Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students

 I was meant to organize a workshop on the Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students.  However, the term ran away from me, and I didn't get my resources together in time to create a workshop.  I am adding this to my huge list of things to do, and hopefully, in the fall, I will deliver on the workshop! 

The social/emotional needs of gifted students is an area that I am very interested and passionate about. Sensitivity, perfectionism, and anxiety are often huge areas of concern for the gifted child and the parents of these children. 

So, looking at the social and emotional needs, in a general sense, here are some great places to start:

1.  A synopsis of Tracy L. Cross's book "The Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Kids"  and Practical Advice for Guiding Gifted Children

2.  Here is an interesting blog post 10 Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted 
at Byrdseed Gifted.

3. The SENG website (Social Emotional Needs of Gifted) has many articles that can be downloaded. 

I will be compiling more resources and information on this topic in the near future (let's say...summer....when I have some time to focus on the larger tasks).

Let me know if you have any great resources on this topic.  I would be very interested in sharing.
 

Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students

 I was meant to organize a workshop on the Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students.  However, the term ran away from me, and I didn't get my resources together in time to create a workshop.  I am adding this to my huge list of things to do, and hopefully, in the fall, I will deliver on the workshop! 

The social/emotional needs of gifted students is an area that I am very interested and passionate about. Sensitivity, perfectionism, and anxiety are often huge areas of concern for the gifted child and the parents of these children. 

So, looking at the social and emotional needs, in a general sense, here are some great places to start:

1.  A synopsis of Tracy L. Cross's book "The Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Kids"  and Practical Advice for Guiding Gifted Children

2.  Here is an interesting blog post 10 Social and Emotional Needs of the Gifted 
at Byrdseed Gifted.

3. The SENG website (Social Emotional Needs of Gifted) has many articles that can be downloaded. 

I will be compiling more resources and information on this topic in the near future (let's say...summer....when I have some time to focus on the larger tasks).

Let me know if you have any great resources on this topic.  I would be very interested in sharing.
 

Thank you Brock Students

It is always a treat to work with students from Brock Elementary where I am a staff member because:

I get to meet fantastic students whom I can make connections with.  What a great group!  Sometimes it is challenging to be at a school and working with learners from all over the district; however, I love meeting so many creative and wonderful students all the time.

Today, the Brock students shared their favourite books or stories with me.  I opened up the discussion with, "What is your favourite book?".  Delightedly, the students brought in their books and explained why they like the book. 

It is always great to share reading with each other!

I wish that I had more time to incorporate reading activities into my program like Ms. Gelson,  a creative, wonderful teacher who has the most fantastic blog about reading, books, and activities to do with students.  Ms. Gelson knows books, and knows how to ask the right questions about reading to engage students.  Powerful stuff. High Level.  Fantastic.

Thank you Brock Students

It is always a treat to work with students from Brock Elementary where I am a staff member because:

I get to meet fantastic students whom I can make connections with.  What a great group!  Sometimes it is challenging to be at a school and working with learners from all over the district; however, I love meeting so many creative and wonderful students all the time.

Today, the Brock students shared their favourite books or stories with me.  I opened up the discussion with, "What is your favourite book?".  Delightedly, the students brought in their books and explained why they like the book. 

It is always great to share reading with each other!

I wish that I had more time to incorporate reading activities into my program like Ms. Gelson,  a creative, wonderful teacher who has the most fantastic blog about reading, books, and activities to do with students.  Ms. Gelson knows books, and knows how to ask the right questions about reading to engage students.  Powerful stuff. High Level.  Fantastic.

The Destination Imagination Experience

Destination Imagination is a fantastic program that I encourage teachers, parents, and administrators to get involved with.  This year, I took a team from my sons' school to the regional and provincial tournament, and we came in first for our age group and our challenge.  We have the opportunity to go to Knoxville Tennessee to present our challenge at the Global Tournament.

This is great news for our team, but what is Destination Imagination?  What do the students do?  How do you get involved? What is the level of commitment?


