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Three things I learned:
1. I learned new ways to challenge the gifted brain in addition to differentiating the curriculum.  I plan to try to tier assignments better this year.
2.  I learned new strategies for underachieving gifted students.  I was especially interested in the strategies to reverse underachievement in minority students.  I hope to incorporate some of these self-esteem building aspects into my teaching.
3. I was particularly interested to learn the classroom dynamics that were most conducive for twice-exceptional students. I will use these strategies in school with my students and at home with my son.

Two things I still want to know:
1. I want to know why my district only identifies students as cognitively gifted or gifted in a specific area.  I also want to know if there are plans to change this so all gifted children can be served.
2.  I want to investigate further into the area of gifted children being misdiagnosed as having ADHD.  My son is dual diagnosed and I would like to know if this is a true diagnosis or not.

One clarifying questions:
1. How do I get parents of gifted students to understand that it is okay for a gifted student to struggle with a concept and that the struggle will help the student make sense of those concepts?

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Three things I learned:
1. I gained a better understanding of how a gifted student's brain functions and how that affects their learning.
2. I learned that there are underachieving gifted students and some causes of that. There were also strategies that could help those underachievers become motivated and work to their potential.
3. I learned that schools have difficulty finding ways to best serve the gifted population; however need to be aware of the situation and work as a district to determine methods to best serve this population.
Two things I still want to know:
1. How as an administrator can I both monitor the progress of gifted students and best determine that these students are identified and served?
2. Finding a way to organize and keep a valuable list of strategies and resources for the teachers in my building that work with gifted students in their classrooms.

One clarifying question:
1. How do I help the general education teachers adjust their instruction to serve the students in their room that are gifted or have the potential to achieve more?

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Three Things I Learned:
1.  Researchers are discovering that some gifted children are being misdiagnosed as having psychological disorders due to their unique behaviors and characteristics that they have that make them gifted.  Furthermore, researchers are unsure if Asperger Syndrome is a distinct and different disorder from high functioning autism or if they are variations on the same spectrum.
2.  We really need to be more open-minded about what constitutes a gifted individual.  We need to give more consideration to those who have special talents and abilities in the arts.
3.  The Applications sections served many purposes.  They were a good refresher of different strategies that can be used with gifted students.  There were some new ideas with technology which allow students to learn independently at their own pace. Problem-based learning is one of the big buzz words currently  in my district.

Two Things I Want to Know:
1.  How can I improve on differentitating for science especially since we are locked into a schedule and are departmentalized?

2.  What are some great math enrichment resources for 5th grade?

One area of clarification:
How can I make the transition in math from the elementary building to the middle school easier for my students especially since they will be using a new and different math program?

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Three Things I Learned:

1. The importance of identifying underachieving students for giftedness as well as the awareness that there are things we can do as teachers to help to get them properly identified.

2. The importance  of  understanding how to work with students who are gifted and ADHD. It is important to build their weaknesses as well as build on their talents and strengths as a gifted learner.

3. The brain research involved in understanding the gifted brain.  I find it interesting and helpful to understand how different parts of the brain function as related to giftedness and other conditions such as ADHD.

Two Things I Want to Know:

How can I better serve and find the best resources for gifted students in science and social studies?

How can I do better at differentiating instruction in all academic areas with limited time and resources?

Clarifying Question:
What are the best tools to use to identify all gifted students in each area of giftedness?

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Three things I learned:
1.  I learned that many gifted children have overexcitabilities.  In completing the reading, I was able to think of many students that fit into the different overexcitability categories-psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, etc., but had never related that trait to giftedness.
2.  I learned that there is still a significant disparity in gifted identification between white students and minority students.  It was surprising to me that these differences still exist, even in 2018.
3.  I knew that many students can be twice-exceptional, but I learned that many are misdiagnosed as having ADHD.  Additionally, while some gifted students do have ADHD, many students diagnosed with ADHD are not also identified as gifted.
Two things I Want to Know
1.  For the underachieving gifted students-how do I motivate them?  At the high school level, many students are "turned off" of school.  For those that are gifted, it is particularly troubling to hear that they are almost as likely to drop out as the regular ed population when they have so much potential to achieve great things.
2.  How can I measure whether my school is adequately supporting our gifted population?  Gifted students often learn and succeed in any situation.  How do I know if we are doing all we can to further their education?  Are there objective measures in place?
One Clarifying Question:
How can I structure the school day to better serve the twice-exceptional students?  We have supports in place for learning disabled students that are not gifted.  They have support classes and have a second teacher in the room for core classes.  Gifted students do not have these supports in place, or if they do, they are grouped with the lower performing students during the support period. I believe that the intervention specialists are differentiating for these students, but is there a better way to do things?

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One thing I learned was that classrooms that are over-competitive or under-competitive may lead to achievement problems.  Second, I learned that ELL students are often under-identified due to a lack of communication between teachers in different educational settings.  Third, I learned the differences between being gifted or talented and the criteria used to evaluate the students.

