In response to Rebecca Alber’s blog in Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/differentiated-instruction-definition-strategies-alber) about defining differentiation, there has been some discussion about how to differentiate for GATE students.
Often when I am out working with teachers, I hear it is the GATE students they struggle with the most. Many teachers have ideas about how to meet the needs of students at the other end of the spectrum but they aren’t sure what to do with GATE students. Many teachers tell me they differentiate by having the GATE students help other students. Other teachers allow the GATE students work on more difficult material but those students must teach themselves since the teacher is busy teaching others.
To help those teachers who are wrestling with this issue and to help those parents who want more for their GATE children, I hereby offer five quick suggestions to help GATE students in the elementary school classroom. My hope is that every day every student will be given the chance to move forward on his or her own learning journey. GATE students need opportunities to learn, just like other students.
1.Curriculum compacting. This concept is simple. Give the posttest for a unit before you teach the topic. Maybe you only give it to five students whom you suspect already know the material or maybe you give it to the whole class. If any student scores 90% or above on the post-test before you have even taught the material, that student already knows it and can “pass out” of that unit and work on material that is more meaningful to them. (See suggestions below for what that might entail.)
2.Writer’s Workshop. I thought word about Writer’s Workshop had spread and everyone was using this for his or her writing program but I have recently learned that is not the case. Many schools are still using formulaic writing frames in which there is little room for a gifted student to go beyond the boundaries of the assignment or let their imagination soar. Writer’s Workshop allows students to work at their own pace and on material of their own choosing. Students can often choose what kind of text to write and how to put their piece together. Teachers conference with students individually about their writing. In this way, the individual needs of gifted students can easily be met. Perhaps one student is working on using quotation marks while others in her class are still working on periods. Or perhaps she has a great idea for a poem even though most of her classmates are writing narratives. There is room for these variations in Writer’s Workshop. If you have not yet read a book about writing by Lucy Calkins or attended the Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project summer courses, do so!
3.Math binders. Math seems to be the subject that is the hardest for teachers to differentiate. It may be that a student’s strength in math is often very visible. They can compute faster than anyone in the class and with bigger numbers too. Teachers then feel a pressing need to provide work at the appropriate level. In my classroom I met this need by keeping a math binder for every student. Inside that binder was work appropriate to their level. Students could reach for their binders any time they were done with other work or needed different work from the rest of the class. (These were also great for substitute days too – everyone just worked in his or her math binder, no prep required!) . I filled the binders with work as I came across it. Maybe we didn’t get to spend enough time on measuring. Then I would put some extra work in everyone’s math binder. Maybe Josh is really struggling with his addition facts. Then I would put some of that work in his binder alone. Perhaps Rose really enjoyed the 100s chart puzzles we did. I would xerox a few extra and stick those in her math binder. Sometimes students would ask me, “Can I have some work on division? My big brother is doing it and I want to do some too.” That would go in their binder as well. Each student then had a personalized collection of math materials at their disposal. At the end of the school year, I would send these binders home. Parents were thrilled to have some summer work for their children that was “just right” for them as opposed to a workbook they might buy.
4.Choice. Provide choice within units of study such as individual research projects or choices about products students will use to show what they have learned. This is a place where gifted students can soar. We have all seen those classrooms where there are 22 clouds on the wall and each one has a poem about a cloud on it that starts exactly the same way. Let’s shake it up some more and challenge the students to bring themselves to the assignments! What about a research project into the different types of clouds? Or a month’s log about the weather and a discussion about what this might mean for this year’s peaches? How about an interview with a meteorologist and a report back to the class about their job. Gifted students love the depth and complexity of these kinds of assignments. Teachers can control the choices by offering just a few for students to choose from or they can let students write a contract about what they want to do. Teacher and student then sign this before the student takes off. All of this work can be displayed around the classroom in a poster, photographs, a Powerpoint, lyrics to a song, or an essay. It will be so much more interesting to view than 22 cloud poems.
5.Computers. OK, I must admit that I am not a big proponent of computers for young children. However, that they can be a great differentiation tool. Programs such as Renzulli Learning and Stanford’s EPGY program are specifically designed for gifted learners. They can be used by students on their own to learn about things at his or her level, at his or her own pace. Renzulli Learning works to pinpoint a student’s areas of interest and then provides activities related to those interests. Stanford’s EPGY program also offers courses in a variety of different subjects. I have used it with students mostly for the math portion. I wouldn’t park a student on the computer for large portions of the day but I do think for a small amount of time each week, this could be an area where a student really feels like they are working on something that is meaningful to them.
Math binders, writer’s workshop, research projects, and computer programs are all things that will challenge gifted students. They are also projects that students can work on independently, with some teacher check-ins along the way. Get these things rolling in your classroom and when a student “passes out” of a unit, send them to do work in their math binder, write a story, do more research into their topic, or work on their Renzulli activities. This will keep them moving forward on their own learning journey.
See my next post for two more complex ways teachers can create a classroom that will meet the needs of ALL students!
Showing posts with label gifted education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gifted education. Show all posts
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Why Should We Care About the Gifted Kids?
Most people would agree that all children are entitled to an opportunity to learn. What then does it mean to learn? The dictionary defines learning as “acquiring knowledge or skill.” When gifted students are sitting in a classroom being taught material that they already know can we say that they are “learning”? Aren’t they then being denied a basic right that we believe all young people are entitled to?
I have been stunned lately by the disregard for gifted students in our public schools. I hear, “But they can already pass the tests.” or “ We need to focus on the lower students to bring our test scores up.” I even heard, “Let’s just have the gifted students teach the struggling students. That will give the gifted students something to do and will bring up our test scores.” It is well known that people learn material better when they need to teach it but if our gifted students are spending their time being ignored and teaching others, when are they given the opportunity to learn? This goes beyond funding and test scores. This is a civil rights issue and it criminal to have these students sitting in classrooms day after day spending their time doing work that keeps them busy but does not contribute to their learning.
The San Bruno Park School District has budgeted over $300,000 dollars for Special Ed Funding for the 2010-2011 school year. Special Ed. Funding is federally mandated so the district must follow the guidelines and the money must be spent. Funding for gifted education is not currently federally mandated. Guess how much the San Bruno Park School District will spend on gifted education next year. The answer is $0. I do not deny that students in special ed. need special services but it neglect to have so many services for those students and none for the gifted students.
If we think about 100 as a median IQ, students who are two standard deviations below the mean (IQ of 70) are required by law to have special services. Students who are two standard deviations above the mean (IQ of 130) have no federal protection and thus have no services. If a student has an IQ of four standard deviations below the mean (IQ of 40) they would be in a special day class and it would be unlikely that they could be mainstreamed into a regular classroom. For students with an IQ of four standard deviations above the mean (IQ of 160), they are usually stuck in regular classrooms doing the same work that their classmates are doing. Or they are home schooled because parents cannot find a place that will work for them in the school system. Laws have been enacted to make sure that some students are given the opportunity to learn but they have neglected to extend that right to all students.
Underachievement is the number one problem facing gifted students and it comes from the students being denied the opportunity to learn important skills such as perseverance, study skills, and the value of practice. These skills would be learned by engaging in challenging work that is commensurate with a child’s academic needs.
