Select one of the following quotes and offer your opinion along with supportive evidence from the text: (don't forget to include page numbers)
- “If we provide able learners with a curriculum too easily mastered, we run the risk of undermining and demotivating them, setting the stage for boredom, disappointment, and underachievement. We also rob society of the opportunity to profit from what these creative, innovative, clear-thinking children could accomplish if we set their minds free.” (pg. 8)
- “We speak comfortably about elite athletes in our schools. If the purpose of school is education, why are we so uncomfortable with the concept of elite students?” (pg. 15)
- “Parents and schools must provide all students with equal opportunity but not with equal treatment.” (pg. 15)
- “In constructivist classrooms, students don’t sit passively soaking up data and theories. Instead, they breathe life into their own learning.” (pg. 43)
Posts
On page 15- "We speak comfortably about elite athletes in our school...uncomfortable with the concept of elite students." I found this very interesting. At an elementary level at least, we almost have to "hide" the GT kids to not make others feel badly, especially when they leave campus for a day to go to Bendwood. However, when a student has exceptional athletic abilities, they are celebrated at pep rallies, parents wearing buttons with their picture, their numbers on jerseys, etc. I never thought about the hypocracy of it until I read that section.
ReplyDeleteAs explained previously on that page, the concept of "elitism" emerges when there are those who are always ahead of others. However, if gifted children in a content area, are grouped together, then the likelihood that the same child always comes out first is less likely. As stated on page 15 " if we allow gifted students access to peers and programs that test their limits, they are less likely to grow swelled heads."
ReplyDeleteI agree with the quote from page 15,“We speak comfortably about elite athletes in our schools. If the purpose of school is education, why are we so uncomfortable with the concept of elite students?”
ReplyDeleteSociety places way too much importance on athletic prowess. Student athletes are viewed as gods by some, yet when gifted kids are praised, it's seen as "special" treatment? I'm not trying to put down athletic programs. I think they can do tremendous good for many of our kids. I just agree with the author that if we can have Varsity sports, it should be o.k. to have special funding and groups for gifted kids. I think the concept of grouping G/T kids makes perfect sense. "The interactions among students of comparable intellectual ability has the same effect it does on the basketball court and in the orchestra pit. Relationships and teamwork are strengthened, competence is enhanced, and at the same time, students become more realistic about their place in the school and in society"(15). These kids have the potential make so many great contributions to our society. They deserve whatever support we can give to them to help them reach their potential.
page 15 - "We speak comfortably about elite athletes ..." This has come up before in GT training meetings. We not only speak comfortably about these elite athletes and fine arts participants, we celebrate them with pictures and announcements. I think we should do the same with any students who excel in school, GT or not. Some people are uncomfortable with this and think the other students will "feel bad" but they don't seem to worry about that with sports and/or fine arts.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the feeling of uncomfortableness of the elite students, I would like to see more promoting of competitions among the elite students to compete with each other in different types of competition. In the past, Mathletics was a competition that allowed kids of different grade levels to compete against each other in school teams. It was a way for the elite/proficient students to "show their stuff" and feel the benefits of being on a team.
ReplyDeleteIn response to cstrickland-I agree with what you typed about how we don't want others to be uncomfortable, or "feel bad", but we don't worry about that with sports or fine arts. It is true that we celebrate gifted athletes and reward them with money and fame, and in the real world, those with gifted brains who come up with life-changing theories, vaccinations, etc. are also celebrated, so why can't our students?
ReplyDeletepg. 15 I enjoyed the discussion about elitism. We recognize the athletes and performers who excel in their activities, but we do not recognize our gifted students who excel. It seems there isn't enough time in the schedule or money in the budget to support programs that pursue academic excellence, but we have those resources when it comes to the electives. Since our GT population is so small, it's difficult for others to see them as a valued asset for our school.