Two things I would still like to build into my teaching program are more differentiated lessons integrating the arts and computer sites and programs designed to allow students to express themselves in an artistic, independent way.

One area of clarification is assisting and addressing the needs of gifted students with their parents.  What resources are there for parents?

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Three things I learned:
1. I learned about the differences in Autism and AS. Knowing more specifically what the differences are in these two different diagnoses will help me moving forward and better understanding how to work with children in both areas.
2. Gagne's view on gifted and talent was very interesting to learn about. Understanding that there is some what of a different was interesting because I had a very different understanding of what they were in relation to each other.
3. I think all the applications in the chapters is something that I really liked to learn about. As a new teacher it will be nice to have these references in the classroom to have a more suitable environment for my gifted students, or some applications that gave me better techniques as a teacher to use when working with differentiation.
Two things I still want to know:
1. How can we better educate our teaching peers to identify gifted minority students and help them be successful?
2. In the grand scheme of things it seems we are still using IQ to mainly identify gifted students, how are we reaching those creative gifted minds we keep talking about if there is no real scale, or test to measure them? I want to learn more about this idea.
One clarifying question:
Something I will always try to be better at is differentiation for my gifted students. As a new teacher I am always thinking of how I can reach each student in a way that they stay engaged and are meeting the expectations of the class. I always wonder how to manage this without consuming every single ounce of my energy throughout the day trying to make sure I reach ever single student, which I would like too but it seems there is never enough time to make that happen.

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Three things I learned:
1. I was interested to learn about the impact of praise on gifted students. While gifted children should be praised for good grades and test scores, the focus should be more about effort and hard work rather than the end product. If children see poor performance as a lack of ability, they develop a fixed mind-set. However, a growth mind-set can be fostered with the focus on effort and learning new strategies to become successful.
2. I another concept that I became more aware of was that of gifted students with disabilities. From often being misdiagnosed to having unique gifted qualities, these students need to have considerations similar to that of any other student with learning disabilities. Seating proximity, daily routines, and different approaches to assessment are just a few ideas to consider.
3. I was interested to learn about differences in identified gifted students as it pertains to race and ethnicity (pg 94.)  Its important to realize that family, school surroundings, and socio psychological factors all influence underachievement.
Two things I still want to know:
1. When testing for gifted abilities is there a standards taken into account for anxiety, testing environment, and potential disabilities?
2. What are some proven elementary level math strategies for gifted students? What are some of the more common tendencies that these students have at that age level?
Clarifying Question:
In recent years it has been some of my gifted students who have been the most anxious in class. Is there training available, specifically for gifted teachers, that addresses student anxiety

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Three things I learned:
1.  I learned how the brain is actually put together and what parts of the brain of responsible for different actions.
2.  I also enjoyed learning the research done by people like Gardner, Renzulli, and Sternberg.  Especially how these ideas and theories apply to gifted students.
3.  Another thing I found interesting was how there can be many gifted students who struggle with certain learning disabilities.  I have always found one of the most difficult roadblocks in teaching is figuring out the best ways to differentiate instruction.  It is especially difficult with a combination of students with learning disabilities, gifted students, and gifted students who may also have learning disabilities.
Two things I still want to know:
1.  Like I just mentioned, I am always looking for the right recipe of how to differentiate instruction.  I have found the same methods don't work the same with every group of students.
2.   I would like to learn more about the tests used to identify gifted students.
Clarifying question:
How can I get more effort out of my gifted students. This past year opened my eyes to more difficult students with so much potential in my AP Government class. It was my least favorite class of the year which is the first time that has ever happened in my 16 years of teaching

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Three things I learned:
1. I learned quite a bit about the structure of the brain and the areas contributing to giftedness - far more than I could write in this Padlet. However, I found very interesting the the discussion on the thickness of the cortex and research that found kids who started out as superior had a longer period of time of growth up to age 11 or 12 where kids of average intelligence peaked at 8.
2. I learned a new way of identifying the unique heightened responses of a gifted student is through the use of "overexcitability." The 5 areas listed included psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, imaginational and emotional.
3. I learned that there is a significant concern for misdiagnosis among 2x learners as having learning disabilities or ADHD due to ignoring or not recognizing the characteristics unique to giftedness.
Two things I still want to know:
1. I'd like to read more research on the differences in performance between males and females in math. I wonder if the type of play a young child engages in affects their visual-spatial ability and therefore their success in higher level mathematics.
2. I want to better understand the connection of giftedness and autism. I wonder how many of our students are being labeled as being on the spectrum when in fact they are exhibiting overlooked characteristics of giftedness.
Clarifying Question:
What resources are schools actually using today to determine their gifted population that is "served" ? We learned that achievement and cognitive scores should not be the sole identifier. I just wonder what schools are really using because many I know are still relying on those scores.

