[Tag-Info] Oregon Talented and Gifted Teacher Update #1
FIGGINS Stacey
Stacey.Figgins at state.or.us
Wed Oct 1 13:28:05 PDT 2008
Oregon Talented and Gifted Teacher Update #1
October 1, 2008
Please forward this issue of the update to interested professionals!
Teachers may sign up for this or other newsletters at: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1843.
1. Welcome to the Talented and Gifted Teacher Update!
2. TAG Regional Centers Selected!
3. Legal Reminder of the Month
4. News Article: "Gifted Children: How to Bring Out Their Potential."
5. A How-To Guide for Teaching Math and Science to Gifted Students
6. Gifted Teacher and Administrator of the Year Contest
7. Help a Gifted Student Get to College!
8. Curriculum Compacting
9. Curriculum Compacting-Take Two
10. John Hopkins Talent Search
11. Incorporating Technology-Virtual Field Trips
12. An Interview with Carol Ann Tomlinson about Differentiation
13. Differentiation-The Challenges of Classroom Management
14. Edutopia on iTunes-for free!
15. Science and Social Studies Differentiated Units
16. How to Submit Articles
17. In Every Issue-Internet Resources
1. Welcome to the Talented and Gifted Teacher Update!
Welcome to the first issue of the Oregon Talented and Gifted Teacher Update! I would like to start by introducing myself. I am very excited to be the new full-time Education Specialist focusing on Talented and Gifted at the Oregon Department of Education. I am coming straight out of the classroom. For the last eleven years I have taught language arts and social studies in grades 6-12. In Oregon, I have worked in both the Estacada and Parkrose School District. While at Parkrose, I served as the TAG Coordinator for my school. Early in my career I earned a Gifted Education endorsement from the state of Georgia. I have also attended myriad workshops and classes related to differentiation, and in my graduate work focused on critical literacy. Through my own teaching practice I developed skills and strategies that were successful with highly capable students, and I look forward to being able to share those strategies with other teachers. I am thrilled to be a part of the process of providing excellent educational opportunities for talented and gifted students in Oregon. I look forward to meeting all of you and working with you in the future.
This newsletter is designed to provide current issues concerning teachers of TAG students, guidance counselors, administrators, and coordinators of TAG programs. Please let your colleagues know that they can subscribe to this and other ODE content area newsletters by visiting: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1843.
2. TAG Regional Centers Selected!
Western Oregon University and Southern Oregon ESD have both been selected as the Regional Planning Centers for 2008-09. The contact person for Western Oregon University is Dr. Ella Taylor and for Southern Oregon ESD is Ms. Teena Staller. Both institutions have exciting and useful staff development opportunities planned. More updates to follow as they solidify their offerings for the year.
3. Legal Reminder of the Month
OAR 581-022-1330-1: "Each school district shall have a written plan for programs and services [to talented and gifted students]." In addition to having a written plan, every effort should be made to communicate the plan with all stakeholders.
4. News Article: "Gifted Children: How to Bring Out Their Potential."
Written by Christian Fischer and published on the Scientific American website, this article gives a succinct overview of acceleration and enrichment and briefly mentions some of the challenges gifted students may face.
Read full article at: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=coaching-the-gifted-child
5. A How-To Guide for Teaching Math and Science to Gifted Students
This 56-page booklet created by Jennifer Stepanek at the Northwest Regional Educational Lab provides a comprehensive guide on differentiation strategies for math and science teachers, with a particular emphasis on meeting the needs of gifted students. It has a helpful mixture of educational theories and practical classroom applications.
You can download it at: http://www.nwrel.org/msec/just_good/9/
Or click here for information about purchasing this booklet: http://www.nwrel.org/comm/catalog/detail.asp?RID=12413
6. Gifted Teacher and Administrator of the Year Contest
Hoagies' Gifted Education webpage is sponsoring a contest to identify the Gifted Teacher/Administrator of the Year. To enter, write a short description of this educator and submit it to the website. Success stories will be published on the website and three winners will be selected in December. There are prizes for the winners. For more information, or to nominate a professional, go to: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gifted_teacher_year.htm
