INTHISISSUE - Weebly€¦ · 4 |FALL2011 C Competitionamong giftedstudentsis not uncommon (Lee, 2002; Rizza & Reis, 2001). Many teachers and re-searchersmightarguethatcompetition

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Fall 2011

What happens when a well-established Super Saturday pro-gram created for gifted and talented learners provides schol-arships to high-potential students from low-income families?Will these students, who are traditionally underrepresented ingifted and talented programs, need additional academic andsocial support from their families and teachers in order to besuccessful in this program? Will these students enjoy the rig-orous activities and advanced content routinely experiencedby students who participate in this program? Let’s find out.The achievement gap continues to widen between students

from low income and those from non-low-income families whoscore at the highest levels on achievement tests (Plucker, Bur-roughs, & Song, 2010). All too often, educators use test scores asa single or major criterion for entrance into gifted programs,

which results in students from low-income families, who havehigh-potential, being excluded from these opportunities (Wor-rell, 2007). Furthermore, educators who are concerned solelywith achievement scores, unaware of other characteristics ofhigh-ability children, often do not recognize the potential inthese students (VanTassel-Baska, Feng, Quek& Struck, 2004). Inlight of these facts, it is important to note that students from low-income families who achieve at or above the 75th percentile arecomparable to other students who achieve at or above the 95thpercentile (Wyner, Bridgeland, & Duilio, 2009).They possesshigh levels ofmotivation, enthusiasm, and good grades in school.In 2008, the Gifted Education Resource Institute (GERI) at

Purdue University began Project HOPE (Having OpportunitiesPromotes Excellence), a three-year grant project funded fromthe Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. This project allowed us toprovide scholarships to high-potential students from low-in-come families. We defined these high-potential students asthose who qualified for the federal free and reducedmeals pro-gram, students who scored at or above the 70th percentile onachievement tests or who were recommended by an educatoras having potential were also considered. These students wereprovided full tuition (including any materials) and transporta-tion to Super Saturday and Super Summer programs.

Scholar SelectionFive Midwestern school districts that had more than 30% of

BRIDGING THE DIVIDEPutting Research Into Practice

Rachelle Miller is a doctoral candidate whoworks at the Gifted Education Resource Insti-tute at Purdue University.

Marcia Gentry, professor of educational stud-ies, directs the Gifted Education Resource Insti-tute at Purdue University.

Authors’Note: This projectwas supportedbyagrantfrom the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Special thanks

to Jillian Gates, Scott Peters, and Rebecca Mann who assisted with theHOPE Project.

www.nagc.org

This article, connecting research and practice, is based on Scott Peters and Marcia Gentry’s Fall 2010 Gifted Child Quar-terly article, “Multigroup Construct Validity Evidence of the HOPE Scale: Instrumentation to Identify Low-Income Elemen-tary Students for Gifted Programs” focused on the validity of the HOPE Scale, a 13-item teacher-rating instrumentdesigned to identify academic and social components of giftedness in elementary-aged students.

IN THIS ISSUEFrom the Editor 2

School Spotlight 3

Excessive Competition 4

National Office 7

Special Populations 9

Extreme ESP! 12

Smart Cookies 13

Happily Ever After 16

Books, Books 18

Technology Untangled 19

Benefits of Providing Enrichment toHigh-Potential Students from Low-Income FamiliesBY RACHELLEMILLER ANDMARCIA GENTRY,PURDUE UNIVERSITY,WEST LAFAYETTE, IN

ConventionPresenter

www.nagc.org

EDITORIALADVISORYBOARDFelicia Dixon,ChairJill AdelsonAlicia CotabishEsther HellmannM.Gail HickeyMarcia ImbeauJamieMacDougallJanice NovelloMegan Parker PetersValija C.RoseKarenWestbergSusannahWood

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJeffrey Danielian

ASSOCIATEEDITORElizabeth Fogarty

Teaching forHighPotential (THP)is published as amembershipbenefit oftheNational Association forGiftedChil-dren (NAGC),1331HStreet,N.W.,Suite1001,Washington,DC,20005;202.785.4268;[email protected] sub-mission andeditorial enquiries canbemade to Jeff Danielian [email protected].

For information on advertising in THP,please contact Nicole Daniel [email protected].

The content found inTHParticlesfollows theNAGC Pre-K-Grade 12GiftedProgramming Standards and theNAGC-CECTeacher Preparation Standards.VisittheTHPwebpage formoredetails.

The statements and opinionsexpressed in the articles and columnsappearing inTHP are those of the au-thors and columnists and do not neces-sarily reflect the views of the association.NAGCdisclaims any responsibility or lia-bility for suchmaterial.© 2011

TTheabovequote from the children’s book Hooray for Diff-endoofer Day encompasses for me the essence of what itmeans to teach for high potential. When I find myself frus-trated with the current educational climate; one dominatedby standardized testing, common core standards, andteacher accountability, I take the book off the shelf and readit. Whether you are an educator in a regular classroom, pull-out program, enrichment specialist, coordinator, or teacherin a self-contained gifted program, the words of Dr. Seussshould ring true for you.Likemany of you in the field of gifted education, it is often

hard to explain to those who inquire that although we seekto identify and serve students with advanced talent, the methods that we utilize andthe style with which it is delivered can, and should be, used for all students. Oncelearning styles are recognized, students need to be grouped by ability or interest. Ifcontent is mastered, curriculum compacting and choice of independent investigationsand projects or other forms of acceleration can be offered. Lessons must be differen-tiated and curriculum varied in depth and breadth. Skill training should focus on cre-ative problem solving, technology, written and oral communication, and mostimportantly, divergent and convergent thinking. Affective needs also need to be con-sidered. To put it plainly, students deserve individualized attention.Why share this with you as we begin yet another school year, one that for many of

us will mean slimmer budgets, cutback of classroom materials, and a reduction infaculty? I hope it is a reminder of what gifted and talented education is all about—thestudents seated before us. It is why you are reading the pages of Teaching for HighPotential and not Teaching for Gifted Students. In every classroom across the coun-try there are students waiting to be identified and served. Share the articles in this andpast issues with every educator you know, regardless of where and who they teach.Try out some of the strategies and suggestions offered by our columnists. Provide en-richment opportunities like the ones described by Rachel Miller and Marcia Gentry.Reduce the stress of competition by opening up a dialogue within the classroom. LisaRohde certainly gives some great advice. Finally, as Jennifer Hoffman has done, seekto re-vamp or create curriculum that is meaningful. The time to share what the fieldhas to offer to education has arrived.You will notice a saxophone icon on many of the pages of this issue. The reason

being is that most of the authors and columnists in this issue are presenters at the2011NAGC convention in NewOrleans. I hope to see you there. As always, I welcomeyour comments, suggestions, opinions, and ideas.

FROM THE EDITOR

2 | FALL 2011 www.nagc.org

JEFF DANIELIAN, [email protected]

WeTeach“You”How toThink

“We've taught you that the earth is round,That red andwhite make pink,

And something else that matters more—We've taught you how to think."

