Online Community Reflection

The posting I read last week had to do with a teacher asking for advice about a new gifted program at the school. Instead of a pull-out program, the school was contemplating a program where there would be a push-in program for language arts and math. The people who posted in response to this posting were concerned about issues such as the needs of musically and artistically gifted being ignored, twice exceptional students not being challenged properly, and other students being left out. I think that schools need to realize that "one size doesn't fit all" when it comes to gifted students. Many students are high acheivers and are not truly gifted. We also have discussed in class that a student labeled "gifted" because of test scores may be identified in one district but not another. I think that many gifted programs focus on math and english because those are the subjects that are tested by state achievement tests. Often students who are emotionally, musically, or artisitcally gifted are not having their needs met.

Online Community Reflection

This week on Teachers.net I read a post from a teacher who is at a school where the junior high / high school gifted program is in jeopardy of being cut. At this school, gifted classes are an elective and gifted students are forced to choose between attending a class with their gifted peers or being involved in activities such as band or drama. I guess because I teach at the elementary level, I really never thought about this. Thinking back to my own experience, after 8th grade there were no "gifted classes" I was pulled out for at the high school. I suppose someone could argue that A.P. and Honors classes are differentiated but I believe that gifted students should be able to attend a class that challenges their critical thinking skills and helps them develop socially. I think that it is a shame that the gifted program at this teacher's school is being threatened. This corresponds with the myth that gifted students don't really need extra attention. It is truly the opposite!

Every Teacher Should View This Video!

Multiple Intelligences Tests

This is a great tool for kids to use to measure their multiple intelligences!
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/questions/choose_lang.cfm

Working more on my portfolio

I have been working more on my portfolio, creating a differentiated technology unit on the "History of Chocolate" and creating a differentiating matrix for an upcoming science unit. I have found many of the forms and organizational tools in the textbooks to be very useful and have adapted a few for my own use. I also finished my annoatated bibliography, and added it to my portfolio.

Week Seven - Online Community Post

This week in the Gifted And Talented Education discussion board, there was a post from a concerned mother whose 3rd grade son is going through an evaluation process at his school. The mother was told that her son is extrememly high in emotional intelligence and the school psychologist commented that she "has never seen anything like it inside a child". The boy also tested high average in language and verbal IQ, but his spacial intelligence was average, but his auitory memory skills show some weakness. The school is still going through the data but is very concerened about this findings and was asking for advice to what these findings indicate. The mother seems to have no background knowledge on the subject and the school seems not to have given her any information to what the tests results mean. As a teacher, I really do not think that this is the way to go about evaluating the student. I am not sure why the keep parents in the dark for what the school is actually looking for. Are they afraid if they mention the word "gifted" than if the test results do not show that the student is than the parent will throw a fit? Is it easier to test first and explain later? Obviously this mother is concerned and must not have gotten the information she needed from the school (otherwise, why would she be posting on a discussion board). The mother herself has not researched the topic and even if her child is found to be gifted, does not know his rights at school.

So what is the solution to this mother's predicament? EDUCATION! Yes, the school should offer her more information during the evaluation process but by visiting a few gifted websites (NAGC, Hoagies' Gifted) or researching at the library, the mother could easily find some information that would explain to her the asynchrony found in gifted students and she would reailze that her child does not need to be gifted "across the board". Schools and parents have to work together, be educated on the characteristics of gifted, and must cooperate for the best interest of the child.

Week Six - Online Community Reflection

This week I went back to the GATE discussion board on teachers.net and read an interesting post from a teacher titled, "How Can I Help This Student"? The post was from a gifted teacher who had a challenging child in her classroom. She described the child as "immature", "hyper", with frequent outbursts, and constantly off-task. She also went on to say that he was a creative thinker but she did not think he "understood himself." I thought this was a great example of the asynchrony that is often found in gifted students. I don't believe that many teachers even realize that this exists is gifted students.