7. Help a Gifted Student Get to College!
University of Oregon has a special program for high school students who may have more difficulty accessing college. This includes students from low-income families, students whose race or ethnicity is underrepresented in higher education, students who have faced significant obstacles in completing their education, or students who will be the first in their family to attend college. For more information, contact Jennifer Smith at (541) 346-1272 or jensmith at uoregon.edu<mailto:jensmith at uoregon.edu>. You can also visit their website for more information at: http://admissions.uoregon.edu/visit/connections.htm
8. Curriculum Compacting
Do you know how to implement curriculum compacting in your classroom when gifted or other students have shown mastery of a concept you plan to teach? If not, Tamara Fisher provides a short description of the basic components of curriculum compacting with easy-to-understand classroom examples at: http://www.teachersourcebook.org/tsb/articles/2008/09/10/01gifted.h02.html
9. Curriculum Compacting-Take Two
If the previous article piqued your curiosity and you want even more information about curriculum compacting, the Montgomery School District in Rockville, Maryland, has an excellent power point presentation published on the web that reviews basic components of curriculum compacting. You can find it at: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/enriched/giftedprograms/docs/ppts/compactingfixed.ppt
10. John Hopkins Talent Search
The Center for Talented Youth at John Hopkins University will be conducting its annual search for academically and intellectually talented youth. Students in grades 2-8 take above-grade-level standardized tests, and through the results can learn more about their individual learning strengths. Participation in the testing may also allow students to access other services and programs from John Hopkins University. Schools interested in participating can go to their website for more information: http://cty.jhu.edu/ts/tscoordguide.html There will also be an informational meeting about the Center for parents of TAG-identified students or students who have scored in the 95th percentile or higher at Willamette ESD on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. For more information call the John Hopkins West Coast Office at (310) 754-4100.
11. Incorporating Technology-Virtual Field Trips
Renzulli Learning, a research development company of the University of Connecticut that focuses on highly capable students, has a list of web-based virtual field trips that could be incorporated in engaging class activities. Some of the offerings include a tour of the White House, the Sydney Opera House, a virtual tour of the human body and others. Find the full list at: http://www.renzullilearning.com/LearnMaps.aspx?type=Virtual
12. An Interview with Carol Ann Tomlinson about Differentiation
Tomlinson is considered to be one of the foremost experts on differentiated instruction. In this interview with Anthony Rebora, she explains briefly how differentiated instruction works and why it is so essential in classroom instruction. Read the full text at: http://www.teachermagazine.org/tsb/articles/2008/09/10/01tomlinson.h02.html
13. Differentiation-The Challenges of Classroom Management
Teaching Tolerance has put together a wonderful three-part series on positive classroom management. The third part of the series focuses on differentiation. The site features video taped interviews with teachers explaining their use of differentiation and many ready-to-use handouts. This site would be particularly useful for teachers looking for ideas on how to increase their skills using higher order thinking skills, primary source documents, and literacy strategies. Go to: http://www.tolerance.org/teach/activities/activity.jsp?ar=932
14. Edutopia on iTunes-for free!
Edutopia, the George Lucas Educational Foundation, offers a variety of resources for educators including short videos of real life innovational classroom situations focusing on topics such as "Pursuing Passion After School: Chicago's Model Educational-Enrichment Effort," and "Art Works: Integrating Creativity into the Classroom." You can find them at www.edutopia.org<http://www.edutopia.org>. Many of these videos can now also be downloaded for free on iTunes.
15. Science and Social Studies Differentiated Units
The Connecticut Department of Education received a Javits grant to create differentiated units in social studies and science. Topics include government, geography, astronomy, ecosystems, and others. These units may prove particularly helpful to teachers new to differentiation because they already have built-in activities that are modified to reach students who are below, at, or above grade level. Although these units are primarily focused on grades K-8, high school teachers may still want to skim through applicable units for possible instructional strategies that could be adapted to a higher level. Check them out at:
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2618&q=320852
16. How to Submit Articles
If you would like to submit information for this newsletter, please email publication-ready short articles by the end of the month to stacey.figgins at state.or.us<mailto:stacey.figgins at state.or.us>. Please include links and contact information but no attachments.
17. In Every Issue-Internet Resources
Oregon Department of Education TAG
http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=76
ERIC - Educational Resources Information Center
http://www.eric.ed.gov/
Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted (SENG)
http://www.sengifted.org/
Council for Exceptional Children http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
National Association for Gifted Children
www.nagc.org<http://www.nagc.org>
Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted
www.oatag.org<http://www.oatag.org>
REAL - Resources for Educational Achievement and Leadership
http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/real/
Get Ready Oregon web page: New Oregon Diploma information for the general public
http://www.getreadyoregon.org
Oregon Diploma web page: Resources and tools for educators
http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=368
Contact the Education Specialist in TAG
Stacey Figgins, stacey.figgins at state.or.us<mailto:stacey.figgins at state.or.us> (503) 947-5701
****Disclaimer--The materials contained in the Oregon Talented and Gifted Teacher Update produced by Oregon Department of Education are drawn from both internal and external sources and inclusion of external materials does not necessarily indicate Oregon Department of Education endorsement.****
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