ReplyDeleteRe p. 14: I believe that there are elite students (and there should be) and they need to be encouraged and "coached" to reach their full potential. Of course, it takes money and time to accomplish that. These students, when grouped together, are able to collaborate and compete with one another and achieve a greater outcome than they might have individually. I am torn, though, because I also like to have some G/T students in with grade level classes, because they seem to elevate the achievement of the whole class. When a few students can answer the tough questions, it gets all of them thinking and participating.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Sharon G.--MathCounts is a tremendous competition for GT students in middle school. However, unless you have time built into your schedule daily, you'll find that the kids can't really be competitive city-wide. Our program was only successful when students were challenged everyday, but now with the combined GT/pre-ap classes, there is no time.
ReplyDeleteIn response to k kavanaugh's post about celebrating our gifted students, it reminds me of a commercial, I believe it's intel, where they're all fawning over a man - who happens to be the creator of the usb (i think?) and they say "you have your heroes we have ours". I think that's a wonderful image and reminder of how different accomplishments in different fields are just as, or even more important to our everyday life. I think it should also be our role to educate our students about competitive opportunities and groups/competitions (such as JETS, UIL Literary meet, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI was really taken with the comment on elitism and comparison of GT students with outstanding atheletes. I have often wondered why we celebrate those that are talented atheletes, but many times do not do the same for those that are academically gifted.... I think that we sometimes discourage students to be proud of their academic success...yet encourage students to be outstanding atheletes. It is also important for students that are GT to build relationships...so much of atheletics is building relationships and working as a team to a common goal, yet we don't often give GT students the same experiences to build relationships with people who think like they do (thankgoodness for Bendwood!) In watching my own GT students, I do notice how as they work together, they rise to the top as they question each other and sometimes spend time arguing over minor details. It is this type of activity that will enable them to understand how to grow their talents. I think we need to celebrate the GT child, it may be amazing how many students have a talent that they hide.
ReplyDeleteI think people are threatened by the gifted in any area. Since people are born gifted there is obviously room for envy:people feel "It's not fair!" This attitude again is shown in all areas of endeavor--athletics, intellectual pursuits...
ReplyDelete“We speak comfortably about elite athletes in our schools. If the purpose of school is education, why are we so uncomfortable with the concept of elite students?” (pg. 15)
ReplyDeleteI think that most parents don't want to be the parent of a "dumb" kid, because it might mean that they gave their child inferior genes. So no one wants to admit that their student cannot keep up with what everyone else can do. If the gifted students are working on a different project, their student should too, just so they don't feel different or bad about themselves. I think that society pushes us in this direction with win, win, win attitudes. I don't think that the focus is even on the gifted students getting "swelled heads" (page 15), but the other students feeling left out or different. Instead of focusing on what makes us all different, including learning ability, schools focus on everyone can do it! Parents preach it, teachers preach it, and the federal government preaches it--so it must be true--everyone can do everything all of the time in the classroom! Since everyone is the same, we can't admit that we have elite learners. We need to teach students that just as everyone cannot win a soccer game, everyone cannot learn the same things at the same level at the same time.
KHarrell - As I screened through the responses...I was taken by LGuidry's comment - I so agree that we need to coach students to meet their full potential. I do see the other side where a GT student can bring up the classroom and see that as an important factor....there are so many things to think about as we try to meet the needs of GT students.
ReplyDeleteI chose the first quote:
ReplyDelete“If we provide able learners with a curriculum too easily mastered, we run the risk of undermining and demotivating them, setting the stage for boredom, disappointment, and underachievement. We also rob society of the opportunity to profit from what these creative, innovative, clear-thinking children could accomplish if we set their minds free.” (page 8)
This truth of this quote is 50% percent of the reason I am so interested in gifted education. This is a tough pill to swallow…the educator really makes the difference. Not just in the life of the student, but in the quality of society. Whoa! We really cannot passively/occasionally choose to differentiate/curriculum compact/etc. for the able learner. It is a necessity!
As much as I try to see the glass half full and focus on all of those students who do well academically. I find that I am constantly preoccupied/haunted by the thought of those few students (seemingly gifted) who don’t return to school by choice (boredom, etc) or because of legal problems or who coast through school doing the bare minimum. It is so disheartening to think that we will probably never know there full potential/ability….we, society, will probably never benefit from there gifts/talents.