—Dr. Seuss & Jack Prelutsky

IIn1980, a key member of the Louisiana Legislature along withthe Dean of Education from Northwestern State University inNatchitoches visited two residential schools for high-abilitystudents in North Carolina. Recognizing the effective way thatsuch a school can meet the needs of gifted, talented, and high-ability students, they set about the legislative process to es-tablish the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts.The school enrolled its first class in 1983. Admission is opento any highly motivated, high achieving student wanting totake a challenging curriculum taught at the college level.According to Judy McIntyre, Director of External Affairs, the

organization of LSMSA closely resembles an early collegemodel. Students at LSMSA pursue college level courses butstay with their age peers in a high school-like environment.Students are grouped according to their needs. For example,sophomores who can handle the academic rigor of upperclasses are welcome to accelerate. When students show thatthey have mastered a subject, they can grade skip or just moveahead within the class. Very few courses are grade specific, soit is common to see classes populated equally with sopho-mores and seniors. Teachers offer individualized instructionto students who need it within the framework of their course,and meet regularly with students during office hours andguided study. Assignments are differentiated and special re-search projects are assigned when requested by the students.Students are even offered the opportunity to take dual en-rollment courses at several Louisiana Universities at no cost tothe school or the students’ parents. McIntyre also reports that

the majority of students say they were rarely challenged intheir prior schooling, however, the reality of LSMSA is that stu-dents learn that even though they are smart, there is materialout there that they have to struggle to master. They learn tobe proud of their effort. This attitude can be summed up in aquote from student Sarah Sandifer, who states, “Instead ofbeing pushed down, we are encouraged to think for ourselvesand strive to be the best people we can be.”LSMSA does not rank its students, but the school does offer

each student the opportunity to graduate with distinction.Juniors can elect whether or not they want to embark on a re-search project that will set them apart from their classmates.Distinction students have to approach a faculty member and

ask them to serve as theirmentor and the head oftheir committee, draw up aresearch plan, gather theirinformation, write a paper,defend their findings, andpresent the results of theirresearch to an audience oftheir peers and faculty. Theclass of 2011 had four stu-dents graduate with dis-tinction. The titles of two

AHome away fromHome:The Louisiana Schoolfor Math, Science, and the ArtsBY JENNIFER SELTING TROESTER,O’NEILL PUBLIC SCHOOLS,O’NEILL, NEBRASKA • [email protected]

Editor’s Note: This column looks at the ways in whichschools and programs serve gifted and talented studentsacross the country. The columnist conducted interviews andreviewed material before presenting the creative programsand services provided by the school. The Louisiana School

for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) is host to an NAGCAction Lab during the National Convention in New Orleans.For more information on these and other Action Labs, pleasevisit: http://www.nagc.org/2011actionlabs.aspx .

LOUISIANASCHOOLFORMATH,SCIENCE,ANDTHEARTS (LSMSA)Natchitoches, Louisiana • www.lsmsa.edu • Executive Director:Dr. PatrickWidhalm

Mission Statement: The Louisiana Schoolfor Math, Science, and the Arts, a preeminentstate-supported residential high school withcompetitive admissions for high achieving,highly motivated students, fosters in youngscholars lifelong growth toward reaching in-dividual potential and finding places of

work and service in a global society throughthe examination and exchange of ideas in acommunity of learners.

Enrollment: 322 Sophomores, Juniors, andSeniors are enrolled from almost 80% of theparishes (counties) in Louisiana.

SCHOOL SPOTLIGHTON HIGH POTENTIAL

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FALL 2011 | 3www.nagc.org

ConventionPresenter


CCompetition among gifted students isnot uncommon (Lee, 2002; Rizza &Reis, 2001). Many teachers and re-searchers might argue that competitionis beneficial in encouraging students tocreate their best work, rivalry can in-deed become detrimental to the learn-ing process when it starts to interferewith a student’s natural motivation. Inmany cases, this harmful competitiongoes unnoticed. Educators need to beaware of these “silent” contests that canlead to a host of classroom issues, argu-ments, and psychological conflicts.Gifted students may compete for

prestige, earning academic honors orawards, or to maintain their own senseof self-worth. The most common exam-ple of excessive competition can beseen in the way that gifted studentsworry about grade point averages andclass rank. Separated from each otherby fractions of points at times, thesehigh achieving students may go to greatlengths to outdo their peers. They maytake extra classes, argue over a few lostpoints on a test, do extra credit to getadditional points for their GPA, andeven cheat. Through that extra effort,they hope to distinguish themselvesfrom the other equally intelligent andtalented students competing for admis-sion to prestigious universities. One ofthe reasons for the competitive natureof gifted students may be perfectionism,which is common in gifted individuals.While some perfectionism can behealthy, perfectionism that is tied to stu-dents’ positions in their peer group ortheir self-worth can be debilitating ifthey have long identified themselveswith a certain level of achievement.

Sources of CompetitionIn addition to pressure to succeed

placed on them by parents or teachers,gifted students’ ownmotivations and traitsmay encourage competition. Their per-

formancemay be driven by eithermasteryor performance goals. Depending on thetypeof goal set, studentsmayhave very dif-ferent beliefs about their self-worth, thedifficulty of tasks they undertake, and howthey go about attempting to achieve thosetasks (Ames, 1992). Mastery goals, orlearning goals, involve seeking knowledgepurely for one’s own interest (Ames, 1992;Dweck, 1986). Students driven bymasterygoals focus on learning rather than com-parison with peers. Performance goals,however, are related to the desire toachieve a particular outcome, but not nec-essarily to attain the information through adeep learning expe-rience (Ames, 1992).It is the studentswho are stronglymotivated by per-formance goals whoare prone to compe-tition because theyare more interestedin surpassing peersthan in the genuinepursuit of knowl-edge. Similarly, Clinkenbeard (1989) com-pared competitive students withindividualistic students, studentswhopre-ferred to work independently, and foundthat the competitive ones had lessmotiva-tion to further study that topic, learnedless than the individualistic group, and feltthat strengthening their abilitieswasmoreimportant than effort on a single test orexam.Sylvia Rimm has researched the con-

sequences of competition, particularlyon gifted underachievers. She foundthat only a small number of individualsare consistently successful in highlycompetitive environments, and forthose who are less successful, competi-tion may further accentuate shortcom-ings (Rimm, 1995). Therefore, too muchfocus on achieving a particular rank orGPA, and being unable to do so, couldleave students feeling inadequate.

Compare vs.CompeteIn a study of gifted high school females

by Rizza and Reis (2001), the experienceof competition was explored and defined

by its participants. Adults and teachersfelt that competition was just part of theschool atmosphere and despite efforts todiscourage competition it still existedwithin their classrooms. For the students,competing in academics meant that theyoften ignored other activities in theirlives. Significant amounts of time and en-ergy were expended to excel, even to thepoint of arguing with teachers overgrades on tests. In light of this competi-tion for grades and overall GPA, the stu-dents were asked to instead “compare’their progress with others in the class,which would allow them to see how they

measured up, providing satisfactionwhen they performed better than peers.In this study, the students described theterm “comparison” as a healthier form ofcompetition. Through comparison, thestudents in the once competitive class-room created a social support networkin which they could share their successesand failures. In this way, individual andgroup successes could be shared and cel-ebrated with their peers. An interestingresult was noted in the study: Competi-tive environments were viewed nega-tively to amajority of the females yet theynoted that using competition as a posi-tive motivating force and using the termcomparison in discussing grades andperformance provided a better apprecia-tion for their own and other’s work.