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Three things I learned:
1.  I learned that giftedness can be misread as a psychological disorder and/or learning disability.
2.  I learned some interesting facts about the underachieving gifted students, such as academic self-concept, motivation and self-regulation, and goal valuation (conflict between school and cultural goals).
3.  I enjoyed learning about the areas of the brain that are responsible for different learning  modes such as the Wernicke's Area seems to be responsible for language and that the left Parietal Lobe is mainly responsible for mathematical talent.
Two things I want to know:
1.  I would like to know  more about identifying gifted EL students and how tests need to be modified to meet this need.
2. I would like to know more about how to best identify gifted students from more of a primary grade (K-1st) perspective.
Question: What is the best way to incorporate lessons for gifted students when teaching a diverse classroom with many needs

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Three things I learned:

1. I learned that students may be gifted, but may underachieve for a variety of reasons. Chapter 3 gave insight on how to identify these gifted underachievers. A student might have a high IQ, but lacks effort, has poor work ethic, and may act out. Hopefully in the future I can recognize these qualities and get my students the accommodations they need.

2. I found the twice-exceptional brain chapter helpful and fascinating. Gifted children can often also have learning disabilities, which can overshadow their giftedness. I found it sad that students are often categorized as gifted OR learning disabled, although they might be both. It is important we identify these students and cater to both their strengths and weaknesses so they are able to reach their full potential.

3. I also learned that there are different types of gifted math students. Some students may be able to quickly understand math topics beyond their years, where others may be able to create their own work or math concepts. It is also proven that we use different parts of the brain for different operations of math, so some students may be advanced in one area of math, but struggle in another. A good way to challenge a gifted math student is by giving them open-ended problems and allowing them to work in groups to learn from and teach one another.

Two things I still want to know:

1. I would like to know more about how to help EL gifted underachievers succeed.

2. On p.34 it says, “Labeling children as gifted or talented too soon may also have a negative impact on them.” I want to know when is it considered too early and how do you help students so it does not impact them in a negative way? I would also like to know how this label affects students in the general education classroom. Do they feel less because they are not identified as gifted or talented?

One clarifying question:

1. How do I help my students have a growth mind-set if they have had fixed mind-sets most of their lives?

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Three things I Iearned:
1. I found the  characteristics of gifted ADHD students interesting. Their uneven test taking skills seemed obvious to me, but the way the researcher on p.116 explains it makes sense. Since research shows they miss easy questions and do well on difficult ones, some students, when made aware of this, just might be convinced to go back and check at least the easy ones. 2. I have recently been trying to help a parent understand the heightened anxieties of gifted children. Remember the joy of being over excitable might be a good thing to tell them from p. 68 since it is causing her a lot of worry. I sometimes find parents blaming the gifted program for their child’s anxiety, so research can help explain some of these issues.  3. I like the “take two” technique from p. 136. I’ve had a few times lately where students are very hard on themselves for making a mistake and it has been difficult to talk them down. I do a lot of write apology letters, but sometimes this doesn’t fit. I think this is a good tool to have.

Two things I still want to know:

What is telephoning in communication skills for overexcitable students? P. 38

I would like to know what is the research on the best age to start gifted programs and what about students that test gifted in Science and Social Studies. The state has ended testing in these areas and I feel like this will decrease identification of minority and disadvantaged students.

Clarifying question:
How can I keep gifted students motivated and teach them to understand the pacing of the right amount of effort?

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3 things I learned:
1. I learned a lot about different models and views of identifying gifted and talented students and how to adapt my teacher according to different models.  I found it interesting to look at the similarities and differences between the different theories.
2. I learned about gifted underachievers and reflected on past students I have taught. I am happy to have some knowledge on characteristics of underachieving gifted students so I can accommodate them in the future. Between chapter 2 and 3, I feel like I've learned some good questioning strategies to help keep all levels of students from underachieving as well as knowledge about compacting curriculum and continuing to work with flexible groupings in my classroom.
3. I found the chapter about the twice-exceptional brain to be extremely informative. I have been challenged in the past with students who are both gifted and ADHD and had trouble helping them reach their full potential. Through learning more about different diagnoses and misdiagnoses I feel like I have a variety of choices to help my future students. I found the applications section of this chapter very useful - especially the one about teaching concepts first and details second.

Two things I still want to know:
1. I would like to learn some motivating strategies for underachieving gifted students, as well as ways to help gifted students who suffer from anxiety.
2. I would like to know more about identifying or differentiating instruction for ESL students.

One clarifying question:
How can I be sure I am creating an environment that is both motivating and challenging for my gifted students, and still beneficial to all students in my classroom?