Marylou Kelly Streznewski In ¬Gifted Grown Ups: The Mixed Blessing of Extraordinary Potentiality author Marylou Kelly Streznewski “describes her interviews with gifted individuals who ended up in prison (she reports that 20% of the prison population is gifted) because they were not adequately stimulated in school or because no one was there in a mentor role to help them direct their enormous energy appropriately.” (Am J Psychiatry 157:1902-1903, November 2000 © 2000 American Psychiatric Association)
This makes me want to cry! What a waste, the behavior of a gifted person draining society’s resources rather than advancing, enhancing, and/or improving it.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/157/11/1902 (link to article quoted above)
http://school.familyeducation.com/gifted-education/criminology/40932.html (similar article)
In constructivist classrooms, students don’t sit passively soaking up data and theories. Instead, they breathe life into their own learning.” (pg. 43)
ReplyDeleteI found this quote interesting because I believe it ties into motivation. If a student, particularly a GT student, feels that he/she is the master of his/her learning, then the student is more likely to be highly motivated.
In response to E. Vessali~
ReplyDeleteI agree that if gifted children in a content area are grouped together, that the same child always comes out first is less likely. The “competition” between the students allows for variety, and a chance to be a leader and a follower, something gifted students often struggle with.
In response to S. Acevedo~
ReplyDeleteWow! Thank you for your response….you reminded me of the reason I became a teacher, to make a difference in the lives of the children we serve. As educators, sometimes we tend to focus on the struggling students and forget that GT students need our attention and guidance just as much. Again, thank you for your insightfulness.
2. “We speak comfortably about elite athletes in our schools. If the purpose of school is education, why are we so uncomfortable with the concept of elite students?” (pg. 15)
ReplyDeleteI think that some of the possible reasons that some schools feel uncomfortable when dealing with exceptionally gifted students are:
1. They don’t fit the mold educator’s use for over 90% of their students. Page 8, “only 3-5% of children are intellectually gifted” implying they aren’t worth the expense, but having a big football stadium and program gives the school more exposure for the buck.
2. These students may be smarter, or think that they are smarter, than the teachers trying to teach them. Personal experience, some students are smarter in certain areas than I was. It made for an interesting class, seemed like everybody learned something.
3. Most educators feel that these students are going to receive commended performance on the state testing anyway, so, why expending funds, time and effort on a small elite group that are going to excel anyway. Page 11 talks about the “nearly constant state of test anxiety” some of the highly gifted student’s experience.
4. Parents my not be aware when students are not pushed to higher learning and therefore don’t pressure the school to improve the curriculum. Page 11, “Many parents may not know that there is a new national standard that states that all teachers now must be HQT”
5. The old “Nobody helped me and I made it” argument.
In response to angele bressler's comment about GT students needing to feel like they are masters of their learning, I wonder if we could have more staff development to incorporate this idea into everyday learning for these students so that they could feel more a part of their education and be "empowered" to make learning more interesting and motivating to others. Would this look more like inquiry groups at the elem. level or something else altogether?
ReplyDeleteKharrell - in response to S Acevdo and a bressler - I too say thank you for reminding me why I am in the field...we do need to remember that GT students often need as much "help" as a special student - just in different ways. The hard part is finding the gifts of each child and meeting their needs.
ReplyDeleteI chose quote number two.
ReplyDeleteI agree that schools and parents need to offer the opportunities necessary but teachers have the responsibility to be on the lookout for acceclerating the instruction of the gt students one has. Like stated in the book "some children have a preference for one learning style, but others use a mixture of styles to learn" (15). Consequently it is important to maintain the children motivated and challenge them so that they can continue to construct their learning.
hello everyone I meant I responded to quote number three not two. Sorry about that.
ReplyDelete“If we provide able learners with a curriculum too easily mastered, we run the risk of undermining and demotivating them, setting the stage for boredom, disappointment, and underachievement. We also rob society of the opportunity to profit from what these creative, innovative, clear-thinking children could accomplish if we set their minds free.” (page 8)
ReplyDeleteIn all my years as an educator, I have tried to meet each student whereever he/she is developmentally. So much of what we do today is to get the strugglers up to performing on level that other kids are just left to fend for themselves. Many teachers teach only in large group, because they don't know how to differentiate and pinpoint students' specific needs. All too often, the gifted students in the room languish--it's no wonder they lose motivation and refuse to perform! When I present district inservices or talk to grade levels on my campus, I tell them that the gifted students have the same right to grow educationally as the other students in their classrooms.