1.  What is Destination Imagination? 

DI is a creative problem solving program that is based on team work, creative thinking and problem solving. Students can get involved from the primary grades up to high school; so it is a wonderful program to get your school involved in, especially if you need enrichment or a higher level thinking skills program for your student body.

You can have up to seven members on a team, and I encourage you to have the seven students required as it allows for you to have more flexibility with what your team can do, it allows for the sharing of special talents, and allows for "more hands on deck" to create great solutions.  I think the more ideas and more collaboration that is possible is great for solving the team challenges.

2.  What will the students have to do?
The students should meet weekly to prepare and solve:  instant challenges and a central team challenge.   The instant challenge is a challenge that the students will be given at the tournament that they will have no prior knowledge of.  The students will solve this in front of judges.  It may consist of drama, role play, construction, or design.   The team must work together to solve this in the allotted time.

The central team challenge is a lot more time consuming; this is where students choose one challenge from a variety of challenges, and spend the next few months problem solving and figuring out their solution to this one challenge.  Students have different challenges to choose from:  some are more scientific, and others more based on fine arts. For example, the team I worked with was very creative and had a strength in story telling and fine arts, so we chose a challenge that reflected their strengths as a group.   We started working on our central challenge in November, and it took the students four months to work out their ideas, build props, and create costumes.  At the tournament, they present their challenge to a team of judges.

The most important thing in all of this is:  the students solve the challenge.  The parents, or teachers are there to help motivate and facilitate the process, however, they are not the ones that solve the problem.  The team must sign a Declaration of Independence that states they came up with the ideas to solve the challenge. For example, for my team, this meant that the students created and designed their costumes, built the props, painted the backdrops, wrote the script, wrote the songs, choreographed the dances, and basically created everything!!!!

3.  What is the time frame? 
Process is important in Destination Imagination. Your team needs time to solve and create the central challenge, and time to practice instant challenges.

I begin the process in early October, and have the team selected by the end of October.  The tournament is in March, with the provincial tournament in April.  I meet with the students once per week, for about 14-15 weeks.

4.  How are teams selected?
Selecting a team is an individual process which I think schools need to think about.  At our school, teachers helped select the students by recommending ones they felt needed a challenge, and also students they felt could handle the extra time commitment necessary.  These students were invited to a meeting where it was discussed the time commitment necessary, as well as what the program involved. 

At another school where I helped out with DI, the teachers were not involved in the process, and any student who was interested was invited.  This can work too, however, it needs to be made clear that this is not a "drop in" program.  The students have to make all the meetings, and be committed to the process, and work together.  For example, if a child decides to quit during the middle of the solution,  then it is very disadvantageous to the team. So, the team leader needs to make sure there is the commitment, the staying power of the team, and the ability to work together.  


Personally, I think you need really dedicated students that are willing to work together, and those that have staying power, meaning those that will attend meetings and continue to remain focused on solving the challenge.  As the students are creating the solution, it is up to them to get together and remain focused on the task.  It is not the responsibility of the team manager to hunt down students who would rather be doing other things during the assigned meeting time - and believe me, I have seen this happen!


5.  Advice for the year:

a.  If you are starting a team, I advise you to give yourself lots of time to digest the manual, and read it all before you begin so you understand what is required. You can get this on line and download it.



b.  Begin in early October, and get your team sorted out.  Begin working with the students early on and build team work and teach how to work together.


c.  Create a calendar and "block in" when you are going to meet and for how long.  I gave this calendar to the students at the beginning of the year, and had them review it with their parents so everyone would know when we were meeting.  Also, this helped identify how many times we would meet, and take into consideration holidays and the like.  In the end, we had 13-14 meeting times, which didn't seem like a lot!


d.  Create instant challenges at the beginning of the program. I created 15-25 instant challenges (from old books and from information online) that I could pull out at any meeting and have the students solve.  Many of the instant challenges required materials to build things, so I went to the dollar store and bought all the items.  Then, I photocopied the instant challenge and put the materials and the challenge in a baggie.  This saved so much time, as all I had to do was pull out an instant challenge at every meeting, and not have to run around finding all the materials to pull it all together.  This was a lifesaver!


e.  Have fun....enjoy the experience and the process.  It is wonderful to see the students take over and have ownership over this process.  You will seem them bloom with confidence and pride!


