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continued on page 11

Fall 2009

IIn the 1970s, I had the opportunity to make a presentation tothe (then much smaller) NAGC Conference. In preparationfor that presentation, I had made slides (no PowerPoint inthose days) of teachers and students in classrooms from the1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Presenting the slides in a randomsequence, I challenged the audience to identify which decadeeach photo represented. The audience was feeling veryproud because most people were able to place most of thephotos in the correct decade. However, my next question de-flated their self-satisfaction and revealed my true concern: Iasked how they were able to make their decisions. Theirplacements were based on a variety of factors that had noth-ing at all to do with teaching and learning; they relied de-pendably on such factors as hairstyles and the clothing styles ofboth teachers and students. Littleabout the pictures revealed differ-ences in the classroom’s physicalenvironment or other factors thatmight suggest differences relatedto teaching and learning. A quote Ihad located impishly suggestedthat “there is no national museumof education—because we are stillusing it all.” You might believe thatthis activity would not be effective today, and although Ihaven’t tried it, I suspect you might be correct. Let us not betoo quick to congratulate ourselves, however. This anecdotemay be a helpful backdrop, providing some context for thenew issue of Gifted Child Quarterly.We need to set the stage with just a little more history. The

Winter 1982 issue of GCQ (Volume 26, Number 1) focusedspecifically on the challenge of “Demythologizing Gifted Ed-ucation,” centering on the question, “What are the main is-sues that gifted education must confront effectively if it is tosurvive the 1980s?” The issue arose from the perception that,

more than a decadeafter the release of thewidely discussed Mar-land report, manycommon myths (“prac-tices or beliefs which we often discover upon close scrutinyto be more fanciful than truthful”) were persistently preva-lent in gifted education. The three general goals and pur-poses for the issue were to: stimulate some lively discussion,critical thinking, and creative research; shake loose the gripof some common myths; and suggest promising directionsfor more productive foundations for inquiry and practice.In the context of 25 years of extensive and accelerating

complexity and change, we beganin 2008 to reexamine the 1982myths, assessing the extent towhich they may still exist, havebeen resolved, or have been re-placed by new concerns. Welearned that all 15 of the 1982myths remain with us today, al-though some have been modifiedin form or content over time. Inaddition, several new mythsemerged, resulting in a total of 19

myths addressed in the fall 2009 issue of GCQ.The goal of providing appropriate and challenging educa-

tional programming—a goal gifted education specialistsshare with all concerned educators—must take into accountthese stubbornly persistent myths. Especially in times whenthe agendas of many educational policy makers seem focusedon other priorities, we need to be advocates for quality edu-cation that recognizes and nurtures students’ strengths andtalents. In order to play that advocacy role effectively on thebroader educational “stage,” however, it is incumbent on usto be aware of the internal obstacles as well as the external

Demythologizing Gifted Education:A 25-Year JourneyBY DON TREFFINGER, CENTER FOR CREATIVE LEARNING, SARASOTA, FLORIDA

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE

IN THIS ISSUEFrom the Editor 2

Technology Untangled 3

eFolio 4

Curriculum Connection 6

Books, Books andMore Books 8

School Spotlight 10

Interview with JoshWaitzkin 12

Mentorships 14

Happily Ever After 16

Book Review 17

Resources for the Educator 18

Featuringa 4-Page Pull-OutConvention Insert

All 15 of the 1982myths remain with

us today, although somehave been modified in

form or contentover time.

““

2 | FALL 2009 www.nagc.org

www.nagc.org

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDSusannah Richards,ChairJennifer AtkinsonCelesteMarie EdwardsBeverly FinkKeri GuilbaultMarcia ImbeauJanice NovelloJudy SchultzKarenWestbergSusannahWood

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJeffrey Danielian

ASSOCIATE EDITORElizabeth Fogarty

Teaching forHighPotential (THP)is published three times per yearas amembership benefit of theNational Association for GiftedChildren (NAGC),1707 L St.,NW.,Suite 550,Washington,DC,20036202.785.4268;nagc@nagc.org.Article submission and editorialenquiries can bemade to JeffDanielian at jdanielian@nagc.org.

For information on advertising inTHP,please contact Nicole Lukan atnlukan@nagc.org.

The content found inTHParticlesfollows theNAGC Pre-K-Grade 12Gifted Program Standards and theNAGC-CECTeacher PreparationStandards.Visit theTHPwebpage formoredetails.

The statements and opinionsexpressed in the articles andcolumns appearing inTHP are thoseof the authors and columnists anddo not necessarily reflect the viewsof the association.NAGCdisclaimsany responsibility or liability for suchmaterial.© 2008

IIt is with great pleasure that I present this issue of Teaching for High Potential toyou. Upon hearing that the special issue of Gifted Child Quarterly would be a re-visiting of the 1982 Myths issue, I was ecstatic! That issue, which I first read someyears ago, not only presented every relevant issue pertaining to the field of gifted ed-ucation, but also set a fire in my mind that has been burning ever since. I encourageall of you to read every section of the newestGifted ChildQuarterly.As you no doubt read in Don’s introduction to the spe-

cial issue, you, the educator, are key to debunking themyths. It is up to us to confront these misconceptionshead on, seeking to educate the public through positiveadvocacy. The time has come to reverse the unrealisticconceptions of not only what the field has to offer, but alsowhat it truly means to be a gifted and talented student intoday’s society.Apart from two outstanding articles in this issue of

THP relating to student portfolios and mentorships,and an interview with Josh Waitzkin, you will read

about myths through the eyes ofmany of our columnists. Evenour cartoonist has a creative spinon them.A wise professor of mine once

spoke of Myth during an under-graduate course in mythology.Something he said has stayed withme that is relevant to us as teach-ers of gifted students. It was some-thing to the effect of, “Our lives,our world, our language…isrooted in myth. There is no es-cape. We must navigate through,understanding the origin of themyth while trying to understand itfor ourselves. Myths are alwayspresent.”I hope you enjoy this issue of

Teaching for High Potential.Please feel free to contact me atany time As always, I welcomeyour comments, suggestions,opinions, and ideas.

“The great enemy of the truth is very often not thelie—deliberate, contrived and dishonest—but themyth—persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.”

—John Fitzgerald Kennedy

FROM THE EDITOR

S M A R TCOOKIES

BY BESSWILSON

JEFF DANIELIAN, EDITORjdanielian@nagc.org

FALL 2009 | 3www.nagc.org

WWikipedia: A Land of Truth or MythBRIAN C.HOUSAND, EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITYbrianhousand@gmail.com

TECHNOLOGY UNTANGLED

With the advent of Web 2.0 tools, we are living in the age ofa Read / Write Web. Internet users have the ability to not onlyconsume content, but in many instances, the power to con-tribute content to websites. As educators, it is becoming in-creasingly important that we teach our students to be criticalof what they read, especially on the Internet, because of thesometimes unlimited ability of others to post “information.”Wikipedia is a content resource that has been the subject

of mistrust by many educators since its creation in 2001.Reading with a critical eye is something that we should al-ways do regardless of the medium; Wikipedia is an open en-vironment capable of dynamic change in the quality of anygiven article.We should always keep in mind that Wikipedia is an

clopedia and should be treated as such. One should notusing Wikipedia by itself for primary research, unlesscourse the paper is about Wikipedia. We must encouragestudents to use multiple and varied sources in theirWhen looking for general information or to gain a basicderstanding on a topic of interest, then Wikipedia is a gplace to start.

Using Wikipedia in the ClassroomThe vast majority of Wikipedia’s 65 million monthly visi-

tors never go beyond the first page of an article. However,each article has four tabs along the top of the page thatshould be explored.

should instead lookat this feature as anopportunity for in-dividuals who arepassionate andknow l ed g e a b l eabout a particulartopic to share withan authentic audi-ence. Most entriesare closely moni-tored for inappro-priate changes orerrors in editing.

ry – Every change, no matter how minor or sig-nt, is tracked in this tab. By visiting this tab, onele to determine what changes were made andere made, revealing whether changes were madely or by an identified individual.