I selected quote # 2 because I believe in this country so much empahsis and praise and reward is place in sports and and for academis the tune is different.I firmly believe that GT students will benefit if they are group together, they all can gain for having peers that are more talented "they meet other who are capable or even more talented" p. 15 Why a GT student should be put in clasroom with other peers that (lets face it) sometimes cannot even cath with the rest. The GT students has to go sometimes to boredom because..... I see this with my own son. Who was identified as GT since grade 1. Sometimes he tells me that he does not do HW because is not someting that he consider meaningful!!!!. His grades has dropped.
ReplyDeleteHe interest is not there. When it comes to TAKS test or other assesment he does very well.
He consider some tasks in the clasroom "boring Mom" I think he will had benefit if he has classes with peers like him. So do I believe all children are gifted NO.
The quote located on page 15 speaks volumes! Never before have I heard the concept of “elitism” in education (elite athletics & elite students) spelled out so clearly. As educators it seems we understand the idea of “elite” students especially since the information on the bottom of page 4 page indicates that “there are approximately three million children in America [who] can be classified as gifted”. Without respect of these gifted student’s thinking and creating…what does our future hold. The selected quote to me opens the doors for conversations to include the words “elite” & ‘students” together more often.
ReplyDeleteYou go K. Kavanagh! I agree that gifted athletes are rewarded with money along with fame and great minds are celebrated who come up with ideas that are life changing. It seems ironic that gifted students are the very individuals who more than likely are the ones bettering our lives in the future with their curiosity and interest…and yet, society does not see them as an elite group of students.
ReplyDelete"If we provide able learners with a curriculum too easily mastered...setting the stage for boredom..."
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement and I have set this as my goal this year as a new GT teacher to provide these students with engaging and relevant lessons. It states on page 39 "that research clearly shows that boredom is a close cousin of frustration. A child who is nearly desperate to learn and is given nothing but a standard curriculum will be frustrated then bored..."
Whitney and Hirsh (p. 43) note constructivist classrooms as a place where students breathe life into their own learning. What a tremendous statement! The environment becomes one where not only content is learned, but also self-discipline, and utilization of multiple resources and CCP. While I have no gifted students I do have students who know most of the learning center materials and would benefit from the opportunity to practice skills higher up on Bloom's taxonomy.
ReplyDeleteWonderweiss's(9/29,4:58)comment that parents and schools preach an everyone can do it mentality must surely go back to at least one "bandaid" that was to remedy some other educational woe back there in the past. Why and when did people become accepting that some kids are stronger than others for athletic endeavors? Appearance alone should contribute to that. Are we as a society fearful to side step for those who intellectually "can"? Does the mentality that there are too many evil geniuses out there already exist? We must think we are better off with our delusions that people think alike and have similar abilities. We really know this to not be true, but there is security in sugar coating it so that we can interact with other people AS IF they were like us.
ReplyDeletePatricet (10/2, 7:29) points out that gifted students languish because teachers often don't know how to differentiate. Hopefully these are the new teachers that can be brought along to overcome these obstacles. Also, there are practices, such as assessment data, that put pressure on teachers to pay attention to these problems, and SISs and administrators to get assistance for those students that are not making the progress that they should.
ReplyDelete"If we provide able learners with a curriculum too easily mastered, we run the risk of undermining and demotivating them, setting the stage for boredom, disappointment, and underachievement. We also rob society of the opportunity to profit from what these creative, innovative, clear-thinking children could accomplish if we set their minds free"
ReplyDeleteI agree with this quote. I have a neighbor whose daughter was able to do 5th grade material in 1st grade. The school was unable or unwilling to alter her education, so her mother removed her from school and is now home schooling her. On page 12 it says "When I asked about challenging her in language arts, the teacher told me quite matter-of-factly that she had to teach to the average student and that any enrichment Heather needs will have to come from us." I think that this is a common belief/feeling of schools. My neighbor was told something similar. I don't agree with the teacher's comment on page 12, but I also do not feel like I have the experience to handle the many different learners that I encounter.