For more information, please see the provincial website.  I wish you good luck and happy times if you are thinking of starting the program at your school.  

British Columbia Destination Imagination Program

The Destination Imagination Experience

Destination Imagination is a fantastic program that I encourage teachers, parents, and administrators to get involved with.  This year, I took a team from my sons' school to the regional and provincial tournament, and we came in first for our age group and our challenge.  We have the opportunity to go to Knoxville Tennessee to present our challenge at the Global Tournament.

This is great news for our team, but what is Destination Imagination?  What do the students do?  How do you get involved? What is the level of commitment?


1.  What is Destination Imagination? 

DI is a creative problem solving program that is based on team work, creative thinking and problem solving. Students can get involved from the primary grades up to high school; so it is a wonderful program to get your school involved in, especially if you need enrichment or a higher level thinking skills program for your student body.

You can have up to seven members on a team, and I encourage you to have the seven students required as it allows for you to have more flexibility with what your team can do, it allows for the sharing of special talents, and allows for "more hands on deck" to create great solutions.  I think the more ideas and more collaboration that is possible is great for solving the team challenges.

2.  What will the students have to do?
The students should meet weekly to prepare and solve:  instant challenges and a central team challenge.   The instant challenge is a challenge that the students will be given at the tournament that they will have no prior knowledge of.  The students will solve this in front of judges.  It may consist of drama, role play, construction, or design.   The team must work together to solve this in the allotted time.

The central team challenge is a lot more time consuming; this is where students choose one challenge from a variety of challenges, and spend the next few months problem solving and figuring out their solution to this one challenge.  Students have different challenges to choose from:  some are more scientific, and others more based on fine arts. For example, the team I worked with was very creative and had a strength in story telling and fine arts, so we chose a challenge that reflected their strengths as a group.   We started working on our central challenge in November, and it took the students four months to work out their ideas, build props, and create costumes.  At the tournament, they present their challenge to a team of judges.

The most important thing in all of this is:  the students solve the challenge.  The parents, or teachers are there to help motivate and facilitate the process, however, they are not the ones that solve the problem.  The team must sign a Declaration of Independence that states they came up with the ideas to solve the challenge. For example, for my team, this meant that the students created and designed their costumes, built the props, painted the backdrops, wrote the script, wrote the songs, choreographed the dances, and basically created everything!!!!

3.  What is the time frame? 
Process is important in Destination Imagination. Your team needs time to solve and create the central challenge, and time to practice instant challenges.

I begin the process in early October, and have the team selected by the end of October.  The tournament is in March, with the provincial tournament in April.  I meet with the students once per week, for about 14-15 weeks.

4.  How are teams selected?
Selecting a team is an individual process which I think schools need to think about.  At our school, teachers helped select the students by recommending ones they felt needed a challenge, and also students they felt could handle the extra time commitment necessary.  These students were invited to a meeting where it was discussed the time commitment necessary, as well as what the program involved. 

At another school where I helped out with DI, the teachers were not involved in the process, and any student who was interested was invited.  This can work too, however, it needs to be made clear that this is not a "drop in" program.  The students have to make all the meetings, and be committed to the process, and work together.  For example, if a child decides to quit during the middle of the solution,  then it is very disadvantageous to the team. So, the team leader needs to make sure there is the commitment, the staying power of the team, and the ability to work together.  


Personally, I think you need really dedicated students that are willing to work together, and those that have staying power, meaning those that will attend meetings and continue to remain focused on solving the challenge.  As the students are creating the solution, it is up to them to get together and remain focused on the task.  It is not the responsibility of the team manager to hunt down students who would rather be doing other things during the assigned meeting time - and believe me, I have seen this happen!