For teachers who remain concerned about the instabilityof Wikipedia but want to take advantage of this free resource,Wikipedia has created a static version for schools:http://schools-wikipedia.com. The content can be navigatedusing a pictorial subject index or a title word index of all top-ics. Wikipedia Selection for schools is also available as a freedownload that can be accessed even when not connected tothe Internet. A 3.5GB DVD version is also available.

A Pertinent Example:The State of Giftednesson WikipediaIf Wikipedia is meant to represent the collective knowledge

on any given subject, then the field of gifted education is inneed of a major overhaul. As of this writing, there is no entryfor “giftedness.” There is a notice that the article is in need ofrevision and lacks proper citations and footnoting.The great contributors of the field are grossly underrepre-

sented or are lacking an entry entirely. For example, at thetime of writing this column, the Wikipedia entry for manyleaders in the filed consist of a single sentence. Similarly,there is currently no separate entry for the National Associa-tion for Gifted Children, United States.As members of the field of gifted education, it is our re-

sponsibility as digital citizens, scholars, and educators tobegin to contribute our expertise and knowledge about thefield. A wiki (Wikipedia page) has been created to initiate alist of names and topics that should be added or updated onWikipedia. You are encouraged to visit http://gifted-wikipedia.wikispaces.com to participate in this project. �

4 Histonificais ab

when they wanonymous

ency-beofour

research.un-reat

ArtviewsormationWik

Discofte

mainhasrga

Editby clickthis featuers. Rath

icle – This is usually as much information a readers when using Wikipedia, and appropriate for cur-y searches for information. As critical consumers of

infor , we should always be on the lookout for redflags. ipedia does identify potential problems in many ofthe articles. For example, if an article does not cite sources orexhibits potential bias in an article, an accompanying mes-sage is usually present.

ussion – This is a tab that is seldom explored andis n loaded with just as much information as the

article. Here a reader will regularly find that anarticle been evaluated and given a grade based on its con-tents, o nization, and authenticity. One can also see whatothers are saying about the article and can read accompany-ing suggestions.

This Page – Anyone can contribute to Wikipediaing on the “Edit This Page” tab. It is preciselyre that strikes fear in the hearts of many

teach er than being fearful of this capability, we

1

2

3

4 | FALL 2009 www.nagc.org

DDuring an education technology con-ference, an eFolio demonstrationcaught the eye of Thomas Odermatt, a5th/6th grade combined classroomteacher from St. Louis Park, Minnesota.Immediately, he began imagining howhe could use this electronic portfolioto encourage and improve studentwriting. Just one year later, Odermattreceived the Exceptional TeacherAward, which honors teachers who ef-fectively integrate technology (in hiscase, eFolio) in their classroom and en-gage students in learning. What ini-tially began as a tool to improvewriting, however, has become an inte-gral part of nearly every subject Oder-matt’s students study. Odermatt useseFolio for more than collecting andpresenting student learning evidence;he uses it to create unique opportuni-ties to build skills, self-confidence, andcreativity for everyone, including giftedstudents.My daughter, Jillian, was one of the

first lucky students to use eFolio inOdermatt’s class. I’ve seen firsthandhow practical and creative this elec-tronic portfolio is for teachers and stu-dents of all levels of ability. EFoliooutshines other electronic portfolioprograms with numerous benefits forall learners and teachers, its user-friendly design, and its reasonable af-fordability.

Comparing Electronic Portfolios“Most electronic portfolios are static

and use a software program to build thewebsite as a document,” Odermatt ex-plained to me when I visited his class-room recently. “Then, it has to beuploaded to the server and finally getsposted. Every time you make a revision,you go through it all over again. In-stead, eFolio is interactive and updatesin real time, live, as students makechanges with a quick turn on/off featurefor each section.” I’ve seen studentsquickly adapt to this editing feature.They have total and immediate control.

“Most websites stay with the institu-tion. The institution owns the web-site, and what happens when thestudent leaves? No more access.”Odermatt continued, “With eFolio,the student owns the website and theinstitution facilitates its development.Now the student can access and mod-ify it from any Internet access, andowns it forever.” Four years later, mydaughter still has access to her siteand can add to it whenever she likes.Imagine the ease of maintaining a stu-dent eFolio that stays with the studentK-12—no matter what changes in ge-ographic location the student makesfrom year to year.

Strengths of Using eFoliowith StudentsAs Odermatt pointed out, eFolio is

both owned by the student and quitesimple to use too. It can be designed tocontain the most basic, minimal docu-ments, or it can respond limitlessly toeach individual’s creativity.For example, some students in my

daughter’s class maintained only theminimum required reading log andwriting sections. However, Jillian alsoposted scanned original artwork, Pow-erPoint slides from her American His-tory project, and even an interactive,multiple-choice survey she designed forvisitors to her site.The interactive feedback feature is es-

pecially useful. Relatives, friends, andmentors who have been approved bythe student and teacher are given thepassword to the student’s site. At anytime, a visitor can leave a message thatwill appear next to the item of interest.I encouraged my writing students touse this feature to post their roughdrafts and then get feedback from along-distance mentor. Simple, genuine,and encouraging remarks are alwaysgreat motivators for students, and thisfeature allows for that.The final and perhaps most subtle

benefit for students using eFolio is that

students develop a sense of responsi-bility and good “cyber-citizenship.” Thisis done unwittingly and naturally bysimply creating and participating in theownership of an eFolio site. Odermatt,for example, takes advantage of teach-able moments when students are mak-ing judgments about appropriatecontent. They discuss the risks and dan-gers of disclosing last names, birthdates, and photos. “It’s important forparents to know about eFolio too.”Odermatt adds, “We encourage familiesto discuss issues of confidentiality, par-ent consent, and security.”

Benefits for TeachersStudent motivation is a primary ben-

efit for teachers. “There isn’t a day thatgoes by without kids asking me if theycan update their reading logs or posttheir latest poem,” said Odermatt. “It’sa great tool that develops internal mo-tivation for the student.”Facilitating differentiation is a plus

too. “I like how eFolio naturally dif-ferentiates for students at all abilitylevels,” said Odermatt. Students asearly as kindergarten and first gradecan begin assembling their own basiceFolios. As they grow older and con-tinue developing technological, aca-demic, and creative skills, they canchange and modify the site as needed.Academically challenged students willexperience success and a rewardingsense of accomplishment and self-control over their eFolios. Gifted stu-dents will too, but they will also takefull advantage of its limitless func-tionality. Teacher access is also a vitalcomponent of eFolio. It’s easy tomonitor each student’s site activity ei-ther from school, home, or from anyInternet access.The eFolio site structure is simple to

control. Teachers can choose from anumber of attractive and functionaltemplates for students’ eFolios. When anew section is required, for example ascience fair area, the teacher can set it

eFolio: An Electronic PortfolioOption for All LearnersBYWENDY A. SKINNER, ST. LOUIS PARK (MN) SCHOOLS

Wendy A.Skinner is a teacher andwriter in Minneapolis,Minnesota, andthe author of Infinity & Zebra Stripes:Life with Gifted Children published byGreat Potential Press.wendyskinner@earthlink.net

FALL 2009 | 5www.nagc.org

up on all eFolios at once or guide stu-dents in creating the new section them-selves.