The bigger issue for me is the waste of these young minds. Imagine what a gifted student could do with years of learning under their belt. If they were given the opportunity to make continuous progress in school year after year imagine what they would be capable of by the end of high school. Now imagine the opposite, what they will have gained from years of classroom experiences in which they haven’t been challenged in the least? Gifted students are going to be movers and shakers in our world. They are bright. They are intense. They are able to take many different parts of a problem and put them together in a coherent whole. Why aren’t we shaping this and giving them the tools to learn to be leaders in our world?
This week a group of gifted first graders dutifully completed the page in their math book. They had to circle whether the crayon was “next to” or “far from” the glue bottle. Then they had to circle whether the marker was “in front of” or “behind” the scissors. These are words these students learned when they were two and three years old. I don’t see how this work guides them on their educational path. I don’t see the critical thinking skills and higher order thinking that I would hope would be part of the tool box of tomorrow’s leaders.
I fear for our future. If our students, all of them, not just the gifted ones, are only being taught the most basic material and how to be experts at filling in the blanks, I don’t know how they are going to solve problems in our world that are big and messy and don’t have simple solutions like a fill-in-the-blank worksheet. As we sit and focus on test scores we are losing sight of the fact that we need to teach students to think.
Creating the internet, inventing a computer, developing a hybrid car. I can guarantee these were not things people learned how to do from a worksheet. Who knows what challenges we will face in the next thirty years as the world becomes increasingly complex but I know that I want creative, bright, resourceful people leading the way. It is essential that we fight now for all students to have the opportunity to learn so that we will have skilled leaders to guide us in the future.
I have been stunned lately by the disregard for gifted students in our public schools. I hear, “But they can already pass the tests.” or “ We need to focus on the lower students to bring our test scores up.” I even heard, “Let’s just have the gifted students teach the struggling students. That will give the gifted students something to do and will bring up our test scores.” It is well known that people learn material better when they need to teach it but if our gifted students are spending their time being ignored and teaching others, when are they given the opportunity to learn? This goes beyond funding and test scores. This is a civil rights issue and it criminal to have these students sitting in classrooms day after day spending their time doing work that keeps them busy but does not contribute to their learning.
The San Bruno Park School District has budgeted over $300,000 dollars for Special Ed Funding for the 2010-2011 school year. Special Ed. Funding is federally mandated so the district must follow the guidelines and the money must be spent. Funding for gifted education is not currently federally mandated. Guess how much the San Bruno Park School District will spend on gifted education next year. The answer is $0. I do not deny that students in special ed. need special services but it neglect to have so many services for those students and none for the gifted students.
If we think about 100 as a median IQ, students who are two standard deviations below the mean (IQ of 70) are required by law to have special services. Students who are two standard deviations above the mean (IQ of 130) have no federal protection and thus have no services. If a student has an IQ of four standard deviations below the mean (IQ of 40) they would be in a special day class and it would be unlikely that they could be mainstreamed into a regular classroom. For students with an IQ of four standard deviations above the mean (IQ of 160), they are usually stuck in regular classrooms doing the same work that their classmates are doing. Or they are home schooled because parents cannot find a place that will work for them in the school system. Laws have been enacted to make sure that some students are given the opportunity to learn but they have neglected to extend that right to all students.
Underachievement is the number one problem facing gifted students and it comes from the students being denied the opportunity to learn important skills such as perseverance, study skills, and the value of practice. These skills would be learned by engaging in challenging work that is commensurate with a child’s academic needs.
The bigger issue for me is the waste of these young minds. Imagine what a gifted student could do with years of learning under their belt. If they were given the opportunity to make continuous progress in school year after year imagine what they would be capable of by the end of high school. Now imagine the opposite, what they will have gained from years of classroom experiences in which they haven’t been challenged in the least? Gifted students are going to be movers and shakers in our world. They are bright. They are intense. They are able to take many different parts of a problem and put them together in a coherent whole. Why aren’t we shaping this and giving them the tools to learn to be leaders in our world?
This week a group of gifted first graders dutifully completed the page in their math book. They had to circle whether the crayon was “next to” or “far from” the glue bottle. Then they had to circle whether the marker was “in front of” or “behind” the scissors. These are words these students learned when they were two and three years old. I don’t see how this work guides them on their educational path. I don’t see the critical thinking skills and higher order thinking that I would hope would be part of the tool box of tomorrow’s leaders.
I fear for our future. If our students, all of them, not just the gifted ones, are only being taught the most basic material and how to be experts at filling in the blanks, I don’t know how they are going to solve problems in our world that are big and messy and don’t have simple solutions like a fill-in-the-blank worksheet. As we sit and focus on test scores we are losing sight of the fact that we need to teach students to think.
Creating the internet, inventing a computer, developing a hybrid car. I can guarantee these were not things people learned how to do from a worksheet. Who knows what challenges we will face in the next thirty years as the world becomes increasingly complex but I know that I want creative, bright, resourceful people leading the way. It is essential that we fight now for all students to have the opportunity to learn so that we will have skilled leaders to guide us in the future.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Training the Teachers
This month the principals of the seven schools in the San Bruno Park School District were all offered an opportunity to have training for their teachers in meeting the needs of gifted students. The training would be funded through a grant so would come at no cost to the schools. Not one principal jumped at the chance.
The same offer was going to be made to the principals in the Burlingame School District but no one there responded to letters and e-mails.
A principal of a school near Menlo Park attended a meeting with the parent of a highly gifted child. The principal told the parent that the teacher had direct orders from him not to modify the curriculum one bit for the child.
A traditional career path for a principal is a few years in the classroom, then an administrative position, then perhaps a move to a supervisory role (such as assistant superintendent) at the district office. When we consider that 61% of public school teachers have had no training in gifted education, then it comes as no surprise that principals are putting up barriers for gifted students.
It is very clear that teacher education programs need to include classes in gifted education. I have heard so often that we need to train teachers to work with inner city kids, not with “easy” gifted students. What this does not take into account is that there are gifted students in every school. Joy Oatman from Tilman High School in Chicago Illinois states, “People need to know that there are children with talents here. People who live in the inner city in the barrio, or on the reservation need to know that their children are smart. There’s too much raw ability going through the cracks. If a child we might lose had the ability to cure cancer but ends up joining a gang or dealing dope, that’s a double loss to the country.”
Yes, teacher education programs need to change but one area that we can start to change right now is to educate our teachers who are already in the classrooms. The parents of gifted students can do this. All parents of gifted students need to learn to advocate for their children. We need to start teaching the teachers that the needs of gifted students are different. We need to ask for enrichment programs, depth and complexity in the curriculum, and practice with critical thinking skills. We need to go into the classrooms and share our talents with the students and through our modeling, hopefully change the thinking of the teachers, a little bit at a time.
I recently suggested the idea of “compacting” to a teacher. This is a method often used to meet the needs of gifted students. She hadn’t heard of the term so I explained that she would give the post-test to her class before teaching the next unit. If any of her students scored 90% or above on the test, then they already know those skills and should be given the opportunity to move ahead with their learning rather than required to do the work as outlined in the textbook. She followed through with my idea and was surprised to realize that half of her class scored 90% or above on the post test before she even taught the unit. Wow!
What would it be like if we changed our goal from “high test scores for all” to “continuous academic progress for each student”? Many of our students are already performing well on the tests. How can we really say our students are “learning” when they are just doing work that they already know how to do? What could they do if we made sure that each day they learned something?
