World Council for Gifted and Talented Children Day Two
WCGTC Day Two
Now, I have made presentations, and I know it is a little hard to
remember everything under duress, but I have a few tips after watching
the presentations today. First, use a font size of 20 or larger. Use
few words, then elaborate. Never, never read what is on the screen. If
you can’t remember what you were going to say, rehearse more next time.
Please put your email on the very first slide, especially if there will
not be time for questions during your presentation. Is there a web page
that has resources on it. I try to blog conference notes and would love
to refer my readers (I know there are at least 2) to your page.
Stress Management for the Digital Age
Liz Short and Dr. Bruce Kline
The Plastic Brain: When Gaming is Good for You
Brain Plasticity is change in neural pathways that comes from neural
repeating, it is higher level under stress. It occurs during healthy
learning or recovery from brain injury.
It goes on throughout all of life. Two pioneers were Michael Merzenich
and Pasko Rakic.
Gaming can be good for you. Although the list of positive developments
went by very fast, I was able to get some of them: speed of response,
they’re gender neutral, action-based game (400 acts/minute),
creativity, violence not always a negative - focus heightened, unique
and interesting features of the game, enhanced scores in creativity,
decision making , perception, hand-eye coord, other motor skills, brain
function, and speed of thinking.
Gaming can be bad for you because the content is negative view of
world, associated with compulsive gambling and depression, addiction,
obsession w/ competition, limits creative time, too much exposure to
violence, inappropriate sexual themes, and over-identification with
characters may occur.
Signs of over-involvement are anxious or irritable behavior, impatient
w/ tedious chores, disinterest in activities, social withdrawal,
argumentative, overly secretive, and changes in behavior. I had to
wonder how this is different from most teenage behavior, but I digress.
Electronics can be good for you because it gives you access to info and
news, contact with friends and family, knowledge of bigger world,
resources for education and avocations. It is bad for you if you
develop an addiction, spend less time in relationships, come into
contact with undesirable people, less chance to develop critical
thinking skills, limits exercise, contact with unhelpful content,
inappropriate communications and a limit to FTF communication.
Concentration and reward surges of neurotransmitters
strengthen neural circuitry. Similar to physical exercise for building
up muscles.
Resilience defined as power to return to prior state of balance,
organization, ability to cope with stress and adversity.
Used Scriven and Paul’s (1987) Definition of Critical Thinking
Balance is the state of maintaining enough positive factors in life to
balance negative forces. Parents help child achieve balance by taking
charge of managing electronic devices, developing strong relationships,
paying attention to use, do the due diligence, monitor the amount and
content being exposed, and if an over-balance or problem, cut back
http://klineandassociates.com
Keynote Speaker: Sally M. Reis
Pathways for Creativity and Creative Productivity
University of Connecticut
Optimism about changing the world
Type I: General Exploratory Activities
Type II: Group training activities
Type III: Individual and small group investigations of real problems
1. First Study
Broadened conception of giftedness
Comparison of top 5% to next 10-15% creative products
Three-ring conception of giftedness
Schoolwide Enrichment Model
Studying outcomes in lives of students
2nd study
Women/Girls
Work Left Undone
Model of Talent realization in Women
belief that what they want to do is socially important
above average talent
personality traits
belief in self
environmental factors
Diversification of Creativity in Women to include nurturing
relationships, spirituality, friendship, service, work, home,
personal appearance, and interests, hobbies
In the19th century, the central moral challenge slavery, 20th,
totalitarianism, 21st, gender equality. Half the Sky: Turning
Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof
and Sheryl WuDunn
3rd Study
Underachievement in half of identified gifted = 50% because of lack of
challenge, poor self-perception, lack of creative opportunities,
inappropriate classroom, and low self-efficacy. Underachievement
affected gifted persons in a broad spectrum from minimal to devastating.
4th Study
Curriculum compacting study showed that 40%-50% of content could be
eliminated for academically talented students. No change in achievement
scores, some actually scored higher. Gained more over summer in reading
scores than during school year. Find out what child has to learn,
document knowledge, change curriculum.
5th Study
Twice Exceptional Students - 2E
College students with serious LD, other interfering factors, struggled
in school, made it to college, had an advocate. So hard to identify
because they seem so bright.
Baum’s study of using Enrichment Triad model with students with LD.
Focus on strengths: creativity, talent, differentiated compensation
strategies, celebrate victories and strengths.
