Today I am highlighting a newspaper article that deals with the financial support for gifted programs. While the government continues to claim their support for the emphasis on education of advanced students, especially in math and science, they continue to cut funding for such programs.
The article entitled Report Finds Wide Disparities in Gifted Education, was written by Dorie Turner of the Associated Press on November 21, 2009. It is an excellent treatment of the problem we are facing in gifted education.
If you wish to get involved with advocacy efforts in your town, state, or federally, please go to the website of the National Association for Gifted Children. They have excellent resources and guidance. See their Advocacy Toolkit here.
Also contact your state organization to see what they are doing in this regard. You can find a list of state organizations here.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Traveling Trunks for Teachers
A long time ago I created a blog about traveling trunks - collections of teacher resources put together by organizations around specific themes and topics. Usually, teachers can rent or sign out a trunk for a period of 2 or 3 weeks. The trunks will contain everything a teacher needs to teach this topic - including primary sources and lesson plans.
Access an article about how to use traveling trunks. Basically, a traveling trunks is a fieldtrip come to your classroom.
The photo is from the Prehistoric Archaeology and Mississippi trunk available from the Museum of Mississippi History.
Here follows a partial list of science and history traveling trunks. To find one in your area, google "traveling trunks" or "teaching trunks" and your area. You can also google "traveling trunks" and your topic. You will be surprised to find how many organizations are eager to assist you in learning about their topic of interest.
Science:
1. Alabama Power Science Inquiry Kits
2. Minnesota SeaGrant Traveling Trunks on: Exotic Equatics, and Zebra Mussel Mania
3. ND Early Childhood Science Kits for children 3 - 7 years. Small fee.
4. National Parks Service: Variety of Science and Environment Trunks. Small fee for postage.
5. Montana Environmental Educational Association Guide to Northern Rockies Trunks
6. Monmouth Museum Science and History Trunks
History:
1. Kansas State Historical Society - Rental fee
2. Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
3. Idaho Lewis and Clark Resources
5. Washington Holocaust Education Resource Center
There is no need to ever be a boring teacher. Plan ahead and enjoy teaching with professionally assembled materials and great ideas for lesson plans and/or activities
Friday, September 04, 2009
Research Request
If you are an Alabama teacher, I need your help.
I am conducting research on Alabama teachers' beliefs about culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse gifted students. Responses to the survey will be anonymous and risk-free.
To participate in the study, please go to http://bit.ly/18fyGl
To find out more about the study, contact me at uagiftedandtalented@gmail.com.
Please also pass this information on to as many Alabama teachers as possible.
To find out more about the study, contact me at uagiftedandtalented@gmail.com.
Please also pass this information on to as many Alabama teachers as possible.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
New book for parents
We are pleased to announce the publication of Light Up Your Child's Mind. In this book written especially for parents, Drs. Renzulli and Reis illustrate the crucial role that parents can play in their children's development. Parents can uncover the hidden potential of daydreamers, rebels and one-track minds, and gifted behaviors-basic smarts, high levels of task commitment, and creativity-can be fostered in bright children, even unmotivated ones.
The concrete guidelines in Light Up Your Child's Mind will inspire parents to help their kids identify their strengths and interests, foster a love of learning, and set them on the path to a rewarding future..
The book is available on Amazon and also on the web site below where you can read an excerpt from it. Please help us to spread the word about Light Up Your Child's Mind to interested parents. To learn more about the book, please visit: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316003988.htm
The concrete guidelines in Light Up Your Child's Mind will inspire parents to help their kids identify their strengths and interests, foster a love of learning, and set them on the path to a rewarding future..
The book is available on Amazon and also on the web site below where you can read an excerpt from it. Please help us to spread the word about Light Up Your Child's Mind to interested parents. To learn more about the book, please visit: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316003988.htm
Monday, April 06, 2009
Discussion tools
Once you have set up a Wiki, you might want to conduct a virtual class discussion with your students about any number of topics.