Student ThoughtsIn my experience working with kids

on their eFolios, comments have rangedfrom expressions of challenge to pride.One student put it this way: “It waskinda hard at first. I’d never done thisbefore. But then I just did more andmore and now it’s really easy. I evenshowed it to my dad at home and taughthim how to set up his own site.” (I con-fess that my daughter also showed mehow to set up my own eFolio.)Since Odermatt’s students use eFolio

from year to year it is common to hearthis enthusiastic response at some timeduring the second year of use: “Look atall the books I read last year. And lookat this year’s. I’ve already read waymore books than last year.”But perhaps what turns on kids most

is their sense of control reflected incomments such as, “This is awesome. Ilike how I decide what it’s all gonnalook like.” And, talk about sense of con-trol… Odermatt recently told me thathe’d showed some students how theycould turn off the WYSIWYG (What YouSee If What You Get) feature in order todo their own HTML programming. Aweek later kids showed up at schoollugging fat HTML handbooks. With a lit-tle of their own independent research,they were eager to try out some basicHTML to customize their sites.

Technology Needs andRequirementsFor both teachers and students, the

technology skills and hardware needsare basic: mouse and keyboarding skillswith Internet access. Virtually anyonewith the basics can start up their owneFolio site. Three to four computersand a scanner or digital camera will getyou started.Odermatt’s and his teaching partner’s

classroom of about 46 students has abank of 17 computers—in addition tothe school’s dedicated computer lab.Students access computers wheneverthey have completed an assignment,during free choice, or during structuredtech time. Computers are an integralpart of the classroom environment andlearning process. About every other

week Odermatt collects artwork andother items for scanning and convertsthem to .jpg documents for posting onstudent sites. Students use a digitalcamera upon request to document art-work, presentations, assemblies, etc. forfuture postings as well. These toolshelp facilitate student achievement andallow full expression.With any technology, the more famil-

iar the user is, the easier it is to managegreater volumes of content. The moretechnologically savvy teachers will findthat integrating database managementprograms with eFolio can ease the man-agement and supervision of studentwebsites. And those familiar with HTMLcan use it to tailor eFolio to meetunique needs.

Some Advice• Check out the www.efoliomn.comor www.efolioworld.com websites.

• Familiarize yourself with eFolio bycreating your own eFolio.

• Start small with basic design andcontent.

• Remember, eFolio is dynamic; itwill grow as your needs grow.

• Involve parents.• Remember that with any new tech-nology, there are different levels ofunderstanding. Some students andteachers will do only what is re-quired while others will take it far-ther than you can imagine.

• Have fun with it!

Extensions for Future UseWhat’s next for eFolio in Odermatt’s

class? Odermatt discussed the idea ofusing a database management programlike FilePro to link state standards toitems on eFolio sites that show evidenceof meeting different state requirements.

And since his school is in the applicationprocess for the International Baccalau-reate Primary Years Program, he’smulling the idea of applying manage-ment links to this program as well.Of the immediate future, Odermatt

hopes to use eFolios during student-ledconferences. In preparation for discus-sions with students and parents, Oder-matt can spot check students’ work asthey update and collect data from theirportfolio. Students would be responsi-ble for preparing for and then givingtheir parents a tour through eFolio thatreflects their progress in reading, writ-ing, social studies, and even math.Odermatt and his students have

come a long way since 2003 when hefirst viewed a demonstration of eFolio.His students’ sites continue to grow insophistication as they explore, dis-cover, and apply new uses. Imaginewhat an electronic portfolio programlike eFolio could do for you and yourstudents—including gifted and tech-savvy learners. �

Resources• http://www.efoliomn.comElectronic portfolio service site of the Min-nesota State Colleges & Universities (MnSCU)for use by residents of and students enrolledin Minnesota.

• http://www.efolioworld.comElectronic portfolio service site for non-Min-nesota users.

• http://www.electronicportfolios.com/Researcher and author Dr.Helen Barretthosts this site, which includes FAQs, tools,resources, special topics, and applications.

• http://homepage.mac.com/thomasod/trecked/page2.htmlView documents and presentations pre-pared by Thomas Odermatt that bringeFolio and its uses to life.

More Information on eFolioDeveloped in 2001, eFolio Minnesota began as an e-portfoliosystem for university students, educators, and workers withinMinnesota state college and universities. Licensing of eFolio Min-nesota is free for all Minnesota residents including allstudents enrolled in Minnesota schools.Non-Minnesota usersrequire an eFolioWorld individual portfolio system.The costvaries upon the number of users within the licensed institution,according to the www.eFolioWorld.com site.

6 | FALL 2009 www.nagc.org

WWhat is so surprising about the latest list of myths in giftededucation is that many original myths have not gone away.Dr. Sandra Kaplan points out in the fall GCQ that a myth stillexists regarding a single curriculum that all gifted childrenmust follow. I struggled with this myself as a gifted resourceteacher. In attempts to serve the needs of my students, Isought that “single” curriculum with all the passion of Indi-ana Jones on the hunt for an illusive artifact. What I foundwas that when we search for a myth, we either are led downthe wrong path, or return home empty-handed. In my case,I have experienced both.

Chasing the MythWhy chase the curriculum myth? As Kaplan suggests, be-

lieving that there is a single curriculum certainly makes theteaching task a bit easier. Ambiguity leads many of us on thischase. Both researchers and theorists still debate not onlythe programming needs of the gifted, but the definition it-self. By chasing the concept of a single curriculum, we try tostructure and define the ambiguous. It was during this chasethat I discovered what I thought was the answer, Bloom’sTaxonomy. At the time it represented a list of hierarchal cat-egories in the cognitive domain that included: Knowledge,Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Eval-uation. When I first discovered it, it was being used to notonly plan lessons, but also to direct goal setting for students.An example of a goal used in my district was, “Billy will useanalysis, synthesis, and evaluation in a variety of settingswith 90% accuracy.” Although not explicitly stated, I had de-veloped my own myth about Bloom’s Taxonomy: Whenusing Bloom’s, gifted students should always be accessingthe top 3 categories.

Dispellingthe MythIt was not until

later in my careerthat I began to real-ize my myth had ledme down the wrongpath. Some of mystudents struggledwhen asked to ana-lyze content during alesson, what was I

doing wrong? I began by asking a simple question, “Wheredid Bloom’s Taxonomy come from?”The taxonomy of educational objectives was originally

conceived as a means of facilitating the exchange of testitems among university faculty in order to make sure thatwhen creating test items, each question would be measuringthe same educational objective (Krathwohl, 2002). It’s au-thor, Bloom, saw this original taxonomy as a way to developa common language about learning goals that could be as-sessed. Later, when the Bloom’s Taxonomy was revised(2001), it was still designed for this original purpose. Un-derstanding the origin of Bloom’s has helped to shed lighton my myth.Even though the original intent of Bloom’s was ensuring

variety in our test questions, it has become the gold stan-dard in promoting higher-level thinking skills. The cate-

gories were ordered fromsimple to complex and fromconcrete to abstract, restingupon the notion that mas-tery of the simpler categorywas a prerequisite to mas-tery of the next more com-plex one. It was not a farleap in logic to determinethat struggling learnersshould be answering ques-tions aimed at the “lowerlevels” of Bloom’s whereas

The Myth of GiftedCurriculum: RethinkingBloom’s TaxonomyBY JENNIFER BEASLEY, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIAjgb6t@virginia.edu

CURRICULUM CONNECTION

Original Taxonomy• Evaluation• Synthesis• Analysis• Application• Comprehension• Knowledge

Revised Taxonomy• Create• Evaluate• Analyze• Apply• Understand• Remember

the gifted students should beworking towards the top three lev-els. In theory, it seemed to makesense; in practice it meant thatstruggling learners were relegatedto fact-based activities without ex-posure to the abstract, concept-based aspects of the disciplines.They were never able to “see” thewhole picture of what they werelearning.In contrast, gifted students are expected to analyze and/or

evaluate knowledge, regardless of whether or not they mayhave some gaps in their understanding. Both scenarios arelimited in their view of the taxonomy and of our students.Authors of the revised taxonomy reflected upon the linearnature of the categories and realized that there are timeswhen students need access to all categories to solve andprocess problems. This fluidity of movement between cog-nitive categories better matches what we know about howpeople learn. On the surface, we surmise that all gifted stu-dents will primarily need to analyze, evaluate, and createknowledge, but to respond to the needs of our students,we need to dig deeper. I realized that I needed to pre-as-sess my students prior to the learning experience to deter-mine if there are areas where students might need toindicate that they understand or apply the concept or topic

I was teaching prior to evaluatingor creating during the learningexperience.