6th study
Talented Readers and Enrichment Reading (SEM-R), published in AERA
(American Education Research Association Journal, found that we could
eliminate up to 5 hours regular group reading instruction, replace with
5-10 minutes each week. No change in scores
National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/semr/
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/semr/about/teacherdownloads.html has
bookmarks for teachers if they have’t read the book the student is
reading.
Recommendations are exposure to interests, training in creativity,
problem-solving methods,
freedom of choice to pursue topics and to create, invent, and produce.
Advice:
Conduct research with practical implications for student and schools
Find partners who inspire you.
Publish in journals that extend beyond gifted education
Believe that your work makes a difference and then make it happen
Renzulli Academy
http://www.hartfordschools.org/index.php/our-schools/school-listing/schools/items/view/the-dr-joseph-s-renzulli-gifted-and-talented-academy-the-renzulli-academy
Enjoyment
Engagement
Enthusiasm lead to Achievement
Creator, inventors change agent, scholars, researchers
Schools should be places for Talent Development
Triad goes to College
UConn IDEA Grants
ugradresearch.uconn.edu/
youtube.con/watch?v=A-CV7VAb7cA
NEXT-GEN CT
Creatively Transforming Online Dictionaries
Ian Warwick and Adrian Hall
London Gifted and Talented (2003)
All learners are entitled to be stretched and challenged through high
challenge low-threshold learning
IGGY, online resource (2008)
50% members free place
STEM subjects, but also STEAM and HIstory & Politics, E for English
13-18 yr. olds
student-led approach w/ post grad student mentors
social media, gamification (thinking student’s FB)
Looking at interaction between formal and active language
Focus on language as component of achievement
ELL population; those without academic language tended to be absent
from highest grades.
Students may have a volume of info about a subject, but don’t
comprehend tasks asked on exams.
language acquisition: by knowing basic 2000 words and 570 academic
words (Lynn Cameron research) the greatest gains in achievement occur.
Highlighter tool http://awl.londongt.org
Example of need for academic language: epidemic vs. pandemic need to
know word global.
GOBBY developed for SE Asia market - idioms
repurposed to make AWL more accessible to student target
audiences building on work of London Gifted & Talented, available
online and an app. It gives definition, context, contribution, tests
Division of words into 5 groups: “top trump” commanding words for
interrogating stuff, “peacock” the connecting words for showing off,
“depth-charge” weighty words abstract thinking, “inside track” the
method words that investigation requires, “weighty” guiding words that
society needs
ian.warwick@londongt.org
adrian.hall@warwick
Universal Design Practices: A Marriage of Technology and
Differentiation
Wenda Sheard
http://england.tasis.com/page.cfm?p=837&eid=283
Don’t know when child has undiagnosed disability or when all could
benefit from accommodation.
Learning Target Charts: Some with lines, some without
CAST is now The National Center for Universal Design
Higher Ed Opportunities Act 2008
Flexibility in presentation, demonstration of knowledge, engagement
reduces barriers for all students
Three Roots,
UDL architecture& products)
Digitized text and graphics can be easily modified
Brain research on learning networks inside the brain
multiple means of representation
multiple means of action and expression
multiple means of engagement
Recognition networds, strategic networks, affective networks
John Geake The Brain at School
The Seductive Allure of Neuroscience Explanations Yale
Our senses are interconnected
use the best sensory data possible: high quality copies, detailed
photos, large font, bold learning targets (key concepts), high-quality
sound
handwriting is key to learning, memory, ideas (http://online.wsj.com....
Smart pen by Livescribe,
http://disabledandable.com/disabled-students-get-smart-pens-from-college
active role in learning
“Gesture changes thought”
Learning with hands: if allowed to gesture, later performance
improved
Learning with hands: less able to abstract info when images are near
their hands
Kurzweil
Centerononlinelearning.org/ an open letter
Dragon Dictate
BETT Conference in London Sped Needs SEN
Renzulli Learning System
Taisir Subhi Yamin, from Czech Republic
needed tech support for online access
dynamic program, was able to show us the site, gave us opportunity to
log in
“T-burrow” on Online Environment for Young Gifted Kids
Stanislav Zelenda
Talnet online to science
Since 2003, looking for and development of GT at the age of 13-19
interested in STEM
Systemic approach based on creation and delivery of learning and
inquiry activities
virtual environment asynchronous and synchronous
activities individual team product
girl ages 14-19, most important characteristic was dominance
Activities:
T-courses
T-proseminar
T-excursion
T-expedition
more
Team, individual, project-based,excursion, international (most
successful)
Example: NAFTA
Theory - the third way of escaping, a physics problem
http://www.talnet.cz/
T-burrow
support of pupils on site
identification and support of GT
Authentic opportunities for learning inquiry and creation
collaboration between teachers and students, such as content expert,
organizers and facilitators, employers, international subjects,
parents, teachers, schools
Impressed that he presented in English.
