs, and practices of those who work with one child.
Macroadvocacy—bringing changes that affect many students—attitudes, practices, policies, and resources at the district, state, or national level.
You might be concerned with microadvocacy when a teacher does not recognize your child’s high abilities and is not providing enough challenge. For a variety of reasons, it is always the best political strategy to begin with your child’s teacher. Courtright lists things to remember when working with teachers.
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Be sensitive to the fact that the teacher must share her time and attention with all students in the classroom, including those with disabilities and English language learners.
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Offer compliments about the positive aspects of your child’s relationship with the teacher and the classroom environment.
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Include what you are willing to do as a parent to be supportive.
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Consider including students who are in the upper grades in the conversation.
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Offer some specific strategies that you would like to see implemented, such as alternative assignments, compacted, lessons, or a referral for screening/evaluation for advanced learning opportunities.
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Do your homework ahead of the meeting to understand what is allowed by district policy and what is not.
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Confine the discussion to your child only. Do not discuss other children.
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Treat the teacher as a professional.
Macroadvocacy will be covered in the next issue of the Duke Gifted Letter. To subscribe (free), click here.
Advocating for Your Gifted Child
-
the designated coordinator of gifted education at the central office
-
the superintendent or a principal
-
a "lead teacher"
-
the gifted resource specialist in a school
There are two different types of advocacy:
Microadvocacy—seeking to alter attitudes, beliefs, and practices of those who work with one child.
Macroadvocacy—bringing changes that affect many students—attitudes, practices, policies, and resources at the district, state, or national level.
You might be concerned with microadvocacy when a teacher does not recognize your child’s high abilities and is not providing enough challenge. For a variety of reasons, it is always the best political strategy to begin with your child’s teacher. Courtright lists things to remember when working with teachers.
-
Be sensitive to the fact that the teacher must share her time and attention with all students in the classroom, including those with disabilities and English language learners.
-
Offer compliments about the positive aspects of your child’s relationship with the teacher and the classroom environment.
-
Include what you are willing to do as a parent to be supportive.
-
Consider including students who are in the upper grades in the conversation.
-
Offer some specific strategies that you would like to see implemented, such as alternative assignments, compacted, lessons, or a referral for screening/evaluation for advanced learning opportunities.
-
Do your homework ahead of the meeting to understand what is allowed by district policy and what is not.
-
Confine the discussion to your child only. Do not discuss other children.
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Treat the teacher as a professional.
Advocating for Your Gifted Child
The Duke Gifted Letter http://www.dukegiftedletter.com/ always contains informative articles. The current issue contains a useful article about advocating for one’s gifted child. The article, titled Administrators of Gifted Programs: Paying Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain http://www.dukegiftedletter.com/articles/vol10no2_connex.html , by Rick Courtright, explores best ways to interact with your administrator of gifted programs. The administrator of the gifted program (AGP) could hold any one of several professional roles in a school system: the designated coordinator of gifted education at the central office
the superintendent or a principal
a "lead teacher"
the gifted resource specialist in a school
There are two different types of advocacy:
Microadvocacy—seeking to alter attitudes, beliefs, and practices of those who work with one child.
Macroadvocacy—bringing changes that affect many students—attitudes, practices, policies, and resources at the district, state, or national level.
You might be concerned with microadvocacy when a teacher does not recognize your child’s high abilities and is not providing enough challenge. For a variety of reasons, it is always the best political strategy to begin with your child’s teacher. Courtright lists things to remember when working with teachers.
Be sensitive to the fact that the teacher must share her time and attention with all students in the classroom, including those with disabilities and English language learners.
Offer compliments about the positive aspects of your child’s relationship with the teacher and the classroom environment.
Include what you are willing to do as a parent to be supportive.
Consider including students who are in the upper grades in the conversation.
Offer some specific strategies that you would like to see implemented, such as alternative assignments, compacted, lessons, or a referral for screening/evaluation for advanced learning opportunities.
Do your homework ahead of the meeting to understand what is allowed by district policy and what is not.
Confine the discussion to your child only. Do not discuss other children.
Treat the teacher as a professional.
Advocating for Your Gifted Child
The Duke Gifted Letter always contains informative articles. The current issue contains a useful article about how to advocate for your gifted child. The article, titled Administrators of Gifted Programs: Paying Attention to the "Man Behind the Curtain," by Rick Courtright, explores the ways in which you can successfully interact with your child's administrator of gifted programs. Remember that the administrator of gifted programs (AGP) could hold any one of several professional roles in a school system. The APG could be:
- the designated coordinator of gifted education at the central office,
- the superintendent or a principal,
- a lead teacher, or
- the gifted resource specialist in a school.
In the article, Courtright highlights two different types of advocacy, microadvocacy and macroadvocacy:
- Microadvocacy refers primarily to the work of individual parents who are attempting to bring about individual changes for their children. According to Courtright, "Microadvocacy involves seeking an alteration of attitudes, beliefs and practices of those who work most closely with one child: the teacher, guidance counselor, gifted resource teacher or specialist."
