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 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 848
    C
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 848
    I'm impressed by how firmly that teacher wants to stick to "first grade concepts," despite evidence that the child already knows them.

    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 2,640
    Likes: 2
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posts: 2,640
    Likes: 2
    Originally Posted by ultramarina
    Still, thinking of it as inconceivable suggests we should simply give up on educating children of different abilities in the same classroom, and I don't think we should. That said, some kids do need to be skipped or put in different environments.
    Even if there is ability grouping, so that 60 students are split by ability among 3 teachers for math and language arts, there will be variations in ability in each 20-student class, so "differentiation" will be needed. But deliberately maximizing the variation within each class through heterogeneous grouping is an ideological decision.

    Every year our elementary school principal emails us about how she is assembling "balanced" classes for next year. Her definition of balanced is that each class should have the same number of dull, average, and bright children (although she would never put it that way). It is interesting when credentialed and reasonably smart people operate in precisely the opposite manner that you think they ought to.

    Joined: Aug 2012
    Posts: 381
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    Joined: Aug 2012
    Posts: 381
    "'Ello. My name is I-won't-stop Mom. You failed my son. Prepare to die."

    OK - maybe a little extreme. How about: "Prepare to suffer way more lost time in meetings than you would ever have lost just spending a little bit of time trying in good faith to give my child what he needs."

    Sue (who thinks Princess Bride = best movie ever).
    P.S. You see that I didn't even demand success. I'm only asking for good faith effort.

    Joined: Mar 2013
    Posts: 1,489
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Mar 2013
    Posts: 1,489
    I just sat in a meeting where a bunch of junior high math teachers INSISTED that the best way to teach middle school math was to lump "most" of the students together. There reason was "research" all shows that this is best for the struggling students and not a problem for the average to above average students. (Gifted math students were allowed ONE faster track.) That in classes of 35-40 kid they can best meet all of these kids by teaching them all at the same speed. They seem to have bought the tracking is bad ideology hook line and sinker. This kind of tracking is OK at the H.S. level but those struggling in math must still try and keep up or those not struggling must be bored.

    Last edited by bluemagic; 01/12/15 10:58 AM.
    Joined: Feb 2014
    Posts: 337
    I
    Ivy Offline
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    I
    Joined: Feb 2014
    Posts: 337
    Quote from OP at other board:
    "If i teach them 2 digit addition without regrouping now, then what would i teach them in the spring when the rest of the class is learning--my "high" student would be learning the same thing all over again "

    The lack of logic here just boggles the mind. She's already teaching the kid stuff he knows right now. Remember the parents are saying the kid can multiply and divide (which the teacher clearly can't even believe). The teacher can't come up with anything for this kid to do, not because she doesn't have the time, but because she doesn't want to teach anything she's not already planning to teach. Sure, she may not have the time, but that's not her objection here.

    And sure she feels bad about it, but I just don't think that feeling bad is enough of an excuse to get out of doing anything. "Sorry I'm not willing to rub two neurons together to try to help you in any way, but I do feel bad about it."

    I want to be sympathetic toward public school teachers. I really do. First, it's politically incorrect not to be. Second, I'm the kind of person who likes to like people and think the best about them.

    I only wish more of our own interactions with our public school district encouraged that sympathy.

    Joined: Jun 2012
    Posts: 144
    B
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    B
    Joined: Jun 2012
    Posts: 144
    Districts and teachers definitely vary. I've certainly read posts here where they've been accommodating in addition to the horror stories. The more asynchronous the child's development the harder it is to meet their needs in a group setting. Our district does a reasonable job at accelerating kids 1 or 2 years ahead in math especially as they get older. I'm very grateful for the walk to math options that my older son had starting in Kindergarten. However, if a kid is beyond that point I don't see much to do except wait until they are mature enough to advocate for some kind of independent study.

    Joined: Dec 2012
    Posts: 882
    M
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    M
    Joined: Dec 2012
    Posts: 882
    You know, this isn't just a public school problem.

    My DD is applying to two private schools that screen children for cognitive abilities. I was surprised when I toured one of them that all students were working on grade level math. This school is famous for their STEM focus and they are doing amazing things at high school level (although I didn't see one single girl in their advanced robotic class....).

    I understand how ability grouping might not work in all situations but a school that charges $21,000 a year and has 12:1 student teacher ratio can only do grade level workbook math? REALLY?

    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 848
    C
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    C
    Joined: Sep 2013
    Posts: 848
    Originally Posted by Mana
    You know, this isn't just a public school problem.

    My DD is applying to two private schools that screen children for cognitive abilities. I was surprised when I toured one of them that all students were working on grade level math. This school is famous for their STEM focus and they are doing amazing things at high school level (although I didn't see one single girl in their advanced robotic class....).

    I understand how ability grouping might not work in all situations but a school that charges $21,000 a year and has 12:1 student teacher ratio can only do grade level workbook math? REALLY?

    Agreed. Our DS had a horrible 1st grade year at a highly-touted private school with a pricetag to match. Workbooks and outright resistance to the possibility that he was gifted (despite their own testing pre-admission of his reading beyond a fifth grade level).

    Joined: Nov 2012
    Posts: 2,513
    Likes: 1
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Nov 2012
    Posts: 2,513
    Likes: 1
    I'm going to use material from that website as part of a prompt for an interview question for teachers now.


    What is to give light must endure burning.
    Joined: Nov 2012
    Posts: 2,513
    Likes: 1
    A
    Member
    Offline
    Member
    A
    Joined: Nov 2012
    Posts: 2,513
    Likes: 1
    Originally Posted by chay
    This is what I have banged my head against for 5 years and as that parent I haven't found anything that I can do frown

    Last year I met with our brand new VP. I thought the meeting was going well and she was all keen to differentiate things for DS. Then I asked for some examples (because they'd been giving me the differentiation line for a long time with nothing actually being done). Her examples for grade 3 were "while the class is doing 2 digit addition he can do 3 digits....". Really, because that is soooooo much harder and he didn't figure that out 3 seconds after he figured out 2 digit addition a few years ago.

    She then talked about science which I had earlier said I was wiling to concede because it would be too much work for a teacher to manage. She then insisted that science was super easy to differentiate and said that while the other kids were learning that plants get their food from the sun he could learn that it is called photosynthesis (oh and she said it nice and slow so I would be able to understand her complex science word). Seriously. I'm proud that I got out of there without swearing. I'm at a complete loss.

    (sorry for the rant - hit a nerve)

    I'm sorry, but what?! My son could describe photosynthesis in detail at 2. How is that even remotely acceptable for an older child?! I feel for you, chay.


    What is to give light must endure burning.
    Page 2 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

    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