Strategies for SuccessIn the ClassroomTeachers can address competition in

a number of ways. First, they can focuson individual improvements in stu-dents’ performance. Rather than en-couraging students to compete against

Excessive Competition amongGiftedHigh School StudentsBY LISA ROHDE,UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Lisa Rohde,M.A., is a graduate studentat the University of Georgia and is cur-rently working on her doctorate in Ed-ucational Psychology.

Teachers can providestudents some way

of charting theirimprovement on

various aspects oftheir own performance.

““


one another, teachers can provide stu-dents some way of charting their im-provement on various aspects of theirown performance. Using portfolios sothat students may see their individualimprovements throughout the year is agreat place to start. Have the studentsfocus on one or two skill areas and asthey receive feedback, write a reflectionand associated goals. Teachers can alsorefrain from grading a paper with a let-ter or number, or at least have a way toannotate the grade by providing com-mentary and criticism instead, with thefocus on providing comments that setrealistic and attainable goals. To limitclassroom competition, teachers couldassign group projects or work that re-quires collaboration, with the roles ofeach member of the group made clearat the onset of the assignment.

Consider the Social and Emotional SideDiscussing competitiveness openly

with students, particularly focusing onwhen and how they compete, the ef-fects it has on their performance, and

how they feel about failure, is a greatway to bring the issue out in the open.By voicing their concerns openly, stu-dents may be able to better understandwhat drives their behavior and see theeffect that it has on their lives. Further-more, they may realize that their peersexperience the same pressure and theymay create a community of supportrather than one of competition.

Find the SourceIf the source of competition seems to

be coming from pressure placed on stu-dents by parents or others, teachers canattempt to address it through confer-ences with the parents. Keep in mindthat many parents may believe that suchpressure will help their child get into a“good” college or “get scholarships.” Inunderstanding the pressures studentsfeel, teachers may be able to have a con-versation with parents and explain thepossible dangers such behavior canhave on their child’s overall perform-ance. Additionally, there may be othersources of pressure, such as coaches,

mentors, or other teachers. Make an ef-fort to determine where these messagesare coming from and talk to those peo-ple about the effect they can have onthe students.With competition among gifted high

school students, the issue is notwhether they will be competitive, butrather how they will handle it for them-selves and with others. Creating a safeclassroom environment that is con-ducive to positive achievement is theprimary responsibility of educators.When competition begins to impede astudent’s performance in the class,something needs to be done about it.Try some of the approaches addressedhere knowing that you’ll be doingsomething constructive for your stu-dents’ well-being. �

ResourcesCropper, C. (1999). Is competition an effective

classroom tool for the gifted student? GiftedChild Today, 21, 28-31.

Feldhusen, J. F., Dai, D.Y., & Clinkenbeard, P. R.


(2000). Dimensions of competitive and co-operative learning among gifted learners.Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 23,328-342.

ReferencesAmes, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures,

and student motivation. Journal of Educa-tional Psychology, 84, 261-271.

Clinkenbeard, P. R. (1989).The motivation towin: Negative aspects of success at compe-tition. Journal for the Education of the Gifted,12, 293-305.

Dweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes af-fect learning. American Psychologist, 41,1040-1048.

Lee, S. (2002). The effects of peers on the aca-demic and creative talent development of agifted adolescent male. The Journal for Sec-ondary Gifted Education, 14, 19-29.

Rimm,S. (1995).Whybright kids get poor grades:And what you can do about it. New York, NY:Three Rivers Press.

Rizza,M.G.,& Reis,S.M. (2001). Comparing andcontrasting: Stories of competition.GiftedChild Quarterly, 45, 54-62.

Limited federal leadership, coupled with a singularfocus on grade-level proficiency, has resulted in an ed-ucational system that too often fails to address theunique learning needs of gifted students and thosewho could become high achieving with appropriatesupports.

Success in the 21st century requires a commitment todeveloping student talent as early as possible. To ad-dress this urgent need, gifted education supportershave introduced legislation to amend the Elementaryand Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to provide re-sponsible federal leadership in meeting the needs ofgifted and high-ability students. To Aid Gifted andHigh-Ability Learners by Empowering the Nation’sTeachers (TALENT) Act.

NAGC urges support of the TALENT Act to systemati-cally ensure that all high-ability students, regardless oftheir zip code, are able to maximize their potential.Thenation cannot afford to delay.

Visit NAGC’s Talent Act webpage(http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=7804) or use yoursmartphone’s QR codereader for additional infor-mation about the legisla-tion with supportingresources, and find outhow you and others cansupport this outstandingnew piece of legislation.The time has come for achange in focus!

TheTALENT Act

www.nagc.org FALL 2011 | 7

FFor me, nothing resonates like a good analogy. Whilesometimes these turns of phrase become cliché, like “tak-ing those second graders through the museum was likeherding cats,” or “listening to Mr. Everett teach physics islike drinking from a fire hose,” fresh language that illumi-nates a situation or problem goes a long way toward con-veying a powerful message that sticks.I saw this first hand in May during a

Senate briefing NAGC co-hosted withour advocacy partners at the Councilfor Exceptional Children (CEC). Ti-tled, “Leaving Talent on the Table: Adiscussion of how the United Statesleaves high ability students behind,how it affects our global competitive-ness and what we can do about it,”the briefing drew more than 35staffers representing one-third of theSenate offices. Its purpose was tobuild awareness for and invite supportof new legislation supporting giftedlearners through research, profes-sional development, and accountabil-ity called the “TALENT Act.”From my vantage point, several as-

pects of this Senate briefing made itcompelling. First, the “hosting” effortsof key staff from the offices of SenatorsGrassley and Casey—who stepped upto present the highlights of a case for support at the out-set of the program. Second, extremely knowledgeableNAGC and CEC staff was available and willing to answerquestions about the legislation, no matter how detailed.Finally, the participation of outside experts—representedby Sally Reis from the University of Connecticut andNAGC’s legislative and advocacy committee co-chair, andJulia Roberts, from Western Kentucky University, whoholds a similar leadership role for CEC-The Associationfor the Gifted. (TAG)Julia began her presentation this way: “How do you feel

when you’re in a hurry to get someplace, but you can’t ar-rive any quicker because you’re stuck in a traffic jam?”Those of us in the audience could see the nodding heads

all around. “Frustrating, isn’t it? Well, gifted children leftto languish in classrooms without educational challengeare stuck—and feel frustration much the same as anydriver behind the wheel of a car that isn’t moving.”She continued, “Or consider the differences between high-

speed and dial-up Internet connections. The child who is in-tellectually gifted could be compared tohigh-speed Internet. This child—whohas experienced appropriately challeng-ing learning experiences—knows thejoy of learning, just as you have enjoyedthe speed of the Internet once you haveswitched from dial-up connections tohigh-speed wireless.”These analogies, coupled with spe-

cific data points that reinforced themessage, proved to be the perfect “one-two punch” for conveying a messageabout the plight of gifted learners.Drawing from first-hand classroom ex-perience, both Sally Reis and JuliaRoberts painted a picture that the audi-ence could remember and relate to.From there, the “call to action” was alogical next step: encourage your Sena-tor to support the nation’s brightestlearners by supporting the TALENT Act.For more information about the Houseand Senate bills, and ways you can get

support for the bills, access the TALENT Act webpage onthe NAGC website. Information can be found on page 6.So much on Capitol Hill is in limbo as I write this. We

won’t know for several weeks, maybe months, the degreeto which the Senate Briefing and the efforts around it,had an impact. What I know for sure is that I will never sitin a traffic jam again without thinking of that brightlearner…and his/her feelings of frustration sitting boredin a classroom while the other students struggle with ma-terials she learned six months ago. While data lay thegroundwork for what we do, it’s the analogies and thestories that keep us motivated—in the classroom, at thepolicy table, in the halls of statehouses, and on CapitolHill. �

What a Picture isWorthBY NANCY GREEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR GIFTED [email protected]

V IEW FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE

Editor’s Note: NAGC executive director Nancy Green has nu-merous opportunities to observe and reflect upon develop-ments in education and policy that connect to gifted and

talented education. Her inspirations serve as the founda-tion for this column.