In response to svankampen's post: You are so right that it does seem challenging to handle teaching to the many different types of learners that we have in our classrooms. All we can do is continue to educate ourselves and do our best to improve every year. I would hate to be responsible for demotivating a gifted child and will continue to try to provide them with opportunities to set their minds free. It is quite a task, though.
ReplyDelete"Parents and schools must provide all students with equal opportunity but not with equal treatment." This spoke to me quite loudly when I read it the first time. My own son is having difficulty in his math class because he isn't showing his work. He has the answer right, but he loses partial credit because he doesn't show all the steps. As a teacher, I understand the reason students need to show their work. As his mother, I know that he can look at a math problem and work it out in his head faster than he can write it down. It's just the way he is wired. (He must get that from Dad!) He has done exceptionally well on all achievement test in math and aced the TAKS every year. But his grade in math doesn't reflect his ability. Why does the same rule have to apply to him that applies to the kids who barely understand? He is being punished because he is gifted in math. I only hope I don't do this to any of my own students.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts regarding the second quotes from page 15 that states, “We speak comfortably about the elite athletes in our schools. If the purpose of school is education, why are we so uncomfortable with the concept of elite student?” are:
ReplyDelete*We need to celebrate the brains and thoughts of each individual instead of hiding them and not allowing them to celebrate their academic accomplishments kind of like the athletes who get to wear their jersey and are praised all around the campus for their athletic ability.
*We need to offer in school and after school activities at ALL grade levels that support the diverse group of thinkers and not just the athletes such as Odyssey of the Minds or Math Club.
Let’s celebrate the students academic success since our goal in education is learning for all!
to l.guidry: Bravo for saying there are elite students. There should be. It is a fact that we need to acknowledge. That is not to say we value elite or GTs over average or below. They do, however, exist and need to be offered challenges and opportunities.
ReplyDeleteIn response to kandel's fan about intellectual elitism, I think that there are definitely people that are scared of people who are smart and not afraid to show it. It is threatening to some. It shows up in lots of subtle ways in all aspects of life. A male friend told me years ago that if I wanted more dates, I shouldn't let guys see how smart I was. I disagreed--and if that's why I'm still unmarried, I'm fine with that! :)
ReplyDeleteIn response to rcelibrarian and others regarding celebrating elite students: I was reminded of a recurring scene on SHTV (our daily announcements) last year. Our AP Physics C teacher was filmed solving the Rubic's Cube puzzle (he can do it in about 30 seconds). After that, many rubic's cubes were seen all around the school, at lunch and in classrooms as students tried to duplicate his feat. Some of them were featured on SHTV also. He has become a "celebrity" to many of our students because of this, and because he teaches AP Physics and is obviously very smart, as well as young and athletic (he is an Ultra marathoner). The fact that he drives a motorcycle doesn't hurt, either, but it is an example of intelligence being celebrated.
ReplyDeleteThe question regarding elite athletes and elite students (page 15) just totally brought up an emotional response in me. I have never considered this question in this form before. It just seems so preposterous to me that we reward elite athletes both financially as well as with overwhelming praise, attention, and contracts at a national level and yet in some segments of the population we almost nurture gifted students to keep their intellectual prowess “under raps.” In the world of education, many tend to feel that we should focus little or no public attention on the GT students’ abilities because it may make other kids feel badly that they are not in gifted programs, etc. This fact in itself tends to isolate GT kids and at times can make them feel that their giftedness is a handicap, not a gift. We also see the lack of comfort with GT students and their specialized instructional needs when we look at the resistance from the general population as well as from legislators to specific funding for GT programs under the belief system that extra monies are not needed for these kids because “they are going to learn anyway.” We seem to exhibit as a population such a double standard when we look at the attitudes regarding gifted athletes vs. gifted students.