Finding the RealityWhen following a myth, we can

either be led down the wrongpath, or return empty handed.By following the notion thatBloom’s Taxonomy representedthe single most effective curricu-

lum for gifted students, I had neglected its original intent.After spending a good part of my career going down thewrong path in terms of curriculum for the gifted, I thank-fully returned home empty handed and turned to fellowcolleagues and best-practice research. The answers havenot been easy, and as Dr. Kaplan states in the most recentGCQ, it is important to recognize that curriculum needs tobe reactive to the diverse population of gifted students tobecome responsive to each gifted child. Bloom’s Taxonomycan be one of many wonderful tools that I can use on myjourney as a teacher, and knowing the truth I can now meetthe adventure of teaching my students head on. �

ReferenceKrathwohl,D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy:An overview.

Theory into Practice, 41(4), 212-218.

When following amyth, we can eitherbe led down the

wrong path, or returnempty handed.

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WWhen I taught Understanding Gifted Populations, the firstcourse in our Masters Program in Gifted Studies, I chose to usethe first couple of sessions to really dig into the myths sur-rounding gifted learners and gifted education. While therewere several sources available, mymain resource was the 1982Winter Issue of the Gifted Child Quarterly (Volume 26, Num-ber1). I found that we needed to “debunk” the myths if wewere to have a serious investigation of gifted learners and giftededucation. Many of my students, even those who were alreadycertified and teaching in gifted programs, were surprised andamazed at how they accepted and ascribed to many of thesemyths. I was pleased to see that NAGC is addressing this sig-nificant issue again.I always began my classes with a “read aloud.” Surely, we

don’t have to review here the research on the overwhelmingbenefits of reading aloud to our students—even adult students.On those occasions when I came to class/seminar with a fullagenda and neglected to share the read aloud, my graduate stu-dents would pull me up short with “Where’s our story?” I usedfour picture books that address some of the myths, especiallyon the nature of gifted learners. Ialso used these books with stu-dents and parents in addressinggiftedness, which resulted insome pretty interesting sessions.All of these books are still avail-able. The four books are:Stephen Cosgrove’s Leo the

Lop (Reissue 2002: SerendipityBooks)Nathan & Janet Levy’s There

are Those (1990: Nathan Levy Associates)Leo Lionni’s Frederick (Best bet in Frederick and His

Friends: 2002: Knopf Books) Also available in German andSpanish.Jasper Tomkins’Nimby: An Extraordinary CloudWhoMeets

a Remarkable Friend (Aladdin Books: 1991 and hardback1988: Children’s Press)Unfortunately, space does not allow full reviews of each of

these delightful books, all well-illustrated. So we will have tomake do with just a brief description.Leo the Lop is the story of a young rabbit that is different from

all his friends. His ears go down instead of up. As a result he isteased and even isolated. Then he discovers that “Normal iswhat you are,” a lesson that he shares with his friends. Cosgrovehas several Leo books, all of which have a decided theme or amodern moral, a trade mark of the Serendipity Books.

There are Those is awonderful, illus-trated poem that re-minds us that “Thereare those and theyare few, who see (andhear) much morethan others do.” Injust a few pages withinteresting abstract il-lustrations, we learna remarkable lessonabout gifted learners. By the way, Nathan is a long-time mem-ber of NAGC and you might know him as the “Stories withHoles” guy. I have used this bookmany, many times and nearlyevery time, someone will ask how they can get a copy.Anyone who is familiar with children’s picture books is well

acquainted with the amazing work of Leo Lionni, the recipi-ent of several Caldecott Awards. His books are popular withadults as well as children. In Frederick we have a young

mouse who “works” in a differ-ent way. His work is collectingwords, colors, feelings, and ex-periences that he shares when“Winter days are long and gray.”The delightful and somewhatsurprising ending never fails toillicit a few oohs and ahs. I havealso used this one with greatsuccess.The last book is Nimby: An

Extraordinary CloudWho Meets a Remarkable Friend. I longhave been a fan of Jasper Tomkins, perhaps not as well knownas the previous authors. Several of his books are in my library.Nimby is a little cloud that likes to do things differently. Hedoesn’t always follow the lead of his family. This frustratessome of the old puffs, “Since clouds should behave likeclouds! Even though some of them were secretly delighted.”Finally, he drifts off by himself and discovers a new friend. To-gether they express their giftedness. Nimby poses a very in-teresting question.So there you have it: four books that should help you ad-

dress the myths of gifted education. It appears that themantra of this column is “Never underestimate the power ofpicture books.” Let me know if you have a book that you useto address the myths or the needs of gifted learners. HappyReading. �

Responding to the Myths withPicture BooksBY BOB SENEY,MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FORWOMENbseney@muw.edu

BOOKS, BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS

I found that we neededto “debunk” the myths

if we were to have a seriousinvestication of giftedlearners and gifted

education.

““

TTwo St. Louis schools areprime examples of “Myth-Busters” in action when itpertains to misconceptionsabout what it means to be agifted child. Many believethat a child in special edu-cation cannot also be gifted.Churchill Center & Schooltackles this myth head onwith a special school for stu-dents of high potential withlearning disabilities. All stu-dents have an individual-ized program to fit theirunique learning needs.”Gifted kids can make it on their own,” is a very common

myth. In recognizing that gifted students need just as much,if not more, assistance in their learning, New City Schoolbusts this myth by incorporating multiple intelligences intoits curriculum, ensuring that gifted students’ individual learn-ing styles are matched with appropriate high quality curricu-lum. Assistance is given to all students.

Two Different ApproachesWhile both schools focus on the individual needs of learn-

ers, they approach this goal is different ways. At ChurchillCenter & School, teachers use the Wilson Reading Systemand are piloting a program with Carroll School and HarvardUniversity to collaborate in developing their math program.Each student has a tutorial teacher who serves as a casemanager. This teacher facilitates communication amongstaff, designs individualized programming, and shares per-tinent information with future schools or tutors. The goal isto prepare students to enter regular classrooms with confi-dence in their strengths and skills. Most students stay at

Churchill for approxi-mately three years.Teacher Judith SweeneyConnolly believes thatChurchill is unique be-cause of its individualizedprogram for every stu-dent, the 3:1 studentteacher ratio, and dailyone-on-one tutorials.Churchill Center &

School has been a two-time recipient of the De-partment of Education’sBlue Ribbon Award andseveral teachers have beenpresented with the Inde-pendent Schools of St.

Busting the Myths: Spotlight on St. LouisBY JENNIFER SELTING TROESTER,O’NEILL, NEBRASKAselt332002@yahoo.com

SCHOOL SPOTLIGHTON HIGH POTENTIAL

CHURCHILL CENTER & SCHOOL

Overview: Churchill Center & School,located near St. Louis,MO, is an extra-ordinary school catering to the needs ofhigh achievers with learning disabilities.Teachers at Churchill analyze each child’sspecific needs and abilities, then tailorexpectations and programs accordingly.Mission:Churchill Center & School giveshigh-potential children with learningdisabilities the finest, individualized,

remedial education and the support theyneed to achieve and return to a traditionalclassroom and fosters greater understandingand support for all people with learningdisabilities by training other educators,supporting our families, and enlighteningthe community.Started: 1978Private School Enrollment: 136Grades: 1–10

Town & Country,MO • http://www.churchillstl.org/

Editor’s Note: This column looks at how schools and pro-grams serve gifted and talented students across the coun-try. Both of the schools featured are hosts of Action Labs

during the NAGC National Convention in St. Louis. For moreinformation on these and other Action Labs, please visit:http://www.nagc.org/2009actionlabs.aspx.