Julia Roberts (L) Sally Reis

papers speak for the scholarly work produced: “NumericalSolution to the Schrödinger Equation for the Tunneling ofNitrogen in the Ammonia Molecule” and “The Role of In-terleukin-22 in Pulmonary Epithelial Cell Proliferation andRepair.”Another innovative opportunity LSMSA offers is EXCEL, a

recruiting and retention program that was begun nineyears ago by Jennifer Mangum, a member of the math fac-ulty. The goal was to recruit minority students and thosefrom low-performing high schools and help them transi-tion to the gifted learning environment at the school. Ac-cording to McIntyre, a key component of EXCEL is arequired four-week summer bridge program designed tofill gaps in knowledge. Students are given intensive in-struction in academic writing, science, math, and the arts.If identified as an EXCEL candidate, a student must attendand successfully complete the summer bridge componentto earn an invitation to the school. Once matriculated,EXCEL student progress is monitored through an intensiveadvising and mentorship process. The program has beensuccessful beyond expectations. In 2011, the 100th EXCELstudent graduated from LSMSA. Senior Kayla Dixon said,“without schools like ours, many talented and highly edu-

cated kids would fall through the cracks” and programs likeEXCEL are proof that LSMSA does its best to give each andevery student an opportunity to take advantage of what ithas to offer.In addition to attending classes, students at LSMSA reside

on campus. The head of the residential life program is also apsychologist and has built in many activities that help studentsunderstand stress management, conflict resolution, and work-shops on how to develop a healthy self-concept. This affec-tive curriculum pays off in helping students make an easytransition to college life. Students learn how to advocate forthemselves, recognizing their academic performance is tiedto personal choice.LSMSA is a school that focuses on fostering student achieve-

ment. Many say the environment is “like a family” because ofthe tight relationships between staff and students, along withstrong parent involvement. Mason Joiner, a former student,states, “The concept that everything at the school exists forthe students’ use is part of the spirit of LSMSA and the schoolteaches students to take the initiative to make things happen.”The Louisiana school of Math, Science, and the Arts is a rare,yet perfect springboard for gifted and talented students readyto take that next step in life: college. �

www.nagc.org8 | FALL 2011

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AAs a local gifted education director a few years ago, I wasasked to develop a plan to increase the equitable repre-sentation of all ethnic groups in the district’s gifted pro-gram. I began by examining the data to find out how manystudents were identified, by category and ethnic group. Inoticed immediately that there were a number of schoolswhere there were no students identified as gifted. Eachof the schools were Title I schools (predominately popu-lated by culturally diverse and low-income students). Myphilosophy has always been that giftedness knows noboundaries of income, ethnicity, lifestyle, or disabling con-ditions. Over the next four years, through a partnershipwith the Title I department, our office was able to providegifted education professional development (throughcoursework and workshops) for Title I teachers and ulti-mately, identify an increased number of Title I students tobe served in the district’s school-based and specialty centergifted programs.Needless to say, when I first read the TALENT Act legislation

pending before Congress and supported by NAGC and CEC,I was immediately reminded of the Title I teachers and stu-dents with whom I worked directly and thought of how im-portant this legislation could be to Title I schools nationwide.

Overview of the TALENT ActSuccess in the 21st century requires a national commitment

to developing student talent as early as possible. New legisla-tion To Aid Gifted and High-Ability Learners by Empoweringthe Nation’s Teachers (TALENT) Act, is designed to enableschool districts to provide for comprehensive talent develop-ment. The legislation was developed by lawmakers from thestates of New Jersey, California, Iowa, and Pennsylvania. Rep-resentatives Elton Gallegly (CA-24) and Donald Payne (NJ-10)and Senators Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Bob Casey (PA).

The major features of the TALENT Act are:

• A requirement that states and districts specificallyreport learning growth for high ability students onstate report cards. In the past, states have only been re-quired to report data for all students within the samedata set with no disaggregation of data by ability groups.This will cause states to be more proactive in en-suring that instruction is designed to meet theneeds of all students, not just those whomeet masteryof basic standards.

• Specific targeting of schools serving populations tra-ditionally under-represented and underserved popula-tions in gifted and advanced learner programs. As such,

this legislation will provide the nation’s first feder-ally funded focus on Talent Development in schoolsserving a high population of culturally diverse andlow income students.

• Requiring states to define and specify what stepsthey will take to provide technical assistance toschool districts in the task of identifying high po-tential low income students and those from cul-turally diverse backgrounds. As an incentive, stateswill have to develop programs to recognize those dis-tricts whose plans succeed in increasing the proportionof underserved populations who score at the advancedlevel or higher on the state achievement tests.

• Support to train more classroom teachers in gifted ed-ucation pedagogy. This training will ultimately lead teach-ers to developing evidence-based high-end instructionalstrategies for more students. States will be required toclearly specify their professional development plansto provide for these innovative instructional practices.

• A critical dissemination requirement so that moredistricts will have access to the latest developments inthe field and a new National Research and Dis-semination Center to investigate the effectiveness ofidentification and instructional strategies for gifted stu-dents.

It is clear that our nation is in dire need of federal fundingand widespread support for the identification and nurtu-rance of gifted learners from all cultural groups and incomecategories. According to Senator Grassley, “America can nolonger afford to ignore the needs of our brightest studentsand, by doing so, squander their potential.”The TALENT Act needs the support of every citizen who

cares about the future of our nation. Through successfulpassage and implementation of the features outlined, thislegislation will provide broader access to sound research ingifted education pedagogy, thus, improving educational op-portunities for low income and culturally diverse studentsnationwide.A core team of expert advocates representing NAGC and

CEC have supported and spoken on behalf of this legisla-tion on Capitol Hill. Their offices continue in the efforts tomake lawmakers aware of the importance of the bill’s pro-visions. Their work is not enough. We need you to advocateas well. We need you to write to Representative and Senatorsto encourage their support of the TALENT Act (H.R.1674/S.857). The online box on page 6 of this issue will leadyou there. �

EmpoweringTeachers to Recognize and DevelopGiftedness in All Schools:The TALENT ActBY JOY LAWSON DAVIS, UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE • [email protected]

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

ConventionPresenter


their students from low-income familieswere invited toparticipate inProjectHOPE.Multiple measures were used throughoutthe HOPE Scholar recruitment process.First, the contact person in each school dis-trict invited students from low-income fam-ilies who scored at or above the 70thpercentile on their achievement tests. Sec-ond, each contact person contacted par-ents through letters, phone calls, andparent meetings in order to help parentsunderstand the Super Saturday programand how it could benefit their child. Span-ish translations of the courses were pro-vided to families as needed. Third, teacherscompleted theHOPE Scale (Peters &Gen-try, 2010) on each of their students.

