High Personal Standards

I agree that many gifted individuals tend to have this piece we often call “perfectionism.”  I can think of several students in my class this year who spend a long time making sure the conventions, presentation, word choice, etc. are perfect on anything before they share it with the world.  (I know a few gifted adults who still do this, too!). On the other hand, these same individuals can have the messiest desk you’ve ever seen.  It’s hard to use the phrase “high personal standards” to describe someone after finding an old banana peel in his/her desk.

(http://ocw.uci.edu/lectures/Lecture.aspx?id=279)

What I learned from this presentation is that the key words “high” and  “personal” are equally important.  The standards that gifted students set are their own, and it is hard for them to lower (or raise) these standards simply because of what someone else says.  The example that comes to mind (about attention to detail) is the student who rushes through math problems, not showing his work, but writes an amazing descriptive fictional story.  This student attendance a high standard for details, but only when HE feels they are necessary.

Craving for Knowledge

Craving for knowledge.  This is listed as one of the typical characteristics of gifted individuals, and this seems to apply to each of the students in my class.  The students definitely show their excitement in different ways, but I can get them all hooked by letting them ask questions and helping them find the answers.

We have a Question Box in the classroom.  I wasn’t sure what to expect at the beginning of the year when I introduced this, but there has been quite a variety of questions so far these couple two months.  Some of the questions seem strange at first (“Who invented the alphabet?”), but it turns out it came from looking at the alphabet strip at the front of the room.

The Question Box has helped me deal with the barrage of questions that I typically get during any given lesson.  I’m sure my students silently groan when I say, “If you have any more questions, please share them in the Question Box,” but it sounds better to me than, “I’m put of time for questions.”  Sometimes the questions show up in the box; other times they don’t.  The important thing to me is that I’m honoring and validating their curiosity.

I haven’t unshared Wonderopolis with this class yet, but last year’s class really enjoyed the site and information whenever we pulled it up.  I think I need to find a way to make it a part of our weekly routine.

What Does it Mean to Be Talented or Gifted?

This really is the big question when it comes to the TAG program.  Right now it means that students had qualifying scores on a battery of tests.  That’s what gets you into the program.

When I look at the students in my classroom this year, I see quite a variety of individuals: quiet vs. talkative; focused vs. distracted; organized vs. unorganized; introverted vs. extroverted; lovers of mathematics vs. lovers of language; socially adept vs. socially challenged.  The list goes on and on.

My goal right now is to learn about some of the underlying characteristics that most TAG individuals have in common.  One thing I have noticed is intensity.  My students tend to do everything to the extreme.  When they are into something, everything else around them sort of disappears: students who learn by talking start talking more and more, louder and louder; students who like to plan and organize make the most elaborate diagrams, “forgetting” to get started on the assignment.  As the teacher in the classroom, I find it both exciting and exhausting!

I have found the archive of a presentation on characteristics of gifted youngsters.  I will be listening to this over the next couple of days and reflecting on what I discover.  (http://ocw.uci.edu/lectures/Lecture.aspx?id=279)

Starting Again

Last year I used this blog to reflect on what I learned through the amazing self-paced course: 21 Things for Educators.  As I discovered and tried out Web 2.0 tools, I found that I learned and remembered more when I reflected on my experiences.  Even though this is a public blog, I don’t think I’ve had any visitors.  Still, the blog has been a valuable tool for me.

Now I am starting up my blog again, but this time I am going to reflect on what it means to be a Talented and Gifted teacher.  I will include the disclaimer now that these thoughts are my own.  As with all things, they are subject to change as I learn more.  Time to begin!