Terms used in Gifted Education
Acceleration
The concept of altering the pace or speed of learning and providing more sophisticated resources for learning to challenge students.
Compacting
The procedure used to streamline the regular curriculum for students capable of mastering a task at a faster pace.
Complex Instruction
A specific type of cooperative learning in which students are actively involved at classroom centers. Teachers have been trained using specific teaching strategies originating from StanfordUniversity.
Complexity
The concept of broadening the learner’s understanding of the area or areas under study by asking him/her to make connections, relationships, and associations between, within, and across subjects and disciplines.
Cooperative Grouping
The practice of assigning a common task and/or project to a group of students with varying ability levels often reflecting the full range of student achievement and aptitude.
Critical Thinking
The development of analytical thinking for purposes of decision-making. This includes using specific attitudes and skills such as analyzing arguments carefully, seeing others’ points of view, and reaching sound conclusions.
Depth
Refers to the concept of challenging learners by enabling them to venture further, deeper, or more elaborately into the area under study.
Flex Grouping
Homogeneous groups formed on a temporary basis to address specific skills.
Higher-Level Thinking
Analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating content of materials for a given purpose.
Independent Study
Allowing students to follow individual or self-selected areas of interest and specific aptitude by designing and implementing their own study plans. Close monitoring by teachers is an essential component of independent study.
Interest Groups
Grouping students by interest/choice.
Learning Styles
A student’s preference for a mode of learning and/or type of learning environment. For example, a student could favor auditory learning in an independent learning environment.
Multiple Intelligences
A theory which acknowledges each person has a combination of intelligences which need to be nurtured. (i.e., linguistic, spatial, musical, mathematical, etc.)
Novelty
Refers to the concept of gaining a personal understanding of the area under study or constructing meaning of knowledge in an individualized manner.
Peer Coaching/ Mentoring
A practice which indicates voluntary or assigned matching of students by shared characteristics, such as age, ability, need, and/or interest in order to affect teaching and learning.
Problem Solving
Challenging students to cooperatively or independently discover and offer varied solutions to a problem in a given curricular area or within a general theme.
Reading Workshop
An instructional management system in which students are actively involved in the selection of reading material and how they will respond.
Socratic Seminar
An open-ended circle discussion centered around a certain text where student interaction guides the discussion by stated opinion and supportive remarks.
Thematic Instruction
The use of encompassing classroom themes or generalizations that allows students to explore and discover relationships and connect concepts through an interdisciplinary approach.
Tiered Instruction
The use of homogeneous groups to explore a common theme at multiple levels utilizing varied resources and assignments.
Writing Workshop
An instructional management system enabling students to self-select writing topics. Students are involved in the writing process and taught skills in context.
Education Week Article
Seven Skills That Students Need to Succeed in College and Beyond
“Even in America’s most highly regarded secondary schools,” writes Harvard researcher Tony Wagner in this Education Week article, “we are not teaching or testing the skills that matter most for college, careers, and citizenship in the 21st century.” Based on his interviews with college teachers, college students, business executives, and officers in the armed forces, Wagner has identified seven “survival skills” that all students need to make it in college, excel in good jobs, and be leaders in their communities:
•Critical thinking and problem-solving – Every college student needs to be able to think critically and apply knowledge to new situations, says Wagner, and businesses are looking for workers who are able to think about continuously improving products, processes, and services.
• Collaborating and leading across networks – “Most work in this country is done in teams,” says Wagner, but K-12 classrooms mostly have students doing solo work. It’s only in athletics and other extracurricular activities that students learn about teamwork.
• Agility and adaptability – Most current jobs will change or cease to exist, business executives told Wagner, so workers need to be nimble and able to use a variety of tools to solve new problems.
• Initiative and entrepreneurialism – “If you try five things and get all five of them right, you may be failing,” says Mark Chandler, senior vice president at Cisco Systems. “If you try 10 things and get eight of them right, you’re a hero.” His point is that the best workers set stretch goals and constantly push the envelope.
