Love this: feeling very grateful for “the miraculous scope of human generosity” I’m privy to very often. Love this job and those who work so hard to make a difference. #ycsdchat
A1: It has been my understanding that "gifted" tends to mean exceptionally talented or successful in some way (academic or otherwise) while "exceptional" means outside the norm but has both negative and positive associations. BOTH come w/challenges! #ycsdchat
A1: I think of gifted or exceptional as those students who have the ability to think through things differently, find a different way to approach things, or possess a talent beyond that of their peers #ycsdchat
A1: I learned the most about giftedness from the VDOE course we had to take. Learning all of the character traits (like being a perfectionist and highly emotional) of a gifted learner was very enlightening. #ycsdchat
A1: The idea of giftedness and exceptionality is still somewhat nebulous to me. It’s more than just having ability or talent, but it’s difficult for me to define. #ycsdchat
A1: An exceptional child can be either one with special learning needs,or one who is intellectually gifted. I usually think of the latter first, after years of working with programs designed for ss who have talents&abilities that exceed the norm, like TAG, IB, OM, AP. #ycsdchat
A1--I've always considered gifted/exceptional students as "highly able" -- Ss who need instruction organized by concepts more than just facts. #ycsdchat
A1: To me gifted is not just being book smart. There is a creative component as to what they do with the information they have and how they expand on it. #ycsdchat
A1 I consider a number of types of giftedness just as we recognize a number of disabilities. But definitely an increased ability above the average in their peer group. #ycsdchat
#ycsdchat Yes! Not all smart kids are gifted and it's not true that "everyone is gifted in some way." We all have gifts, but we're using a term of art.
A1. I usually try to explain it this way - some of us have to go 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. Others go 1 straight to 10. Get to the same place but paths are different. #ycsdchat
A2: Is that question not the same as saying: "why remediate a struggling student if they're just going to fail anyway?" Absurd. Our job is to provide students what they need. Gifted students need to grow as much as any other... maybe even more so. #ycsdchat
Don't gifted ss sometimes come w/other baggage outside the school environment? (I don't know much about this subject - this is based on personal observation.) #ycsdchat
A2: it’s easy for exceptional ss to fall into predictable paths-boredom or boggledom: Boredom if not challenged,& boggledom without guidance and support if they are over-challenged, not given feedback to improve, or feel overwhelmed by perfectionist impulses w/o help #ycsdchat
A2: our gifted & exceptional ss often struggle with pace of instruction, with other students, with compliance, with perfectionism, with anxiety , with school, with boredom. So, yes, we need to help them & guide them #ycsdchat
A2: I don’t think it’s about success, it’s about learning and challenge. Being a big fish in a small pond isn’t stimulating, and if gifted/exceptional learners never have the need to gain the skills to help them face challenges, they’ll flounder in other environments. #ycsdchat
A2/b: Yes, gifted students tend to gain knowledge from more disparate and varied resources than others, but that can't mean we can take such a valuable one (US) away. #ycsdchat
A2--Exceptional/gifted learners need to have lesson structure that is balances Ss need for structure but also provides opportunities for supported risk so they can process content at high level as well as grapple with real-world problems #ycsdchat
A2 although a gifted student may grasp a concept quickly, direction, connections, meaning, and application requires guidance. As with SWD, social skills deficits may interfere with making emotional connections so that’s learning as well #ycsdchat
A2: Many gifted kids are asynchronous in physical age/development v. intellectual age. So I sometimes think, "You're so smart; why are you being so immature about this?" And then I remember. #YCSDchat
A2: Is that question not the same as saying: "why remediate a struggling student if they're just going to fail anyway?" Absurd. Our job is to provide students what they need. Gifted students need to grow as much as any other... maybe even more so. #ycsdchat
This is so true! It is CRUCIAL these (really, all) students learn to work with other people - especially those that may think differently. That's real life!! #ycsdchat
A2 #ycsdchat I feel like If a child is succeeding above and beyond typically it's followed through with boredom, which can ultimately result in Behavior. Extending those students makes them feel like they have a purpose, brings excitement and joy for them to want to be there.