NEW CITY SCHOOL

Overview: Located in St. Louis,MO,NewCity School uses Multiple Intelligences as atool to engage students. Each grade levelhas a curricular theme for the school yearand focuses on interpersonal andintrapersonal development throughthat curriculum.Mission:New City School prepares childrenage three through grade six to become joy-ful learners, to succeed academically, and tobe confident and knowledgeable aboutthemselves and others. As an international

leader in elementary education,New CitySchool offers outstanding academics, anurturing ambience, and a unique traditionof diversity.New City School students areinsightful leaders and creative problemsolvers who thrive in an ever-changingworld.Doors Opened: 1969Implemented Multiple Intelligences: 1988Private School Enrollment: 352Students Served: Ages three through sixthgrade

St. Louis,MO • http://newcityschool.org/

10 | FALL 2009 www.nagc.org

Louis Teacher of Distinction. This dedication reflects in stu-dent accomplishment. Kathi Harshman, a math and dramateacher states, “Churchill students are not only involved inachieving academic success, but also discovering areas ofstrength that they never knew they had.”At New City School, teachers identify student talents

through multiple intelligences and then tailor curriculum totheir talent. “The emphasis on multiple intelligences allowsstudents to understand themselves and their peers in a sensethat is broader than the traditional linguistic and mathemat-ical skill set,” a parent stated. Teacher Christine Wallach says,“The students learn how to solve problems within the class-room and within the school. At New City, the learning is ex-periential and leads the students to understand who they areas members of society and as individual learners.”New City recognizes different talents students have, giving

them a chance to develop their talent to its full potential.One parent commented, “The focus on diversity, the devel-opment of the emotional intelligence of the child, and theemphasis on creating a robust foundation for learning andgrowth are key components of the educational program atNew City.”Churchill and New City redefine what it means to be a

gifted student. Leaders like the ones found in the halls ofthese schools are the true MythBusters our studentsneed. �

threats, and to invest our time, energy, and efforts instrengthening practices that will finally lay these myths torest. We might argue that effective advocacy to others willbe enhanced by our ability to demonstrate that our ownefforts and actions reflect the best available knowledgeand practice for students.The broad areas represented in the 19 myths addressed

in the Fall 2009 issue of GCQ span the core themes andtopics that frame effective practice as well as an agendafor advocacy: a contemporary, inclusive view of the na-ture and definition of “gifts and talents,” a commitment toidentification practices that reflect purposeful efforts tounderstand students’ strengths and educational needs,and programming that responds to the strengths, talents,and sustained interests of our students in diverse and var-ied ways. As practitioners (in the school setting, inteacher education and research, or as advocates for pro-gram support), awareness of these myths, and a renewedcommitment to putting them behind us, can create afoundation not only for survival in difficult times, but alsofor constructive progress that will benefit educators, par-ents, and students everywhere. �

BRIDGING THE DIVIDEcontinued from page 1

www.nagc.org FALL 2009 | 11

12 | FALL 2009 www.nagc.org

You make reference to cre-ativity in your book statingthat onemust “Study form to

leave form.” You recognize adversityas a tremendous source of creative in-spiration, and you say that you findyourself in “Flow” at times. What ad-vice would you give to teachers look-ing to have students experience anddevelop their own creativity?

In my mind creativity is pri-marily an act of self-expres-sion. The greatest artists and

performers I have known or studied—in fields as diverse as chess, martialarts, business, finance, professionalsports, music, medicine, philosophy,writing—have worked tirelessly to un-derstand who they are and to embodyit in their work. They live and createin harmony with themselves. What isessential for these virtuosos is not theaccumulation of knowledge so muchas the release of obstructions to theirnatural self-expression.You mentioned my principle of “form

to leave form” or “numbers to leavenumbers.” Well, this is where it comesin. Students need to have a technicalfoundation in what they are learningbefore they can integrate ideas into cre-ative acts of self-expression. I comefrom the world of chess, which de-mands tremendous technical solidity,so I would never deny the need for asound foundation. A major problemwith our educational system is that ithas gotten so consumed with the accu-

mulation of knowledge that it has neg-lected that beautiful crystallization ex-perience that high-level learning andperformance are all about. Students arebeing force-fed information, butthey’re not being taught what to dowith it, let alone how what they arelearning can become an extension ofwho they are. Another way of puttingthis is that it is not memorized triviathat will stick with us in life, but the ex-periences that hold things together.This “glue” is also what is exciting, andstudents need to spend as much timeas possible utilizing it.

It is often said that whatmost gifted students needmost is a friend. You at-

tended the Professional Children’sSchool. I’m wondering if PCS was apositive or negative experience andwhat, if anything, you took awayfrom it?

PCS was tremendous for me.And you are definitely on tosomething because the empa-

thy of the school’s very premise did a lotto relieve the isolation I had felt at Dal-ton—an elite private school in NYC thatI had attended previously. Dalton is aschool that many Manhattan parents areravenous about getting their kids into,but it was not well-equipped to dealwith the unusual nature of my life. Forexample, once I traveled to India for 3weeks to represent the U.S. in theUnder-21 World Chess Championship,

and when I returned my 10th grademath teacher made me take the test myfirst day back, even though I had notbeen in class for one day in which thematerial was covered. This kind of rigid-ity can kill the spirit of a child with anunorthodox life or learning style. It canalso teach the wrong lessons—I got verygood at bluffing through tests, but thisshould not be what students are forcedto do.PCS was flexible. When I traveled

to a tournament teachers gave mematerial to work on abroad, and al-lowed me to catch up when I re-turned. This was a school attendedby the city’s top actors, dancers, mu-sicians, young entrepreneurs, ath-letes—a melting pot of driven,eccentric, passionate kids. We all hadour strengths and our weaknesses.There was no conformist mold otherthan perhaps nonconformity, andthere was a profound sense of com-munity centered on being bothdriven and haunted by our passions.As for teaching style, my favorite highschool experience was a tiny creativewriting class taught by a womannamed Shellie Sclan. Let’s just saythat we were learning to write bylearning about ourselves.

Speaking of teachers, youspeak about educators andtheir role in helping stu-

dents understand their own energyand self-efficacy. Two quotes fromyour book speak to many in the

Searching forExcellence: An Interviewwith Josh WaitzkinTHP editor Jeff Danielianinterviewed JoshWaitzkin, knownthroughout gifted circles as the onewho searched for Bobby Fischer.Heis the author of The Art of Learning(2007,Free Press). Josh will be thekeynote for the NAGC convention opening general session in St. Louis.

FALL 2009 | 13www.nagc.org

field of gifted and talented educa-tion: “As children, we might be toldto concentrate by parents andteachers, and then be reprimandedif we look off into the stars. So thechild learns to associate not focus-ing with being bad.” And, “He hadto teach me to be more disciplinedwithout dampening my love forchess or suppressing my naturalvoice. Many teachers have no feelfor this balance and try to forcetheir students into cookie-cuttermolds.” How might we throw awaythe molds and seek to provide in-dividualized instruction?

