Gifted Bulletin Board

Welcome to the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.

We invite you to share your experiences and to post information about advocacy, research and other gifted education issues on this free public discussion forum.
CLICK HERE to Log In. Click here for the Board Rules.

Links


Learn about Davidson Academy Online - for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the U.S. & Canada.

The Davidson Institute is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted students through the following programs:

  • Fellows Scholarship
  • Young Scholars
  • Davidson Academy
  • THINK Summer Institute

  • Subscribe to the Davidson Institute's eNews-Update Newsletter >

    Free Gifted Resources & Guides >

    Who's Online Now
    0 members (), 86 guests, and 12 robots.
    Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
    Newest Members
    Amelia Willson, jordanstephen, LucyCoffee, Wes, moldypodzol
    11,533 Registered Users
    October
    S M T W T F S
    1 2 3 4 5
    6 7 8 9 10 11 12
    13 14 15 16 17 18 19
    20 21 22 23 24 25 26
    27 28 29 30 31
    Previous Thread
    Next Thread
    Print Thread
    Page 1 of 2 1 2
    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    P
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    P
    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    I'm specifically looking for experience with the high school science camps - ds is really wanting to attend, but the cost is huge. I'm just curious what other family's experiences have been.

    Specifically curious - what was the quality of the teaching, did your student receive either high school placement or credit, and did they have fun smile

    Thanks for any input - and feel free to pm me if you'd rather.

    polarbear

    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 3,299
    Likes: 2
    Val Offline
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 3,299
    Likes: 2
    Added to the question: do they have homework? or are the camps just science-y during the day, with activities otherwise?

    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    P
    Member
    OP Offline
    Member
    P
    Joined: Sep 2011
    Posts: 3,363
    Good additional question Val smile



    Joined: Mar 2013
    Posts: 1,489
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Mar 2013
    Posts: 1,489
    Can I add on? Does anyone know about H.S. level programming camps/classes. I have looked at Digital Media Academy, but what about this programs computer classes?

    Last edited by bluemagic; 01/14/14 04:01 PM.
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 3,299
    Likes: 2
    Val Offline
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 3,299
    Likes: 2
    Thanks polarbear.

    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 2,640
    Likes: 2
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 2,640
    Likes: 2
    Originally Posted by Val
    Added to the question: do they have homework? or are the camps just science-y during the day, with activities otherwise?

    At http://cty.jhu.edu/summer/grades7-12/intensive/catalog/faqs.html they write

    Quote
    How much work will be expected?

    CTY students work hard. They spend seven hours a day, five days a week, in class sessions. Our students enjoy academic challenge and rigor, and we design our course work to engage and inspire them. If students feel overwhelmed, the residential, instructional, and administrative staff are all available to help with time management, organization, and study skills.
    which I would interpret as no homework on top of the 7 hours a day of class, but this should be confirmed by CTY or by past students.

    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 3,299
    Likes: 2
    Val Offline
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posts: 3,299
    Likes: 2
    Yes, I've seen that. That "study skills" thing implies homework.

    Still, I'd like to hear from people who've taken the courses (or their parents).

    Joined: Feb 2012
    Posts: 1,390
    E
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    E
    Joined: Feb 2012
    Posts: 1,390
    My information is very old, but I was a math instructor at CTY in Lancaster, PA in the late 80's. We didn't assign specific homework back then, but since everything was self-paced study anyway, some kids would do more work in the evenings for fun and turn it in the next day. I have no idea how they handle it now, though. (My guess is that they have instructors with a lot more credentials than I had, too, but I have no direct knowledge.)

    Joined: Nov 2011
    Posts: 282
    M
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    M
    Joined: Nov 2011
    Posts: 282
    DD took Fast Paced Biology last summer at the Johns Hopkins campus, and will be taking Neuroscience this coming summer since that's what she thinks she wants to be. Note that while some classes like Math are self-paced, others like Biology are lecture classes.