A3: I cannot say enough good things about YCSD’s Extend center, that my own son attends. He looks forward to his day each week and shares way more about what he does there than his home school. It’s sad Extend ends at the grade I teach, 7th. #ycsdchat
A3: @YHS_IBtweets, I think that is the question of the day! #GMS English teachers attended a training today that focused on differentiation and small group instruction in the middle school setting. We have to meet students where they are, above or below grade level #ycsdchat
A3--Multiple ways to offer opportunities for Ss who master concepts faster than their peers--HOT and tiered assignments, scaffold assignments for others, paired activities and have them teach peers, Choice/Challenge Board assignments #ycsdchat
Q3: That one's hard b/c not every 8th grader wants to do OM or whatever. YCSD needs to be broad minded about allowing students to take classes when they're ready for them and not just say Geometry is enough. What if you're a poet who doesn't love math? #YCSDchat
A3 #ycsdchat Differentiation is a must; there are ways to present extension activities for the curious. Programs like AR (even though it’s under fire right now) reward ss for building skills like reading. We had monthly contests in elementary school in which I learned/practiced
A3- it is just as important to push students as it is to remediate. Time needs to be allocated for both. Long term PBL projects for all students allows for soaring to all levels and time for tier two. #YCSDchat
A3: My class is not categorized as advanced so I all types of learners. In fact the gifted student I have are normally in my inclusion class. This requires me to prepare my instruction for true differentiation #ycsdchat
A3: maker spaces! Odyssey of the Mind or other creative competition. Drama club. Time to read and process while at school, music, art, genius hour, PBL. All of those lead to engagement with learning for learnings sake #ycsdchat
A3: Content needs complexity. When we teach, we need to provide places for all learners' minds to land comfortably. Ex: Here are barest of bare minimums, here's something else to consider, but also, what if... #ycsdchat
A3: How about interdisciplinary learning? Schools that may not be able to afford or provide for gifted/exceptional learners could have all of their students draw conceptions across disciplines though interdisciplinary PBL. #ycsdchat
A3: That's where differentiation comes. Also the ability to have STEM/create in the classroom as an option has helped with giving my GS the opportunity to explore and challenge themselves w/o fear of failing. #ycsdchat
Q4: Honors level classes that demand more academic rigor than a mainstream class but are much more accommodating to those people who would struggle in an AP/IB environment. #ycsdchat
My husband is 2E: Aspergers and academically gifted. It's a constant struggle for him, and he's a professor. When he was 12, school was a nightmare to him. #YCSDchat
A4: For 2e Ss I typically think of the gifted ADHD or ADD student that needs strategies to stay focused, keep their binder and supplies organized, and not procrastinate. Including activities on those non-academic (but very important life skills) is vital. #ycsdchat
A4: awareness of the problems that can result from being 2e on our part helps. Also, a willingness to let some control go when it comes to due dates or neatness or how something is assessed #ycsdchat
A4: And help with that A or F syndrome: you know, it's perfect or it's crap? Helping kids learn about growth mindset and that the perfect can be the enemy of the good is really useful. #YCSDchat
I was a twice-exceptional student: academically gifted w/debilitating OCD that kept me from functioning in most environments. I needed high academic rigor, understanding, a way to communicate my needs regularly, and supportive/responsive adults. #ycsdchat
A4: I have taught 2E kids on the spectrum who needed to be challenged while still working on social skills. It also required flexibility on my part and understanding how they learn and what they needed to be successful. #ycsdchat
A4: I was a twice exceptional student: academically gifted with debilitating OCD that made it difficult to function in most environments. I needed challenges and freedom to wonder, a way to communicate my needs, & understanding/responsive adults. #ycsdchat
A3 #ycsdchat Most of the time they will finish early, so I will show them the 10th grade option. Or give them an option to make their work transformative through various apps to allow their voice to be heard. #flipgrid tutorials.
A5: advanced coursework doesn't mean all the same products or tons more work. If a student needs assistive technology or teaching(read aloud, more time) those things can be managed in AP, IB classes. Ss demonstrate learning in a variety of ways #ycsdchat
Q5: The whole point of accommodations is to remove, or help students overcome, a hurdle that otherwise hampers a student’s ability to function in an academic environment. It’s not that a S is unable to meet cognitive demands, it’s how the S interacts w/ environment. #ycsdchat
One thing that helped is letting kids move on after they've demonstrated mastery. If I've shown my work and how I got the right answer on three math problems, do I really need to do 17 more of the same? Let me go to the next thing. #YCSDchat
I think ss are under the assumption that IB is always exclusive. The ss were shocked when I shared some of the low income schools/schools with high #s of ELL students in which the WHOLE SCHOOL participated in the IB curriculum #ycsdchat