- Macroadvocacy refers to the work of parents, practitioners, and policy makers who are seeking to change the educational landscape for a large number of children. As Courtright notes, "Macroadvocacy involves the process of bringing change(s) that affect many students—the attitudes, practices, policies and resources at the district, state or national level."
You might decide to try microadvocacy when a teacher does not recognize your child’s high abilities and is not providing enough challenge. Courtright argues that, for a variety of reasons, it is always the best political strategy to begin with your child’s teacher. In the article, he lists several things to remember when working with your child's teacher.
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Be sensitive to the fact that the teacher must share his or her time and attention with all of the students in the classroom, including those with disabilities and English language learners.
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Offer compliments and let the the teacher know if you admire something that he or she has done inside the classroom.
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Mention what you are willing to do as a parent in order to be supportive.
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If your child is in the upper grades, consider including him or her in your discussions with the teacher. You may even wish to bring your child along when you meet with the teacher face-to-face.
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Offer the teacher some specific strategies that you would like to see implemented, such as giving your child alternative assignments, compacted lessons, or a referral for additional screening and evaluation.
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Before you meet with the teacher or with someone else at your child's school, research the school district's rules and regulations so that you can fully understand the district's policies.
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Confine the discussion to your child only. Do not discuss other children.
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Remember that the teacher is a busy professional. Treat him or her with respect and understand that the teacher may not be available to you at every moment. Schedule meetings ahead of time and plan for them accordingly so that you can use that time efficiently.
Macroadvocacy will be covered in the next issue of the Duke Gifted Letter. To subscribe (free), click here.
What Makes a Great Teacher—Not Just for the Gifted, but for All Students
The January/February 2010 issue of The Atlantic features a noteworthy article titled, What Makes a Great Teacher? Although the article does not focus on gifted education per se, it is still worth a close read. The article discusses specific attributes that excellent teachers with exceptional track records tend to display in the classroom. (It is important to note that these attributes are based on research that was conducted by the nonprofit organization, Teach for America, which advocates for teacher reform. It is also important to note that the group's research focuses solely on teachers who work in underperforming school districts where the primary goal in the general education classroom is to get students to perform at or above grade level.) The article outlines several specific recommendations that the organization makes for recruiting and hiring successful teachers, particularly in underserved communities.
For those of us in the gifted education community, the traits identified in the article may be ones that we should perhaps consider first before we consider any additional teacher characteristics that might be specific to gifted education. (See my previous blog entry titled, Training and Competencies of Teachers of the Gifted.)
Amanda Ripley, the author of The Atlantic article, writes that although parents worry about sending their children to the “right” schools, statistical research shows that the schools themselves do not matter as much as the quality of the individual teachers. Ripley notes: “Teacher quality tends to vary more within schools—even supposedly good schools—than among schools. But we have never identified excellent teachers in any reliable, objective way." Teach for America (a nonprofit organization that recruits college graduates to spend 2 years teaching in underperforming, high-poverty schools) has been working to change this. According to Ripley, the organization has spent more than a decade rigorously studying the educational outcomes of kids in underperforming school districts in an admirable attempt to explain "why some teachers can move those kids three grade levels ahead in one year," while others are unable to accomplish this.
By following students in underperforming school districts and analyzing the techniques and attributes of the school districts' teachers, the organization concluded that the most effective teachers in those school districts displayed five professional qualities. They:
- tended to set big goals for their students;
- were perpetually looking for ways to improve their effectiveness;
- avidly recruited students and their families into the process;
- maintained focus, ensuring that everything they did contributed to student learning;
- planned exhaustively and purposefully—for the next day or year ahead—by working backward from the desired outcome; and
- worked relentlessly, refusing to surrender to the combined menaces of poverty, bureaucracy, and budgetary shortfalls. (para. 26-27)
Teach for America has also carefully studied what to look for when hiring candidates for its program. Many of the assumptions that they held in the early years of the program about which candidates would make exceptionally effective teachers were found to be unreliable. However, three traits stood out as very important. Such traits included:
- A history of perseverance. (Recruiters at Teach for America believe that tenacious, goal-oriented individuals tend to "work harder and stay committed to their goals longer.")
- A positive, happy attitude. (As Ripley notes: "Teachers who scored high in 'life satisfaction'--reporting that they were very content with their lives--were 43 percent more likely to perform well in the classroom than their less-satisfied colleagues.")
- A record of achievement. (Ripley writes: "Recruits who have achieved big, measurable goals in college tend to do so as teachers. And the two best metrics of previous success tend to be grade-point average and 'leadership achievement'--a record of running something and showing tangible results.")
A master’s degree in education was found to have no impact on classroom effectiveness.
Do You Want a Gifted or a Hard-Working Child?
Psychology Today recently featured a provocative article on its website, titled, Parenting: Do You Want a Gifted or Hard-Working Child? This particular article caught my eye because it presents an alternative way of thinking about parenting gifted kids. I wanted to share it with the gifted education community because it provides some food for thought. The author of the article, Jim Taylor, notes that although "the world is full of gifted failures," parents continue to "hope beyond hope that their children are gifted."