    Our town has a highly competitive public school system (average SAT score >1900), and DD is taking all honors courses, so her classmates are gifted as well. But she found CTY to be on an entirely different level. It was like everyone there was in the top 1% of her 9th grade class. The material was covered very quickly, but students were able to keep up.

    DD said she was surprised that everyone there was really smart, including people who just didn't seem to be at first. The other thing that surprised her was that almost everyone was quite nice.

    As you can tell, she had a great time. If anyone has other questions, just let me know. Feel free to PM me as well.

    Joined: Aug 2008
    Posts: 574
    D
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    D
    Joined: Aug 2008
    Posts: 574
    Our son will be attending CTY @ Loyola this summer. It is his second summer in the 7th+ group and his fifth overall.

    What I found quite impressive is the number of years the instructors and admin have been working @ CTY. Incredible. And as you can see from job descriptions at the link, they ain't in it just for the money.

    Here's a link to JHU/CTY Job Openings page:
    http://cty.jhu.edu/jobs/summer/

    While the caliber of teacher will vary from site-to-site and/or year-to-year, all of our son's teachers have been college professors within the given subject area. Last year, his TA (as in teacher's assistant) was working on his Phd in some math discipline @ MIT. So CTY does not seem to be bringing aboard slackers.

    As much as I enjoy our son's brain getting stretched, I also value the social aspects of the camp. Homework is rare, which isn't so bad considering the length and intensity of classes. But the kids aren't just turned loose at the end-of-day. The students have required activities -- athletic, artistic, discussion-based -- each day and for a portion of the weekends.

    For a better look at the social side of camp, spend a little time browsing here:
    http://www.realcty.org/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page

    Here's a link to an official "Site Information Packet" from last year with official details on the daily life:
    http://cty.jhu.edu/summer/docs/student_site_info/LosAngeles_2013.pdf

    I appreciate the attention to safety and security, especially as the kids are usually on campus at the same time as a variety of other summer camps for sports, music, etc. Chaperones are always present; the students are never permitted to wander around campus alone.

    Perhaps as important to me as everything else is the regular chance to be away from home & family. Both for his benefit and ours. He definitely gets a boost in his confidence and independence after those three weeks away, something that can only help as he'll be heading to college in a few short years. I remember that many/most of the kids in my college dorm were away from home (not counting family trips, etc.) for the first time in their lives. Not a pretty sight.

    This summer he will be attending CTY for three weeks, immediately followed by a music camp for three weeks. And before those six weeks, he'll be at a habitat-for-humanity-esque week out of state with our church's youth group. It'll be interesting to see how that all unfolds.

    -- -- --

    I distinctly remember the first year we dropped him off at CTY. He was only 8 and the youngest by an average of at least two years. There were definitely some trembling lips and a few tears as we departed, but he was quickly pulled into the middle of a ping-pong game allowing us to slip away.

    Last year -- his fourth -- was no big deal at all. Packed him up and shipped him out. I could've sent him down alone by plane and thought nothing of it. (My lovely wife, however, doth protested quite vehemently.)

    -- -- --

    Yes, it is a financial challenge for us. And more than once I simply put in on a credit card to be dealt with later. But as long as he's getting something out of it, I'll continue to make it happen.

    I suppose I should add the perfunctory: "But YMMV."

    Dandy

    (YMMW: Your Mileage May Vary)


    Being offended is a natural consequence of leaving the house. - Fran Lebowitz
    Page 1 of 2 1 2

    Moderated by  M-Moderator 

    Link Copied to Clipboard
    Recent Posts
    Help with WISC-V composite scores
    by aeh - 10/28/24 02:43 PM
    i Am genius and no one understands me!!!
    by Eagle Mum - 10/23/24 04:11 PM
    Classroom support for advanced reader
    by Heidi_Hunter - 10/14/24 03:50 AM
    2e Dyslexia/Dysgraphia schools
    by Jwack - 10/12/24 08:38 AM
    Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5