+ Meeting the Needs of Gifted Students An Overview of Resources Dr. - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

+

Meeting the Needs of Gifted Students

An Overview of Resources

• Dr. Donna L. Poland

Virginia Department of Education February 7, 2015

+ Talent Development

 Given their mission to educate all learners, schools may

simply never have the resources or time to give gifted and talented students all that they need.

 Talent development occurs in many contexts, including

community, family, and school.

 Talent development involves both formal and informal

learning.

(Olszewski-Kubilius, 2010)

+ Out-of-School Learning

 Gives students a chance to work with their true peers  Gives students ways to enrich or accelerate their learning  Enables students to experience authentic work  Allows students to explore their interest area(a) in depth  Prevents skills loss in the summer

(Olszewski-Kubilius, 2010, pp. 561–562)

+ Finding Resources

 Internet

 “Math competitions” or “robotics camp + Virginia”

 Centers for Gifted Education

 Websites  Staff members

 National and State Organizations

 Websites  Staff members

+ Questions to Ask

 What are my child’s talents and interests?  Do I want to build upon my child’s existing talents or offer

exposure to new areas?

 Is my child at a beginning, intermediate, or expert level of

development in his or her area of interest or talent?

 How advanced are the available courses? Are other student

participants at the same level?

 How much extrinsic motivation does my child need at this

time to pursue his or her interest or talent?

(Schroth, 2011, p. 157)

+ Mentoring

 Mentoring is a one-on-one relationship between a young

person and someone who is an expert in a field or has passion and knowledge in a particular area. This exploration can be accomplished face-to-face, over the phone, through mail, or via e-mail.

(Roberts & Inman, 2011, p. 167)

 Some ‘mentoring’ experiences are geared more toward

shadowing, while other experiences provide guidance/mentoring in a particular field of study (research mentorships)

+ Mentoring

 Benefits for the mentee include the following:  real-world applications of passion or interest;  self-confidence;  expanded possibilities for learning;  increased knowledge base;  continuous progress;  deepening enthusiasm for a subject;  extension or enrichment of the curriculum;  career direction;  gaining a role model; and  growth in an area of giftedness (e.g., academic, leadership,

creativity, visual arts, performing arts).

(Roberts & Inman, 2011, p. 168)

+ Resources

 General Information for Parents from Organizations  Online Reading Materials for Parents  Blogs  Talent Searches  Enrichment in Various Disciplines  Online Courses for Students  Competitions

+ General Information/Organizations

 National organizations

 National Association for Gifted Children (www.nagc.org)  The Association for the Gifted, Council for Exceptional Children

(http://cectag.com)

 State organizations

 Virginia Association for the Gifted (www.vagifted.org)  Other State G/T Organizations: Texas Association for the Gifted and

Talented (txgifted.org)

 Centers

 National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented

(http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/) Curry School/UVA (http://curry.virginia.edu/research/centers/nrcgt)

 Center for Gifted Education, The College of William and Mary

(http://education.wm.edu/centers/cfge/)

+ Online Reading Materials

 Duke University: Digest of Gifted Research

http://tip.duke.edu/node/84 Free, online newsletter - resource for research-based information about raising and educating academically talented children.

 Imagine Magazine

http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/ For middle and high school students who want to take control of their learning and get the most out of their precollege years.

 2e Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

http://www.2enewsletter.com/ Promotes understanding of twice-exceptional children

+ Blogs

 Byrdseed.com

http://www.byrdseed.com/ Features a wealth of information for parents and teachers

 The Prufrock Press Blog

http://blog.prufrock.com/ Features news and views on gifted, advanced, and special needs learners

 Gifted Exchange

http://giftedexchange.blogspot.com/ Supported by the Davidson Institute and focuses on gifted children, schooling, parenting, and education

+ Talent Searches

 Educational programs that are carried out at specific

locations throughout the country (John’s Hopkins)

 Students who score at the 95th percentile on a standardized

test can take advantage of above-level ACT or SAT testing in middle school

 Fees: Nominal and can often get a grant if a student qualifies

for free or reduced lunch program

 Benefits: above-level testing experience, test preparation

materials, tools to interpret scores, recognition, resources, access to programs

+ Enrichment

 Cogito at Johns Hopkins

http://www.cogito.org For students who love science, technology, engineering, and math

 EduHound

http://www.eduhound.com Collection of topic-based online education resources

 The Academy of Achievement

http://www.achievement.org Brings students face-to-face with extraordinary leaders who have changed our world

+ Language Arts

 Young Adult Library Services Association

http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook Division of the American Library Association that includes awards and book lists for teenagers

 Creative Kids

http://www.prufrock.com/Assets/ClientPages/kids_magazine.aspx

Nation’s largest magazine by and for kids, publishing creative writing and artwork by kids ages 8–16

 Teen Ink

http://www.teenink.com National teen magazine, book series, and website devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos and forums

+ Mathamatics

 Mega-Mathematics

http://www.ccs3.lanl.gov/mega-math Discusses fun mathematic topics and provides other interesting links

 USA Mathematical Talent Search

http://www.usamts.org Free mathematics competition open to all United States middle and high school students

+ Science

 Intel Science Talent Search

https://student.societyforscience.org/intel-sts Prestigious science competition for high school seniors who submit independent research projects; winners receive college scholarships

 How Stuff Works

http://www.howstuffworks.com Information on how things work using videos, blogs, games, and more

 Human Anatomy

http://www.innerbody.com Explore the human body like never before with interactive pictures

+ Social Studies

 Kids.gov

http://kids.usa.gov Variety of information on various government topics for kids, teens, and adults

 iCivics

http://www.icivics.org Web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy

+ Online Courses

 Virtual Virginia (AP Courses) and other Multidivision Online

Providers (MOP) http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/virtual_learning/index.html

 Coursera

https://www.coursera.org/courses Partners with schools like Princeton, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and Brown to bring free, college-level education to the web

 Udacity

https://www.udacity.com Offers free, interactive college classes

 iTunes U (app)

http://www.apple.com/apps/itunes-u/ Free app offers access to the largest online catalog of free education content from leading institutions

+ Competitions

 Many competitions are facilitated through the school  Increasingly, competitions are online or submitted

through online portals

 See handout: ‘Enrichment Programs And Opportunities In

Virginia’

+ Questions? Contact Information:

Donna L. Poland, Ph.D. Virginia Department of Education Donna.Poland@doe.virginia.gov 804-225-2884