• Effective oral and written communication – College teachers and business leaders say that poor writing and speaking skills are a major problem for many of today’s young people.
• Accessing and analyzing information – High-school students may be adept at surfing the Net, says Wagner, but very few know how to do an effective Internet search and zero in on the most important information.
• Curiosity and imagination – “I want people who can think – they’re not just bright, they’re also inquisitive,” says former CEO Clay Parker. “Are they engaged, are they interested in the world?”
Mastery of these seven skills is the key to the United States remaining competitive in the global economy, Wagner concludes.He believes that college admissions officers should push high schools to teach and test these critical competencies, emphasizing them more than test scores or memorized knowledge. “Teaching and Testing the Skills That Matter Most” by Tony Wagner in Education Week, Nov. 12, 2008 (Vol. 28, #12, p. 30) http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/11/12/12wagner.h28.html Wagner speaks highly of the College and Work Readiness Assessment, which can be accessed at http://www.cae.org/content/pro_collegework.htm.
Martin Walsh
Martin Walsh gave a presentation on Removing the Mystery: Important Trends Impacting the College Admission Process at Burlingame HS in Feb.
| burlingame_high_school_presentation2.ppt |
Dr. Barbara Branch
Dr. Barbara Branch presented a workshop on Motivation.
She spoke on how the brain and learning affect motivation and why some gifted kids are not
motivated. How memory, emotion, and attention are connect to motivation.
Also discussed learning styles, study habits, and setting goals as ways to
work on motivation. Lastly, she discussed some ways to help gifted kids
become motivated.
Dr. Branch has 38 years of experience in GATE education. She has been a GATE Teacher for 10 years, a principal with a GATE program 5 yrs, the Director of GATE Program for 7 yrs., and has served on the California Association for the Gifted Board of Directors for 7 yrs. She is the owner of Branch Consulting, serving Gifted Education families and is a GATE Application Reader.
For more information contact: [email protected]
Dr. Dweck
Dr. Dweck is a professor of pschology at Stanford, and was the excellent PAGE speaker Feb. 20, 2008 - link to New York Magazine article on topic: http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/)
FREE OFFERS
Gifted Education Press
We are offering a complimentary copy of Gifted Education Press Quarterly Online. They would need to email me directly to receive our Twentieth Anniversary WINTER 2008 Online issue. My email address is:
[email protected]
SASO SEMINARS
Our web site offers other valuable parenting tools. Our book,
audio resources, and free articles are full of helpful parenting tips.
To learn more go to:
http://www.sasoseminars.com/tools.html
IB World - online magazine of the International Baccalaureate Organization. (Capuchino HS in the SMUHS District is an IBO school)
www.ibo.org/ibworld
The Davidson Institute free eNews - online news from The Davidson Institute for Talent Development. to subscribe:
http://news.ditd.org/signup/eNews_SignUp.html
Meta Link:
Familyeducation.com - Has many articles and advise on a wide variety of topics, from How to Know if my child is gifted -to Dealing with teachers - to underachievement: http://school.familyeducation.com/tv/tvsearch/title=Related%20Topics&fmt=adv&n=50&max=50&term=220503000000|350706000000|290000000000&excl=38654&lowest_grade=100&highest_grade=112&sort_on=score
Educational Links:
PAGE library - at Borel Middle School - Open at all PAGE meetings at Borel- other times call ahead.
425 Barneson Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94402
Phone: (650) 312-7670 or 7669
www.cagifted.org- California Association for the Gifted.
www.nagc.org- The National Association for Gifted Children
www.hoagiesgifted.org- Hoagie's Gifted Education page - clearinghouse for everything gifted
www.gateparents.com- San Mateo Union High School District's GATE parent group site.
www.sengifted.org- Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted.
http://www.ibo.org/ibworld/sept07/rules_for_a_new_class.cfm - interview with Howard Gardner - father of multiple inteligences.