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3 Things I Learned:
1. I learned a lot about gifted underachievers and many of the characteristics to look out for - I had the opportunity to reflect on my own experience working with students who fall into this category.
2. I learned about gifted "overexcitabilities" - something that I had never previously even heard of. It makes so much sense to me that students who are intellectually gifted may also be overstimulated by the sensory input around them, but I found some of the categories very surprising.
3. I learned about the gap between identified minorities versus non-minorities in the gifted community. Although I've always recognized that it is important to look past cultural/racial stereotypes, I'd never realized the extent of its effect on which programs/resources are available for students.
2 Things to Know:
1. I'd like to learn a lot more about students gifted mathematically, as that is one of the two subject I am teaching. I'm extremely interested in implementing a differentiated, self-paced curriculum in my math program to meet the needs of all of my students, but feel that there is so much I still need to learn to adequately do so.
2. I'd like to learn more about how to motivate students who are underachievers. So much of school success (and success at all) is based on attitude, so it's very important for me to understand how to keep my students engaged and challenged so that they have a desire to learn.
1 Clarifying Question:
What are the most 3 effective strategies that I could implement in my 5th grade math classroom to reach out to gifted students? Do any of these strategies (such as motivation?) work well for students at all levels?

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Three things I learned:

1.    I learned a lot about ways to challenge gifted students in the classroom through differentiated instruction.  Differentiated instruction should not just be teachers giving students harder problems or more work.  Instead the work should go beyond paper pencil activities, be open ended, and allow for students to show their talents through projects.  Gifted students need to be able to work at their own pace and instruction should be varied in how it is presented and learned.  In order to meet gifted students’ needs, we must assess and figure out which type of program and instruction will best suit them.

2.    I found the chapter about underachieving gifted students to be very informative.  The characteristics of underachieving gifted students are very helpful and something that I can use in the future. I also thought it was interesting to read the statistics about underachieving minority students who are gifted.  I think this is something that teachers need to be aware of and also know what to do if they have a child that fits this description.  I liked the solutions that Callahan offered to help schools combat the problem of underrepresented minorities.

3.    I learned more about artistic talent in gifted students.  Because of time constraints with curriculum and testing, I feel like one of the first things to go in the classroom is music and art.  This chapter reminded me of the importance of including this in the classroom and how it can be integrated into other areas of the curriculum.  The resources provided by other teachers on our discussion board are ones I would like to revisit in the future to use in my classroom.

Two things I still want to know:

1.    Although the text provided many applications for gifted instruction in the classroom, I am still interested to learn more about what I can do in early elementary.  For example, in the language talent chapter there were fantastic applications, but most geared towards grade 3 and higher. I can adapt some of these applications into my 1stand 2ndgrade classrooms, but would like additional applications and strategies that have been proven successful in early elementary classrooms.

2.    I would also like to know more about how other schools and districts are addressing the needs of their gifted students.  The text outlined many ways to differentiate and discussed inclusion vs pull out, but I would like to talk with fellow teachers and administration about what they do and if they think it works.  I know schools can be limited on options because of funding, but I would still be interested to see what other elementary schools have implemented.

One clarifying question:

1.    What particular strategies have teachers used to help underachieving gifted students succeed? Also, what have they specifically done to help those students who are also minorities?

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Three things I learned:

1)      I learned that Gagne proposed a model that differentiates between giftedness and talent. Giftedness is an innate ability in various domains. On the other hand, talent is a skill in one single domain that can be developed. As teachers we are catalysts who can influence the development of those talents in either a positive or negative way.

2)      I learned the important aspects of curriculum compacting and how it benefits gifted students. I learned that the key is to determine the concepts and skills of a unit, determine which students have already mastered most or all of them, and then provide other strategies that result in challenges for those students.

3)      I learned the importance of how to test to identify gifted students. It is not just about one test score where a student may score in the 95th percentile. Students who score at the 95th percentile should receive additional testing. That testing should be two to five grade-levels above the grade level to show mastery of more advanced concepts. This will allow for a greater spread of scores that can be used for instructional planning.

Two things I still want to know:

1)      I would like to know some strategies for motivating the underachieving gifted students.

2)      I would also like more ideas on how to integrate artistic talents into the academic content. I need to find ways to first identify those students who are musically or artistically talented and then incorporate strategies that use those talents in the regular education classroom.

Clarifying question:

How can I reach the gifted students in my regular education classroom so that I keep them motivated to learn and to reverse any underachieving patterns they may have already developed?

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Three things I learned:
1. I learned about curriculum compacting. I had heard of similar strategies, but did not know the technical term(s). I think that curriculum compacting is a fantastic way to make appropriate adjustments for gifted learners.
2. I learned of MANY different applications that I can use for SO many different types of gifted learners. This book was incredibly resourceful and I look forward to implementing many of these applications in my new 3rd grade classroom.
3. I learned about common characteristics of underachieving gifted students. This is not something I had thought about prior to this course, but after reading chapter 3, it all made sense. I was able to connect this chapter's information to a prior student of mine, as he identified with many of the common characteristics that were listed.