Super Saturday andSuper SummerSuper Saturday is an enrichment pro-

gram created for gifted and talented stu-dents in Pre-K through 8th grade. Theseclasses are offered six consecutive Sat-urdays during the spring and fall se-mesters from 9:00 AM to noon. Science,technology, engineering, mathematics,and humanities courses are offered attwo or more grade levels above. Highquality teachers are selected to teachthese courses, and are required to at-tend a teacher-training program.

Super Summer occurs for two weeksduring the summer months. Studentscan attend two classes per day, one inthemorning for three hours and anotherone in the afternoon for three hours.Again, all courses include advanced con-tent and are similar to the courses of-fered in Super Saturday. This programis similar to a “day camp.”Courses are developed by the Super

Saturday/Super Summer coordinator,and proposals are also accepted from in-

structors, teachers, or parents. Instruc-tors who teach these courses are expertsin a particular field or have a passion forthat content area. For example, for thelast six years a doctoral student in chem-istry taught courses such as BiomedicalEngineering, Chemical Engineering, andForensic Science. In addition, all teach-ers require students to complete a proj-ect by the end of the last day of SuperSaturday, and parents are invited toview the presentation of these projects.

An Examination of the HOPEScholars’ ExperiencesResearchers examined the experiences

of HOPE Scholars in the Super Saturdayprogram. Miller and Gentry (2010) ex-amined the perceptions of HOPE Schol-ars who attended Super Saturday duringtheir first session of participation. Thirty-three out of 113 HOPE Scholars con-sented to be observed in their SuperSaturday class and/or interviewed dur-ing the 4th or 5th Saturday of the pro-gram. All Super Saturday participantscompleted aMy Class Activities (Gentry& Gable, 2001), formwhich assesses thefrequency that students perceive the in-terest, challenge, choice, and enjoymentof their classes. Student evaluations wereexamined for three groups: HOPE Schol-

ars who consented to be interviewedand/or observed, HOPE Scholars whodid not consent to be interviewed and/orobserved, and general Super Saturdaystudents (students who did not receiveHOPE scholarships). Findings indicatedthat HOPE Scholars had positive experi-ences, learned advanced content, andexperienced hands-on learning and so-cial support. Descriptive results showedthat all three groups evaluated theircourses similarly and favorably, which

means that HOPE Scholars perceivedtheir classes no differently then generalSuper Saturday students.Miller, Yang, and Gentry (2010) exam-

ined the perceptions of HOPE Scholarsusing a larger sample of 274. Findingsfrom both of these studies indicate thathigh-potential students from low-in-come families can successfully achieve inan out-of-school enrichment program.

5Tips for ProvidingOpportunities atYour SchoolBased on our experiences in providing

out-of-school enrichment programs, wewould like to share a few tips if you areinterested in creating a similar enrich-ment program at your school.

Create courses that include ad-vanced content outside of thestudents’ curriculum.

When planning the first session, youmay want to ask students and parents fortheir suggestions in order to find outwhat topics would interest the students.Start off small by offering only a fewclasses to see how students respond tothem. These courses can be created bythe gifted education coordinator or by ateam of teachers who are familiar withcreating curriculum for gifted students.Another option is to use commerciallyprepared units of study such as thoseavailable from the College of William andMary, Science Education for Public Un-derstanding Program, or Boston Mu-seum of Science. It is important that yourcurricula include various differentiationtechniques and support an appropriateenvironment for gifted learners.

Keep cost in mind.Cost is something that you

should anticipate when creatinga program, but starting small is defi-nitely more cost effective. Following thereflection of your first session, you canthen expand or modify as necessary.Your school may have the additionalfunds to support a program like this,but many times that is not the situation.You may consider charging parents aregistration fee for the program. Thesefees would allow you to pay teachers,unless teachers choose to volunteer for

Benefits of Providing Enrichmentcontinued from page 1

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Providing enrichment opportunitiesfor gifted and talented children,

especially those who lackopportunities at home, should

be at the forefront of education.“

“

the program, and to purchase supplies.What if your community desperatelyneeds this kind of enrichment but thefamilies at your school cannot afford topay a registration fee? This presents aperfect opportunity to ask businesses ororganizations to sponsor this programor donate supplies.

Select interested educators.Are teachers at your school in-

terested in being a part of this pro-gram? Do they have the expertise if youare interested in offering classes like Ro-botics or Intro to Engineering? Do youhave parents with expertise in a certainarea who could teach a Mini MedicalSchool class or a Vet Med class? Are thereany professionals in your communitywhoare interested in volunteering? These arethe questions you should ask. Once youhave decided who is the best qualified toteach in your program, you can then com-plete background checks on all instructorsand volunteers of your program to ensurethe safety of your students.

Extend enrichment activitieswithin the program.Would you like to incorporate

field trips and guest speakers in your pro-gram? Because the Super Saturday pro-gram is located on the Purdue campus,our teachers have access to the engineer-ing buildings, biology labs, and the the-ater. If your school does not have a nearbycollege, think about places in your com-munity that would be ideal for a field tripthat would contribute to authentic learn-ing in the course. Maybe your studentscan visit a law firm if your class is learningabout law or an animal hospital if yourclass is learning veterinary medicine.

Be clear on program eligibility.Who would benefit the most if

they participated in this program?Do you have high-potential studentsfrom low-income families? If these stu-dents have a strong interest in a particu-lar course you are offering, they willprobably be successful in your program.Recall that the goal of your programshould be to offer students experiencesthat they would not typically have in theirclassroom; experiences that could posi-tively affect them academically and so-cially. Examples of resources that canhelp you begin your own out-of-schoolenrichment program can be found onthe Teaching for High Potential website.

Providing enrichment opportunitiesfor gifted and talented children, espe-cially those who lack opportunities athome, should be at the forefront of ed-ucation. The creation of a Super Sum-mer or even a Super Saturday programin your area might be all that is neededto increase the numbers of identifiedstudents, so often gone unnoticed. �

ReferencesGentry,M., & Gable, R. K. (2001).My class activi-ties: A survey instrument to assess students'perceptions of interest, challenge, choice andenjoyment in their classrooms. (Instrument).Mansfield Center,CT: Creative Learning Press.

Miller,R.,& Gentry,M.(2010).Developing talentsamong high-potential students from low-in-come families in an out-of-school enrich-ment program. Journal of Advanced Academ-ics, 21, 594-627.

Miller,R.,Yang,Y.,& Gentry,M. (November,2010).Opportunities leading to successful experi-ences: Positive perceptions of low-incomestudents in an out-of-school enrichmentprogram.Paper presented at the annualmeeting of National Association for GiftedChildren,Atlanta,GA.

Peters, S. J., & Gentry,M. (2010).Multi-groupconstruct validity evidence of the HOPEScale: Instrumentation to identify low-in-come elementary students for gifted pro-grams.Gifted Child Quarterly, 54, 298-313.

