Wednesday, August 22, 2000
Gifted And Talented Education (GATE)
Open Forum
Visit the ChatBoards at the
Mentor Support Center
http://www.teachers.net/mentors/
Join a Mailring at the
Teacher Mailring Center
http://www.teachers.net/mailrings/
Check the meeting schedule for future meetings
Kathleen - Hi,
Welcome to the GATE chat!
Melanie - I am a
GATE teacher in MO
Kathleen - kate and
katie, do you teach in GATE programs?
kate - Hi everyone.
Other moms here as well I see. I teach 3/4 split.
Katie - Thanks, this
is my first time
Kathleen - Did you
all read the transcript of the Renzulli chat from last year? It's in the
Archives, take a look after this meeting by clicking on "archive" over
in the left frame
kate - I used to
do the gate but our funding has since been cut. It was my first time two
days ago. It has been very informing
Kathleen - How did
everyone hear about this chat?
Katie - I am from
Michigan
Melanie - I'd love
to see Jim Delisle, Carol Ann Tomlinson or some guru of differentiation
here
Katie - no i dont
Melanie - I saw the
post on the GATE chatboard... I'm addicted to the chatboard :)
Kathleen - Do you
feel strongly that all schools should have a formal GATE program?
Carol - Hi It would
be great to see Jim Delisle!!
Melanie - Have you
ever heard him speak? He is so good.
Kathleen - Melanie,
if you can send me an e-mail address for each, I'll see what I can do about
getting guests for you
Carol - I'm a parent
from Ont. I do a lot of volunteering with GATE program in my daughters
old school
Melanie - Absolutely,
Kathleen.
kate - What do you
teachers recommend for a gr. 1 girl who is reading at a gr4 level.
Melanie - Kathleen,
how do I get your e-mail?
Kathleen - Melanie,
when you ask if we have heard him speak, do you mean Renzulli?
Carol - No, but I've
read stuff of his, and a good friend of mine, the GATE teacher saw him
last year.
Melanie - Kathleen,
no Jim Delisle
Kathleen - my e-mail
address is kathleen@teachers.net
Melanie - How about
an older grade buddy?
Kathleen - No, I
haven't heard Delisle.
Kathleen - I have
to leave, I think other GATE people will drift in. Write to me if you have
ideas for future chats, guests.
kate - I teach in
her school .Could I put her in with my threes or is that too much of a
shock?
Melanie - Thanks
Kathleen
Carol - Thanks too!
Kathleen
Kathleen - I just
came back to say-if you write to me, please put GATE TOPIC in the subject
line to grab my attention. Bye again!
Melanie - I guess
you have to consider the child and see how she would feel... in a small
group she'd probably more comfortable
Kathleen - Thank
YOU! goodnight! Enjoy your chat :-)
kate - It is such
a dilemma. Stay with the ones seems so beneath her ability. Yet she is
social like a six year old. I think her teacher will try novel studies.
Melanie - Kate..
social devel/ feeling accepted is equally important
kate - I really agree.
My other daughter was put ahead in her school work and missed the other
kids too much. I wish she had the opportunities your program would offer.
Carol - How is she
doing in other areas - will advanced reading/studies be sufficient?
kate - Yes I think
so. She is in a 1/2 split so maybe her teacher will put her up in other
areas.
Carol - Split classes
are what saved my daughter until she entered the gifted program in grade
5 (when it started)
Carol - That and
being a "social butterfly" (teachers comments)
kate - Are GATE programs
everywhere in the States as a requirement ?
kate - When your
daughter was in a split,what did they do with her in year 2
Carol - I don't know
- some form of IEP is a requirement in Ontario
Carol - They just
kept changing the split 1,2 then 2,3 and 3,4 and 4,5. She was very lucky
kate - How does your
GATE work. Do you have them for a portion of each day?
Carol - She's starting
high school in another week, and the only thing that the public school
offered her was to skip grade 9 math and drama. We'll just wait and see
kate - That is frustrating
as a parent and a teacher.