The San Bruno Park School District spends a huge portion of its budget on special education funding and roughly 1/15 of that amount on education for gifted students. Is it fair that all of these resources are being poured into some populations of students and not others? Let’s make “continuous academic progress for each student” our mantra and work together with our teachers make this a reality for our students. A few years down the line, this may pay off as one of these teachers becomes a principal and searches out programs for the gifted students, as well as the other populations in his/her school.
The same offer was going to be made to the principals in the Burlingame School District but no one there responded to letters and e-mails.
A principal of a school near Menlo Park attended a meeting with the parent of a highly gifted child. The principal told the parent that the teacher had direct orders from him not to modify the curriculum one bit for the child.
A traditional career path for a principal is a few years in the classroom, then an administrative position, then perhaps a move to a supervisory role (such as assistant superintendent) at the district office. When we consider that 61% of public school teachers have had no training in gifted education, then it comes as no surprise that principals are putting up barriers for gifted students.
It is very clear that teacher education programs need to include classes in gifted education. I have heard so often that we need to train teachers to work with inner city kids, not with “easy” gifted students. What this does not take into account is that there are gifted students in every school. Joy Oatman from Tilman High School in Chicago Illinois states, “People need to know that there are children with talents here. People who live in the inner city in the barrio, or on the reservation need to know that their children are smart. There’s too much raw ability going through the cracks. If a child we might lose had the ability to cure cancer but ends up joining a gang or dealing dope, that’s a double loss to the country.”
Yes, teacher education programs need to change but one area that we can start to change right now is to educate our teachers who are already in the classrooms. The parents of gifted students can do this. All parents of gifted students need to learn to advocate for their children. We need to start teaching the teachers that the needs of gifted students are different. We need to ask for enrichment programs, depth and complexity in the curriculum, and practice with critical thinking skills. We need to go into the classrooms and share our talents with the students and through our modeling, hopefully change the thinking of the teachers, a little bit at a time.
I recently suggested the idea of “compacting” to a teacher. This is a method often used to meet the needs of gifted students. She hadn’t heard of the term so I explained that she would give the post-test to her class before teaching the next unit. If any of her students scored 90% or above on the test, then they already know those skills and should be given the opportunity to move ahead with their learning rather than required to do the work as outlined in the textbook. She followed through with my idea and was surprised to realize that half of her class scored 90% or above on the post test before she even taught the unit. Wow!
What would it be like if we changed our goal from “high test scores for all” to “continuous academic progress for each student”? Many of our students are already performing well on the tests. How can we really say our students are “learning” when they are just doing work that they already know how to do? What could they do if we made sure that each day they learned something?
The San Bruno Park School District spends a huge portion of its budget on special education funding and roughly 1/15 of that amount on education for gifted students. Is it fair that all of these resources are being poured into some populations of students and not others? Let’s make “continuous academic progress for each student” our mantra and work together with our teachers make this a reality for our students. A few years down the line, this may pay off as one of these teachers becomes a principal and searches out programs for the gifted students, as well as the other populations in his/her school.
Underachievement
I recently had the pleasure of attending a few workshops taught by Sally Reis from the University of Connecticut. She was in California for the CAG conference and I went to every session she offered!
My favorite was a session on underachievement. Dr. Reis feels that this is the biggest problem facing gifted students and it is on the increase today because bright kids are not learning to put forth effort. I can only infer that this is due to the unchallenging curriculum offered in schools due to NCLB.
Dr. Reis encounters many gifted college students who have not yet learned to study because they have cruised through school. They have gotten 100% on every test with minimal effort. Due to classrooms aimed at students who are struggling, gifted students have missed out on learning study habits as well as things such as perseverance and resilience. She told the story of a pharmacology student who got an “F” on his first test, decided he was stupid, and was then ready to drop out of school. What he needed instead, however, was to learn how to study to improve his grades. It was the first time he had received less than an “A” and he just didn’t know what to do, attributing his difficulty to his intelligence rather than a missing skill.
I was grinning broadly as Dr. Reis said that activities outside of school teach that effort matters. For years, families of second graders have come to me frustrated because their children are having a hard year. These young children often learned to read early and so kindergarten and first grade, where much of the focus is on reading, came easily to them. It is not until second grade that they realize they really need to work in school and this feels hard to them. At this point I like to recommend piano lessons or sports activities so that students can learn the value of practice. We also need to help parents understand that it is actually a blessing if schoolwork feels hard (within reason). It means that their children are being challenged and are learning life skills in the process.
Dr. Reis’ definition of “achievement” is “the act of accomplishing something of merit by means of effort, skill or perseverance.” If we use this definition, many students still have not yet accomplished anything by second grade. Though they may have gotten good grades, they have not yet accomplished anything.
Some of the most successful students I have known have been gifted students with learning differences. They have had to work hard from the beginning. They are bright but they also know how to study and they know how to put forth effort, often producing great results.
In her research on underachievement Dr. Reis found that “busier adolescents underachieve less” and that “students with regular patterns of work in music or athletics develop positive self-regulation strategies in academics.” She also found that underachievement can be reversed in 70-80% of kids. Two important factors in this reversal are parental interaction and involvement in enrichment opportunities.
So, how can we use this information to guide younger students? Acceptance and rejection letters were sent out by Nueva School last week. I have received many phone calls from parents whose children did not get in. They are at a loss as to how to proceed. With all of California’s budget cuts, GATE programs have been eliminated in many districts in the Bay Area, leaving parents of gifted students with few options. Parents feel a responsibility towards their gifted children but feel frustrated about how to meet their needs in this economy. Listening to Dr. Reis made me realize that there is one big thing we can do. We can involve our children in learning the importance of effort and perseverance. Sign your child up for music lessons or a sports team. No one gets to be an expert piano player by just sitting down at the piano. They need to put in the work to improve. This is an important lesson we can give our children at this time.
For more on this topic read, Work Left Undone: Choices and Compromises of Talented Women by Sally Reis.
My favorite was a session on underachievement. Dr. Reis feels that this is the biggest problem facing gifted students and it is on the increase today because bright kids are not learning to put forth effort. I can only infer that this is due to the unchallenging curriculum offered in schools due to NCLB.
Dr. Reis encounters many gifted college students who have not yet learned to study because they have cruised through school. They have gotten 100% on every test with minimal effort. Due to classrooms aimed at students who are struggling, gifted students have missed out on learning study habits as well as things such as perseverance and resilience. She told the story of a pharmacology student who got an “F” on his first test, decided he was stupid, and was then ready to drop out of school. What he needed instead, however, was to learn how to study to improve his grades. It was the first time he had received less than an “A” and he just didn’t know what to do, attributing his difficulty to his intelligence rather than a missing skill.
I was grinning broadly as Dr. Reis said that activities outside of school teach that effort matters. For years, families of second graders have come to me frustrated because their children are having a hard year. These young children often learned to read early and so kindergarten and first grade, where much of the focus is on reading, came easily to them. It is not until second grade that they realize they really need to work in school and this feels hard to them. At this point I like to recommend piano lessons or sports activities so that students can learn the value of practice. We also need to help parents understand that it is actually a blessing if schoolwork feels hard (within reason). It means that their children are being challenged and are learning life skills in the process.
Dr. Reis’ definition of “achievement” is “the act of accomplishing something of merit by means of effort, skill or perseverance.” If we use this definition, many students still have not yet accomplished anything by second grade. Though they may have gotten good grades, they have not yet accomplished anything.
Some of the most successful students I have known have been gifted students with learning differences. They have had to work hard from the beginning. They are bright but they also know how to study and they know how to put forth effort, often producing great results.
