Summer Sites to Explore

I've just returned from an amazing vacation, which is the reward this time of year, especially for those in the field of education. Vacations provide a much needed time to "exhale" from a busy school year and recharge.

Part of vacations is the fine art of packing just enough to be ready for anticipated adventures, like swim fins/snorkle and a versatile black dinner dress. Then comes the choice of books to bring along. I choose a contemporary novel for my book club, but lost it somewhere in my travels. Three of the other four books in my suitcase dealt with gifted education and I completed two of them.

I marvel at the opportunities to stay current in the field of gifted education and to have my enthusiasm rekindled (no pun intended). I am attaching a list of resources that I hope prove useful for your summer reading and investigations, and thank Melanie Hayes for sharing this information with me.

Websites:

www.hoagiesgifted.org – The definitive website for homeschooling gifted kids. Filled with information on all aspects of parenting and teaching gifted children. Has great links to learning materials and resources and special links for kids. Comprehensive research papers and Q&A section.

www.giftedhomeschoolers.org – Wonderful informative website. Great online parent community to share information and ask questions. Also has great links to learning materials, resources, research, and Q&A.

www.clickschooling.com - Wealth of information regarding free online curriculum. Terrific homeschooling resource. Has great virtual field trip websites.

Organizations:

http://giftedonlineconferences.ning.com – Our Gifted Online Conferences: A Gathering Place for All Gifted (like Facebook)

www.seng.org– Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (great information on meeting gifted children’s emotional needs)

www.davidsongifted.org – Davidson Institute for Talent Development (lots of information for profoundly gifted children and families)

www.nagc.org – National Association for Gifted Children (comprehensive support of gifted children)

www.tagfam.org – Families of the Talented and Gifted (resources for families)

Books:

Misdiagnosis And Dual Diagnoses Of Gifted Children And Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger's, Depression, And Other Disorders by James T. Webb, Edward R. Amend, Nadia E. Webb, Jean Goerss, Paul Beljan, F. Richard Olenchak, and Sharon Lind

Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting Our Brightest Young Minds by Jan and Bob Davidson, with Laura Vanderkam

Exceptionally Gifted Children by Miracia Gross

Definitions and Conceptions of Giftedness by Robert J. Sternberg and Sally M. Reis

Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial Learner by Linda Kreger Silverman

The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder, Revised Edition by Carol Kranowitz and Lucy Jane Miller

Creativity and Giftedness by Donald J. Treffinger and Sally M. Reis

Artistically and Musically Talented Students by Enid Zimmerman and Sally M. Reis

A Mind at a Time by Mel Levine

Living With Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults by Susan Daniels and Michael M. Piechowski

Creativity and Giftedness by Donald J. Treffinger and Sally M. Reis

Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We Know? by Maureen Neihart, Sally M. Reis, Nancy M. Robinson, and Sidney M. Moon

Grouping and Acceleration Practices in Gifted Education by Linda E. Brody and Sally M. Reis

Culturally Diverse and Underserved Populations of Gifted Students by Alexinia Y. Baldwin and Sally M. Reis

Twice-Exceptional and Special Populations of Gifted Students by Susan Baum and Sally M. Reis

Reference:

http://www.solutions4students.com/

Melanie Hayes, MEd - Educational Consultant

Arizona Association of Gifted & Talented Conference 2011

On February 4th, I attended and presented at the AAGT annual conference in Phoenix. The theme for this year's conference, Taking our students from proficiency to.... Infinity and Beyond!", seemed to be about the importance of addressing the needs of the "whole child". Sound familiar? If you've been in education for more than 10 years it probably does. Dr. Olenchak's keynote speech made me want to jump out of my seat in spontaneous applause as he put data and research behind the notion that children's social-emotional health is imperative to their academic success. I've always known this and felt this in my core, and therefore became a life coach to address it. But, to have this idea so enthusiastically and professionally shared at a state level conference was tremendously validating.

"We are human beings, not humans doing" is a phrase I first heard in Coach for Life training in 2005. I still try to remember this daily as I get swept into the current of life and all of it's hustle and bustle. We need to place the essence of who we are at the fulcrum of all of our decisions, choices, and actions. I'm so thrilled to think that this notion may be gaining momentum in the world of education.... again.

Sincerely,

Tricia

p.s. Please check out the following great resources for parents:

Registation is open for this year's Parenting High Ability Children Conference for you and the kids! www.aagtparentday.com

"Christine Carter & the Greater Good Science Center"

Innovation!

In Obama's recent State of the Union Address, what I heard was filtered through the biased perspective of a teacher. It seemed to me that Obama's speech was riddled with suggestions about improving education and "racing to the top". I am still pondering how we can insure our students are being adequately prepared to be innovative thinkers. In our current climate of data driven curriculum, it is a constant personal challenge to integrate ways in which students are being motivated to be innovative thinkers.

I welcome your thoughts or ideas on this topic.

p.s. I am looking forward to attending and presenting at the Arizona Association of Gifted and Talented Conference in Phoenix this week. Will you be there?