Every three years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) gives an assessment called the Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA. It was last given in 2009 and the results were released this month. The tests are given to 15 year olds in 65 countries. This time, there were the usual high performers – Finland,...
Home » Archives for 2010
Vision 2011: Digitally Connecting the Global Gifted Community
My head has been spinning with ideas since last week’s #gtchat on Twitter! So many exciting things are beginning to take shape in the online gifted community. 2011 stands to be a pivotal year for gifted advocacy and the advancement of gifted children’s issues.People have been researching and talking about gifted education for a very long time. I think...
Looking At the Big Picture … How Gifted Kids Learn
“Determine the thing that can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.” ... Abraham LincolnEver had to remind your gifted child to pay attention to the details? Well, there’s a reason for that! Gifted learners tend to see the ‘big picture’ first and fill in the details later. They conceive of the whole before understanding the parts. As you...
Independent Study for the Gifted Learner
The fact that independent study is good for gifted learners is certainly not a new idea, but it may be for parents of newly identified gifted children. Gifted learners are individuals with differing abilities. What excites one student may bore another. Different learning styles require parents to take different approaches.Most parents of gifted children...
The ABC’s of a Gifted Child
One of the first words a gifted child discovers is the word “aha”! This is when they realize that they understand things others do not; especially their peers. The next word is a no-brainer for gifted parents – the dreaded “b” word. You know … bored! Fortunately, the solution comes in the form of the “c” word – challenge. Research in gifted education...
Social Media and Gifted Advocacy
In a recent post, blogger Jennifer Dublino (“Will Social Media Enable Humanity’s Next Evolutionary Step?”) 10/12/2010) stated, “Social media is … enabling global consciousness because it allows us to harness and coordinate the collective intelligence and talent of large groups of people.” These large groups of people have the ability to solve problems...
Thinking About Thinking
The thought occurred to me recently that I like to think. Furthermore, I like to think about thinking [metacognition]. My ability to do this is an integral part of my humanity. Perhaps that is why I find it so appealing. I like thinking so much that I decided to research the ‘idea’. It turns out that a lot of people … intelligent people … have been...
Emotional Intensity – A Preview
As parents of gifted children, we have all experienced emotional intensity – theirs and ours. It can be a positive experience, but far too often it becomes a frustrating one. These are the times that try parents’ souls.“They don’t come with an instruction manual!” How many times have you heard that phrase? Today, parenting guides are a dime-a-dozen....
Things TED Taught Me … About Gifted Advocacy!
I’m a recent convert to TED talks. And a recent talk ‘caught my eye’. Chris Anderson, one of the suits at TED, presented a talk about global innovation and it exponential growth as the result of video becoming more widely viewed due to the expansion of bandwidth accessibility around the world. I watched it once. Then I printed out (I know, old school)...
To Group or Not to Group … That Is No Longer the Question!
Educational theories come and go. It’s a fact of life. We always hope that things are improving, but that is not the case when it comes to grouping students by ability. The dreaded ‘tracking’ misnomer is always drug out by opponents to this policy. But like it or not, ability grouping must be reconsidered. The sooner, the better. It doesn’t have to...
Personal Note
Every once in a while, the consultant needs to seek advice (as well as solace). Although I am currently working on a new post, life has thrown some unexpected challenges my way as a gifted parent and my writing has been severely curtailed. I have mentioned this before, but I've been very fortunate to find someone who coaches parents of gifted children....
Personal Branding and Your Gifted Student
A mention of student branding in a recent blog post brought sharp criticism from one reader. It took me by surprise. It became the only comment that I’ve not posted to date. Not because it was critical, but because I thought it was so off the mark. I’ve been contemplating a response ever since.We live in the 21st century; well, at least most of us...
Working with Your Gifted Child’s Teacher
I have a dear friend in Ireland whom I met through Twitter because we were both mothers of gifted children and shared a sense that we could make the world a better place by sharing our experiences about what we have learned throughout their lifetimes. Recently, she wrote a blog concerning how her relationships with her children’s teachers affected...
Returning Creativity and Innovation to America’s Classrooms
It’s been nearly 20 years since Americans started facing the fact that other countries’ students were out-performing their students in the classroom and on standardized tests. In subsequent years, the results have gotten worse … much worse. What has happened to creativity and innovation … once thought to be hallmarks of U.S. education? After years...
Enjoy Your Gifted Child
Today, I thought about this blog. And I said to myself, “you have had too many posts about the difficulties associated with raising gifted children”. Maybe that’s because parents usually come to me when they are having a problem. But I’m here to tell you that it is a lot of fun to raise a gifted child! I know because I’ve raised two of them. When they...
Why Social Media Integration is Important to Gifted Education
Actually, social media integration is important to all education in the 21st century! Why should parents of gifted children care about this? Probably because it’s the best thing to come along in five hundred years … I’m thinking Gutenberg here! For many years, gifted parents have fought to have specialized instruction for their children. They have...