In my opinion this is the singlebiggest question in education.Students need to search for

who they are as both learners and per-formers, and from that process of dis-covery the creative act can emerge. Theprimary advice I would give to teachersis to develop their listening powers.Don’t teach at students. Don’t jamthem all into the same mold. Listen tothem and help them learn how to lis-ten to themselves. A teacher should bea guide in the journey of self-discovery,not just an information pump. Ofcourse when you are dealing withgifted children, and I use that term un-derstanding its huge range, this ideabecomes even more critical—studentsmust learn how to embrace the nuanceof their minds.One problem I see continuously

with teachers and parents is that theytalk one talk and walk another walk.Smart kids see through this hypocrisyand trust is often lost. So you’ll have aparent, for example, who talks aboutprocess but focuses all feedback on re-sults and is clearly reacting emotion-ally to short-term results over qualityof effort (both in their children’s livesand their own). Similarly, teachers mayunderstand the importance of differ-ent learning styles, but will fail to worktirelessly on the consistent presenceand improvisational spirit it takes torun a classroom with the listening-firstphilosophy. So they’ll speak about vi-sual, auditory, and kinesthetic learn-ing, but they will only teach inlanguage associated with their ownlearning style—which by definitionwill alienate over half the classroom,

especially when teachers tend to favorstudents who are similar to them (areal shame, but sadly prevalent). So ifI had to boil down my thoughts onthis subject to one phrase for teachersand parents, it would be: Walk theTalk. If you truly listen, students willlearn to listen. If you truly focus onprocess over short-term results, so willstudents. If you are willing to admityour mistakes, kids will see that it isokay to be imperfect.

Many high-ability studentsoften find themselves in sit-uations where they have

pushed themselves too hard, whichcan lead to a meltdown. I know youspeak of a “careful balance” associ-ated with this and I wonder what youwould say to students who feel thatthere is too much on their plates.

This is such a tricky questionto answer without treatingeach case individually. That

said, in general, I agree that manyhigh-ability students have too muchon their plates. Whether the pressureis internal or external, the result is aloss of love for learning, which is atragedy. There is no question that weneed to push our limits to grow, butwe can’t push so hard that we meltdown. Here are a few fundamentalprinciples I would mention: 1) Melt-downs often happen when we are ei-ther not doing what we love, or arenot doing things with a process thatwe love. 2) Be sure to exercise. 3)Simplify! Take on less at once and doit with more depth. This both re-duces anxiety and is a much health-ier way to learn. 4) Don’t forget tohave fun! Perhaps this is the most im-portant idea. Play should be a part ofeveryone’s life, but, unfortunately,driven children and the peoplearound them have a habit of forget-ting this.

One of the toughest chal-lenges for teachers in thefield is the selection, modi-

fication, and delivery of curriculum.You speak frequently about under-standing the fundamentals andfoundation of a certain discipline inorder to achieve mastery. One of the

many exciting “principles” in yourdeveloping coursework deals withthese ideas under the tentativeheading Advanced Learning. I won-der if you could elaborate on whatthe introductory discussion for thestart of a class in this area wouldlook like.

Developing non-prescriptivecurriculum is a huge chal-lenge, almost a contradic-

tion in terms, and I am still verymuch a work in progress on thisissue—so forgive me for answeringthis question somewhat abstractly. Inessence, advanced learning centersaround dissolving false constructs,dogma, and the artificial barriers wehave created between the various as-pects of our lives. Once these wallscome down, thematic connectionsbegin to emerge. We combine ideasin ways that we hadn’t previouslyconsidered. The intuitive mind takesa primary role, and growth in onesubject translates into growth inother subjects—this is when thingsget really exciting.So developing a nose for thematic in-

terconnectedness is the goal, and thegateway is learning how to draw princi-ples out of complexity. All this is mov-ing towards the idea that anycurriculum I would endorse or createwould be centered around using a dis-cipline (math, science, chess, music,athletics, or literature for example) toexplore principles that connect to otherdisciplines. So students would simulta-neously be learning about a subject andabout learning itself—and most impor-tantly, they would be actively engagedin the creative search for meaning.

We look forward to hear-ing you in St. Louis. Anyfinal thoughts to add that

may help us prepare for your pres-entation?

One thing I would say is thatI don’t intend for this to be aone-sided talk, but a dynamic

discussion. The more people comewith burning ideas, challenges, andquestions, the more we will all getout of it—I greatly look forward todiving in! �

14 | www.nagc.org

IIn high schools, secondary gifted edu-cators like myself face distinctive chal-lenges as we strive to meet the needs ofour students. Today’s standardized test-based culture, ever-increasing fundingissues, and our students’ busy lives begthe question, “What programming canwe offer that will be embraced by andbenefit these young scholars?”

Two Emerging Challenges forEducatorsCompeting with the plethora of op-

portunities available to today’s adoles-cents can be a challenge. At this age,students are highly mobile and techno-logically savvy, beginning to make theirown life choices. Typically, the students,not their parents or teachers, selecttheir activities from the multitude of ac-ademic and social possibilities. In otherwords, today’s adolescents participatein activities that intrigue and enrichthem. Time and againstudents say to me, “Wedon’t want to take an-other test, write anotherpaper or have an adulttell us how smart weare. We want to dosomething that interestsus!” One of our respon-sibilities as gifted educa-tors is to createprogramming optionsin which our studentschoose to participate.Another challenge

facing our gifted sec-ondary students relatesto their college and ca-reer choices. Studentsoften complete highschool with little idea ofthe relationship be-tween their schoolcourses and academicfutures. They frequentlyhave no idea what they“really want to do”when they go to collegeor have limited real-

world connections to their chosen aca-demic path. An opportunity for stu-dents to view their perceived passionfirst-hand and see if it is a “good fit” cansave time, money, and frustration asthey pursue their future vocations.

Developing a SolutionIn response to these challenges,

Stoughton High School in Stoughton,Wisconsin, has developed a mentor-ship program. With strands in everyimaginable subject area, this unique ap-proach to curriculum design has unitedgifted students with professionals whocan share their distinctive capabilitiesand insights. This is not job shadowing.Each mentorship includes a full cur-riculum design from goals to assess-ment, and requires a minimum of 87applied student hours. (The 87 appliedhours ensures student involvementequivalent to a traditional high school

semester class.) This year-long programtakes place on and off-campus,throughout the community, the state,and beyond.

Student ParticipationStudent involvement in mentorships

continues to expand (see Figure 1).Students who have completed one ofthese unique curriculum programs fre-quently pursue a second or third men-torship experience. Even if studentsdiscover that a chosen subject of inter-est isn’t what they expected or hopedfor, learning that perceived passionisn’t a good fit is valuable information.As all aspects of participation is volun-tary and the time commitment sub-stantial, much of the success of theprogram can be attributed to the on-going passion of the students and their

mentors. In other words,those who participate doso because they want to.The rewards of mentor-ship participation tend tobe practical and intrinsicadditions to the student’sand mentor’s real-worldexperiences. This processalso contributes to thestudent’s awareness of ac-ademic prospects beyondthe boundaries of highschool. To that end, an in-creasing number of stu-dents are also takingoff-campus and online ac-credited courses throughother high schools anduniversities. These op-portunities are proving tobe an excellent comple-ment to the mentorshipprogram.

ahip

Typically, a mentorshipplan begins with a stu-

Mentorships for Gifted HighSchool StudentsBY JOHN G. PALMER, JR., STOUGHTON HIGH SCHOOL,WISCONSIN

John “Jack” Palmer retired in 2009after a 35-year career as a publicschool educator. He continues teach-ing at the university level, consultingwith school districts,and presenting atconferences. jack@fbiloghomes.com

Figure 1.Total Number Yearly Mentorship Experiences.

