Fall Camp Innovation Pathways to College Program at NKU

Join us this fall at NKU's Camp Innovation Pathways to College Program for students in grades K-8

Camp Innovation Pathways to College will be Saturdays, October 21-November 4, 9:00-11:30 am.  Students are able to select from over 22 transdisciplinary courses infusing entrepreneurship, science, technology, mathematics, social studies, visual and performing arts and original interdisciplinary studies.  All classes provide the opportunity for students to share interests with other children while experiencing unique, hands-on learning.

This session includes classes such as: Animal Art, Debate Club, Video Game Developers, Walking with Shakespeare, Express Yourself, Chocolate Economics, International Art, Stories Alive, Champion Chess Masters, Grossologists, STEM Explorers and many more!

For full class descriptions and registration, visit our website http://gifted.nku.edu.

Gifted? Now What?

Gifted? Now What?

Ashley Chambless

It’s a week before the new school year starts. You are excited as you look over your class list for the year. You notice that two of your students are identified as gifted. You think to yourself, Gifted? I bet they will do great this year, but am I the right teacher for them? I work hard to meet the needs of my students, but how do I meet the needs of students who are well above where they need to be?”

This can be a very scary thing for a teacher to go through. Having a class composed of 25 different children, who all have different learning styles and abilities can be challenging. Due to this challenge, it can be easy to put more of your focus on students who are at or below grade level and think that the gifted students will be “fine.” This is doing a disservice to those children and their abilities.

As an educator, I have gone through this battle. I was giving good, quality instruction, yet my gifted students were just along for the ride. They were bored! I needed to find a way to reach all of my students and I needed to find it fast.

Of course, as a teacher I knew what differentiation was, but I didn’t fully understand how to implement it effectively. My first step was to make sure that I could define the process of differentiation and how it would help my gifted students.

“Differentiation is a way of teaching; it’s not a program or package of worksheets. It asks teachers to know their students well so they can provide each one with experiences and tasks that will improve learning.” (Scholastic) This definition alone shows that differentiation is going to allow teachers to meet the needs of all students by knowing who they are and what they need. There are three main aspects to focus on when differentiating: Process, Content, and Product.

Process- this is the part in which teachers are giving tiered activities for student learning. The process is being taught through a variety of things such as media, PowerPoint, song/video, verbal, movement etc. Students are provided student choice through manipulatives and activities and this will allow you to meet the needs of all learning styles in your classroom. Here is just one example of a learning style inventory quiz you can give to your students:

https://www.puc.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/13395/Learning-Styles-Inventory.pdf

Content- this is the part in which teachers are provided a variety of levels and support for what the students need. All students are working toward the same goal, but the level and support varies based on the needs of students. This is the time a teacher can have multiple students working on the same standard, but when deconstructing that standard, students will be working on a variety of material based on their understanding. Here in a link to a wonderful source that explains how to “unwrap” a standard in order to see what parts students need to accomplish:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2015/03/unwrapping_the_standards_a_simple_way_to_deconstruct_learning_outcomes.html

Product- this is the part in which teachers give students options on how to show what they have learned and providing rubrics matched to their choice and level. This is a great time to provide students opportunities to work independently and at their own pace, or even in a group environment. Here is a link to a wonderful site that give multiple options on how to give student choice through learning: https://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/Choice+Boards

All of these things will help your classroom ensure that it is meeting everyone’s needs and giving opportunities for students to show their talents. This process gives time for gifted students to really shine and ensures that they are working with material that will challenge them. While this is not the only way to ensure you are meeting the needs of gifted students, it is a great place to start! From here, the options are endless and more support can be added for those students!

As an educator, we need to do what is best for all of our students. Differentiation does take time, but it is a great place to start in learning about your students and challenging them through a variety of materials. Now when you see a child labeled as gifted on your roster, do not think they will just be “fine.” Challenge yourself and start making your lesson fit their needs through differentiation!

References: What Is Differentiated Instruction? (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/what-differentiated-instruction/

What Is Differentiated Instruction? (2017, March 16). Retrieved March 23, 2017, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction

My Child Is Not Weird

My Child is Not Weird – She Is Gifted!

Jessica Murrell

As a parent of a child who is gifted in many things, I often wonder where the off switch is. I want to just have a child who wants to do average things. Nevertheless, as a teacher I know that a child who is not challenged is not happy. I remember being a child like this. My parents made sure I was involved in everything from drama to sports, in and out of school hours. Within the class, teachers would always make special time for me where I could complete projects that went beyond the curriculum. I had many other gifted friends who needed attention. They usually were being fulfilled at school, but home was a different story. 

Gifted friends of mine usually were only getting their needs met if parents were aware and could afford the outside activities. Not only is this an issue, but as parents we also may wonder what is wrong with our kid? Why don’t they want to play with the neighbor? What do they like about crosswords? How does reading interest them so much? Then, we wonder again, why is my child so weird?

 This Caption was borrowed from Common Sense Media

The answer is they aren’t. They are gifted. They see things differently. They look at the world through different lenses. When we think things are cut and dry, they wonder why.

