Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes a decade of intense practice – roughly 10,000 hours – to achieve mastery in any field. So, how does this apply to gifted students? Do gifted students from different countries actually invest their time differently in accruing those 10,000 hours needed to become masters of their field? And, in comparison, how do students in the US fare? As researchers of how academically gifted students develop talent, we recently surveyed academically … [Read more...] about Prodigies and Time Management
sleep
How Do Academically Talented U.S. Students Spend Their Time Compared to Their Peers in India?
For decades, gifted education researchers have been lamenting that the U.S. is undergoing a “quiet crisis” regarding the education of its most academically talented students. The situation is viewed as a crisis because many talented students aren’t being appropriately challenged and many parents, educators and education experts believe their talents are being wasted. The crisis is considered quiet because hardly anyone else has been paying attention to it. … [Read more...] about How Do Academically Talented U.S. Students Spend Their Time Compared to Their Peers in India?
When Should You Lose Sleep Over Your Gifted Child’s Sleep
For decades, gifted education researchers have been lamenting that the U.S. is undergoing a “quiet crisis” regarding the education of its most academically talented students. The situation is viewed as a crisis because many talented students aren’t being appropriately challenged and many parents, educators and education experts believe their talents are being wasted. The crisis is considered quiet because hardly anyone else has been paying attention to it. … [Read more...] about When Should You Lose Sleep Over Your Gifted Child’s Sleep
Wakin’ Up is Hard to Do: The Challenge of Sleep in the Teen Years
For many teenagers, fitting all their activities into a 24-hour day and getting enough sleep is an impossible dream. For their parents, rousing their teens every morning so they get to school on time is a big challenge. … [Read more...] about Wakin’ Up is Hard to Do: The Challenge of Sleep in the Teen Years
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
Mislabeling Gifted Children
Some gifted children may be misdiagnosed as having psychological or behavioral disorders because of a lack of knowledge about characteristics commonly associated with giftedness, according to Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults, by James T. Webb et al. (Great Potential, 2005). The authors compare the traits of giftedness with those of disorders often diagnosed in the gifted and detail the important differences. … [Read more...] about Mislabeling Gifted Children
Zs Are Important to Learning ABCs
Teens tend to get sleepy about 11 p.m. and wake up around 8 a.m.—a biological drive that maximizes brain development. So, when school starts at 7:30 a.m., it’s the equivalent of an adult attending a meeting at 4:30 a.m. Studies have shown that later start times improve academic performance (slightly) and attendance, lower dropout rates, reduce conflicts with parents and peers, and decrease reports of depression. … [Read more...] about Zs Are Important to Learning ABCs