Two things I still want to know:
1. I would like to learn even more about integrating art into the reg. curriculum. I would love to learn about more resources that provide teachers with lesson plans or different ideas.
2. I would also like to learn more about poverty's role in gifted education. I know that our textbook addressed this, but I am eager to learn more. Last year, I taught in Athens County, the poorest county in Ohio and this topic is of high importance and interest to me.

One clarifying question:
How can I change the sometimes negative mindset of gifted learners in my classroom? For example, students who think things are "too easy" or rush through their work, or students who think being gifted is a flaw and try to hide it from their peers. Overall, how can I build self-esteem, confidence, and positivity in my students who are gifted?

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Three things I learned:
1. I learned about the "overexcitabilities" in gifted children and the strategies to work with students who exhibit these overexcitabilities (teach stress management, focus on the positives, etc).
2. Gifted students benefit most from like-ability grouping. We often debate what the best classroom setting is for gifted students when they are in a 'typical' classroom, this is very helpful when scheduling.
3. The chapter that I felt I learned most from was the underachieving gifted students. I learned about the characteristics of these students and the dependence and dominance patterns. This information is helpful when working with my gifted students, especially as school counselors were listed as an important resource for these students.

Still want to know:
1. I would still like more information on the twice-exceptional brain and ways to support these students in the classroom, both gifted and general education setting.
2. More strategies to build a growth mindset, as well as helping minimize anxiety, stress, and perfectionism in gifted students.

Clarifying Question:

What are the best strategies and design of the gifted classroom that creates/promotes an environment where students feel they can take risks and have a growth mindset at the middle level?

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Three things I learned:
1. I learned to look at the general characteristics of gifted underachievers differently. I learned that because gifted underachievers fail in some areas, the general behavior patterns are that of being aggressive, withdrawn, or passively compliant and that there is a reason for being disruptive, stubborn, and  lack participation in class. I learned that it is apart of our job as educators to ensure that these students are identified as early as possible to prevent major behavior problems at schools and at home.

2. Working in an inner city urban school district it was important that I gained insight on how to reverse the underachievement in minority students. Interventions that include improving students' organizational, studying, and time management skills can aid in this. Building self-esteem and racial identity in the classroom by providing a safe climate for these students can reverse this as well.

3. I learned applications to try when teaching mathematically gifted students in mixed-ability classrooms.  I have always had a hard time grouping my students in a way that will enhance both the gifted students and the students who struggle with math. I learned that sometimes grouping students by ability ensures that the curriculum is matched to the pace of the group of learners rather than to the whole class. This way the gifted students can receive more challenging activities and are not forced to wait for everyone else to catch up.

2 things I want to know more about:

1. I would like to learn more about how to integrate art into my 9th grade Honors Biology course. I am constantly finding fun projects for elementary, but not so much geared towards older students.

2. I would like to learn more strategies on  how to encourage the gifted underachiever. So many students in my classroom struggle with a terrible home life and feel defeated when they arrive at school. Although they have the ability to achieve at school, the struggles of home outweigh the willingness to learn. How do you encourage these types of students.

Clarifying question:
What are the real life strategies taken by teachers who have been successful in reversing the underachieving gifted student who struggle with poverty stricken home lives?

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Three things I learned:

1. I learned that there are multiple theories of what intelligence and giftedness are. From the basis of Renzulli's ideas of giftedness being focused around general abilities, commitment to task, and creativity to Gagne's Model of proposing that giftedness represents innate abilities in multiple domains, intellectual, creative, socioaffective, and sensorimotor, while talent is a skill in a single domain. Gagne believes that catalysts also play a part of an individuals giftedness from an individuals strengths, weakness, health, well-being, to items within the environment from their parents, programs they are involved in, accidents, and their experiences. These theories build upon one another to give a better understanding of what giftedness in and how it use be differentiated.
2. A second thing I learned is that intelligence is not related to size of the brain cortex but rather how it develops or thickens over time. This ideas falls back on what experiences the brain receives and how it reacts to these experiences can create a thicker or thiner cortex. It can also allow the individual to adapt more to situations.
3. The last thing I learned is the amount of gifted students that may be misdiagnosed as having psychological disorders as a result of the same behaviors that makes them gifted, Many gifted students are mistakenly diagnosed  with ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. When assessing, we need to look at all settings and situations the child may endure. Gifted students do not have the same problem behaviors in all settings, They may appear to have these weaknesses due to boredom or lack of being challenged. We as educators need to work with parents to make sure these misdiagnosis do not occur.

Two things I would like to know:

1. I would like to see more lessons, strategies and examples of how to maintain gifted engagement. I have found that students who are gifted tend to get bored more easily. I would like to look at everyday lessons and find ways to make them more challenging and differentiated for my gifted students so they do not become bored. I would have also liked to see more examples of how to handle of these gifted behaviors. For example, a student who has a focus on one interest, how can you connect them to social studies or science?

