When looking at various programs or schools for your child, you may come across discussions of various programs being taught with different learning styles. The idea of different people having different learning styles has become increasingly popular. In fact, there are a great many educational products being marketed to help match individuals with their specific learning style. You may hear people say things such as, “I am a visual learner,” implying that they learn better when the material is … [Read more...] about Think Your Child is a Visual or Auditory Learner? Think Again.
Research
New Report on Excellence Gaps in U.S. Education
Achievement gaps have been discussed in education for decades. Performance differences across different groups of students are important indicators of how education services are being received by students. However, a new report, Mind (the other) Gap!, from the Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Policy takes an important new angle on this old problem. … [Read more...] about New Report on Excellence Gaps in U.S. Education
The Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness
Developed by Joseph Renzulli, the three-ring conception of giftedness has been a popular view of giftedness for over 30 years. The three rings represent three clusters of traits: 1) above average ability, 2) creativity, and 3) task commitment. According to Renzulli, these three traits combine and interact with each other to form creative accomplishment (or gifted behaviors). According to the theory, students who exhibit, or have the potential to exhibit, sufficient levels of these traits require … [Read more...] about The Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness
Myriad Myths about Giftedness
Upon hearing the word "myth," one may think of Zeus on Mount Olympus or King Arthur at Camelot. However, not all myths come from history; modern myths exist as well. Some of the most prevalent modern myths in education surround giftedness and gifted and talented programs. Numerous lists of such myths have been published. In this article, we provide three such lists published by giftedness researchers. … [Read more...] about Myriad Myths about Giftedness
What Does It Mean to Be Gifted?
Successful intelligence is being able to take advantage of one’s strengths, compensate for one’s weaknesses. Successfully intelligent people can adapt, shape, and select their environment to best suit their needs and goals. This perspective may be a useful reference when considering what can be done for gifted kids beyond their school curriculum. … [Read more...] about What Does It Mean to Be Gifted?
Mathematics Achievement = Individual and National Success
Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel The Mathematics Advisory Panel, created by President Bush in 2006, was charged with making suggestions to improve America’s math education and student achievement using the best scientific evidence available. In their report, Foundations for Success, the panel calls on the U.S. secretary of education to “take the lead” in implementing the report’s recommendations and working with the diverse groups that play a … [Read more...] about Mathematics Achievement = Individual and National Success
Brain Rules
More than just a superficial tease for a book, the Web site www.brainrules.net is part of a multi-media package. The book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, by John Medina, Pear Press, 2008, and accompanying DVD present the author’s 12 rules for a healthy, productive brain based on scientific research. Completing the suite, The Web site uses audio, text, graphics, and video to provide an experience-rich summary of the principles presented in the … [Read more...] about Brain Rules
K-8 Comeback
Because middle school education (grades six through eight) in the United States has struggled in terms of academic achievement, school districts in several states are returning to the K-8 model. Reform is underway in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, and districts in at least eight other states across the nation are considering merging their middle schools and elementary schools into K-8s. … [Read more...] about K-8 Comeback
Changing Views on Educating Gifted Students
More than a half century ago I began my first serious venture in studying gifted students. We identified students with Stanford Binet IQ test scores over 150 in the elementary schools of a university-town school system. The goal was to discover if the elementary teacher could, with some outside help from counselors and psychologists, provide an effective educational experience for a youngster with such advanced cognitive abilities ( one in 1,000). To our astonishment, instead of the four or … [Read more...] about Changing Views on Educating Gifted Students
Coping Skills: What Can We Learn from Those Who Succeed?
In his latest book, Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton, the best-selling author and philosopher, graphically chronicles the universal anxiety, often unspoken, about what others think of us and whether they judge us successes or failures by our achievements. De Botton asks, “Why do people generally seem unsatisfied?” He answers this by exploring the comparisons people make between themselves and others. People get concerned, he says, when they think of their family, friends, achievements, and … [Read more...] about Coping Skills: What Can We Learn from Those Who Succeed?