InitiatingMentors

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FALL 2009 | 15www.nagc.org

dent approaching the high school co-ordinator with an idea. The student isthen required to formulate his or herthoughts into an initial proposal andthe process of matching the studentwith a mentor begins.Initially, the list of current mentors

and mentorships is checked to see ifthere might be an instant match. Ifneeded, the next step is to go “mentorhunting.” One option is to see whetherthe student has any family, friends, orother connections that might lead to amentorship pairing. Also, while the In-

ternet and email can be wonderfulsources, the good-old yellow pages anda personal phone call from the studentcan’t be beat for initiating a positive ini-tial mentor response. Throughout the14 years of the program, there is a 100%success rate of matching students with amentor. That’s not to say that every ini-tial contact is successful, but persist-ence always pays dividends in the end.Considered through this entire

process is the safety of the student.School district security and confiden-tiality procedures must be followed,and personal student information care-fully guarded. Also, the student’s par-ents or guardians must participatethroughout the mentorship process.Even though they are volunteers, the

number of adult professional mentorscontinues to increase. In fact, as wordof the program spreads, potential men-tors often approach the school coordi-nator before a student has requested alearning plan in his or her area of ex-pertise. When this happens, the typicalprocedural roles are reversed and theschool coordinator informs studentprogram participants of the new men-torship possibility. From the fine arts tothe sciences, from computer program-mers to our governor, adults are eagerto assist the next generation of profes-

sionals with their college and careerchoices. Also, mentors regularly con-tinue volunteering in this capacity aftertheir first mentorship experience.

A New Direction for Mentorships:RecruitmentIn the spring of 2007, a high school

guidance counselor shared one home-schooled student’s unique educationalprogramming with the high schoolmentorship coordinator. This studentwas a highly accomplished musicianand actress. It took about 30 seconds

for the light bulb togo on.Since that time, sev-

eral previously home-schooled studentshave registered asfull-time students atStoughton HighSchool. In the morn-ings, these studentstake rigorous “tradi-tional” high school

courses, and in the afternoons they pur-sue their off-campus academic passionswith professional mentors. We haveused the existing mentorship planningmodel to turn the very passions thattook these students away from the tra-ditional educational setting into part oftheir personal public school curriculumplan. Initial feedback from the studentsand their families indicates that men-torships may be an excellent corridorfor home-schooled students to success-fully re-enter the traditional high schoolenvironment. Through increased en-rollment of formerly home-schooledstudents and conversations with thestudents and their families, continuedprogram growth is anticipated.

Starting a Mentorship ProgramIn a word, slowly! It is critical for the

mentorship program coordinator tohave time during the working day to de-velop the program. Careful planningwill ensure that all involved are at easewith the development of the initialmentorship curriculum designs. Therole of the mentorship coordinator in-volves developing the appropriate per-sonal and professional connections,assisting in the development of eachstudent’s individualized curriculum,and overseeing all mentorships from

initiation to conclusion.In its initial stages, follow-through for

each student’s personalized mentorshipprogram is essential. Taking time to reg-ularly communicate with all involvedwill greatly increase the comfort level ofall. Then, after the program is success-fully underway, watch it grow! �

ResourcesAmbrose,D., Allen, J. & Huntley, S. (1994).Men-torship of the highly creative.RoeperReview, 17(2), 131-134.

Berger, S. (1990).Mentor relationships andgifted learners.Washington,DC:Office of Ed-ucational Research and Improvement.

The Davidson Institute Team. (2006).Mentor-ships: a guidebook. Reno,Nevada:The David-son Institute.

Purcell, J.H.,Renzulli, J.S.,McCoach,D.B.,& Spot-tiswoode,H. (2001,December).The magic ofmentorships.Parenting for High Potential,22–26.

Roberts, J., & Inman,T. (2001,December).Men-toring and your child:Developing a success-ful relationship.Parenting for High Potential,8–10.

Subotnik,R.,Sonnenborn,D., & Emery,R. (2003).Through another’s eyes: the pinnacle project.Gifted Child Today, 26(2), 14-17.

Whitton,D.& Siegle,D. (Eds.). (1992).What ed-ucators need to know aboutmentoring(Practitioners’Guide – A9406). Storrs: Uni-versity of Connecticut, the National ResearchCenter on the Gifted and Talented.

Typically, the students,not their parents orteachers, select theiractivities from the

multitude of academicand social possibilities.

““

Write for THPDo you have practical classroom

applications of current research,

theory, and best practices in the

field of gifted education? Are

you proud of the innovative way

you address the needs of gifted

students in your school or class-

room? Have you created a suc-

cessful lesson or unit plan that

aligns with the NAGC Pre-K-Grade

12 Gifted Program

Standards? If so, we

want to hear from you!

Send manuscripts to:

Jeff S. Danielian, Editor, THP

at jdanielian@nagc.org.

16 | FALL 2009 www.nagc.org

TThe ProgramThe Accelerated Reader® (AR) is a computer-based, read-

ing management and motivational system designed to sup-plement the existing elementary classroom reading program.The program encourages students to read and improve com-prehension by using a goal and incentive system. AR (1998)offers more than 75,000 quizzes on fiction and nonfictionbooks from publishers around the world.The most commonly used AR program in schools is a series

of grade equivalency leveled quizzes associated with tradebooks available in the school or public library. Points are al-located based on student quiz scores with the intent of pro-viding motivational awards or prizes upon completion ofschool- determined benchmark scores for reading comple-tion and comprehension.

Mis-ApplicationUnfortunately, few schools initiate AR as it was developed

and researched. In many cases, schools purchase and use ARas a means of validating reader ability based on grade equiv-alency growth as measured by periodic Standardized Test forAssessment of Reading® (STAR) applications. Students are re-quired to complete a certain number of points per gradingperiod (as established by teachers or a grade-level commit-tee) and usually receive a number grade associated with com-pletion of this task.This in-practice implementation of the AR program has not

been studied, and may actually undermine the existing re-search support associated with the primary intent of AR beinga motivational and supplementary tool for a more detailedreading curriculum. The mis-application of a motivationaltool has a negative impact on high-ability readers andgifted/talented learners.In my work with gifted and talented learners, there have

been many instances where parents have complained thattheir voracious reading child had “shut down” or stoppedreading after taking part in AR programs at schools. Upon fur-ther investigation, gifted learners shared some interestingcomments:

“I hate reading. I used to like to read for fun, butnow reading is nothing but forced. I have to earn

points each quarter or my grade is lowered. There arelots of times I just take the tests in the morning to seeif I can guess enough right to pass.” (4th grade boy,Ohio)

“Isn’t reading supposed to be something you do forfun on your own after you learn how to read? I have

to pick from a narrow set of books, most of which arenot interesting to me.” (2nd grade girl, Illinois)

And in other situations, school-savvy gifted students havefound ways to work around the AR requirements. One forth-right student shared,

“We’ve devised a nice system. We each pick onebook worth the most points we can get. We read it,

take the test and then discuss the test questions and an-swers amongst ourselves.” (6th grade girl, SouthCarolina)

Is this cheating? Or, is this a way that gifted students havelearned to cope with a “motivational program” that provideslittle in the way of motivation and more in the way of pro-grammed reading rather than pleasure reading.Watts (2004) presents additional support to the contention

that AR deters and degrades advanced learners’ motivation toread. Watts found that seventh-grade students scoring highlyon the STAR tests consistently complained about the limitedoptions available to them for reading and the requirementfor completing quizzes over reading as a way to earn a grade.Obviously, there needs to be research done that specifically

addresses the unique needs of advanced readers and theirexperiences with the AR program. I encourage you to startlooking closely at the impact that a research-supported mo-tivational program can have when the research does not con-sider the gifted and talented learner. The research statisticsmight be there in general, but when considering the giftedpopulation of readers and their advanced abilities, the targethas not been even recognized on the research map.What are your experiences and thoughts about the AR pro-

gram in schools? Have you considered the impact this pro-gram might have on advanced readers? Have you wonderedhow much impact “pay for pages” has on kids’ developingsense of pleasure reading? I welcome your comments in thehopes we can advocate more effectively for programs moresuited for students of high ability. �

ReferenceWatts,B. (2004).Accelerated Reader: Itsmotivational effects on advancedadolescent readers.Masters Abstracts International, 43(02), 386. (UMINo. 1423331).