2. I would also like to learn about giftedness and science or stem? I think the science and social studies content tends to be forgotten. I think science has a lot of potential for keeping students challenged and interested with project based learning and labs. I would like examples of taking labs and finding ways for students to connect or think outside of the box. I would also like to learn how to utilized pre-assessments and making sure they are valid. I have had pre-assessments where questions are to generic and gifted students are able to figure them out. How can I create pre-assessments that actually asses students knowledge and not their knowledge on how to take a test.

1 Clarifying Question
When working with colleagues, many colleagues complain that individuals are being labeled "gifted" at such an early age and now compared to their peers in 4th grade are lacking skills, and common sense, how can we use the best tools to identify giftedness while helping teachers become more educated on giftedness rather than its stereotype? Our district currently uses MAP and since we have adapted it, we have noticed an increase of students being identified. My question is are they truly gifted at this young of an age or is it the assessment. Can we add assessments to the MAP to make sure these individuals are gifted? I want to find the best tools out their for our kids so they receive the best services that they can. There has to be a way to make sure students are gifted, rather than they know how to take a test.

2 I also would like to know what are some ways to help my gifted students learn that it is ok to make mistakes, and it is ok to not get the answer right the first time. So many gifted students have this idea of being perfect, or the smartest in the room. I want to help them challenge themselves, without meeting defeat and learning how to take an idea, see it fail but make it better!

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THREE THINGS I LEARNED
I learned that the prefrontal cortex in children with higher degrees of intelligence differs in its development throughout childhood (it grows thicker more quickly and the growth is sustained for a longer period of time) than the same brain structure in children who score lower on intelligence tests. This seems connected to details in the text about such things as how musicians exhibit a greater degree of neural development in certain areas of the brain, making it seem as though the actual use of certain areas of the brain may be reflected in the brain's physical development. I also learned that practice and mastery of a traditionally non-academic subject such as dance can produce improved reading ability in young readers, and that dance has also been shown, moreso than other activities tested (i.e., board games, learning a musical instrument, doing crossword puzzles) to reduce the risk of Alzheimer''s disease (76 percent!?... although I'm not clear that 76 percent actually means that is the degree to which one is less likely to get Alzheimer's, because if that were the case, this would be much more promoted than it is, and we would all be taking dance classes!) Third, I learned that females and males do demonstrate differences in how their brains analyze things, with women demonstrating greater involvement of the right hemisphere than men (and supposedly greater employment of emotions than men). It was heartening to know, however, that the impact innate differences between men and women that have given men some edge in mathematical skill, etc., can be shrunk by the application of compensatory educational techniques.
TWO THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT:
I would like to learn more about the role of language in the development of analytical processes and how different languages (i.e. alphabet-based languages such as English or Greek versus ideograph-type languages such as Chinese) impact the development of abilities between such cultures. AND I would like to know more about how cultures differ in what and how they value as giftedness and talent, whether there are any universals in regards to how intelligence is valued or applied culturally.
A QUESTION I HAVE
How can the kind of separate programming that Sousa advocates for gifted students be differentiated from the so-called "separate but equal" schooling under segregation?

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Three things I learned:

*I learned from p. 113-114 that some gifted students with “overexcitabilities” could be identified as ADHD due to their high motor activity, sensitivity, intensity, and impatience.  I have had a couple of students in past years that I could see this being true for them.  The text points out several ways to differentiate between giftedness and ADHD.  Gifted students do not exhibit problem behaviors in all settings, whereas ADHD exhibit problem behaviors in all settings, with intensity being the only variable.  ADHD children have a difficult time focusing on their work no matter how interesting, however, gifted students will get back to work as interest and challenge increases.  Gifted students have highly focused and productive hyperactivity, whereas ADHD students’ hyperactivity is unfocused and unproductive.  Although some gifted students have dual exceptionality, it is imperative that we as educators consider these typical ADHD characteristics as possible indicators of giftedness.

*Something else that amazed me on p. 197 was that “the brain uses different storage systems for musical and nonmusical text.”  So a musician who must rapidly read music to produce fluent music isn’t always a rapid reader of text.  Brain imaging studies have shown that “the ability to read or write music is a functionally distinct process from reading or writing text.”

*I also learned that there are ODE operating standards for giftedness that are guidelines to help identify and serve students who are gifted.  WEPs are described as the document by which gifted services will be guided.  Since I do not teach gifted anymore, I was unaware of this document.  This is good to know.

Two things I would like to know:

*How can I make literature circles more simplified and quicker to complete in class so that they can serve as the read aloud time on some days of the week, as well as hold students accountable for doing their reading outside of class as daily homework?

*We as educators need to remember that all children, whether gifted or not, “who are commended for their effort, concentrate on learning goals and strategies for achievement.”  Growth mindset, which values learning opportunities, develops in all types of students as a result of being praised for their effort and hard work rather than being praised for their intelligence.  I would like to know a variety of concrete ways to incorporate praise for hard work and effort in our daily programs.  I already do it during conferencing to some extent and during test feedback time, but I would like some more ideas.

