Talented And Gifted » Education

NAGC – WOW Virtual Conference

Troy — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:46:37 +0000

NAGC – WOW Virtual Conference. I’ve attended a couple of local NAGC conferences, and every conference has been extremely useful to help me be an advocate for my gifted. If you have an opportunity to attend one in person you should, but if NAGC offers a virtual conference if you can’t attend in person. Every [...]

Skill-level Grouping, Not Grade-level Grouping

Troy — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:46:40 +0000

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Forget about students spending one year in each grade, with the entire class learning the same skills at the same time. Districts from Alaska to Maine are taking a different route.

Instead of simply moving kids from one grade to the next as they get older, schools are grouping students by ability. Once they master a subject, they move up a level. This practice has been around for decades, but was generally used on a smaller scale, in individual grades, subjects or schools.

via Some schools grouping students by skill, not grade level – USATODAY.com.

KCMO is trying this because the district has been failing for years, despite the billions of federal and state dollars that have been flowing into the district.

But, if the economic situation was better, I don’t think schools like the KCMO school district would be trying this. However, engaged citizens have known for years that the current model of learning is outdated.

The present model of education is better suited to making widgets on an assembly-line or harvesting crops on a farm. We need a model that promotes creativity and critical thinking, ideal skills for STEM careers that we so desperately need in the United States.

I’m glad that districts are starting to wake up and realize that things need to change quickly.

Acceleration and Gifted Kids: Another Myth

Troy — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:29:18 +0000

Acceleration is one of the more hotly debated areas of gifted education. And yet, the research is clear – acceleration does not inherently hurt or damage the social development of gifted children (Kulik, 2004). In fact, many gifted children benefit from the exposure to more challenging work.

via More on myths: Acceleration and Gifted Kids « An Intense Life.

Acceleration is hard for administrators to track, messes up test tracking, etc. However, all of these are tired excuses that administrators use to discourage acceleration. If a district won’t do a complete grade-level acceleration, try a subject-level acceleration and if that is successful, push for grade acceleration.

Bottom line: gifted students must remain engaged in learning or they won’t reach their full potential.

Class Warfare: “Stupid Class” v. Gifted Class

Troy — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:57:39 +0000

Gifted education is not a reward for white children and a way of punishing kids by putting them in the “stupid class.” It’s an educational intervention for children who need it. Maybe if we keep saying that often enough, the message will get through.

via giftedexchange.blogspot.com

I agree with Laura Vanderkamp’s assertion that “In general, it’s better to have a smaller, more targeted gifted program than a huge one that ropes in students who just happen to score in the top 25%.” If 25% of a student population is “gifted”, then the program needs modified so that the percentage of gifted students reflects statistical findings.

As a parent, I’m tired of gifted program being seen as ‘elitist’ or ‘only for white kids’. If educators and administrators think this way, the kids are going to think this way. This way of thinking undermines education for all students.

Crafting the Message About Gifted Students

Troy — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:11:12 +0000

On Monday I found myself in the company of a close friend, discussing gifted students. It had never dawned on me that his assumptions about “them” were grounded in myth. I chose to explain myself in terms of his situation; always a good idea when trying to get your point across. He is a songwriter and recording artist and so I asked him to remember back to when he learned his first three chords, then proceeded to have him imagine that he was only allowed to play those three chords for six months. He’d have to wait until next year to learn a new chord. “That doesn’t make any sense”, He said, realizing the stagnant nature which exists in many classrooms.

via nagc.org

When I discuss gifted issues with administrators, parents, etc. I realize that just about everybody believes the ‘myths’ about gifted education. As parents, I think we haven’t done a good enough job about expressing what it means to be gifted, and what our children need to be successful. It’s like I’ve said before- you are your child’s best advocate.