In her research on underachievement Dr. Reis found that “busier adolescents underachieve less” and that “students with regular patterns of work in music or athletics develop positive self-regulation strategies in academics.” She also found that underachievement can be reversed in 70-80% of kids. Two important factors in this reversal are parental interaction and involvement in enrichment opportunities.
So, how can we use this information to guide younger students? Acceptance and rejection letters were sent out by Nueva School last week. I have received many phone calls from parents whose children did not get in. They are at a loss as to how to proceed. With all of California’s budget cuts, GATE programs have been eliminated in many districts in the Bay Area, leaving parents of gifted students with few options. Parents feel a responsibility towards their gifted children but feel frustrated about how to meet their needs in this economy. Listening to Dr. Reis made me realize that there is one big thing we can do. We can involve our children in learning the importance of effort and perseverance. Sign your child up for music lessons or a sports team. No one gets to be an expert piano player by just sitting down at the piano. They need to put in the work to improve. This is an important lesson we can give our children at this time.
For more on this topic read, Work Left Undone: Choices and Compromises of Talented Women by Sally Reis.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
How to Advocate for Funding for Public Schools
Recently I feel like I am seeing the widening of the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots.” Last week parents in San Bruno were out on El Camino waving signs and gathering at City Hall to protest cuts to education. I called my friend in Palo Alto to ask if she was going out to protest and she didn’t know what I was talking about. Then I called a friend in Burlingame to see if she was going out. She didn’t know what I was talking about either. I thought since the budget cuts are going to be statewide it would affect all districts equally but apparently it doesn’t.
I was at the California Association for the Gifted Conference in Sacramento this weekend and I purposefully attended two workshops with a woman named Teri Burns. She is the Director of Legislative Advocacy at School Innovations and Advocacy. I wanted to understand what is going on with the California budget and I wanted to understand what the vehicles are for effective action.
Ms. Burns explained that there are statewide cuts of about $225 per student in the new budget but the cuts come from a pot of flexible-spending money. Districts can choose how they want to cover that shortfall. Many districts are in danger of losing their GATE programs. San Bruno wants to lay off teachers, eliminate class size reduction, close our school library, eliminate PE, and eliminate art. It was eye opening to realize that we don’t have to eliminate class size reduction. Yes, we only have so much money to spend but there has not been a statewide declaration that class size reduction will end now. It is our district’s choice.
To be fair, Ms. Burns pointed out that the Governor still owes the schools money from 2005 so for years now the school districts have been cutting back and cutting back and for some, there is nothing left to cut. Some districts like Palo Alto and Burlingame raise a lot of money from their community education funds. I surmise that they must be planning to reroute some of this money to cover the budget shortfall and thus continue with class-size reduction and many of their other programs like PE, music, and library. My friend in Palo Alto was asked to give $700 this year to the community education fund. In San Bruno we were asked to give $100. That leaves the communities with very different amounts of money to use in situations like this.
The schools are owed $11.2 billion dollars in outstanding Prop 98 balances from 2005-2006 to 2008-2009. The Governor would like to continue to ignore the repayment schedule for this money by deferring the first year obligation until 2012-2013. This will actually require a change in existing law and this is where parents and teachers need to come in. We need to let our legislators know that we do not support changing the law. This is the worst economic time for our schools in a long time. Schools have kept up their end of the bargain with the Governor and it is now time for him to pay up.
Ms. Burns closed her session by saying that people involved in education are often fair and accommodating. This, however, is not getting us very far on the political scene. She said we should have “righteous indignation” about the fact that our schools have not been paid. She gave a valuable lesson about how to get one’s voice heard and advocate for our schools. I want to share her information with all parents in the area so that we can effectively let the legislators know how we feel about this subject and hopefully make the voice of education louder so that when it comes down to a vote, schools get their due. Please come to a workshop Thursday, April 8 at 6:30 PM at the Franco Real Estate Group Offices at San Bruno Towne Center, 1230-A El Camino Real, San Bruno. We need to come together and work to close the gap.
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For up to date information on education issues, visit http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/main.aspx Click on “subject areas” and then click on K-12 education. This website is maintained by the legislative analyst’s office and is meant and is meant to help lawmakers stay up to date on current issues. The general public can use it to stay informed as well.
I was at the California Association for the Gifted Conference in Sacramento this weekend and I purposefully attended two workshops with a woman named Teri Burns. She is the Director of Legislative Advocacy at School Innovations and Advocacy. I wanted to understand what is going on with the California budget and I wanted to understand what the vehicles are for effective action.
Ms. Burns explained that there are statewide cuts of about $225 per student in the new budget but the cuts come from a pot of flexible-spending money. Districts can choose how they want to cover that shortfall. Many districts are in danger of losing their GATE programs. San Bruno wants to lay off teachers, eliminate class size reduction, close our school library, eliminate PE, and eliminate art. It was eye opening to realize that we don’t have to eliminate class size reduction. Yes, we only have so much money to spend but there has not been a statewide declaration that class size reduction will end now. It is our district’s choice.
To be fair, Ms. Burns pointed out that the Governor still owes the schools money from 2005 so for years now the school districts have been cutting back and cutting back and for some, there is nothing left to cut. Some districts like Palo Alto and Burlingame raise a lot of money from their community education funds. I surmise that they must be planning to reroute some of this money to cover the budget shortfall and thus continue with class-size reduction and many of their other programs like PE, music, and library. My friend in Palo Alto was asked to give $700 this year to the community education fund. In San Bruno we were asked to give $100. That leaves the communities with very different amounts of money to use in situations like this.
The schools are owed $11.2 billion dollars in outstanding Prop 98 balances from 2005-2006 to 2008-2009. The Governor would like to continue to ignore the repayment schedule for this money by deferring the first year obligation until 2012-2013. This will actually require a change in existing law and this is where parents and teachers need to come in. We need to let our legislators know that we do not support changing the law. This is the worst economic time for our schools in a long time. Schools have kept up their end of the bargain with the Governor and it is now time for him to pay up.
Ms. Burns closed her session by saying that people involved in education are often fair and accommodating. This, however, is not getting us very far on the political scene. She said we should have “righteous indignation” about the fact that our schools have not been paid. She gave a valuable lesson about how to get one’s voice heard and advocate for our schools. I want to share her information with all parents in the area so that we can effectively let the legislators know how we feel about this subject and hopefully make the voice of education louder so that when it comes down to a vote, schools get their due. Please come to a workshop Thursday, April 8 at 6:30 PM at the Franco Real Estate Group Offices at San Bruno Towne Center, 1230-A El Camino Real, San Bruno. We need to come together and work to close the gap.
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For up to date information on education issues, visit http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/main.aspx Click on “subject areas” and then click on K-12 education. This website is maintained by the legislative analyst’s office and is meant and is meant to help lawmakers stay up to date on current issues. The general public can use it to stay informed as well.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Power of Biography
Every year in February I read my students the story of Ruby Bridges. She was a first grader in New Orleans, LA. She was the first African American student to go to a white school in the American South.
This is always one of my most powerful lessons of the year. The students sit with rapt attention as I read The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and George Ford. They are first struck by the fact that this is a first grader who is making a HUGE difference in history. Secondly, they are struck by the fact that she doesn’t get mad at the protestors. The images in the book show angry people waving signs and shaking fists at her as she heads to school. Her family is very religious and not only does she not get mad at the protestors, she prays for them. The third thing that strikes the students is the fact that the white families were so opposed to integration that they didn’t send their children to school for quite a while. My students cannot imagine a reason their parents wouldn’t want them to go to school. We discuss what their parents might have done and what they would have felt if they were some of those students. They wonder what it must have felt like to be Ruby Bridges at school, alone with your teacher, for weeks on end.