You might have discussions on readings, or topics you have been covering in class, or perhaps you can facilitate an advising or counseling discussion for the emotional and social well being of your students.
Education research indicates that class discussions can achieve several learning goals in a classroom, whether you do it in person, in groups, or virtually. "Well-designed discussion tasks lead to progressive knowledge-seeking inquiry (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994) or expansive learning (Engeström, 1999) where learners are actively synthesizing new information with prior knowledge and experiences in the process of creating not only new knowledge but also new understanding of the learning process" (Karen Ngeow and Yoon-San Kong). Well designed discussions can increase debate, critical inquiry, and reflection.
There are different kinds of discussion:
* Guided discussion tasks, where the teacher poses a question, and students respond to the question, as well as other students' responses by making comments or asing questions.
* Inquiry-based discussion tasks, where the teacher poses an issue and asks a series of questions that lead students to delve deeply into the topic. Students also have to evaluate information and other students' contributions, and synthesize supporting and opposing ideas relevant to the issue.
* Reflective discussion tasks, where students are required to think about their own roles in learning and discussion. Alternatively, students think about what they are learning and how it relates to their lives and the literature they are studying.
* Exploratory discussion tasks, where students use analytical skills to come up with alternative explanations of real life situations. This requires investigating personal assumptions or opinions and coming up with alternatives.
Depending on the wikisite used in your class, your wiki could have a variety of functions useful in discussions.
You could
- let each student create a page and journal/blog their reflection and then allow others to comment if your wiki allows for adding comments. Google sites has this feature, as does PBWiki, now called PBWorks.
- let students contribute to a threaded discussion, or start a new threaded discussion. Wetpaint has this built in capability.
- let students contribute to a Voicethread, a website that allows chat-style discussion, audio discussion, and video discussion.
There are as many ways to discuss books, topics, people, film, music, and events as there are ideas in your head. Try something and your students will be sure to help you with more ideas.
You might have discussions on readings, or topics you have been covering in class, or perhaps you can facilitate an advising or counseling discussion for the emotional and social well being of your students.
Education research indicates that class discussions can achieve several learning goals in a classroom, whether you do it in person, in groups, or virtually. "Well-designed discussion tasks lead to progressive knowledge-seeking inquiry (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994) or expansive learning (Engeström, 1999) where learners are actively synthesizing new information with prior knowledge and experiences in the process of creating not only new knowledge but also new understanding of the learning process" (Karen Ngeow and Yoon-San Kong). Well designed discussions can increase debate, critical inquiry, and reflection.
There are different kinds of discussion:
* Guided discussion tasks, where the teacher poses a question, and students respond to the question, as well as other students' responses by making comments or asing questions.
* Inquiry-based discussion tasks, where the teacher poses an issue and asks a series of questions that lead students to delve deeply into the topic. Students also have to evaluate information and other students' contributions, and synthesize supporting and opposing ideas relevant to the issue.
* Reflective discussion tasks, where students are required to think about their own roles in learning and discussion. Alternatively, students think about what they are learning and how it relates to their lives and the literature they are studying.
* Exploratory discussion tasks, where students use analytical skills to come up with alternative explanations of real life situations. This requires investigating personal assumptions or opinions and coming up with alternatives.
Depending on the wikisite used in your class, your wiki could have a variety of functions useful in discussions.
You could
- let each student create a page and journal/blog their reflection and then allow others to comment if your wiki allows for adding comments. Google sites has this feature, as does PBWiki, now called PBWorks.
- let students contribute to a threaded discussion, or start a new threaded discussion. Wetpaint has this built in capability.
- let students contribute to a Voicethread, a website that allows chat-style discussion, audio discussion, and video discussion.
There are as many ways to discuss books, topics, people, film, music, and events as there are ideas in your head. Try something and your students will be sure to help you with more ideas.
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