5.  Advice for the year:

a.  If you are starting a team, I advise you to give yourself lots of time to digest the manual, and read it all before you begin so you understand what is required. You can get this on line and download it.



b.  Begin in early October, and get your team sorted out.  Begin working with the students early on and build team work and teach how to work together.


c.  Create a calendar and "block in" when you are going to meet and for how long.  I gave this calendar to the students at the beginning of the year, and had them review it with their parents so everyone would know when we were meeting.  Also, this helped identify how many times we would meet, and take into consideration holidays and the like.  In the end, we had 13-14 meeting times, which didn't seem like a lot!


d.  Create instant challenges at the beginning of the program. I created 15-25 instant challenges (from old books and from information online) that I could pull out at any meeting and have the students solve.  Many of the instant challenges required materials to build things, so I went to the dollar store and bought all the items.  Then, I photocopied the instant challenge and put the materials and the challenge in a baggie.  This saved so much time, as all I had to do was pull out an instant challenge at every meeting, and not have to run around finding all the materials to pull it all together.  This was a lifesaver!


e.  Have fun....enjoy the experience and the process.  It is wonderful to see the students take over and have ownership over this process.  You will seem them bloom with confidence and pride!


For more information, please see the provincial website.  I wish you good luck and happy times if you are thinking of starting the program at your school.  

British Columbia Destination Imagination Program

A Great Article

Although I've been in gifted education for nearly 20 years, I find that the term "gifted" is fraught with controversy.   I think people think it is exclusionary. That the gifted have some special talent, are better than everyone else.  

However, I have never viewed it as that...my view is meeting needs of students.  Using our brains, problem solving, and being creative.

I just read a great article by Bruce Shore from McGill University in Montreal:  "Giftedness is not what it used to be, school is not what it used to be, their future, and why psychologists in education should care." published in the Canadian Journal of School Psychology 2010 June 25: 151-169.

I encourage those in the field to read this; it is a refreshing study on the state of gifted education and how our every changing view of gifted is evolving.  I think it is so important that we renew our look at gifted and make sure we support learners in our field. 

Bruce Shore Article 

A Great Article

Although I've been in gifted education for nearly 20 years, I find that the term "gifted" is fraught with controversy.   I think people think it is exclusionary. That the gifted have some special talent, are better than everyone else.  

However, I have never viewed it as that...my view is meeting needs of students.  Using our brains, problem solving, and being creative.

I just read a great article by Bruce Shore from McGill University in Montreal:  "Giftedness is not what it used to be, school is not what it used to be, their future, and why psychologists in education should care." published in the Canadian Journal of School Psychology 2010 June 25: 151-169.

I encourage those in the field to read this; it is a refreshing study on the state of gifted education and how our every changing view of gifted is evolving.  I think it is so important that we renew our look at gifted and make sure we support learners in our field. 

Bruce Shore Article 

Happy Easter!

Hope the Easter Bunny came to your house...he sure came to ours! We will see everyone back at school on Tuesday!

Happy Easter!

Hope the Easter Bunny came to your house...he sure came to ours! We will see everyone back at school on Tuesday!

Marble Ramp Challenge

I gave the students a wonderful challenge on day 3 of the program:  build a marble ramp to demonstrate the concept of gravity.  The marble must start at the top and travel to the bottom of your "marble ramp".  

Materials:  cardboard boxes of various sizes, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, strawberry plastic containers, tape, straws, and other various recyclable materials.

Students were given the choice to work alone, or with a partner.

The students had to demonstrate their marble ramp at the end, and explain how they designed it.

For safety reasons, I would help them cut out holes, etc., using an exacto-knife. These were grade 3's after all!

The students worked from 9:00 am until 11:30; straight through, with a 15 minute recess break.  All were engaged, and focused.

I loved leaving it wide open, allowing them to problem solve and create, and be true designers, creators, and problem solvers.

I think this is real learning:  building and creating, and figuring it out in a hands-on manner.  The students loved it!

Marble Ramp Challenge

I gave the students a wonderful challenge on day 3 of the program:  build a marble ramp to demonstrate the concept of gravity.  The marble must start at the top and travel to the bottom of your "marble ramp".  

Materials:  cardboard boxes of various sizes, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, strawberry plastic containers, tape, straws, and other various recyclable materials.

Students were given the choice to work alone, or with a partner.

