News & Views of the Gifted Child Society
Spring 2006
PARENT CONFERENCE
FOR FAMILIES WITH GIFTED CHILDREN
Saturday, September 30th, 2006
(More information to follow when available)
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Our camp is located in Allendale, New Jersey and offers the following advantages:
The academic morning for current grades 1 - 8 will offer both exiting new curriculum and old favorites. The Friday trips are not all firmed up yet but have included City museums, Mountain Creek Water Park, Liberty Science Center and the usual end-of-camp picnic at Kruckers.
The overnight trip for the Intermediate Division (current grades 4 - 7) will be to Philadelphia
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Here is GCS Fellow Katie Hinrichs’ account of her week at Confratute. Katie teaches first grade in River Vale and Spanish and Science classes at our Saturday Workshop.
When I applied for Confratute last spring, I thought that it would be an excellent opportunity for me to increase my knowledge of gifted education. I imagined it would help when I did my planning for the class I taught for the Gifted Child Society’s Saturday Workshops, and maybe it would give me a little insight into the minds of the few gifted children that I teach in my first grade classroom. I knew that it would make me a better teacher, but I did not come close to understanding what an amazing impact my week at the University of Connecticut would have on my career.
As I unpacked my things in my dorm room (yes, we stayed in the dorms), I planned out my week: wake up at 6:00 to meet the Early Risers for their walks around campus, attend the classes that sounded interesting, listen to some keynote speakers, catch up on some summer reading, and get a good night’s sleep. What I didn’t account for was that it was impossible to attend all of the classes that sounded interesting, because they all sounded interesting, I wouldn’t see just some of the keynote speakers because every night’s guest could not be missed, I would not have even a second to catch up on reading because I was that busy, and I would not be waking up with the Early Risers because I needed every last bit of rest to make sure I didn’t miss a thing during the day!
Top professionals in their field helped me to see learning in new and exciting ways. I learned how to use origami to teach geometry. I found myself saying “Hi” to a hypotenuse, “Goodbye” to little triangles, and flaunting my origami “masterpieces” in the cafeteria at lunchtime. I learned how to use sardines to teach science. I used a toothpick to delicately extract the fish’s spine, scraped away scales to see muscle tissue patterns, and stared in disbelief at a classmate’s sardine which was filled with eggs. I learned how to use storytelling to develop higher level thinking, while at the same time building a student’s self esteem. And I rekindled my love for education when I learned about Enrichment Clusters, and feverishly wrote down everything everyone said so that I might be able to replicate such a program in my school district.
?Now that the school year has begun, I have realized that Confratute did not only help me with lesson plans for gifted children. My first graders can’t wait for our Enrichment Clusters to begin – they still can’t quite believe I’m letting them choose what they want to learn. And they ask me every day when they are going to be able to make the paper cube that they see sitting on my desk (I tell them they have to wait until December, but that seems very far away when you’re six). My third grade science club members cheered (yes, they cheered) when I told them we would be dissecting sardines, and even my shyest students emerge from their shells when we add sound effects to a story retelling. But most of all, I have returned to being the kind of educator I admire – filled with new knowledge, bursting with enthusiasm, and loving my job.
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GIFTED CHILD SOCIETY FELLOWS 2005
Congratulations to our fourth group of Gifted Child Society Fellows! Each
local district superintendent in New Jersey was invited to nominate one teacher
to be considered to become a "Gifted Child Society Fellow." Twenty
"Fellows" were selected by the Society, based on professional
excellence, leadership, regional representation, and potential to provide staff
development in their district and region. The "Fellows" spent one week in July at Confratute at the University of
Connecticut. Each Fellow's training, including meals and room is on a full
scholarship basis, paid by the Gifted Child Society.
Confratute is one of the nation's leading institutes for teacher training in education of the gifted. It is a total immersion, live-in experience offering K-12 teaching that cuts across all school activities, curricular areas, grade levels, and grouping. GCS Fellows will become a cadre of leaders who must commit themselves to passing along their Confratute training through in-service and staff development in their school districts and regions.
This year's Fellows are:
Hinrichs, Kathryn - Bergen - River Vale
Purcell, Barbara - Rochelle Park
Rooney, Donna - Glen Rock
Kelly, Kim - Burlington - Burlington Township
Korbal, Christine - Cinnaminson
Sandmeyer-Bryan, Debbie - Cape May - Cape May City
Petner, Constance - Essex - Verona
DeBenedictis, Barbara - Hudson - Bayonne
Kubik, Martha - Hunterdon - West Amwell Township
Jackson, Oona - Mercer - Trenton
Ruddiman, Joan - West Windsor/Plainsboro
Bellis, Marilyn - Monmouth - Holmdel
Borgatti, Sharon - Freehold
Button, Diane - Morris - Randolph Township
Reinmund, Sarah - Kinnelon
Parisi, Carla - Passaic - Haledon
Kornstein, Janet - Somerset - Middlesex
Pike, Emily - Somerset Hills
Loyola, Kory - Sussex - High Point Regional High School
Terpenning, Arlene - Union - Roselle Park
2005 GCS Fellows
Complete Their Confratute Training
This July, twenty enthusiastic Gifted Child Society Fellows completed their week-long Confratute training in gifted education at the University of Connecticut. On the first day of each session, GCS Executive Director Janet Chen and Public Relations Coordinator Bruce Thaler met with the Fellows for lunch, and encouraged them to get to know each other and continue working together. Each Fellow was presented with a set of reference books on gifted education. Here are excerpts from their letters concerning the Confratute experience.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You have truly made my summer one of renewal and enrichment. Confratute was a professional turning point for me. It was a once in a lifetime experience.