The last question they always ask me is, “Does anything like this happen today?” When I share with them that it does they are fascinated. Where? Who?
I love the story of Ruby Bridges because it brings up the difficult topic of racism in a kid-friendly way. I also love the power it gives to the children. “Wow! If Ruby Bridges could do something like that, what could I do?” They find inspiration in Ruby’s courage in facing so many people who were opposed to what she was doing.
Gifted students think differently from others. They will come up with original ideas and will face opposition. Hopefully with a little inspiration from Ruby, they will stand by their ideas and confidently share them.
I was reading recently about Leta P. Hollingworth. When she started a program for gifted students in 1935 in New York City, she had biographies as a big piece of the curriculum. She felt it was important for the students to hear stories of the accomplishments and life paths of others so they could start to envision their own paths. She also wanted the students to develop attitudes they would need throughout life. I think perseverance and courage are two attitudes that will serve gifted students well.
My reading about Leta P. Hollingworth reaffirmed my desire to have a yearly homage to Ruby Bridges. It also made me want to find other kid-friendly biographies that young gifted students will find to be inspirational. I have found Teammates by Peter Golenbock, which is the story of Jackie Robinson’s friendship with Pee Wee Reese. I also really enjoy The Genius of Leonardo by Guido Visconti and Bimba Landmann. This book is full of descriptions and pictures of Leonardo’s inventions and has a fun subplot about his assistant which students always enjoy. I also have been keeping my eyes open for biographies of Galileo. He was another gifted individual who faced opposition to his ideas. I loved reading a grown-up biography of him but haven’t yet found one for kids that is very accessible. Please share biographies you have found to be accessible and have found to have an impact on young students.
By reading biographies we all see the paths others have followed and begin to imagine our own paths. We learn that there are challenges and the road is not always smooth. We learn new strategies for approaching difficulties. We learn that people can do great things. These are all important life skills. It is worth taking time to share these ideas with our students.
This is always one of my most powerful lessons of the year. The students sit with rapt attention as I read The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and George Ford. They are first struck by the fact that this is a first grader who is making a HUGE difference in history. Secondly, they are struck by the fact that she doesn’t get mad at the protestors. The images in the book show angry people waving signs and shaking fists at her as she heads to school. Her family is very religious and not only does she not get mad at the protestors, she prays for them. The third thing that strikes the students is the fact that the white families were so opposed to integration that they didn’t send their children to school for quite a while. My students cannot imagine a reason their parents wouldn’t want them to go to school. We discuss what their parents might have done and what they would have felt if they were some of those students. They wonder what it must have felt like to be Ruby Bridges at school, alone with your teacher, for weeks on end.
The last question they always ask me is, “Does anything like this happen today?” When I share with them that it does they are fascinated. Where? Who?
I love the story of Ruby Bridges because it brings up the difficult topic of racism in a kid-friendly way. I also love the power it gives to the children. “Wow! If Ruby Bridges could do something like that, what could I do?” They find inspiration in Ruby’s courage in facing so many people who were opposed to what she was doing.
Gifted students think differently from others. They will come up with original ideas and will face opposition. Hopefully with a little inspiration from Ruby, they will stand by their ideas and confidently share them.
I was reading recently about Leta P. Hollingworth. When she started a program for gifted students in 1935 in New York City, she had biographies as a big piece of the curriculum. She felt it was important for the students to hear stories of the accomplishments and life paths of others so they could start to envision their own paths. She also wanted the students to develop attitudes they would need throughout life. I think perseverance and courage are two attitudes that will serve gifted students well.
My reading about Leta P. Hollingworth reaffirmed my desire to have a yearly homage to Ruby Bridges. It also made me want to find other kid-friendly biographies that young gifted students will find to be inspirational. I have found Teammates by Peter Golenbock, which is the story of Jackie Robinson’s friendship with Pee Wee Reese. I also really enjoy The Genius of Leonardo by Guido Visconti and Bimba Landmann. This book is full of descriptions and pictures of Leonardo’s inventions and has a fun subplot about his assistant which students always enjoy. I also have been keeping my eyes open for biographies of Galileo. He was another gifted individual who faced opposition to his ideas. I loved reading a grown-up biography of him but haven’t yet found one for kids that is very accessible. Please share biographies you have found to be accessible and have found to have an impact on young students.
By reading biographies we all see the paths others have followed and begin to imagine our own paths. We learn that there are challenges and the road is not always smooth. We learn new strategies for approaching difficulties. We learn that people can do great things. These are all important life skills. It is worth taking time to share these ideas with our students.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Camps for Gifted Students 2010
Summer is just around the corner. Summer is a fun time for kids to explore a topic in depth that they don’t have the opportunity to study during the school year.
Depending on a child’s school situation, summer can also be the time for gifted students to connect with other gifted students. Linda Silverman once told a group that the biggest gift one can give a gifted child is a friend. For students who haven’t yet found other gifted friends, summer camps can provide an opportunity.
I keep finding out about different camps in different places so I thought it would be helpful to put together a list here. This list was started as part of my research into camps for gifted students on the San Francisco Peninsula but it expanded as I found out about camps that look interesting but aren’t necessarily targeted for gifted students. Most of these camps are open for the K-5 age range. There are many fantastic local experiences for middle schoolers. I will save those for a different post. Make a comment about other camps you have tried or let me know how your child enjoyed these!
CAMPS AIMED AT GIFTED STUDENTS
San Carlos Charter Learning Center will be launching a summer program for gifted students in grades 4-8. Find out more at: http://www.scclc.net/
Nueva School has long been known in the area as a place to find creative, original programming for gifted and talented students. With their summer camps, they open their reach to the broader community.
http://nuevaschool.org/welcome
UC Berkeley is also known for its summer programs for gifted students. It is a bit of a hike from the Peninsula but it might be worth the drive for some students. Here is how they describe their program, “The ATDP, at the University of California at Berkeley's Graduate School of Education, offers challenging summer classes for K-11 students. ATDP courses offer students opportunities to gain in-depth knowledge of the subjects that interest them. Taught by outstanding university, public, and private school instructors, our classes are designed to engage our students' hearts as well as their minds. Admission is based on the student's overall academic profile. We consider grades, achievement test scores, an essay, and a teacher recommendation.”
http://www-atdp.berkeley.edu/
SUBJECT-BASED CAMPS THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO GIFTED STUDENTS
I LOVE Crissy Field and their camps have also received rave reviews. Imagine your child spending time outside in this beautiful area with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Then imagine them learning about the animals and plants of the area. It sounds terrific to me. Can I sign up?
http://www.parksconservancy.org/our-work/crissy/programs/summer-camp.html
The Marine Science Institute in Redwood City offers classes and camps. Kids get down and dirty as they explore the marine environment.
http://www.sfbaymsi.org/marinecamp.html
For the past few years my family has really enjoyed Camp Galileo. We like the emphasis on art and science since those two subjects are not emphasized in our school. My kids also like the silly atmosphere. My son did comment that Camp Galileo is “intense.” There is a lot going on and it is a high energy place. Not the best place for a quiet, sensitive child but others will greatly enjoy the camp atmosphere.