Kids often feel the same way. According to Taylor, whenever he asks a group of kids whether they would rather be gifted or hard working, almost all of them say that they would rather be gifted. In their view, being gifted means that that they are not only destined for success, they won't have to work that hard for it either.
Hard work and perseverance are crucial components of success. However, many people tend to negate the importance of hard work and practice and instead believe that achievement is based on ability alone. This is a dangerous misconception, particularly for gifted kids.
Because learning comes so easily to them when they are young, gifted kids often fail to learn that there is an important link between effort and outcome. They assume that their achievements are a result of their natural ability and that, conversely, their failures are a result of their ability, as well. As Taylor writes: "If gifted children attribute their successes to their ability, when they fail--which they inevitably will sooner or later--they must attribute their failures to their lack of ability (they must be stupid or untalented)." Unfortunately, this kind of misguided thinking can lead kids to give up on a task prematurely because they fear that they aren't good enough. They don't understand that effort is just as important to success as ability.
If these kids continue to succeed with limited effort, they will eventually find themselves in an environment (such as a selective college or university) where nearly everyone is gifted. As Taylor writes: "At this point, giftedness isn't what ultimately determines who becomes truly successful. What separates those children who are simply gifted from those who are gifted and successful is whether they possess the skills to maximize their gifts. Unfortunately, these children will find that their inborn talent is no longer sufficient to be successful. Because everything comes so easily to them, many never learn the skills--hard work, persistence, patience, perseverance, discipline--that will enable them to become truly successful."
Taylor even goes so far as to say that parents should not tell their children that they’re gifted because it will put an unnecessary burden upon them. As Taylor writes: "Instead of emphasizing your children's giftedness, you should talk to them about the attitudes and skills--which are under their control--that they will need to fully realize their talents." Taylor also believes that we should not tell a child that he or she has great potential because having potential means that a youngster has done nothing yet. Potential implies eventual adult success, and, as Taylor writes, we are simply not very good at predicting who will become successful in life.
According to Dr. Anders Ericcson, a professor at Florida State University who has studied expert performance in sports, music, mathematics, and other activities, the single greatest predictor for success is how many hours a person has practiced an activity. The more hours one practices, the better he or she is. (Remember the 10,000 hours rule that Malcolm Gladwell championed in his book, Outliers? That rule is based on a study that Ericcson conducted. According to the 10,000 hours rule, it takes approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve mastery.) As Taylor writes: "Hard work means children putting in the necessary time, sticking with it when it's not always fun, persevering in the face of setbacks and failures, and developing all of the skills necessary to become successful."
And so now we have one more way of looking at the capabilities and possibilities of young people. Be sure to check out the comments section at the bottom of Taylor's article for an ongoing discussion of his viewpoints.
Friendship and Giftedness
There is a common misconception that gifted children experience more social and emotional troubles than average children. However, research shows that most gifted young people are well-adjusted and have a strong circle of friends. For a clearer understanding of the importance of gifted children's friendships, you will want to consult the following resources:
The Davidson Institute for Talent Development
The Institute's website offers numerous links to articles that expand on this theme, as well as information about a wide variety of books that discuss friendship and giftedness. Articles that may interest you include:
SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted)
The Duke Gifted Letter
Vocabulary Development for Gifted Students
Advanced vocabulary development is essential for students for many reasons. It not only helps students excel at college admissions tests, it also helps them succeed in a wide variety of endeavors. For example:
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Increasing students' vocabulary encourages them to use more descriptive words when writing or speaking and enables them to communicate their thoughts more clearly.
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Understanding the meaning of a wide range of words allows students to comprehend their reading more easily, thus increasing their retention.
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Having a larger vocabulary helps students' verbal communication flow and helps them to avoid making unnecessary noises such as "umm" and "uhh" when they speak.
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Using richer and more colorful words helps students project a more intelligent image.
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Having the right vocabulary for planning and solving problems helps students maximize their thinking skills.
There are many ways that students can increase their storehouse of words.
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Students can increase their vocabularly significantly by reading widely and actively, noticing and looking up new words as they read. Students should also seek out classics and other books that require them to pay close attention and think deeply about language and ideas.
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Students looking for a fun and relaxing way to learn new words should try playing crossword puzzles and word games. These activities help students to not only learn new words, but also learn alternative meanings for words.
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Students wishing to deepen their vocabulary further should study the meanings of root words, as well as prefixes and suffixes. These devices help students guess the meaning of words that they do not already know. They also help students gain a broad understanding of language.
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Students who wish to experiment with the words that they use on paper should try using a thesaurus when they write. They will not only learn new words this way, but they will also gain a richer appreciation for choosing the right word in a sentence.
The following websites represent just a few of the online activities that encourage students' vocabulary development:
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English Games features a variety of vocabulary games for all ages, ranging from simple games for elementary school students to advanced games and quizzes for high school students who are studying for the SAT and ACT.
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Number2.com offers free online test preparation, including a vocabulary builder. This website includes practice sessions that adapt to a student's ability level. The website requires students to set up a free account.
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