Gifted Jaguars and Eagles

In my department we have frequent conversations about how to attract a more representative population to our gifted programs and how to retain them afterwards. This article gives us more food for thought. https://www.the74million.org/article/an-educators-view-getting-more-diverse-kids-into-gifted-talented-programs-is-only-half-the-story-schools-must-help-them-stay-and-succeed/

The gifted department offers a vareity of ways that we support teachers. Below is what I shared with teachers at KHS and JHS today.

I had a great time today presenting with the other members of the gifted and talented department as a part of 271Learns. We did a 3 hour workshop with teachers to teach them how to increase their teaching of creative thinking skills. It was fun to work with teachers on creativity and to help them start thinking about their fall!

I love learning! Today I went to a great training at Ridgeview about Visual Thinking Strategies. I think this will be a really engaging technique to use with my AP History class and my Nobel advisory. I really appreciate how my dept shares new ways of teaching with each other!

I recently read this article and I think it's really interesting. I think the assumption that all bright students can be tutors is flawed. I think this will be an interesting piece to discuss with teachers. Meredith Why You Should Not Use Gifted Students as Tutors BY LISA VAN GEMERT LEAVE A COMMENT Gifted students should not be used as tutors for other students as standard practice. This should not be a controversial statement, and yet somehow it is. Gifted children should not be used as short little mini-teachers for other students for a number of reasons, not the least of which is they’re not good at it. Even if someone is unconcerned with what is fair or best for the gifted child him- or herself, the gifted child is not the ideal tutor. If we do concern ourselves with what is fair or best for gifted children, we must accept that the gifted child deserves more than that out of their education. While I’m the first to admit that teachers have more responsibility on them ...

This is a post from one of my all time favorite education writers - Ian Byrd.  It is about how to ask better questions and increase the depth and complexity of our students.  I strongly recommend it! https://www.byrdseed.com/questions-01/?ck_subscriber_id=623706191

A parent recently shared this article with me and I thought I'd post it here to share with other parents, teachers, etc. https://www.sengifted.org/post/g-squared-supporting-your-gifted-lgbt-student G-Squared. Supporting Your Gifted LGBT Student Updated:  Jan 29, 2019 By Alessa Keener. We live in unprecedented times, where many Americans can proudly and safely live as out lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. One measure of progress is in the number of states that have marriage equality –15 states as of today and the District of Columbia. Despite the many positive steps our country continues to take to overcome discrimination and crimes against LGBTQ people, concerns still exist about the safety of our young people and their coming out process. Substance abuse, self-injury, homelessness, and suicide affect a disproportionate number of youth who identify as LGBT. When children grow up both gifted and LGBT, they oftentimes experience a ...

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/a-crooked-seat-at-the-table-black-and-alone-in-an-honors-class?utm_source=tt64-magazine&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=first-bell A Crooked Seat at the Table: Black and Alone in an Honors Class Educator Kiara Lee-Heart was often the only Black student in her high school honors classes. Here’s what she wishes her teachers—and all educators—knew about that experience. DR. KIARA LEE-HEART OCTOBER 1, 2019 It was Shirley Chisolm who said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”  So, let’s say you bring one. The chair brings you closer to the table, but its legs are wobbly and it lacks the support you need to survive and thrive. Your posture is compromised.  It’s the price Black students often pay for a seat at the table, for access to opportunity, particularly when they are the only Black student in their honors class. Picture it: You’re in a class that will challenge your mind, expand y...

"The study, published Sept. 4 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that, though students felt as if they learned more through traditional lectures, they actually learned more when taking part in classrooms that employed so-called active-learning strategies. Lead author Louis Deslauriers, the director of science teaching and learning and senior physics preceptor, knew that students would learn more from active learning. He published a key study in Science in 2011 that showed just that. But many students and faculty remained hesitant to switch to it." Read more here: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/09/study-shows-that-students-learn-more-when-taking-part-in-classrooms-that-employ-active-learning-strategies/