Their website states: “Camp Galileo is a summer day camp which inspires kids to imagine new ideas, collaborate with peers and express themselves creatively. Kids enjoy art, science and outdoor programming every day, wrapped in fun camp traditions and delivered by highly enthusiastic staff. Our hands-on curriculum is developed in partnership with The Tech Museum of Innovation, de Young Museum and Klutz.”
http://www.galileo-learning.com/camp-galileo/index.html
Camp Edmo is a new camp that is similar to Camp Galileo in that it emphasizes art and sciences. It was created with people from the California Academy of Sciences, The Exploratorium, MOCHA, and Zeum. I don’t have any firsthand experience with this camp yet and would love to get some comments from people who have tried it.
http://www.campedmo.com/program/arts-and-science/
One of my dreams is for my kids to spend a week at farm camp. They are such suburban kids who are never more than ten minutes from a Walgreens or a Safeway. I love the idea of them helping with the animals, getting in touch with the garden, and enjoying life without TV. What better way to get our children invested in nature and its preservation than to spend an extended period enjoying it. These two farms are near Petaluma.
http://windrushfarm.wordpress.com/
http://www.plantationcamp.com/About_Plantation/Why_Plantation_is_Special
Hidden Villa offers a day camp that is similar to farm camp. Their mission is to “develop young leaders committed to social and environmental justice and equipped with a sense of awe for natural and human beauty, tools for non-violent multicultural community building, and the confidence to make positive change in our families, communities and the world.”
http://www.hiddenvilla.org/camp_preview.php
If your child loves animals, the San Francisco Zoo also offers camps during all school breaks.
http://www.sfzoo.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=13779&orgkey=1875
The ability to work with technology is increasingly becoming a necessary skill. Tech Know How Kids offers camps that teach technology through legos, K’nex, and computers. The instructors at these camps have not received my highest ratings for their warmth and friendliness but the students learn a lot of skills. My son was absolutely in heaven spending the whole day building with legos, and learning new things that he could do!
http://www.techknowhowkids.com/
Parents often ask me about writing camps for their budding writers. Up until now, I haven’t known of any in the area. I did find this one that meets in Redwood City. “Each summer youth ages 8 to 15 come to learn about writing techniques and develop their own creative projects in a relaxed and comfortable setting. Camp Director Beth Harrison engages campers in writing activities and games designed to stimulate their imaginations and teach them effective writing strategies. Guest writers join in to teach and inspire participants.”
http://pwlp.org/youth-programs/summer-camp
I also found this one that meets in San Jose:
http://www.lekhapublishers.com/summercamps.php
If your child is a musician, you might want to look into these music camps: San Francisco Conservatory of Music http://www.sfcm.edu/summer/index.aspx or the Peninsula Youth Orchestra http://peninsulayouthorchestra.org/pyocamp.htm. Your child could also attend summer camp with the Grammy-Award Winning Pacific Boychoir Academy. They do not need to be a member of the choir to attend the day camp. Visit their website at: http://www.pacificboychoir.org/daycamp.html.
So many great camps to choose from! Don’t forget to plan in down time during the summer as well. Unstructured play gives children time to develop their imagination and creativity. Those are important skills too.
Depending on a child’s school situation, summer can also be the time for gifted students to connect with other gifted students. Linda Silverman once told a group that the biggest gift one can give a gifted child is a friend. For students who haven’t yet found other gifted friends, summer camps can provide an opportunity.
I keep finding out about different camps in different places so I thought it would be helpful to put together a list here. This list was started as part of my research into camps for gifted students on the San Francisco Peninsula but it expanded as I found out about camps that look interesting but aren’t necessarily targeted for gifted students. Most of these camps are open for the K-5 age range. There are many fantastic local experiences for middle schoolers. I will save those for a different post. Make a comment about other camps you have tried or let me know how your child enjoyed these!
CAMPS AIMED AT GIFTED STUDENTS
San Carlos Charter Learning Center will be launching a summer program for gifted students in grades 4-8. Find out more at: http://www.scclc.net/
Nueva School has long been known in the area as a place to find creative, original programming for gifted and talented students. With their summer camps, they open their reach to the broader community.
http://nuevaschool.org/welcome
UC Berkeley is also known for its summer programs for gifted students. It is a bit of a hike from the Peninsula but it might be worth the drive for some students. Here is how they describe their program, “The ATDP, at the University of California at Berkeley's Graduate School of Education, offers challenging summer classes for K-11 students. ATDP courses offer students opportunities to gain in-depth knowledge of the subjects that interest them. Taught by outstanding university, public, and private school instructors, our classes are designed to engage our students' hearts as well as their minds. Admission is based on the student's overall academic profile. We consider grades, achievement test scores, an essay, and a teacher recommendation.”
http://www-atdp.berkeley.edu/
SUBJECT-BASED CAMPS THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO GIFTED STUDENTS
I LOVE Crissy Field and their camps have also received rave reviews. Imagine your child spending time outside in this beautiful area with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Then imagine them learning about the animals and plants of the area. It sounds terrific to me. Can I sign up?
http://www.parksconservancy.org/our-work/crissy/programs/summer-camp.html
The Marine Science Institute in Redwood City offers classes and camps. Kids get down and dirty as they explore the marine environment.
http://www.sfbaymsi.org/marinecamp.html
For the past few years my family has really enjoyed Camp Galileo. We like the emphasis on art and science since those two subjects are not emphasized in our school. My kids also like the silly atmosphere. My son did comment that Camp Galileo is “intense.” There is a lot going on and it is a high energy place. Not the best place for a quiet, sensitive child but others will greatly enjoy the camp atmosphere.
Their website states: “Camp Galileo is a summer day camp which inspires kids to imagine new ideas, collaborate with peers and express themselves creatively. Kids enjoy art, science and outdoor programming every day, wrapped in fun camp traditions and delivered by highly enthusiastic staff. Our hands-on curriculum is developed in partnership with The Tech Museum of Innovation, de Young Museum and Klutz.”
http://www.galileo-learning.com/camp-galileo/index.html
Camp Edmo is a new camp that is similar to Camp Galileo in that it emphasizes art and sciences. It was created with people from the California Academy of Sciences, The Exploratorium, MOCHA, and Zeum. I don’t have any firsthand experience with this camp yet and would love to get some comments from people who have tried it.
http://www.campedmo.com/program/arts-and-science/
One of my dreams is for my kids to spend a week at farm camp. They are such suburban kids who are never more than ten minutes from a Walgreens or a Safeway. I love the idea of them helping with the animals, getting in touch with the garden, and enjoying life without TV. What better way to get our children invested in nature and its preservation than to spend an extended period enjoying it. These two farms are near Petaluma.
http://windrushfarm.wordpress.com/
http://www.plantationcamp.com/About_Plantation/Why_Plantation_is_Special
Hidden Villa offers a day camp that is similar to farm camp. Their mission is to “develop young leaders committed to social and environmental justice and equipped with a sense of awe for natural and human beauty, tools for non-violent multicultural community building, and the confidence to make positive change in our families, communities and the world.”
http://www.hiddenvilla.org/camp_preview.php
If your child loves animals, the San Francisco Zoo also offers camps during all school breaks.