The students had to demonstrate their marble ramp at the end, and explain how they designed it.

For safety reasons, I would help them cut out holes, etc., using an exacto-knife. These were grade 3's after all!

The students worked from 9:00 am until 11:30; straight through, with a 15 minute recess break.  All were engaged, and focused.

I loved leaving it wide open, allowing them to problem solve and create, and be true designers, creators, and problem solvers.

I think this is real learning:  building and creating, and figuring it out in a hands-on manner.  The students loved it!

Gizmos and Gadgets Challenge Centre

I have just worked with a group for the first two days of a four day program.  The program is about learning science concepts and building contraptions and learning about the inventions and the invention process.

Here's a sample of what we did:

We began by brainstorming:  What is an inventor?

If you could invent anything in the world, what would it be?  

Then  we discussed these ideas, and I gave a little lecture on inventors (3 minutes).  We shared ideas, and I got some great ones- I was looking for ideas such as curiosity, creativity, perseverance, great problem solvers and so forth.

We discussed qualities of inventors, and I showed this great post:

The 50 Best Inventions of 2010 


Then, we talked about types of inventions, and I had the students sort various inventions, into categories of their own.  We came up with ideas like "inventions that save lives", "inventions that make lives better", and "electronics", "inventions for fun".  I was attempting to get the students to think about inventions as solving problems in the real world.  


Then, we talked about four ways to invent:  


1.  Make improvements:  the car was an improvement on the carriage; What other inventions can you tell me about that are improvements on things we know?

2.  Make combinations:  the iphone is a combination of a cellular phone, camera, and an ipod.  What other combinations of items do you know about that made a new invention?


3.  Make breakthroughs: a completely new idea.  Do you have any new invention ideas that are completely original?  Can you think of any examples?  (Here, the students gave ideas such as "the time machine".  This is a hard one, and they really had to think!)


4.  Use mistakes:  Teflon was created as a mistake.  


This brought up great discussion; however, too much talk and not enough action is hard for grade three's.


So, we ended off the day with a simple "hands on activity" called 45 Minutes to 4 that had them working in groups and creating simple items:

The students were given 45 minutes to create 4 usable products out of pieces of paper.  


The materials were:


4 pieces of construction paper
masking tape
scissors for cutting
a pencil
a ruler
(pencil, ruler, scissors are materials to use; not part of the creations)


The students are given the choice to construct 4 out of the 5 objects:


1.  One object that can hold water (we test at the end)


2.  One object that will keep rain off one member's head


3.  A device that will magnify a voice


4.  A stand-up name card to identify your learning group (name your group!)


5.  A device that shows the exact measurement of one member's waist.




Well, it is always fantastic to see the original ideas, the team work, the problem solving, and the elaborate contraptions made out of paper and tape.  This is something that can be easily done in a classroom setting.  During this activity, I look for:

• how the team works together
• how they problem solve around using paper to create objects
• what objects they choose (all groups chose number 1, and they all wanted to test their creations to see which team created the best water holder!)

I am not sure where I got this activity, but it can easily be set up.  The glory of doing activities like this is that students love the "hands on nature" of the process.  They get to use their thinking skills, and most importantly, there is no right answer...all process driven, sharing of ideas, and then moving forward.  A bit like inventing!



 

Gizmos and Gadgets Challenge Centre

I have just worked with a group for the first two days of a four day program.  The program is about learning science concepts and building contraptions and learning about the inventions and the invention process.

Here's a sample of what we did:

We began by brainstorming:  What is an inventor?

If you could invent anything in the world, what would it be?  

Then  we discussed these ideas, and I gave a little lecture on inventors (3 minutes).  We shared ideas, and I got some great ones- I was looking for ideas such as curiosity, creativity, perseverance, great problem solvers and so forth.

We discussed qualities of inventors, and I showed this great post:

The 50 Best Inventions of 2010 


Then, we talked about types of inventions, and I had the students sort various inventions, into categories of their own.  We came up with ideas like "inventions that save lives", "inventions that make lives better", and "electronics", "inventions for fun".  I was attempting to get the students to think about inventions as solving problems in the real world.  