Clarifying question:

*What are some real life examples of ways teachers have succeeded in motivating the underachieving student, whether they are gifted, general education or learning disabled?

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What I learned:
1.  I learned that a set of standards exist to use when I have a student in the general ed classroom.  I can implement them to meet the needs of that learner.  Often, students who are gifted need to be challenged in a different way than the rest of the students in a general education classroom.  Since they are often bored, the standards are there to help design appropriate lessons.
2.  I learned about the Egalitarian Compromise in the last chapter and I think teachers often get caught up in preparing "one size fits all" lesson plans, especially when the standardized test looms on the horizon.  At times, it feels risky to sway too far from the regular curriculum plan because it can be comforting to know if I have covered all of the standards in the same way to all of the students, then they will be prepared to take the test.  I learned from reading this textbook that that is detrimental to the gifted learner.  I would like to work hard to differentiate instruction this upcoming school year to meet the varied needs of learners in my classroom.
3.  I learned that labeling children too soon as "gifted" can have a negative impact on them (34). It  made me wonder if that is what I sometimes see in a student who has been identified as gifted years ago, and by 8th grade no longer wishes to participate in the gifted program, does not want the teacher telling him/her how smart they are, is tired of hearing adults say they are not working up to their potential, and doesn't put forth effort toward their schoolwork, and doesn't seem to care if their grades are C's.

What I still would like to know:
1.  I don't always pre-assess students before we dive into a unit.  I would like to learn more about utilizing pre-assessments in 8th grade language arts in order to determine where the unit will go and to see if some students will take a different avenue than the others.  I would like to learn more about implementing this in my classroom.  I don't think it is plausible to use for everything, such as when we are starting a novel, but definitely before we approach grammar, vocabulary, or a unit on something the student already knows a lot about and desires to learn additional information and can go more in depth with the subject matter.
2.  I would like to learn more about grouping my students in a more thoughtful and productive manner.  We are adopting a new text book for this upcoming school year and in each of the 5 units they suggest going from whole group instruction, to small group instruction, to independent instruction.  I am anxious to implement this, along with what I learned from reading pgs 51-52 and from reading other posts in my classroom.  I think I am in for a year filled with positive changes!

Clarifying Question:
How can I reach the gifted learners in my general ed classroom so that they feel challenged, like they are learning material that will prepare them for high school, and so they are motivated to want to do their work?  I appreciated the last two lines of the text, "One curriculum does not fit all.  We must take great care to ensure that while we leave no child behind, we do not prevent a child from moving ahead" (238).

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What I learned:

I learned that studies show that children who are praised for their intellect will learn to value performance, whereas children who are commended for their effort and hard work will value opportunities to learn.  We talk at length in our classroom about the importance of hard work and effort and how lucky we are that every day we have an opportunity to learn new things.  This section inspired me to continue to foster a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset in all of my students.

I learned that grade level advancement has a powerful effect size and should be used more commonly than it is.  The book states that, “The concerns raised about the potential mismatch of social and emotional growth between these students and their new peers seems unfounded, especially when compared with how grade acceleration can counter the boredom and disenchantment of our most able learners” (49).  This has always been a concern of mine as a parent and as a teacher and this section of the book has helped me to understand that grade acceleration can be an effective way to meet the needs of our gifted students and the data has made me more comfortable with this option.

The applications for recognizing the characteristics of the twice-exceptional brain on pages 124 and 125 are helpful for teachers to identify and then meet the needs of these students.  I was aware of that students can have a learning or physical disability and also be gifted, but I was not aware of the various ways in which these characteristics can exist in students with these dual exceptionalities.

What I still would like to know:

Now that I am more aware of the struggles that my gifted second graders may face, I would still like to find resources and lesson ideas that will help me further develop their interpersonal or soft skills.

I am always looking for new ways to encourage my students to persevere when faced with a challenge.  Gifted students would sometimes rather give up than face being wrong or not the first to finish.  After finishing this course and being reminded that teachers are brain changers, I was inspired to find a way I could share with my students what I have learned.  I just ordered the book, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: Stretch It, Shape It by Dr. JoAnn Deak that I am excited to share this book with my students and have conversations about growth mindset.

Clarifying question:

What is the most effective way for me to help my students recognize their strengths and make the most of them and recognize their weaknesses and find ways to correct or compensate for them? According to Sternberg’s Theory of Successful Intelligence, strengths and weaknesses are in terms of four kinds of skills:  creative, analytical, practical, and wisdom-based. I have noticed that many of the gifted students that I have encountered often are lacking practical intelligence or common sense.  How can I best help these students to strengthen this area?