Plucker, J. A., Burroughs,N., & Song, R. (2010).Mind the (other) gap! The growing excellencegap in K-12 education. Retrieved fromhttp://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/Advocacy/ExcellenceGapBrief%20(2010%20IU).pdf

VanTassel-Baska, J.,Feng,A.,Quek,C.,& Struck, J.(2004). A study of educators’ and students’perceptions of academic success for underrepresented populations identified for giftedprograms.PsychologicalScience,46(3),110-123.

Worrell, F. C. (2007). Identifying and includinglow-income learners in programs for thegifted and talented:Multiple complexities. InJ.VanTassel-Baska & T. Stambaugh (Eds.),Overlooked gems: A national perspective on low-income promising learners.Conference pro-ceedings from the National Leadership Con-ference on Low-Income Learners (pp. 47-51).Washington DC:National Association forGifted Children.

Wyner, J. S., Bridgeland, J.M., & Diulio Jr. J. J.(2007).Achievement trap: How America isfailingmillions of high-achieving studentsfrom lower-income families (rev. ed), Retrievedfrom http://www.jkcf.org/assets/files/0000/0084/Achievement_Trap.pdf.

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MMiddle school places numerous de-mands upon students of all abilitylevels, particularly high-ability learn-ers who are expected to complete as-signments in several differentadvanced classes while expandingtheir horizons through participationin extra-curricular activities. Reten-tion of students in middle schoolgifted and talented programs may be-come problematic when so many ac-ademic and social demands areexacted upon these students. Mind-ful of the high expectations placedupon high-ability learners in middleschool, I found it necessary to modifythe curricula for my seventh gradeExtended Studies Program (ESP), aclass designed for these students.In striving to meet the unique

needs of learners in my seventhgrade ESP class, I designed an in-structional unit to foster learners’personal and intellectual growth.The program includes challenging ac-tivities in math, engineering, socialstudies, science, language arts, andcommunity service. I conducted ex-tensive research to design meaning-ful instructional activities learnerswould find challenging, interesting,and exciting and incorporated high-level thinking activities, interactiveand collaborative experiences, andhands-on, inquiry-related lessonsinto the program. Hoping to moti-vate students, I named the instruc-tional unit “Extreme ExtendedStudies Program!” which was subse-quently shortened to “Extreme ESP!”

Themes and CurricularConnections

During the first session, learnersare introduced to Extreme ESP! byparticipating in an activity called“Getting to Know You.” They answerquestions requiring them to name

items such as their favorite author,movie, subject, and activity. They areasked if they have ever participatedin any extreme sport(s). After an-swering the questions, students en-thusiastically move around theclassroom as they compare their re-sponses with every student in theclass, recording similarities and dif-ferences. The class then discussestheir answers, celebrating theirshared responses as well as uniqueinterests. This helps establish a col-

legial, supportive culture where stu-dents respect and appreciate eachother’s opinions and talents, and feelcomfortable taking academic risks.In subsequent sessions, learners

conduct research to prepare for a de-bate about whether or not childrenand teens should participate in ex-treme sports. Their arguments in-clude statements such as, “Statisticsshow that more children are injuredwhile participating in traditionalsports than extreme sports” and“Children and teens should not playextreme sports because they lack thematurity, training, and experienceneeded to play these sports safely.”Then they brainstorm and write leg-

islation they would like to see passedto ensure safety for children.Interwoven throughout the unit

are rigorous math challenges fromExtreme Math (Tyler & Tyler, 2004)and related interactive, hands-on en-gineering challenges. Engineeringchallenges include designing, con-structing, and testing parachutes;building gliders; participating in aBarbie bungee jumping contest (Na-tional Council of Teachers of Mathe-matics, 2008); and a cantilever

challenge that promotes divergentthinking and innovation.Type III Enrichment Products (Ren-

zulli & Reis, 1997) were incorporatedinto the unit. Using data from a sur-vey ESP students administered tofourth graders in the district, ExtremeESP students designed products topromote safety covering issues suchas the importance of wearing helmetswhen riding bicycles, train tracksafety, anti-bullying, and Internetsafety. One Extreme ESP student cre-ated an original video game whereplayers had to navigate their waythrough various safety hazards en-countered along their cyber-journey.Other examples of original products

Extreme ESP:MeaningfulThematicActivities for High-AbilityMiddleSchool StudentsBY JENNIFER HOFFMAN,WALDWICK PUBLIC SCHOOLS,WALDWICK,NJ

Jennifer Hoffman teachesin an enrichment andgifted program at J.A.Traphagen School inWald-wick, NJ.She is the 2011 re-cipient of the Teacher ofthe Year Award there.

Retention of studentsin middle school giftedand talented programs

may become problematicwhen so many academic

and social demandsare exacted uponthese students.

““

ConventionPresenter

created by learners included an adcampaign, a short movie, a theatricalplay, a commercial, a newspaper,poems, skits, posters and short sto-ries.What surprised me the most and

became the strongest motivating ele-ment in this unit was my use of Ren-zulli’s “Artistic Modification Menu”(Davis & Rimm, 2004), from The Mul-tiple Menu Model of instruction,which involves the teacher deliveringhis or her own creative contribution.For the Artistic Modification Menu, Idescribed an injury I suffered whileice-skating with my son at his friend’sbirthday party. Every student in theclass listened wide-eyed with rapt at-tention as I described the accident,the doctor’s responses at the emer-gency room, and the realization ofhow I would have had a severe braininjury with long-lasting repercus-sions had I not been wearing a hel-met. Rarely one to share my opinions

or talk about myself to my students,the class was incredibly moved by myaccount. They then began sharingtheir own experiences. It was afterthis discussion that students becamehighly motivated in all aspects of thisunit.

Goals of Extreme ESP!The goals and objectives of Ex-

treme ESP! promote convergent anddivergent thinking skills, risk taking,refinement of thought, and empathy.Learners use convergent thinkingskills in math challenges that requirefinding the solutions to complexmath questions and utilize divergentthinking skills by engaging in brain-storming activities during engineer-ing challenges and when developinglegislative proposals. Learners are en-couraged to take risks while con-ducting multiple trials to test theirmodels for the engineering chal-

lenges and creating their final prod-ucts. They strengthen their aware-ness of others and ability to provideassistance to people experiencinghardships by organizing and imple-menting a service project, raisingawareness and funds for victims ofnatural disasters.The objectives, specifically the use

of convergent and divergent thinkingskills, risk-taking, refinement ofthought, and empathy, were assessedthroughout this unit. Evaluationtools were inspired by methodologyand instruments espoused by Davisand Rimm (2004), such as the use ofprogram evaluation questionnaires,collection and analysis of classroomobservation data, informal inter-views, parent feedback from confer-ences and surveys, and studentself-assessment forms. A teacher re-flection journal was used to analyzeinstructional activities, materialsneeded, effective practices and areas

Writefor THPDo you havepracticalclassroom ap-plications of currentresearch, theory, andbest practices inthe field of giftededucation? Areyou proud of the innovativeway you address the needs ofgifted students in your schoolor classroom? Have you cre-ated a successful lesson or unitplan that aligns with the re-vised NAGC Pre-K-Grade 12Gifted Programming Standards?If so, we want to hear from you!Send manuscripts to: Jeff S.Danielian, Editor, THP [email protected].