Then, we talked about four ways to invent:  


1.  Make improvements:  the car was an improvement on the carriage; What other inventions can you tell me about that are improvements on things we know?

2.  Make combinations:  the iphone is a combination of a cellular phone, camera, and an ipod.  What other combinations of items do you know about that made a new invention?


3.  Make breakthroughs: a completely new idea.  Do you have any new invention ideas that are completely original?  Can you think of any examples?  (Here, the students gave ideas such as "the time machine".  This is a hard one, and they really had to think!)


4.  Use mistakes:  Teflon was created as a mistake.  


This brought up great discussion; however, too much talk and not enough action is hard for grade three's.


So, we ended off the day with a simple "hands on activity" called 45 Minutes to 4 that had them working in groups and creating simple items:

The students were given 45 minutes to create 4 usable products out of pieces of paper.  


The materials were:


4 pieces of construction paper
masking tape
scissors for cutting
a pencil
a ruler
(pencil, ruler, scissors are materials to use; not part of the creations)


The students are given the choice to construct 4 out of the 5 objects:


1.  One object that can hold water (we test at the end)


2.  One object that will keep rain off one member's head


3.  A device that will magnify a voice


4.  A stand-up name card to identify your learning group (name your group!)


5.  A device that shows the exact measurement of one member's waist.




Well, it is always fantastic to see the original ideas, the team work, the problem solving, and the elaborate contraptions made out of paper and tape.  This is something that can be easily done in a classroom setting.  During this activity, I look for:

• how the team works together
• how they problem solve around using paper to create objects
• what objects they choose (all groups chose number 1, and they all wanted to test their creations to see which team created the best water holder!)

I am not sure where I got this activity, but it can easily be set up.  The glory of doing activities like this is that students love the "hands on nature" of the process.  They get to use their thinking skills, and most importantly, there is no right answer...all process driven, sharing of ideas, and then moving forward.  A bit like inventing!



 

A good resource for concepts such as motion, forces, gravity

I am excited to be working with students over the next few weeks (4 sessions) on concepts such as motion, gravity, balance, and spin.  We will be looking at Newton's three laws of motion, inventions, and I will introduce them to Rube Goldberg.  For most of the unit, I have referred to this great resource called "Gizmos and Gadgets" written by Jill Frankel Hauser.  It is a great resource for teachers and for parents alike.  I will be posting during the week, showcasing some of things we create together.

Here's a link where to buy it, but I am sure you can find it locally as well.  If you are a teacher and want to borrow this resource from me, please let me know (we lend out all our resources at the Challenge Centre) by emailing me!

Gizmos and Gadgets 

A good resource for concepts such as motion, forces, gravity

I am excited to be working with students over the next few weeks (4 sessions) on concepts such as motion, gravity, balance, and spin.  We will be looking at Newton's three laws of motion, inventions, and I will introduce them to Rube Goldberg.  For most of the unit, I have referred to this great resource called "Gizmos and Gadgets" written by Jill Frankel Hauser.  It is a great resource for teachers and for parents alike.  I will be posting during the week, showcasing some of things we create together.

Here's a link where to buy it, but I am sure you can find it locally as well.  If you are a teacher and want to borrow this resource from me, please let me know (we lend out all our resources at the Challenge Centre) by emailing me!

Gizmos and Gadgets 

The E word

Evaluation:   How do we evaluate students when they come to the Challenge Centre?

When students attend the Challenge Centre it is not just an opportunity to have fun and play (although play is very important, and I will talk about play in another post).  

I am evaluation students over the four days of the program.  Because I only see them for three-four days on average, I try to get a "snapshot" of what they are doing in relation to the program objectives.  

In the past, I was very hesitant to do any type of formal evaluation, as my reasoning was that I only saw the students for 4 days, and I didn't really know them extremely well, and I felt that this was just a fantastic opportunity for them to try new projects and work with new ideas.  So, when a student finished the program, I wrote a paragraph on what the student did and how they did in a general format.