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AH 6/14/183 things I learned: - Compacting curriculum is an effective method to deliver instruction at a faster pace and allow those who master the content to move to deeper topics and performance objectives. I think I do some of this already, but I like the procedures listed on p. 65- The difference between complexity and difficulty. I think this is an important distinction made on p. 54, because it is a pitfall that can be easily fallen into by teachers of heterogenous classes. Just giving the gifted students more difficult assignments does not mean you will be engaging them at a deeper level. The lessons need to be more complex.- Gender differences in mathematics seem to be slight, develop late, and are subject specific. (p. 174). I found this section to be fascinating and informative. It gives some explanation of where the gender gap in math may have come from and explains how it may be overcome. I teach advanced physical science, and although I still do see some girls entering high school with fear of math, it is much less than in the past. I feel like the middle school teachers in our district are doing a nice job accelerating students when possible while giving female students confidence in their abilities.2 things I still want to know:- How do I motivate an intellectually gifted student who shows no interest in school-based activities? I had a student this year who was extraordinarily gifted in science. He had great knowledge of the subject matter and often did his own experiments at home in his basement. But it was nearly impossible to motivate him to do anything school related at all. We have an open-ended science fair project, which he could develop his own experiment and then communicate his results. He had some great ideas, but did not fully research them, and did not communicate them in a meaningful way. There was no data collection, no outside sources. I want to give him freedom to experiment, but also teach him the tools needed to publish in today's scientific world. I don't feel like it was a successful journey.- Cooperative learning is often pushed, in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement. I wonder how this model fits in with gifted education. The final chapter shows that gifted students do best with like-minded students, which they would not find within cooperative learning groups. I wonder what benefits (if any) the gifted student would reap by "helping teammates learn". It seems that this would be somewhat ineffective for the gifted learner.1 clarifying question:- How do districts best raise awareness of misconceptions and stereotypes amongst teachers not teaching the gifted students? There is a program in the district in which I live which serves 3-5th grade students that are intellectually gifted in the "school-within-a-school" approach described on p. 234. When speaking with a high school teacher about it, she said that it's probably not a good idea since those students just get "stuck with each other" and the other classmates would shun them. I was suprised by this comment, as it showed a lack of understanding of the highly gifted population. With so much to learn, it is hard to continue professional development for all staff in all areas, but this comment made me realize the lack of PD for the population of gifted students. As much as the teachers at my school complained about the state of Ohio's 30 hour requirement, I think it has been beneficial to start conversations amongst staff members about this group of students.Please let me know if I should do something differently.

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AH 6/14/183 things I learned: - Compacting curriculum is an effective method to deliver instruction at a faster pace and allow those who master the content to move to deeper topics and performance objectives. I think I do some of this already, but I like the procedures listed on p. 65- The difference between complexity and difficulty. I think this is an important distinction made on p. 54, because it is a pitfall that can be easily fallen into by teachers of heterogenous classes. Just giving the gifted students more difficult assignments does not mean you will be engaging them at a deeper level. The lessons need to be more complex.- Gender differences in mathematics seem to be slight, develop late, and are subject specific. (p. 174). I found this section to be fascinating and informative. It gives some explanation of where the gender gap in math may have come from and explains how it may be overcome. I teach advanced physical science, and although I still do see some girls entering high school with fear of math, it is much less than in the past. I feel like the middle school teachers in our district are doing a nice job accelerating students when possible while giving female students confidence in their abilities.2 things I still want to know:- How do I motivate an intellectually gifted student who shows no interest in school-based activities? I had a student this year who was extraordinarily gifted in science. He had great knowledge of the subject matter and often did his own experiments at home in his basement. But it was nearly impossible to motivate him to do anything school related at all. We have an open-ended science fair project, which he could develop his own experiment and then communicate his results. He had some great ideas, but did not fully research them, and did not communicate them in a meaningful way. There was no data collection, no outside sources. I want to give him freedom to experiment, but also teach him the tools needed to publish in today's scientific world. I don't feel like it was a successful journey.- Cooperative learning is often pushed, in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement. I wonder how this model fits in with gifted education. The final chapter shows that gifted students do best with like-minded students, which they would not find within cooperative learning groups. I wonder what benefits (if any) the gifted student would reap by "helping teammates learn". It seems that this would be somewhat ineffective for the gifted learner.1 clarifying question:- How do districts best raise awareness of misconceptions and stereotypes amongst teachers not teaching the gifted students? There is a program in the district in which I live which serves 3-5th grade students that are intellectually gifted in the "school-within-a-school" approach described on p. 234. When speaking with a high school teacher about it, she said that it's probably not a good idea since those students just get "stuck with each other" and the other classmates would shun them. I was suprised by this comment, as it showed a lack of understanding of the highly gifted population. With so much to learn, it is hard to continue professional development for all staff in all areas, but this comment made me realize the lack of PD for the population of gifted students. As much as the teachers at my school complained about the state of Ohio's 30 hour requirement, I think it has been beneficial to start conversations amongst staff members about this group of students.Please let me know if I should do something differently.