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/cag_santalucia- CAG Santa Lucia Yahoogroup
http://epgy.stanford.edu- Education Program for Gifted Youth. Offers online courses for individuals and schools
www.allkindsofminds.org- site by Dr.Mel Levine. Has info and tips for parents and teachers re: different kinds of learning disabilities, etc.
http://www.chconline.org - The Children's Health Council in Palo Alto. Our mission is to make a measurable difference in the lives of children and their families who face developmental, behavioral, emotional and learning challenges.
www.davidsongifted.org - The Davidson Institute for Talent Development. "Supporting our Nation's Brightest Young People". Has online eNews letter and other info.
www.learningstrategiescenter.com- CA Learning Strategies Center - "helps parents get their advanced and gifted the education they deserve..."
MATH/SCIENCE LINKS:
http://www.jets.org/ - Junior Engineering Technical Society
http://www.soinc.org/ - Science Olympiad
http://www.ies.co.jp/math/java/index.html - Math games/applets.
http://www.ies.co.jp/math/indexeng.html - Math Education and Technology. Software/links
http://home.avvanta.com/~math/math_links.html - Links to many other math sites
http://www.mathcounts.org/ - Promoting Middle School Math Achievement
http://maa.org/ - Mathematical Association of America homepage
http://www.stanfordmathcircle.org/ - Stanford math circle
http://mathcircle.berkeley.edu/ - Berkeley math circle
http://www.mathcircles.org/ - resource for different math circles with links to other sites
More Science Links:
http://www.tryscience.org/ TryScience, a collaboration of the New York Hall of Science, IBM, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers, opens a world of science and discovery to students. The site provides interactive exhibits, multimedia adventures, live camera "field trips", and provides hands-on science projects that children, parents, and teachers can do at home or in school.
http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ World Community Grid, through support from IBM, is enabling young people to make a difference on humanitarian problems simply by contributing their unused PC time. World Community Grid establishes a permanent, flexible infrastructure that provides researchers with a readily available pool of computational power that can be used to solve problems plaguing humanity. Importantly, World Community Grid is safe to use. Joining is easy; young people simply go to the website and download and install a free, small software program on their computers.
http://www.eweek.org/ National Engineers Week happens during the month of February, but fun activities, information, and information are available on this website year round. National Engineers Week is a program designed to encourage students to become more involved in engineering and the sciences. The official website provides students with activities and interesting information to excite them about the field of engineering.
http://girlstech.douglass.rutgers.edu/ A program of Douglass College, the undergraduate women's college of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Girls Tech features a compendium of web sites and projects that have been evaluated to especially encourage and increase young women's interest in science and technology.
http://www.scienceupdate.com/ Quirky, entertaining and informative, Science Update is a daily, 60-second feature covering the latest discoveries inn science, technology, and medicine. Produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general science society, Science Update even answer listener's science questions. A week's worth of Science Update news briefs is available for download as a podcast.
College Info Links:
www.collegebasics.com - Offers college admissions tips and insider secrets about planning for college,applying for college, financial aid, admissions essays, college interviews,etc.
Misc. Links
http://www.giftedstudy.com/resources/index.asp - resource page from Summer Institute for the Gifted
http://www/handinhandparenting.org - resource especially for parents of young children.
http://www.newhorizons.org/ - Archive site for educational articles re: identifying, communicating, and helping to implement more effective ways of learning at all ages and abilities.
www.challengesuccess.org - StanfordUniversitySchool of Education -Challenge Success
Believes real success results from attention to the basic developmental needs of children and a valuing of different types of skills and abilities. In particular, we endorse a vision of success that emphasizes character, health, independence, connection, creativity, enthusiasm, and achievement.Accordingly, we have created Challenge Success with a mission to inform, inspire, and equip youth, parents, and schools to adopt practices that expand options for youth success.
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20748262223#/group.php?gid=2211812642 - Parents and Supporter of Gifted Children facebook page. You have to cut and paste this link.
https://world-gifted.org/- World Council for Gifted and Talented Children.