So, in turn, open your ears and your hearts. Your child has lots of room to grow. You may not always have the answer to their questions. You may not always want to talk about the advanced topics they do. Be open though, and do what you can!

Summer 2017 Camp Innovation Program -- June 12-16 at Northern Kentucky University

Great news!  We are excited to announce our summer 2017 Camp Innovation Program classes held at Northern Kentucky University.  Camp Innovation will be held, Monday-Friday, June 12 - 16, 8:30-11:30 am.  Students are able to select 2 classes from 40 different selections!  The first courses will meet from 8:30-10:00 and the second 10:00-11:30.  Students will be escorted between classes by program personnel.  The full program brochure is available here: Summer 2017 Camp Innovation Program Brochure.

Northern Kentucky University’s Camp Innovation Pathways to College Program is a trailblazing program designed for high potential youth to discover and explore advanced content and engaged learning.  All classes provide the opportunity for students to share interests with other children while exploring pathways to intellectual development, academic enhancement, career exploration, and creative artistic fulfillment.  Camp Innovation offers transdisciplinary courses infusing entrepreneurship, science, mathematics, social studies, technology, visual and performing arts, and original interdisciplinary studies.  We encourage students to choose their own classes on a first-come first-served basis.

What makes NKU's Camp Innovation Program Leading-Edge?

• Student-centered focus on career exploration pathways and college-readiness
• Emphasis on critical and creative thinking though independent learning
• Environment that values creativity, diversity, entrepreneurship, and achievement
• Challenging hands-on, transdisciplinary learning
• Personal attention from dedicated teachers trained through graduate coursework in gifted education
• Small class sizes for caring, personalized, and differentiated instruction
• The opportunity to share interests with other high potential children

Registration:

• Registration opens Monday, April 24, online http://inside.nku.edu/gifted or via phone 859-572-5600.
• For the best choice of classes, register early!  Students are placed in classes on a first-come, first-served basis and many classes will fill before the June 5 application deadline.
• Course grade levels are recommended levels.  For example, if you child is advancing from third grade into fourth grade in the fall, she can select courses from either the Builders (K-3) or the Innovators courses (3-6),
• Class materials fees are paid directly to the individual teachers on the first day of class.
• A limited number of need-based financial aid scholarships are available.

Afternoon Care:

• Afternoon care is available through NKU's Early Childhood Center's summer program from 11:30 am - 6:00 pm.  Contact Lindsey Shaffer, Summer Camp Coordinator, 859-572-6338 or ecc@nku.edu for details and registration.

Questions and Additional Information:

• Please contact Dr. Kimberly Code at gifted@nku.edu or Community Connections at 859-572-5600 for questions and further information.

NKU's Camp Innovation Pathways to College Program is endorsed by the

Northern Kentucky Association for Gifted Education.

Announcing Parent Place -- Your Resource for Understanding Gifted and Highly Able Learners

We are excited to share our new Parent Place series of workshops, lectures, and opportunities to connect with other parents and teachers of gifted/talented and highly able learners.

Parent Place will be offered concurrently with the Camp Innovation Pathways to College Program spring 2017 session, Saturdays, March 11, 18, and 25 at 9:00 am in Landrum Hall Room 110 on Northern Kentucky University's campus.

Spring 2017 workshop topics include:

• March 11: Strategies and Resources for Navigating Technology with Your Gifted Child presented by Shannon Eastep, Educational Technology, Northern Kentucky University
• March 18: Optimal Engagement for Parents, presented by April Traywick-Roberts, Parents for Public Schools Executive Director
• March 25: Parenting and Supporting Gifted and Highly Able Learners, presented by Loretta Flerlage, Gifted Services Teacher

All of the spring Parent Place sessions are FREE and open to all interested parents and teachers.  For further information visit http://gifted.nku.edu or email Dr. Kimberly Code, gifted@nku.edu.

Welcome!

Welcome to GiftedSources!  An innovative resource for gifted and talented learners, their parents, and educators.  The mission of this blog is to serve as a means to share innovative best practices, research, and develop partnerships that support the precocious abilities of gifted and talented youth.

We would like to begin by introducing the new Camp Innovation Pathways to College Program being offered by Northern Kentucky University's Institute for Talent Development and Gifted Studies.  Camp Innovation is a trailblazing program designed for high potential and gifted youth to discover and explore advanced content and engaged learning.  All classes provide the opportunity for students to share interests with other children while exploring pathways to intellectual development, academic enhancement, career exploration, and creative artistic fulfillment. Camp Innovation offers transdisciplinary courses infusing entrepreneurship, science, mathematics, social studies, technology, visual and performing arts, and original interdisciplinary studies.

The program will be held Saturdays, March 11, 18, and 25th at Northern Kentucky University. This enrichment program allows the opportunity for students in kindergarten through sixth grade to attend classes at Northern Kentucky University and learn with peers of similar abilities and interests.

Course descriptions and registration is available at http://gifted.nku.edu. For further information, contact Camp Innovation Director, Dr. Kimberly Code at gifted@nku.edu or call 859-572-5600.