天才班教育笔记

-Many gifted children may worry more because they are more aware than others of the world around them (”Raising bright children in a scary world” by Beth Andrews)

-Gifted children often have a heightened sensitivity and are more intense emotionally than other kids (“parenting emotionally intense gifted children by Lesley Swond)

-Among educators of the gifted, the link between giftedness and perfectionism is clearly established (“helping gifted students cope with perfectionism” by Michael C. Pyryx)

*Gifted children tend to have extraordinary interest and knowledge on specific topics.

-Intuitive gifted children.   It is a sad day, when she discovered her peers don’t concern themselves with the concept of compassion for animals and how this relates to living in harmony with all lives.

Here are the must-ask questions and the answers that you should seek:

·         Does your school raise learning goals when a child is ready? How? Seek: more time spent working at each child’s readiness level and numerous subjects in which advancement is possible. Avoid: schools that claim that “our grade-level curriculum is challenging for all students.” There is no one-size-fits-all curriculum.

·         Does your school monitor individual students’ progress during the year? Seek: assessment of students every six weeks, at a minimum; weekly is ideal. The school must use the results of monitoring to increase difficulty for ready students and to change the instructional approach when progress stalls. Avoid: schools that do year-end assessments only or that do not make changes based on monitoring.

·         What does your school do to teach critical thinking? Seek: significant time spent on research, creative and critical writing, and projects and exercises designed to teach analytic and conceptual thinking. Gifted children need a hefty toolbox of thinking techniques to ensure success and satisfaction. Avoid: schools that spend most of their instructional time on memorization and routine skills like handwriting.

·         What percentage of students is gifted? Highly gifted? How are children identified? Seek: a large number of similarly gifted children in your child’s classrooms. Your child will develop better social skills, mutual friendships, and improved teamwork if grouped with intellectual peers. Avoid: schools with few gifted learners or with small numbers spread out among classrooms.

Ask about other needs that are important to your family. For example, ask how your child will be accommodated if he or she is not self-motivated, has learning disabilities, or possesses strong nonacademic talents and interests. Your family may have other essentials to consider, such as scheduling constraints, financial limits, or strong values about what subjects are taught.