SMART COOKIES BY BESS WILSON


www.nagc.org14 | FALL 2011

needing modification. Studentswrote that they looked forward tocoming to class, being engaged andactive, and enjoyed the diverse rangeof instructional activities.

Meeting Students’ NeedsExtreme ESP! is specifically de-

signed to embrace the unique char-acteristics of high-ability learners.Learners keep a reflection journal inwhich they gauge the level of diffi-culty of each math and engineeringchallenge so that I may adjust theseactivities to provide additional chal-lenge or support when necessary.The research, debate, and use of evi-dence to support statements used inthe legislative drafting activity satisfythe inquisitiveness, strong desire tolearn and ability to form logical, in-sightful conclusions often demon-strated by advanced learners.Designing a well-communicated, in-novative product for their serviceproject suits the advanced vocabu-

lary, strong reading comprehensionskills and adept creative problem-solving skills these students often ex-hibit. Additionally, ESP! enablesstudents to successfully interact andcollaborate with peers with similarneeds and strengths, beginning withthe very first buddy activity and cul-minating in the service project ex-pansion.

ConclusionHigh-ability middle school stu-

dents, like their peers, are requiredto navigate their way through alabyrinth of multiple teachers andclasses, extracurricular activities, so-cial norms, and family responsibili-ties. Amidst these tasks, they oftenhave tremendous amounts of energy,a need to find themselves, and a de-sire to fit in. Planning instructionalunits that embrace these students’high energy levels, creativity, andtheir need for a diverse range of in-teractive, hands-on learning experi-

ences enables teachers to engagethese students and inspire them tothink divergently, be innovative, anduse their talents to help others. Bydesigning an interdisciplinary pro-gram like Extreme ESP, teachers maysuccessfully foster enthusiasm, per-sonal and academic growth, and in-novation in their high-ability middleschool students. �

ReferencesDavis, G, A., & Rimm,S. B. (2004).Education ofthe gifted and talented (5th ed.). Boston,MA:Allyn & Bacon.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.(2006).Barbie bungee. Retrieved July 6, 2011,from http://illuminations.nctm.org

Renzulli, J. S., & Reis, S.M. (1997).The school-wide enrichmentmodel.Mansfield Center,CT: Creative Learning Press.

Tyler, K., & Tyler,M.W. (2004).Extrememath.Waco,TX: Prufrock Press.


Classroom teachers, gifted & talented coordinators, school administrators,researchers, parents, college and university faculty, and more, will con-verge in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 3-6, 2011, for the 58th Annual

NAGC Convention. Throughout the pre-convention events, concurrent sessions,poster sessions, exhibit hall, general sessions, and networking events (both formaland informal!), you will witness the power of diverse viewpoints—from the fieldand from the classroom—coming together to make learning and life a challeng-ing and rewarding experience for our nation’s gifted and talented learners.

REGISTER ONLINETODAY! • GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLEwww.nagc.org/2011convention.aspx

By advancingyour professionalpotential at theNAGC Convention,you’ll ensure thathigh-ability learnerscan reach their fullpotential in theclassroom.

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize and work with underserved populations• Differentiate for all learners• Identify and understand the social and emotional needs of giftedand talented students

• Collaborate to support advanced learners in middle grades• Use gifted and talented education pedagogy to developstudents’ advanced thinking skills

• Enhance math and science instruction to engage giftedlearners at all levels

• Utilize technology to supplement curriculum for advanced learners• Provide a challenging learning environment in the regularclassroom

You’ll take home:

• Classroommanage-ment strategies

• Sample lesson plans

• The latest research

• A new list ofcolleagues whosupport what you do

GENERAL SESSION EVENTS

Opening Keynote withBill Nye the Science Guy®

ClosingGeneralSessionwith BlueDog creatorGeorgeRodrigueE. Paul Torrance Creativity Session with

Michele and Robert Root-Bernstein

A


As the school year winds back up again, I thought it wouldbe thought-provoking to provide teachers (and parents)with some input from GT kids about giftedness. The pointsthat follow come from teens and are based on responsesto questionnaires and personal interviews.

What advice would you give to parents of a stu-dent who has just been identified as gifted/tal-ented?

“Nothing changes. Your child hasn’t mysteriouslyturned into some whiz kid overnight. They will stillwant to play the same way, do the same activities,

and are going to be as goofy as regular. Enjoy them for whothey are.” (Cherie, 13 years old)“Start to get information. Most people get identified, but

don’t know that this means the emotional side of life is justas important as the academic side. It’s time to take actionto know more…a whole lot more.” (James, 14 years old)“Start asking questions. Is there a special program or

class? Who is in charge of it? Is there a parent group for GTfamilies? Do GT kids and their families get together anddo things?” (Sandy, 13 years old)

What do you think is the most important thingthat parents do not know about being a giftedkid?

“There is a lot of pressure on kids who are GT.They are expected to know everything by every-one at school. Most GT kids put a lot of pressure

on themselves since they really don’t know what being GTis really all about.” (Brenda, 14 years old)“Stress. Most GT kids are expected to do more. This in-

cludes more work in regular classes, depth in answers, andhelping other kids who don’t understand by tutoring. Thisstress is really painful.” (Abigail, 14 years old)

What do you wish parents would say to GT kids?

“I love you for who you are not what other peo-ple expect you to do and be.” (Tawnie, 14 yearsold)“Go ahead, make mistakes. Fall down, trip up.

Make a mess. Wallow around and see what hap-pens. Life is supposed to be explored and lived based onyour terms. Try something new and see what happens.Don’t always try to do your best—sometimes good enoughis good enough!” (Dale, 14 years old)“It’s just a label. This doesn’t make you better than other

people. It shows you are different and that you need differ-ent things to be happy and content.” (Debbie, 13 years old)

What do you wish parents would do with their GTkids?

“Try new things and grow together in adventures.Read with me and share the story. Help me try toovercome my fears, and maybe yours too.” (Val, 13years old)

“Teach me how to get other people to take me seriously.I’m tired of being the cute little kid with the big ideas. I wantto turn some of these ideas into reality and I need your helpto do it.” (Elizabeth, 12 years old)“Help your GT kid feel like a regular human being. Trying

to be best or perfect only paralyzes us and we stop takingchances out of fear.” (Francis, 14 years old)Much of my life’s work has been focused on learning

about giftedness from the perspective of children and

teens bearing the label. They have not often had theirvoices heard over the “noise” of the experts and adultsaround them.Take the time to listen to your students and your children.

They hold the key to understanding the social and emo-tional side of giftedness that guides the growth and devel-opment that is key to becoming a responsible andresponsive adult.In these troubled times of program cutting and ac-

countability, gifted and talented students are our onlychance of overcoming the burden of our myopic society,for they tend to see more broadly and deeply into issuesthat plague our society. As Alysha (13) shared, “If we [GTkids] are the future, how come everyone seems to tell uswhat to do, but no one ever seems to listen?” Let’s start bylistening! �

Note to Teachers: A Few Pointers for ParentsBY BOB SCHULTZ, UNIVERSITY OF [email protected]

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

QA

QA

QA

QA

Take the time tolisten to yourstudents andyour children.