Carol - It was a
little unique. We are in a school area that is quite geographically large.
The teacher travels to each school about once every 2 weeks, meets with
all the 5-8 kids in the program for about 1/2 day. He then assigns them
work that they will do in the next two weeks instead of language arts.
kate - Who monitors
them for the two weeks. How do they stay motivated
Carol - The assignments
usually include reading a novel, summarizing it and answering a question
on it; writing a story, an individual math program, as well as a few questions
on the theme for the year ( often involving construction of objects)
Lynn - am trying
to get a handle on gifted programming
Carol - That's a
big problem Kate. It really takes a lot of parental involvement, because
the classroom teachers support varies from terrific ( my daughter's grade
8 teacher) to non-existant grade 6, and hostile (grade 7)
Carol - There is
also supposed to be a special ed resource teacher, but they are usually
so busy at the other end of the spectrum
Lynn - this year
I will have a very high to middle 8th grade science
Lynn - I want to
do the best by them
kate - How come every
once in awhile my screen goes blank
Lynn - in general
it seems that there is difficulty with what gifted programs are all about
kate - Gifted programs
also have a stigma which is hard to push for.
Lynn - pull-out seems
to be norm, gifted daily classes like yours aren't as prevalent
Lynn - why the stigma
Carol - People don't
believe that these kids really have needs
Carol - The best
part is being with their peers
Lynn - believe they
have needs
Lynn - it just so
difficult to have the materials to meet the needs
Lynn - my niece is
in a gifted program
Lynn - her mother
says that she has difficulty with peers but does well with younger kids
and adults
Carol - I missed
describing a key part of the gifted program. The grade 5-6 kids have county
wide congregated sessions every month or so, and the 7-8 have residential
sessions every 6 weeks where they get together for 4-5 days(overnights)
Lynn - she appears
to be well-rounded
Lynn - believe that
its good for gifted to be together
Lynn - overnights
would definitely a plus--do they enjoy them
Carol - Last year
they studied geology - spent one residential studying canoe skills, a week
in Northern Ontario canoeing and studying mining, another session at the
university, another session canoing in Killarney Provincial Park with a
university professor....
kate - My girls would
love the program
Lynn - do either
of you have suggestions as to what should comprise a gifted program
Carol - It is split.
The kids that go- love them, but for some kids, being away from home for
3 nights is too much.
Carol - They also
did a lot of art, and drama (Shakespeare). I got to spend a day teaching
them radioactive dating
Lynn - can they opt
to only attend 2 nights
Lynn - I like to
teach in a multiple intelligence way would like the art and drama
Carol - They can,
and some of the kids often go home for a night to attend hockey practice,
swim practice, choir.... you know the type
Lynn - those who
do it all
Carol - Joe is really
big on teaching a whole child. A lot of written reflections, poetry, art...
Lynn - how do you
teach the radioactive dating
kate - What about
the talented part of G/T?
Lynn - who is Joe
Carol - We started
with Bohr model of atom, and then talked about the nucleus ( neutrons,
protons) and types of decay. I introduced the concept of half life by using
400 pennies. Each kid started and we assumed that if an "atom" came up
heads, it had decayed. We then plotted the coin decay curve, and drew the
analogy to atoms
Lynn - like that
idea use to do it with toothpicks
Lynn - Do you homeschool..missed
the first part of the discussion
Carol - Sorry - Joe
is the gifted resource teacher for the separate school board. Really interesting
guy. Physics undergrad degree, ecology masters degree, and an organic farmer
who also paints, is a musician and studied mime when younger
Lynn - sound like
he has a good background for what he's doing
Carol - Lynn, I volunteer
with my daughters old school gifted program. I tend to be one of the few
Moms who like to camp
|
1996 - 2008. All Rights Reserved. Please review our Terms of Use, Mission Statement, and Privacy Policy.