The Heartaches and Joys of Raising a 2E Child
If ever there was an example of ‘with knowledge comes strength’, I’d say that being the parent of a twice exceptional child must be it. Unless you experience it, you’ll probably never understand the heartaches and joys.Before your child ever steps through the door of school on his first day, you will have already realized that something isn’t quite...
Starting the School Year on a Positive Note
Catchy title. Sounds like a good idea. Sounds like a great idea! New school year – a new start you tell yourself. This year will be different. You’ll meet with your child’s teacher before school starts to head off any problems.You schedule a meeting, gather together some articles you’ve collected over the summer about gifted children and perhaps a...
The Most Important Election
It is the most important election in which you should participate. No, it is not the election for president or head of state. It is the election of the local governing board which oversees your child’s school. At the local level, this body wields an enormous amount of power and authority over your life; whether you’re a parent or not. It may not be...
The Gifted Dinner Table
Ah … the idyllic portrait of the family sitting at the table sharing a meal together engaged in lively conversation about the day’s events. A Norman Rockwell moment. The perfect setting for family togetherness. Ok … time to rewind this reel! Chances are you’re the parent of a gifted child or children if you are reading this post, and these ‘dinner-time-moments’...
The Journey
When a baby is born, it is rare that a parent’s first thought is … “Wow, my baby is gifted”! Every new life is precious and special. That is the way it should be. Every child comes with a set of gifts to be discovered. These very gifts are what make each child unique. This precise idea becomes the focal point when a child is identified as intellectually...
What America’s Founding Fathers Had to Say About Gifted Education
In the U.S., people always place a lot of importance on what the founding fathers said. My first reaction is – why? It was over 200 years ago and much has changed since then. This is especially true in the field of education. And … the concept of gifted education didn’t even exist back then. Or did it?I decided to do a little research on the subject...
When Should I Start Planning for College for My Gifted Child?
Many people come to me about planning for college. Unfortunately, their children are often already in the last years of high school.If you are the parent of a gifted child, you need to start planning for college the moment they are identified. As a substitute teacher in gifted classes, I regularly brought up the subject with elementary students. Some...
This is Our Moment
In clinching his party's nomination for president, then candidate Barack Obama made his famous 'This is our moment' speech. In it he stated, "Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another ... This is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past.Regardless of your politics or country...
The Language of Gifted Education
It can sometimes seem like you need to learn an entire new language when you enter the world of gifted education. In many countries, "gifted" education falls under the umbrella of special education which may be disconcerting to some parents. This, however, is simply the recognition that gifted children learn in different ways.The first term you will...
Empathy in a Global Society & Implications for Gifted Children
Empathy can be defined in many ways. In today’s world, empathy is expressed in relation to circumstances. Locally, an individual may or may not express empathy for another individual. Nationally, a government may display empathy for its citizens. Globally, it becomes manifest when a person or society is able to perceive and respect cultures other than...
Counseling for Gifted Parents
While recently reading a on introducing gifted education to Japan, the following passage stood out "what was highest in need was counseling for the parents of gifted children. Many replied that they would receive moderately strong benefits from consultation...". The author referenced an article from Gifted Child Quarterly (Feldhusen, J.F., Kelly,...
Funding Gifted Education
"Obama Strips All Gifted and Talented and Advanced Education Funding". This headline from the article by Dick Kantenberger of the Houston Examiner.com spread like wildfire on Twitter this week. The 'terrible, horrible, no good, very bad' president has "totally stripped the only funding for gifted and talented education." Really?The fact of the matter...
Creating a Global Gifted Community
Last week our local parents' group decided to reach out to gifted parents outside our local community, but still within our county. It's a bit of a radical concept for this area. However, it just seemed like this right thing to do. There is strength in numbers and we suspect that there are many untapped resources in our county. This got me to thinking....
Redefining Giftedness - Another Perspective
The world of gifted education was all abuzz this week about the need to redefine "giftedness". The weekly gtchat on Twitter was tweeting about it. The National Association for Gifted Children in the U.S. rolled out a rare 'position paper' on the subject. This was on the heels of an article by Jim Delisle in Education Week, "What Gifted Learners Can...
New to Gifted Parenting? Educate Yourself!
Few people know when they become parents for the first time that they are also entering the world of gifted parenting. Even though they may have been labeled gifted themselves, they soon come to the realization that "they aren't in Kansas anymore".The first inklings of giftedness can be observed very early as developmental milestones are reached well...
Enrichment During School Breaks
Soon, schools will be entering their summer break in the U.S. Whenever your school has an extended break, consider it an opportunity to enrich your child's life by taking advantage of programs through universities, summer camps, and travel. So often, parents don't take the time to find out what's available in their area. Some programs can be very expensive...