ReplyDeleteRe:rcelibrarian's posting regarding elite athletes--I agree with her comment that it is important for us to encourage GT students to build relationships just as naturally occurs for elite athletes in building relationships and working as a team for a common goal. It is so important for GT students to have time to be grouped with their GT peers to share with others who are similar in intellectual prowess and interests as a peer group for relationship building. For elementary GT students, Bendwood placement as well as classroom GT groups are so very important not only for academic development but also for social-emotional needs to be met.
ReplyDeleteElitism is a problem that I see in the 9th grade when there is a blending of students from several middle schools. Some come in with a big head and when there is more GT competition they are upset and there is usually a parent/teacher conference or two. Page 9-"they meet others who are as capable or even more talented than they". There is more of a challenge for them so they can further develop their talents
ReplyDeletere: reclibrarian- your comments on athletics and gifted students. I also believe we acknowledge the athletics more than the academics and that there are more GT students out there that need to be celebrated. They are the ones who will invent the new vaccines and procedures of the future and we need to let them grow.
ReplyDeleteRe: Celibrarian (Oct 1) I agree with you on “the hard part is finding the gifts of each child and meeting their needs.” And “hard” is stating it lightly. It really does require regularly attending trainings, TIME, and keen observation to accomplish this task. I will be the first to admit that TIME or lack thereof is my Achilles Heal in terms of planning/assessing/differentiating to meet the varying needs of all of my students. But, when in a time crunch (which is always), I try to keep my mind focused on why I decided/wanted to be a teacher.
ReplyDeleteRe: To many of fellow bloggers on the topic of “elite students”. I think the author makes an excellent eye-opening point about the treatment of “elite athletes” vs. “elite students”, and I agree with all of you who stated that thoughts regarding the unfairness and shame of this discriminating point of view/social treatment. However, I have thoughts/questions
ReplyDelete1. The phrase “elite student” does not sit well with me…what does that mean exactly? What is the definition of “student”? I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around gifted school aged people being described as “elite students”. I wonder if GT children, especially the unmotivated ones, would use this phrase to describe themselves. It seems that a label like this would fan the flames of nay sayers to HIGHLY NECESSARY programs that serve gifted children. If I had my choice, I would label them “elite thinkers” or “elite learners” or “elite observers”.... What do you think "elite ?????" Maybe not even use the word "elite".
Thoughts?
In response to oliverl:
ReplyDeleteLonnie,
I'm with you. You listed some really interesting points about why schools and/or teachers don't properly challenge their gifted students. It's scary to think that some teachers might intentionally ignore their gifted students because they already have high TAKS scores, but I guess that probably does happen sometimes. That also, reminds me. The TAKS test is such a bore to most of our gifted kids. It's a shame they can't take a test that properly challenges them. I also hate to see that they have to hold on to it all day when most of them could do it perfectly are almost perfectly in an hour or two.
I quote the often heard phrase, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Particularly with today’s emphasis on finding more credible ways of increasing our students’ abilities in math and science, it makes perfect sense for our education system to creatively nurture these gifted minds. This sets the stage for enhanced personal growth as well as contribution to the greater good. As p. 8 indicates, “The point of identifying gifted learners is to ensure that they receive the most appropriate education.” However, identification is a first step of many to insure that the individual needs of these students are being met.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Tiggeronmars comment. . . ‘Without respect of these gifted student’s thinking and creating…what does our future hold.’ To me, a large hurdle is developmental. The adolescent does not want to be different from his peers. Athletic prowess is greatly celebrated by the media and provides a ‘group insulating cushion’ of acceptability at the social level. The student who is different because of his disciplined athletic development is likely to be celebrated. Intellectual giftedness is much more solitary. We need to find ways to celebrate, encourage, and empower our gifted students to pursue their potential.
ReplyDeletein response to e. foye
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame they can't take a test that properly challenges them. I also hate to see that they have to hold on to it all day when most of them could do it perfectly are almost perfectly in an hour or two.
I agree. If a child can finish in an hour why hold them up? It makes no sense. Also, I think that it is a shame that there isn't a way to test these kids other than a boring standardized test. Think how they could shine if given the opportunity. What if there was a test that allowed the GT student to really express what they are awesome at and that this could be accessed by other educators. Maybe there could be a way to pair up these kids that are alike in their GTness. Sounds crazy, but imagine what they could do!