Motivation or Mis-Application:The AcceleratedReader Program and Gifted LearnersBY BOB SCHULTZ, UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDOrobert.schultz@utoledo.edu

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

“

“

“

EEvery teacher needs this book. Finding April Hollow is one ofa kind. Its rich detail and poignant descriptions as studentsand their teachers interact—or not—give educators an excit-ing, fresh approach to the art and science of teaching. Bothinsightful and instructive, this magical book also makes an in-dispensable resource for new teachers who are learning todistinguish “flat-line (read: ‘lifeless; dead’) instruction” fromgenuine teaching! For the next graduate or undergraduateclass I teach, I shall use Finding April Hollow as a requiredtext. It’s simply THAT good!

Finding April Hol-low is a unique gem,which I’ve begunto share withcolleagues whoseteaching I respect.This extraordinarystory illustrates how,in unconventionalways, a class of stu-dents can be chal-lenged to be the bestthey can possibly be.Working together inan atmosphere of ex-perimentation andacademic rigor, nei-ther of which ismentioned specifi-cally, these young-sters applaud thisstimulating learning

environment and guard it jealously as a perfect home fortheir own very personal reasons.Playful puns, special words reiterated in key places to tether

the reader to each child individually, and colorful, descriptive,and frequently humorous references make for the beautifullycrafted piece of written art that is Finding April Hollow. Pas-sages are compelling, yet gentle and often subtle as they con-vey the art of effective teaching. I myself have read the storytwice and plan to read it again. Its vibrant, refreshing detail isworth multiple reads. �

BOOK REVIEW

Finding April HollowBY CAROLYN R.COOPER, ST. LOUIS,MOcrc205@att.net

Authors: Jody M. Lewis and Laura ZigglePublisher: White Canoe ProductionsContact information: http://whitecanoeproductions.comemail: admin@whitecanoeproductions.com

The Wild Ones

Each day a wild flower

is mistaken for a weed.

I used to teach the wild

roses, the daffodils that listed

toward the ground.

I found that I could comprehend

their differences, see the sky

from angles that they knew

and in a host of colors,

not merely blue.

Each day an unexpected tune

is sung but not perceived

as anything but noise.

I used to find that I could

poise silent for amoment

and, though I do not hear all

music very well, even I could

tell that sometimes

symphonies were being

played beforeme.

©2009 (Jody M. Lewis, Ballwin,MO)

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H

www.nagc.org18 | FALL 2009

Having an adequate, diverse, and well-trained supply of sci-entists and engineers depends on what thousands of high-ability students in K-12 decide every year to do with theirlives, which is influenced by access to varied, challengingcoursework taught by highly skilled teachers. Below you willfind resources to help with that endeavor.

Great ScienceWebsites and other Online ResourcesCogito.org – http://www.cogito.orgCogito.org was developed by the Johns Hopkins Center for

Talented Youth (CTY), in collaboration with TIP at Duke Uni-versity, CTD at Northwestern, RMTS at U. of Denver, theBelin-Blank Center at U. of Iowa, C-MITES at Carnegie Mel-lon, the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, the Cen-ter for Excellence in Education, and Science Service. Thegoals are to address the needs of gifted students around theworld who have abilities and interests in math and science.The public site is full of news, interviews with scientists, pro-files of young scientists, and a searchable database of pro-grams. Students invited to join as members become part ofan online community and participate in discussion forumswith each other and with experts in their fields.

National Public Radio (Science Friday) – http://www.sciencefriday.com/The NPR site contains a wealth of resources relating to their

Friday afternoon program Science Friday. Each broadcast issupplemented with a series of educator resources. Some-times I simply turn it on, and have the students listen in. Pastprograms are archived as podcasts.

How Stuff Works – http://science.howstuffworks.com/Have your students access this remarkable site’s extensive

science resources. Categories listed in those resources includeearth science, engineering, physical science, life science, space,and the supernatural. Each category offers many individual tu-torials that clearly and completely explain a particular topic.The earth science section of the site, for example, includes tu-torials on volcanoes, rainbows, diamonds, quicksand, carbon-14 dating, and much more. Although this site is not new, theresources are constantly being updated and extended.

“Science Class”e-newsletter – http://www.nsta.org/?lid=logoThis monthly newsletter is distributed through the

National Science Teachers Association and can be

found on its website.

Print MaterialDoes your child love to experiment with unusual objects?

Does she revel in asking and discovering answers to her ques-tions about the world around her? Can he take apart and putback together any complicated machine, without reading theinstructions? Parents of children with precocious science abil-ity will find the suggestions in Encouraging Your Child’s Sci-ence Talent engaging, encouraging, and practical.

Encouraging Your Child’s Science Talent: The InvolvedParents' GuideAuthor: Michael S.Matthews.http://www.prufrock.comScience Education for Gifted Students begins with creative

ways to engage children in the primary years, thus ensuringthat they develop a love of science that will last a lifetime.Subsequent chapters deal with acceleration and enrichmentin the sciences, including instructional units on magnetic lev-itation, integrating science and physical education, and real-world archaeology.

Science Education for Gifted Students (A Gifted ChildToday Reader) Editors: Susan K. Johnsen, and JamesKendrick.http://www.prufrock.com

Math and Science Curriculum from the College of Williamand Mary

Titles such as:Water Works: A Physical Science Unit for High-AbilityLearners in Grades K–1AndWhat’s the Matter?: A Physical Science Unit for High-AbilityLearners in Grades 2–3http://www.prufrock.com

Other ResourcesExplore one of the oldest and one of the newest Math and

Science academies.

The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematicshttp://www.ncssm.edu/Opened in 1980, The North Carolina School of Science and

Focus: ScienceBY JEFF DANIELIAN, PEGASUS PROGRAM, LASALLE ACADEMY, RHODE ISLAND

RESOURCES FOR THE EDUCATOR

Editor’s Note: This issue of THP includes a new column thatwill feature a sampling of resources based on a subject areaor theme for classroom teachers. The columns will be

archived under the Content Connections section of the NAGCwebsite for future reference. This issue focuses on scienceeducation.

FALL 2009 | 19www.nagc.org

Mathematics became the country’s first public, residentialhigh school. The school enrolls students for their junior andsenior years in high school.

The Kentucky Academy of Mathematics & Sciencehttp://www.wku.edu/academy/The Kentucky Academy of Mathematics and Science

opened its doors during the 2007-2008 school year. This linkprovides an “insider's look” at the birth of a new academy.

Resources on the NAGC WebsiteHot Topics: STEMhttp://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=1484Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Our

Nation’s Renewable Resources

“Providing Kids with Challenge in Science: Scientists-In-Schools” by Dorothy A. Sisk. THP, Winter 2006.http://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/THP/THP_Issues/THPpostconv(winter06).pdf

Explore Science as a content connection on NAGC’s website.http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=990&terms=science#science

Planning Science Programs for High Ability Learners byJoyce VanTassel-Baska. ERIC Digest, 1998.http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-3/science.htm �

Equity in Excellence: Ensuringthat Diverse Learners Participatein Gifted Education Programsand Services

Too many students are not receivingappropriately challenging curriculum andservices and as a result, fail to reach theirpotential. This is a loss, not only for thestudents, but for the nation. Currently,K-12 education policy focuses almostexclusively on closing the achievementgap for struggling learners. As researchstudies have shown, there is a growinggap at the top end of the achievementscale between white students andstudents of color and between advancedstudents from low-income backgrounds and those frommore advantaged circumstances.

NAGC has been working to address the achievement gap between high-ability learners of color or fromlow-income backgrounds and those frommore advantaged circumstances.

Visit the Equity in Excellence section of the NAGC website http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=4658 forinformation regarding:

• An overview of the issue.• Strategies to ensure Equity in Excellence through Identification,Assessment,Classroom

Instruction, and Teacher Training.• NAGC’s new legislative initiative• A wealth of supporting resources from NAGC