““

ConventionPresenter


MMyintention was to present the foundation for a curriculumunit based upon two amazing books, but in doing so, I wentway over my allotted space. I envision a really interesting unitbased on the study of mirrors, and sometime, somewhere, Iwill share it. For now, let us look at the two books that in-spired my thinking.Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josée Masse

(2010, Dutton Children’s Books) and Mirror by JeannieBaker (2010, Candlewick Press) are at the core of my plan. InBaker’s Mirror, we have thestory of two cultures and twolife stories. The lives of twoboys and their families, one inAustralia and the other in Mo-rocco, are presented in imageonly. As we follow these twovery different families in theirdaily lives, we see that whiledifferent, there are indeedmany connections. “But somethings connect them…just assome things are the same forall families, no matter wherethey live.” (Preface) Thiswould make an interestingcompare and contrast multi-cultural study, but we certainlycan go way beyond that!What makes this book even

more unique is the format.Baker uses a concept that I have not seen before. The bookis meant to be read lying open and flat. One turns the pageon the left from the spine out to the left: the story of an Aus-tralian boy. At the same time, the reader turns the page onthe right to the right: the story of a Moroccan boy. The bookis designed for the stories to be read side by side! This beau-tifully presents the “idea of the book” that “outward appear-ances may be very different but a ‘stranger’ may not be astranger at all. Like each other, we live to be loved by familyand friends and to be a part of a larger community. Inwardlywe are alike; it could be each other we see when we look ina mirror.” (Author’s Notes) Another interesting detail is thatthe limited text is presented in both English and Moroccanscript.Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer presents a most in-

triguing form of po-etry, which she calls areverso, a form ofpoetry that is readboth down the page and up! “When you read a reversodown, it is one poem. When you read it up, with changesallowed only in punctuation and capitalization, it is a dif-ferent poem.” (Author’s Notes) Let us take the followingexample:

Singer’s prose combined withMasse’s delightful mirror imagespresents a series of reversos thatretell several fairy tales. “Witty, ir-reverent, and exquisitely illus-trated, this unique collectionholds a cheeky mirror up to lan-guage and fairly tales, and renewsthe magic of both.” (Book Jacket)Magic indeed! In these reversos,Singer tells the same storythrough two different points ofview. As she notes: “A reverso is aform that is both challenging andfun—rather like creating and solv-ing a puzzle. Try it yourself andyou’ll see what I mean!” (Author’sNotes)These two books could be used

either as the springboard for astudy unit or building up to one.

I favor the latter approach. There are so many content con-nections that can be made with mirrors: mythology (remem-ber Narcissus?); art (Escher’s print, Magic Mirror and themirror art of Jean and Tom Heffernan); archeology and his-tory (the development of mirrors and cultural roles); fairytales (Snow White) music (many songs with “mirror” in thetitle); the writings of Leonardo Da Vinci and even the role ofmirrors in Feng Shui. Finally, for in-depth, advanced, and ac-celerated topics, an investigation of Richard Rorty’s contro-versial criticism of classical or foundational philosophy,Philosophy and The Mirror of Nature (30th Anniversary Edi-tion: 2008, Princeton University Press) would be a great placefor advanced students to start.All of this from two picture books? You betchum!Happy Reading! �

Mirror, mirror on the wall, wheredo I find the greatest picturebooks of all?BY BOB SENEY,MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY [email protected]

BOOKS, BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS

In Reverse by Marilyn Singer

Who Something newsays isit’s true— up.down Youis will challengethe only view? this poemIf you belive that, if you believe thatthis poem the only viewwill challenge isyou. down.Up It’s true.is Sayssomething new. who?

ConventionPresenter


ITear down this firewall!BRIAN C.HOUSAND, EAST CAROLINA [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY UNTANGLED

In a speech at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987, Pres-ident Reagan challenged General Secretary Gorbachev to teardown the Berlin Wall. Just before uttering that iconic quota-tion, Reagan proclaimed, "We welcome change and open-ness; for we believe that freedom and security go together,that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen thecause of world peace."In 2010, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton warned that “a new

information curtain is descending across much of the world,”even as network technology spreads. She echoed Reagan’s1987 challenge to Gorbachev as she called for governmentslike China to lift the electronic barriers to communication. “Vir-tual walls are cropping up in place of visible ones.”Today, our gifted students have unprecedented access to

information and resources via the Internet. As I have had thegreat fortune of being able to work with teachers across thecountry demonstrating technologies that can serve as pow-erful teaching and learning tools, one of the common com-plaints that is voiced time and time again is, “All of these Web2.0 tools sound great, but many of the sites that you are sug-gesting are blocked by our schools.” While it is frustrating forteachers, it is often even more frustrating for students.

Schools have become places where our students are trappedbehind firewalls designed to protect them, but instead inhibitthem from accessing information that is essential to theirlearning and their creative productivity.The creation of Internet filters in schools dates back to

2000. We all had just survived the Y2K bug that was supposedto render all computers useless and cause a global catastro-phe, and services that we know and take for granted likeGoogle, YouTube, and Facebook had yet to be invented. TheInternet, still in its infancy, was seen as a great equalizer thatwould bring information to everyone as long as they were

connected. In 2000, Congressenacted the Children’s Inter-net Protection Act (CIPA) andthe E-rate program to providetechnology discounts toschools and public libraries.As a stipulation of receivingthese funds, schools and libraries had to establish protectionmeasures to block or filter Internet access to materials thatare considered to be obscene, pornography, or harmful tominors. While these are materials that we all agree shouldnot be accessed in schools, this loose criteria has caused nu-merous sites to be senselessly blocked.In 2010, the National Education Technology Plan

http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010 was released, whichcalled for "Balancing Connectivity and Student Safety on theInternet." While student safety on the Internet is essential,the plan recognizes that many filters designed to protect stu-dents also block access to legitimate learning content andsuch tools as blogs, wikis, and social networks that have thepotential to support student learning and engagement.It seems that in our attempts at protecting students we

have in many instances only served to demonizetechnology. Regardless of what types of walls arebuilt, our students will find ways around, over,under, and even through them. In discussions withtech-savvy gifted kids, I have often heard them referto the Internet in school as "the fake Internet" andthat if they want to actually use technology thenthey have to do so at home. Typically, this use is un-supervised and without educational purpose, andyet, students are often creating and producing forthe pure enjoyment of the process. Gifted studentsare communicating and collaborating openly witheach other.I’m not one to instigate a charge, but I believe it is

time for educators to stand up and demand accessto Internet tools and resources that can help to empower ourstudents. We must stop demonizing technology and insteadwork to teach responsibility. We must strive to develop gooddigital citizenship in our students, and should be reachingout to classrooms across the country and around the worldwith video tools like Skype, having conversations about whatit means to be gifted on the global level. We must work withour students to cultivate a digital footprint that is a record oftheir accomplishments and creativity. If we want to prepareour students not only for tomorrow, and for today, then wemust tear down this fire wall. �

Schools have becomeplaces where our students

are trapped behind firewallsdesigned to protect them, but

instead inhibit them fromaccessing information that isessential to their learning and

their creative productivity.

““

ConventionPresenter

Documents

INTHISISSUE - Weebly€¦ · 4 |FALL2011 C Competitionamong giftedstudentsis not uncommon (Lee, 2002; Rizza & Reis, 2001). Many teachers and re-searchersmightarguethatcompetition