http://www.sfzoo.org/openrosters/ViewOrgPageLink.asp?LinkKey=13779&orgkey=1875
The ability to work with technology is increasingly becoming a necessary skill. Tech Know How Kids offers camps that teach technology through legos, K’nex, and computers. The instructors at these camps have not received my highest ratings for their warmth and friendliness but the students learn a lot of skills. My son was absolutely in heaven spending the whole day building with legos, and learning new things that he could do!
http://www.techknowhowkids.com/
Parents often ask me about writing camps for their budding writers. Up until now, I haven’t known of any in the area. I did find this one that meets in Redwood City. “Each summer youth ages 8 to 15 come to learn about writing techniques and develop their own creative projects in a relaxed and comfortable setting. Camp Director Beth Harrison engages campers in writing activities and games designed to stimulate their imaginations and teach them effective writing strategies. Guest writers join in to teach and inspire participants.”
http://pwlp.org/youth-programs/summer-camp
I also found this one that meets in San Jose:
http://www.lekhapublishers.com/summercamps.php
If your child is a musician, you might want to look into these music camps: San Francisco Conservatory of Music http://www.sfcm.edu/summer/index.aspx or the Peninsula Youth Orchestra http://peninsulayouthorchestra.org/pyocamp.htm. Your child could also attend summer camp with the Grammy-Award Winning Pacific Boychoir Academy. They do not need to be a member of the choir to attend the day camp. Visit their website at: http://www.pacificboychoir.org/daycamp.html.
So many great camps to choose from! Don’t forget to plan in down time during the summer as well. Unstructured play gives children time to develop their imagination and creativity. Those are important skills too.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Stories of Life With Gifted Children
Over the years, I have heard so many fun stories from families about the students that I teach. Of course, all children do funny things. Gifted students, however, often take things in a different direction than anyone would have expected or they have that unique blend of their physical age combined with their different mental age, which can lead to some comedic happenings.
I will never forget Back To School Night during my first year teaching at a school for gifted students. I was teaching first grade. A parent raised his hand and asked what to do when his daughter opens the refrigerator to get a glass of milk and then becomes so engrossed in reading her book that she just stands there with the fridge door open, reading, oblivious to the cold or her thirst. Her dad had recently found her like this and estimated she had been standing there for twenty minutes. The whole parent group burst out laughing.
I also remember talking with the parents of three highly gifted students. They were amazed at how other parents could take their children out in strollers. They said from the moment their children could walk, they didn’t want to be in a stroller. A stroller limits a child’s explorations. Their children wanted to be out and about, interacting with the world. My son was exactly the same way. It was so fun for all of us to find each other and feel connected over this fact because we had all often felt so different from the stroller-toting families we saw around us.
It is a delight for parents of gifted students to connect with other parents of gifted students and hear their stories. For this reason, I greatly enjoyed reading Karen L. J. Isaacson’s book about her gifted family. It is called, Raisin’ Brains, Surviving My Smart Family.
Isaacson has a lot of stories to share. She is a parent of five gifted children and comes from a family of talented individuals. Her book is easy to read and entertaining. Sometimes she gets so involved in sharing stories that her chapters lose their cohesiveness but readers will enjoy the stories, even without this organization.
I appreciated hearing about the experiences of Ms. Isaacson’s children in school. It sounds like their school does have a gifted and talented program but it is also clear she has encountered a few teachers who aren’t quite sure what to do with her children academically. Upon starting kindergarten, her oldest was already reading college textbooks. His teacher, however, wouldn’t let him work on anything more challenging than ABC’s claiming, “We need to make sure he understands his letters first.” Oh, yes, I think every parent of a gifted child has met a teacher of this type. I have met many of them through my work coaching teachers to work more effectively with gifted students. As a teacher, I must say in their defense that some teachers just haven’t met many gifted students and don’t know what to do with them. What these students need, to begin with, is a teacher with an open mind and a learning attitude. Once teachers have that mindset, gifted students will benefit immensely.
I also enjoyed Ms. Isaacson’s fresh, laid-back attitude. So many parents of gifted students are pushing the students to perform at the top of their class, participate in summer programs for high-ability children, and take classes on a whole range of topics. It was interesting to read about a family that was not engaged in this frenzy. While Ms Isaacson clearly sees her children’s various abilities, she mostly lets them travel their own paths. She is there as a supportive parent but is not engaged in directing their every move and ensuring that each activity provides academic stimulation.
I hope other books of this type will follow. All of us parenting and/or teaching gifted students will enjoy hearing the stories of others and feeling the warmth of connection that comes from knowing that we are not alone on our journey.
I will never forget Back To School Night during my first year teaching at a school for gifted students. I was teaching first grade. A parent raised his hand and asked what to do when his daughter opens the refrigerator to get a glass of milk and then becomes so engrossed in reading her book that she just stands there with the fridge door open, reading, oblivious to the cold or her thirst. Her dad had recently found her like this and estimated she had been standing there for twenty minutes. The whole parent group burst out laughing.
I also remember talking with the parents of three highly gifted students. They were amazed at how other parents could take their children out in strollers. They said from the moment their children could walk, they didn’t want to be in a stroller. A stroller limits a child’s explorations. Their children wanted to be out and about, interacting with the world. My son was exactly the same way. It was so fun for all of us to find each other and feel connected over this fact because we had all often felt so different from the stroller-toting families we saw around us.
It is a delight for parents of gifted students to connect with other parents of gifted students and hear their stories. For this reason, I greatly enjoyed reading Karen L. J. Isaacson’s book about her gifted family. It is called, Raisin’ Brains, Surviving My Smart Family.
Isaacson has a lot of stories to share. She is a parent of five gifted children and comes from a family of talented individuals. Her book is easy to read and entertaining. Sometimes she gets so involved in sharing stories that her chapters lose their cohesiveness but readers will enjoy the stories, even without this organization.
I appreciated hearing about the experiences of Ms. Isaacson’s children in school. It sounds like their school does have a gifted and talented program but it is also clear she has encountered a few teachers who aren’t quite sure what to do with her children academically. Upon starting kindergarten, her oldest was already reading college textbooks. His teacher, however, wouldn’t let him work on anything more challenging than ABC’s claiming, “We need to make sure he understands his letters first.” Oh, yes, I think every parent of a gifted child has met a teacher of this type. I have met many of them through my work coaching teachers to work more effectively with gifted students. As a teacher, I must say in their defense that some teachers just haven’t met many gifted students and don’t know what to do with them. What these students need, to begin with, is a teacher with an open mind and a learning attitude. Once teachers have that mindset, gifted students will benefit immensely.
I also enjoyed Ms. Isaacson’s fresh, laid-back attitude. So many parents of gifted students are pushing the students to perform at the top of their class, participate in summer programs for high-ability children, and take classes on a whole range of topics. It was interesting to read about a family that was not engaged in this frenzy. While Ms Isaacson clearly sees her children’s various abilities, she mostly lets them travel their own paths. She is there as a supportive parent but is not engaged in directing their every move and ensuring that each activity provides academic stimulation.
I hope other books of this type will follow. All of us parenting and/or teaching gifted students will enjoy hearing the stories of others and feeling the warmth of connection that comes from knowing that we are not alone on our journey.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Reflections on "Living With Intensity"
I just finished reading Living With Intensity, edited by Daniels and Piechowski. I thought that this was an older book that I just hadn’t gotten around to reading yet since I have seen it referenced in so many places but it turns out that it was published this year. It is getting a lot of attention!
