Tiffany O’Connell teaches elementary GT students in Hutto, Texas. She and I have corresponded for years, and last December, I finally met Tiffany and her wonderful team at the TAGT Conference. I’ve been so impressed by her dedication to students and with the questions and feedback she sends my way. In her last email to … Read more
In her years as a teacher in Houston, Texas, Joellle Trayers has made valuable contributions to gifted education, most notably in her work with younger scholars (K-1). A few years ago, her blog, Not Just Child’s Play, caught the attention of Ian Byrd and Lisa Van Gemert, authors of The Gifted Guild’s Guide to Depth … Read more
Recently, as I did some research for this puzzle, I learned a lot about unmanned aerial vehicles, (drones). Right away, I saw the potential for critical and creative thinking. Drones are assisting in all kinds of endeavors, some of which might surprise you, such as monitoring coastlines for sharks and delivering medicines to remote areas. … Read more
“Socratic circles are the best activity that takes place in my classroom, bar none… Critical reading, critical thinking, discussion skills, listening skills, team-building skills, vocabulary improvement, and student ownership, voice, and empowerment are all valid reasons for including Socratic circles in the classroom.” ~ Matt Copeland, author of Socratic Circles If you’ve never tried Socratic … Read more
It’s been around for decades and is still used frequently in business and education, but many people can’t really articulate the meaning of the phrase “thinking outside the box,” and some wonder if it should be reframed. In GT classes, lateral thinking is often a key curricular component introduced in early grades (see Six-Hat Thinking), … Read more
This post reflects what teachers needed in 2020, during the time of our worldwide pandemic. The links below are all still active as of 9/2024 and there are some great ideas! Have you noticed that creativity is playing a major role in how people are handling this pandemic? I am so inspired by people everywhere … Read more
Many teachers who work with gifted students incorporate Socratic Dialogue, Socratic Seminar, Shared Inquiry, Philosophical Chairs, or other methods of facilitating scholarly discourse and discussion. The methods and goals vary depending on the objectives. Some begin with reading a specific text or quote (see Philosophy for Kids), and some lean more towards debate, but all … Read more
Find language levity for K-2 HERE and additional wordplay resources HERE. If you’re looking for ways to incorporate advanced vocabulary while having fun with words, here are a few activities to add to those presented in previous posts (see Pun and Games… and Kid-Created Word Puzzles). INFLATIONARY LANGUAGE Many of you reading this are too … Read more
If I had to name the ONE book that has most influenced my teaching practices in guiding students through challenging texts, it would have to be Deeper Reading by Kelly Gallagher. A high school English teacher, presenter, instructional coach, and author of a number of books, Kelly Gallagher is well known for his educational leadership … Read more
In a previous post, I shared instructions, tutorials, and links for introducing two types of Japanese number logic puzzles to your students: Kakuro and Futoshiki. Here are two additional types that are also less well known, along with tutorials and free resources you can use in your classroom. Hashiwokakero or Hashi o kakero means “building … Read more