Twice-Exceptional Learners
Cognitive Characteristics of Matematically Gifted Children with LD
Anies Al-Hroub
University of Beirut (AUB)
aa111@aub.edu.lb
Gifted and Dyslexic is his specialty
Definitions: 1972-1995 One area of giftedness makes a child gifted
Dyslexia can occur at any level of intellectual ability
Three types
high abilities, LD unrecognized
good verbal, spelling, handwriting, disorganise
LD recognized , giftedness not
Both high ability AND LD unrecognized
high abil & LDs recog
G/LD students both recognized
Multidimensional assessment
characteristic pattern of strengths and weaknesses?
Used 8 criteria to enroll 30 students in program
IQ 120 dropped 10 points because of LD
Analysis: Verbal Performance (VIQ-PIQ) Discrepancy
discrepancy in LDs
dis in gifted
?
Cognitive models and factors placed in chart
G/LD a 12-pt discrep YES
and 7 pt scatter between highest and lowest subtests NO\
Bannatyne
Horn Fluid-Crystallised Theory
Kaufman Factors
Rapaport Model
Found that verbal performance was better than performance in Math
Gifted kids
spatial abilities and broad visualizations were significantly different
visual organization factor showed significant difference in GM group
visual motor significant difference coding and picture
arrangement weak visual-motor
How Do I Advocate for My 2E Child
Kevin D. Besnoy, University of Alabama
kdbesnou@bamaed.ua.edu
Advocacy catalysts are event triggers that cause parents to recognize
difficulties with child. Parents initially trusted school system and
assumed school system would do the right thing. Felt intimidated
because they didn’t know what school was required to do. They assumed
school would provide needed services. Later they learned new
vocabulary, policies and procedures and were able to more articulately
request interventions.
Supporting Gifted Girls (K-6) Strategies for Addressing Underachievement
Nathan Levy
Reluctant writers
1. make a list, compare lists, which fears show up in all lists,
compare which fears occur and why?
In the last novel, what were characters main fears
Christopher Columbus fears?
kids in Afghanistan?
2. interviews
make connections
review of basic information
Three types of thinking
convergent
divergent
cultural literacy
+-
X /
geography
Artistry for Children
Creativity Day by Day
101Things in Science
ACT !
Good vocabulary is important tool for writing.
Stories with Holes, children want to know what went in holes.
Go back and try again, because if we give up, it gets worse.
Global warming, Middle East
Pygmalion effect: if you think they can do it, they can
The teacher makes the weather in the classroom.
A Blueprint for a Creative Educational System
Keynote speaker: Todd Lubart
Laboratoire LATI
University Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris
A Brief History of Creativity
Tools
mosquito repellants
Lascaux
Sistine Chapel
Homo Creativus
Intellectually gifted::creatively gifted (correlation to grades =.10 to
.20)
an expert:: an inventor (correlation to grades = -.20 to +.10)
1975-2012
Of the number of articles per year on giftedness, creative giftedness
is only about 10% per year of studies.
21st Century Skills Movement
generate, elaborate, refine, evaluate new ideas
use a wide range of creation techn
be open, collab
Raw Materials of Creativity
The System’s buiding blocks
children
EPoC is one measure of
creativity: level of creative potential
divergent exploratory and
convergent integrative
visual-artistic
banana given
items to make picture
verbal-linguistic
Teachers
trained to judge creativity
serve as role models
teach for creativity
teaching creatively
helpful vs. harmful teachers in a
report by Chambers 1973
curriculum & classroom environment
physical environment
plants,
colors, temperatures
natural light,
windows
posters, funny
pictures
social environment
time to think
risk-taking
humor
reward and
incentives for creativity (IMSA Wednesdays off)
administrators & leaders
“Materials Sciences” of Creativity
creative potential involves cognitive and conative (personality
motivational) factors
process is important
creativity is partially domain specific
creativity evolves over time and can be dev
everyday and great creativity are related
Positive factors
divergent thinking
risk taking (academic risk-taking and self-reported school failure
tolerance decrease with school grade)
The creative process: define problem, get documentation, start
experimenting, feel positive and motivated
Domain specificity
Stability
Everyday to Great levels of creativity: Van Gogh had a peak moment in
Arles in France. Had experienced Millet, was in Arles, support from
Theo and friend of Gaugin, produced 80% of all his works.
todd.lubart@parisdescartes.fr