However, upon further reflection, I felt that this wasn't sufficient.  And, the team of teachers in the gifted education program did not feel that it was benefiting the students, as the information given back to the schools was general and vague.  So, last year our team got together and we brainstormed what our program is about and came up with objectives.  These objectives are clearly stated in the report card that I send home to the student and school.  

What are the objectives?

When a student attends the challenge centre, I am looking for a set of five behaviours or trends.

1.  Process:  how does the student handle the topic or area they are studying in the challenge centre?  Does s/he notice hidden relationships?  Improvise or adapt ideas?  Apply learning in unusual or unexpected ways?  Basically how does the student think.

2.  Motivation:  how motivated is the student in relation to the area of study?  Does s/he show energy, enthusiasm, and an interest in challenging him/herself?
Does s/he show persistence in overcoming obstacles in learning. Does s/he go beyond what is taught and initiate own learning?

3.  Problem Solving:  All of our challenge centres have problem solving embedded in the learning.  How does the student handle solving problems individually or in a group situation?  Does the student contribute to group-problem solving?  Does s/he employ a variety of unique problem solving strategies?

4.  Products:  although process is very important in learning, I also want to see that the student is able to create a project or product of some kind. This may be a piece of writing, it may be a poster-board filled with information, it may be a contraption that they build.  The students have a great deal of freedom to create products, however, the students are given lots of scaffolding and criteria to help them be successful with their creations. With regards to what they create, is s/he adventurous, take risks and experiment readily?  Does s/he execute ideas to completion that exceeds developmental level?

5.  Interpersonal Factors:   how do the students do on a social/emotional level in the program, particularly in that the student is being grouped with "like-minded" peers?  Does s/he communicate ideas effectively?  Does s/he give constructive feedback?  Does s/he demonstrate both cooperative and leadership skills?

I use a checklist that determines whether or not the student meets these objectives "rarely", "sometimes",  or "often".    If one of these objectives does not apply to a particular challenge centre, then I will check "not applicable".


As well, I write a paragraph detailing what the student has done in the program, and overall, how they performed, and what I observed.  


Are the students made aware of the objectives of the Challenge Centre Program?

The students are made aware of the language of the objectives, and the five areas they are being evaluated on.  I think it is very important not to put undue stress on students and tell them they are being formally evaluated while they are here.  So, when I tell them why they are here, I explain the type of learning that will go on in the program:  problem solving, lots of process work or how things are done, lots of thinking and interacting with others, creating things, working as a team, and being motivated to do their best and stretch their thinking.  


Each child does a self-evaluation while they are here, and furthermore,  they give me feedback so that I can improve upon what I do.  


The students are also made aware that a report will be sent home and to the school.


Why do I evaluate in a challenge centre program?

In the challenge centre, I am here to provide wonderful programming, but also to evaluate the child in terms of gifted/talented/enrichment education. I will provide added information about this child that sometimes is not evident in the classroom environment.   Is this a child who may need more servicing? Is this a child who has areas to work on or improve on in his/her learning?   Overall, how did this child do in relation to the expectations of a challenge centre program?

I am always interested in evaluation, so please contact me if you need more information, or want to continue the conversation!

The E word

Evaluation:   How do we evaluate students when they come to the Challenge Centre?

When students attend the Challenge Centre it is not just an opportunity to have fun and play (although play is very important, and I will talk about play in another post).  

I am evaluation students over the four days of the program.  Because I only see them for three-four days on average, I try to get a "snapshot" of what they are doing in relation to the program objectives.  

In the past, I was very hesitant to do any type of formal evaluation, as my reasoning was that I only saw the students for 4 days, and I didn't really know them extremely well, and I felt that this was just a fantastic opportunity for them to try new projects and work with new ideas.  So, when a student finished the program, I wrote a paragraph on what the student did and how they did in a general format.

However, upon further reflection, I felt that this wasn't sufficient.  And, the team of teachers in the gifted education program did not feel that it was benefiting the students, as the information given back to the schools was general and vague.  So, last year our team got together and we brainstormed what our program is about and came up with objectives.  These objectives are clearly stated in the report card that I send home to the student and school.  