For those of you familiar with Kurchinka’s term “spirited child,” parts of this book will sound familiar. Kazimierz Dabrowski was a psychologist who developed a theory of personality. In it he describes "overexciteabilities" or areas in which a gifted person may be particularly intense. "Overexciteability means that life is experienced in a manner that is deeper, more vivid, and more acutely sensed." (p 9) His theory delineates five overexciteabilities: imaginational, physical, emotional, sensual, and intellectual. Having worked with Kurchinka's term "spirited child" for some time, I was excited to discover how Dabrowski takes the same idea and breaks it into five areas. I had found so many of my students to fit under the term "spirited" but in many different ways. Dabrowski's theory adds more nuance so that we can better understanding of individuals. We can think in terms of one overexciteability or a combination of a few.
The little boy I had last year who kept drumming upon his desk every chance he got and played on three different sports teams after school definitely had physical overexciteability. The young girl who often cried as we read stories together as a class and could not join us for the Halloween Parade because of the the intensity of her fear of some of the costumes had emotional overexciteability. What a new way to think of my students! It also helped to validate their intensities by seeing them as one of five that many others share.
One of my favorite chapters is Daniel's chapter entitled, "Overexciteability, Giftedness and Family Dynamics." She cites research that "parents with strong overexciteabilities are likely to have children with strong overexciteabilities." She describes a few families in depth. I wish she had ten more case studies to share. It is fascinating to see how the different combinations of overexciteabilities in a family play out. A child with emotional overexciteability may be especially sensitive to a sibling's rambunctuous physical overexciteability. A parent with intellectual overexciteability may be exasperated by a child's sensual overexciteability and desire to change socks and clothing often because they "don't feel right." The same parent, however, might be lit up by another child with intellectual overexciteability who wants to discuss their favorite books or something they heard on the news that night.
I think this area is ripe for research. Even just a book full of case studies would help parents feel that they are not alone and that their are others wrestling with similar challenges. Research into the most effective parenting techniques to use in some situations would be extremely helpful.
Often, as a teacher, I think only of how giftedness plays out in young children. They are my day-to-day reality and I want to gather as much information as I can about them as young children to help them at this point in their lives. Ellen D. Fielder's chapter entitled, "Advantages and Challenges of Lifespan Intensity" and Stephanie S. Tolan's chapter entitled, "What We May Be: What Dabrowski's Work Can Do For Gifted Adults" really opened up a whole new aspect of my thinking about giftedness.
I always thought that we worked as a school to help a child through to eighth grade. We nurtured their gifts and helped soften their rough edges and, in my mind, by the time they graduated, we were sending off a more polished version of the child we had received in PreK or K. This child could function like an adult in the world. Incessant conversations about geography had been tamed (not turned off but brought more in line with conventional conversation). A child who lived with the fairies in her mind, now joined the world in which the rest of us lived. A child who only wanted to do math computation would now engage in a writing project. Fiedler and Tolan helped me realize, though, that each child's overexciteability would stay with them throughout their lives and continue to affect the way they interact with the world. While I still believe that it is much easier to find a niche in the adult world where one's quirks function best than it is to find that niche in the elementary classroom where one must study all subjects and interact with 20 other students on a daily basis, I do see now that the road continues to be interesting after eighth grade. I look forward to reading more about giftedness in those older than elementary school. How come I had limited myself to the age I taught?
Nonfiction is not usually my favorite reading genre but each night I couldn't wait to get back to this book. I saw so many of my students and friends reflected in its pages. This book also gave me a great sense of optimism. The student who drummed on the desk all year tried my patience some days. The child who asked me questions about current politics daily exhausted me. However, Dabrowski, feels that these overexciteabilities are necessary to move to the next level of development. Without this intensity, some people will not progress. I know that those students whose intensities made them to stand out in my eyes are well on their way.
For those of you familiar with Kurchinka’s term “spirited child,” parts of this book will sound familiar. Kazimierz Dabrowski was a psychologist who developed a theory of personality. In it he describes "overexciteabilities" or areas in which a gifted person may be particularly intense. "Overexciteability means that life is experienced in a manner that is deeper, more vivid, and more acutely sensed." (p 9) His theory delineates five overexciteabilities: imaginational, physical, emotional, sensual, and intellectual. Having worked with Kurchinka's term "spirited child" for some time, I was excited to discover how Dabrowski takes the same idea and breaks it into five areas. I had found so many of my students to fit under the term "spirited" but in many different ways. Dabrowski's theory adds more nuance so that we can better understanding of individuals. We can think in terms of one overexciteability or a combination of a few.
The little boy I had last year who kept drumming upon his desk every chance he got and played on three different sports teams after school definitely had physical overexciteability. The young girl who often cried as we read stories together as a class and could not join us for the Halloween Parade because of the the intensity of her fear of some of the costumes had emotional overexciteability. What a new way to think of my students! It also helped to validate their intensities by seeing them as one of five that many others share.
One of my favorite chapters is Daniel's chapter entitled, "Overexciteability, Giftedness and Family Dynamics." She cites research that "parents with strong overexciteabilities are likely to have children with strong overexciteabilities." She describes a few families in depth. I wish she had ten more case studies to share. It is fascinating to see how the different combinations of overexciteabilities in a family play out. A child with emotional overexciteability may be especially sensitive to a sibling's rambunctuous physical overexciteability. A parent with intellectual overexciteability may be exasperated by a child's sensual overexciteability and desire to change socks and clothing often because they "don't feel right." The same parent, however, might be lit up by another child with intellectual overexciteability who wants to discuss their favorite books or something they heard on the news that night.
I think this area is ripe for research. Even just a book full of case studies would help parents feel that they are not alone and that their are others wrestling with similar challenges. Research into the most effective parenting techniques to use in some situations would be extremely helpful.
Often, as a teacher, I think only of how giftedness plays out in young children. They are my day-to-day reality and I want to gather as much information as I can about them as young children to help them at this point in their lives. Ellen D. Fielder's chapter entitled, "Advantages and Challenges of Lifespan Intensity" and Stephanie S. Tolan's chapter entitled, "What We May Be: What Dabrowski's Work Can Do For Gifted Adults" really opened up a whole new aspect of my thinking about giftedness.
I always thought that we worked as a school to help a child through to eighth grade. We nurtured their gifts and helped soften their rough edges and, in my mind, by the time they graduated, we were sending off a more polished version of the child we had received in PreK or K. This child could function like an adult in the world. Incessant conversations about geography had been tamed (not turned off but brought more in line with conventional conversation). A child who lived with the fairies in her mind, now joined the world in which the rest of us lived. A child who only wanted to do math computation would now engage in a writing project. Fiedler and Tolan helped me realize, though, that each child's overexciteability would stay with them throughout their lives and continue to affect the way they interact with the world. While I still believe that it is much easier to find a niche in the adult world where one's quirks function best than it is to find that niche in the elementary classroom where one must study all subjects and interact with 20 other students on a daily basis, I do see now that the road continues to be interesting after eighth grade. I look forward to reading more about giftedness in those older than elementary school. How come I had limited myself to the age I taught?
Nonfiction is not usually my favorite reading genre but each night I couldn't wait to get back to this book. I saw so many of my students and friends reflected in its pages. This book also gave me a great sense of optimism. The student who drummed on the desk all year tried my patience some days. The child who asked me questions about current politics daily exhausted me. However, Dabrowski, feels that these overexciteabilities are necessary to move to the next level of development. Without this intensity, some people will not progress. I know that those students whose intensities made them to stand out in my eyes are well on their way.
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