I learned so very much. Please rest assured that I will listen. I learned more in one week than I ever thought possible. I gained a wealth of knowledge." --Rebeca Olivo (Nutley Public School District)
"I learned so much - I went to every class! The energy and the information were motivating. So often teachers of the gifted work in isolation. Sometimes their intelligent, educated, out-of-the-box thinking makes others uncomfortable. How refreshing it was to be applauded for these traits! This was our own pull-out program! What a treat it was to be with so many people like me!
Thank you for getting our group together on Monday. We really bonded! I know that having this network will strengthen our teaching and encourage us to keep growing. I've already talked to one friend on the telephone and I haven't been home 24 hours!
My mind has been on fast forward all weekend thinking about how I can implement the strategies and experiences that I learned. Thank you so much for making such a difference in my life." -- Paulette Steffa (Wyckoff Public Schools)
"The entire week was an experience that I will never forget. From start to finish, Confratute was well organized and exceptionally well presented. The speakers were of the highest quality, offering me much valuable information and specific training. Rather than attending numerous short presentations, I chose to attend two week-long strands, which provided me with in-depth training in curriculum compacting and differentiated instruction. I am confident that I can now come back to Hunterdon County and begin sharing strategies for instructing gifted and talented students. I look forward to sharing what I have learned, and taking an active role in guiding gifted education in the public schools." -- Dolores Yurchak (Bayone Public Schools)
"My Confratute week was one of the highlights of my teaching career. I enjoyed and learned a great deal from the speakers, the classes and the other attendees from around the world. I truly enjoyed the camaraderie and discussions with the other Fellows from New Jersey. We exchanged email, addresses and dates for upcoming gifted child meetings. I also want to thank you for the gift of books. They will be a valuable reference to myself and other teachers. I am meeting with ta colleague from another school and with my curriculum director to discuss the classes at Confratute and how I am going to apply those strategies in my classroom.
Once again, thank you for making me stretch in my profession so that I can be the teacher that my students deserve." -- Carolyn Bennett (Little Silver Public Schools)
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Needed: Parents of Gifted As Education Participants
Dr. Ruth Camm Feldman
At long last, there is a movement in progress to include parents as Education Participants - a trend most needed by families of gifted children. Recent studies by noted educators on the role of parents in education have strongly confirmed that parent involvement significantly increases the child's success in school. This is in contrast to the archaic view that "you should let the school do the educating."
Recently, at our Saturday Workshop parent discussion meetings, we have considered some key questions related to parent educational involvement. To continue, let us consider the following parent questions and concerns:
Is my child learning as well as s/he should in school?
The answer is probably not, if the child's class numbers over 14 and/or the teacher is not trained or experienced in teaching the gifted. Teaching in most schools is targeted toward the average student. Your child is in the top 2% of the national student population.
But s/he does get excellent grades.
Excellent or very good marks for members of the heterogeneous class reflect the range from low, average to superior - all being representative of levels below what is expected of the gifted. Tests like the PSAT and SAT are more often relied on by College Admissions Committees than are class grades.
What can be done to improve my child's chances for admission to the better colleges?
All educators of the gifted agree that parents need to supplement their gifted child's education - whether the school is public or private - from the earliest years. It is very important to be aware of uneven development of mental skills and/or abilities - a common occurrence even in the very gifted, affecting efficiency and even IQ scores.
When s/he competes for college admission, your child's chances can be improved if s/he has learned at gifted levels, has a strong extracurricular/community service record and has demonstrated leadership abilities. In addition, s/he needs to be expressive in writing and/or speaking.
How will that be possible?
It is of critical importance that parents, as well as teachers, know the gifted child's Learning Styles. Gifted children require individualized curricula - nurturing of their strongest abilities (through challenges) and strengthening of their weaker areas. The latter is true because most gifted students advance more rapidly in verbal mental functions and often need coaching and practice in psychomotor (spatial relationship) skills. Above all, teaching of a child with analytical and abstract mental abilities is different from teaching children who are at global, less differentiated levels (the latter comprising the majority of students in our population).
Doesn't the teacher know her students' learning styles and can't she teach my child appropriately?
At this time, most teachers do not have the training to identify unique Learning Styles of which there are more than 27 currently know factors. Therefore, they cannot create and implement curricula which stimulate growth or remediate learning processes at gifted levels. Unfortunately, there are few programs for training teachers to effectively promote individualized study and learning patterns as well as provide behavioral and motivational supports for their gifted students.
How can this be improved?
Parents can make significant impact on their child's school experience through work at home and participation with teachers on mutually agreed goals. When parents are informed about their child's Learning Styles and development, they can make contributions to the educational process.
How can I learn more about my child's Learning Styles and become able to use this knowledge to help her/him to progress?
At future Parent Saturday Workshops, we shall examine such issues as discussion groups, test preparation, practice in memory building, anxiety-reducers - all in the context of her/his learning strengths and needs, as well as support systems (kinesthetic, tactual, imagery, etc.) and other cognitive supports. Your questions, general principles and specific situations will illustrate techniques for problem-solving.
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