Gifted Jaguars and Eagles

I received this info from Stanford this week: Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes   (Grades 8–11) A three-week summer residential program where students engage in single-subject intensive study and benefit from small class sizes and academically-themed residences. Stanford Summer Arts Institute   ( Grades 8–11) Students come together for a three-week intensive arts program offering academically challenging, interdisciplinary courses in art, music, architecture, and film. Stanford Summer Humanities Institute   (Grades 10–11) A three-week residential program where students explore the big questions at the heart of the humanities in seminars led by distinguished Stanford professors. Stanford AI4ALL   (Grade 9) Each summer, we partner with the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the non-profit, AI4ALL, to offer a summer program aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion in the field of AI. Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)   (Grade...

As a part of our political geography unit we had Socratic Seminars in AP Human Geography on Friday October 25th and 28th about how Yugoslavia broke up in the late 1990s.  The students used a movie about the history of the conflict and some historical sources to prepare.  I was really impressed with their ability to draw connections between Yugoslavia and what's currently happening in India.  I was impressed that everyone came prepared with questions and that everyone spoke at least twice.  I look forward to future Socratic Seminars and building on these inquiry skills!

I had a great time at Normandale this morning with our 10th graders observing their Geology class.  They were looking at data and maps from NASA today to identify and describe trends.  

Parents, guardians and students interested in the Nobel Program at Kennedy High School are invited to attend an information session at KHS on  Tuesday, February 4th at 7pm in Kennedy Media Center (9701 Nicollet Ave in Bloomington).   ********** Nobel is an honors humanities pathway designed to nurture and develop the creativity of high school students and is housed at John F. Kennedy High School in Bloomington, MN.  Students who have been identified as creatively talented are grouped together in a cohort for key humanities classes and for their advisory where they work with teachers who have been trained to grow creativity.  Focusing on critical thinking and creativity, students will engage in a rich curriculum connecting literature, social sciences, philosophy and the arts.   Students are identified using the Torrance Test of Creativity and through their MAP reading test scores.  Students that graduate from the Valley View Middle School...

I had the pleasure of observing Natalie Pederson's Honors English class which houses our Nobel cohort. They had a Socratic Seminar today on To Kill A Mocking Bird and I loved hearing them explore the questions they had come up with.  I particularly enjoyed listening to them discuss how the book would have changed if Scout would have been a boy, whether the trial would have been different if it had happened in 2019 instead, and why do they think Harper Lee chose Scout as the narrator.  Today's discussion builds on the creative thinking the did earlier in the unit where they took the clues Harper Lee leaves the reader about Maycomb and they designed their own maps interpreting what Scout's hometown looked like.  I look forward to observing these creative thinkers again!

I found this article recently and it reminded me of how much stress/pressure we put on kids. https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/1/10/18174263/anxiety-kids-burnout?fbclid=IwAR1Noi5ecAKZWsLsD8eNeM3nN7WU0dtodUyQs7ga_2CNR5IL7J2ociwh1IM

I got to present to the Jefferson staff this morning at their staff meeting about the emotional needs of gifted teens.  I was asked to focus on depression, anxiety and perfectionism.  Here is the slideshow I used which also has links to resources I think are helpful.  I appreciate Jaysen Anderson inviting me in to share with his staff. 

This is a great article for all the parents of DAHS students to read. Why Getting 100% on Everything is Setting Gifted Students Up to Fail MARCH 6, 2019  by Jennifer Greene There’s something we’re not teaching our most talented students. If you’re the parent of an advanced student, you’re probably well aware that your child actively searches out more and more things to learn. It’s probably a struggle to keep providing them with new material they find interesting  and  challenging. Or maybe your student is a perfectionist. They study diligently, learning everything by heart to make sure they score 100% on every test. Anything less may even bring tears. All through school, these students—both the ones who focus on perfect scores, and the rarer ones who seem to achieve those scores without effort—earn excellent grades. They look at their report cards, and see nothing but top marks. But then they land in college, and face their first truly challenging class. Co...

I had a great time with the Asst. Superintendent and the Director of GT Services last night at the Governor's Mansion. We were hosted by the First Lady of MN and the MN Urban Debate League .  We got to hear from a diverse student panel about how debate has improved their lives.  It was fun to introduce the world of debate to some new people! 

Interested in graduating with an   Honors Diploma ?   Come to the informational meeting!  Wednesday, October 9th @ 7:40 am in the College and Career Center Can’t come?  Email Meredith Aby-Keirstead at  maby@isd271.org .  Forms will also be available in the Career Center.