What are the objectives?

When a student attends the challenge centre, I am looking for a set of five behaviours or trends.

1.  Process:  how does the student handle the topic or area they are studying in the challenge centre?  Does s/he notice hidden relationships?  Improvise or adapt ideas?  Apply learning in unusual or unexpected ways?  Basically how does the student think.

2.  Motivation:  how motivated is the student in relation to the area of study?  Does s/he show energy, enthusiasm, and an interest in challenging him/herself?
Does s/he show persistence in overcoming obstacles in learning. Does s/he go beyond what is taught and initiate own learning?

3.  Problem Solving:  All of our challenge centres have problem solving embedded in the learning.  How does the student handle solving problems individually or in a group situation?  Does the student contribute to group-problem solving?  Does s/he employ a variety of unique problem solving strategies?

4.  Products:  although process is very important in learning, I also want to see that the student is able to create a project or product of some kind. This may be a piece of writing, it may be a poster-board filled with information, it may be a contraption that they build.  The students have a great deal of freedom to create products, however, the students are given lots of scaffolding and criteria to help them be successful with their creations. With regards to what they create, is s/he adventurous, take risks and experiment readily?  Does s/he execute ideas to completion that exceeds developmental level?

5.  Interpersonal Factors:   how do the students do on a social/emotional level in the program, particularly in that the student is being grouped with "like-minded" peers?  Does s/he communicate ideas effectively?  Does s/he give constructive feedback?  Does s/he demonstrate both cooperative and leadership skills?

I use a checklist that determines whether or not the student meets these objectives "rarely", "sometimes",  or "often".    If one of these objectives does not apply to a particular challenge centre, then I will check "not applicable".


As well, I write a paragraph detailing what the student has done in the program, and overall, how they performed, and what I observed.  


Are the students made aware of the objectives of the Challenge Centre Program?

The students are made aware of the language of the objectives, and the five areas they are being evaluated on.  I think it is very important not to put undue stress on students and tell them they are being formally evaluated while they are here.  So, when I tell them why they are here, I explain the type of learning that will go on in the program:  problem solving, lots of process work or how things are done, lots of thinking and interacting with others, creating things, working as a team, and being motivated to do their best and stretch their thinking.  


Each child does a self-evaluation while they are here, and furthermore,  they give me feedback so that I can improve upon what I do.  


The students are also made aware that a report will be sent home and to the school.


Why do I evaluate in a challenge centre program?

In the challenge centre, I am here to provide wonderful programming, but also to evaluate the child in terms of gifted/talented/enrichment education. I will provide added information about this child that sometimes is not evident in the classroom environment.   Is this a child who may need more servicing? Is this a child who has areas to work on or improve on in his/her learning?   Overall, how did this child do in relation to the expectations of a challenge centre program?

I am always interested in evaluation, so please contact me if you need more information, or want to continue the conversation!

Sunday Nights are Tough

As we head back to school and begin Term Three, I am anxious and nervous.  After 20 years of teaching, one would think it would get easier, but there is always a little stress the evening before the week begins..is it the same for other teachers, parents, and students?

On Sunday evening, I make the mental lists in my head for the week, ticking off what needs to be done, and getting my brain into gear for where I will need to be at certain times during the week, who needs to be picked up when, how I am going to certain things done in time, and finally, what are we eating this week... amongst other things.  It is a mad rush...and it makes me wonder about this mad rush we put ourselves through. 


So, I hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday and a great start to the week, and Term Three!

Sunday Nights are Tough

As we head back to school and begin Term Three, I am anxious and nervous.  After 20 years of teaching, one would think it would get easier, but there is always a little stress the evening before the week begins..is it the same for other teachers, parents, and students?

On Sunday evening, I make the mental lists in my head for the week, ticking off what needs to be done, and getting my brain into gear for where I will need to be at certain times during the week, who needs to be picked up when, how I am going to certain things done in time, and finally, what are we eating this week... amongst other things.  It is a mad rush...and it makes me wonder about this mad rush we put ourselves through. 


So, I hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday and a great start to the week, and Term Three!