Saturday, February 13, 2010

New Platform

Hi- I have transferred this blog to another platform that I think will better suit the forum. The new address is http://dontshuthtegate.ning.com/ I hope you will follow me over there. Thanks for your support. Erik

Monday, February 1, 2010

The 3 "R"s; Rigor, Relevance, and Risk-Taking

In the current educational climate where so much focus is on bringing low performing students up to proficiency, I wanted to throw out a reminder about the importance of keeping advanced and high ability students engaged, motivated, and challenged. Three areas in danger of being forgotten in classrooms are my three "R"s; rigor, relevance, and risk-taking. Without these elements, many gifted students are in danger of losing their interest in school.

We all understand about rigor and setting a high bar for students. However, I often come across well-meaning teachers who, in their efforts to help an under-performing GATE student, will lessen the difficulty or amount of work in hopes of improving results. If that student is truly overwhelmed or has learning gaps that need intervention, this may be a benefit. In many cases though, the distinction is not made between "can't" and "won't". Our brightest under-achievers can often be very convincing with their "can't" pleas but sometimes, it is really a "won't" disguised as a "can't". How do you know? Engaging assignments and offering rewards (tangible or intangible) can often help suss out where there is a problem. If there is a reason or interest in performing, many times students will step up and do more than we thought they were able to.

This leads me to relevance. Teachers and parents working with gifted students invariably are faced with the question from gifted kids "Why do I have to do this? What's the point?" Answering with a "Because I said so!" rarely works on intelligent children. The more we can do to make every lesson (in school and at home) relevant to what the student thinks is important, the better. Gifted adolescents in particular need to be able to make the connection between their academics and real life. Many of them are smart enough to realize they can leave school early, get a GED, and be in the workforce earning money sooner rather than later. For most, this is obviously not the most prudent course of action.

Finally, with curriculum and assessments often being formulaic and prescribed, creativity can sometimes be swept under the rug. Gifted students (well, actually all students) benefit greatly from variety, being able to try new things, and taking intellectual risks. Much of the best learning occurs when we try something and it doesn't work out. Just ask the makers of the cleanser 409. It got it's name because that many attempts were made before they found the best formula. Creative problem solving is an essential skill for life and needs to be practiced at school. Moreover, for our highest ability students who rarely experience failure, they need that experience within the safe confines of school and home. It will help them know that first, it will happen to them, second, they will survive it, and third, they will learn from it.

So, in my perfect school world, all kids will experience their reading, (w)riting, and 'rithmetic with rigor, relevance, and risk-taking. Would love to hear from any of you that can share other ideas of how you bring the three "R"s to your students!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Changes in GATE Funding in California

Last year, the governor and other legislators made some dramatic changes in how specific school district programs are funded. In the past, the state would send money to school districts with the condition that the funds be spent only on those particular programs. For example, as the GATE coordinator in my District, I received a budget and those dollars could only be spent on supporting the GATE program and the students it serves. That system has changed. Now, the state still provides some funding, but the decision of which programs and students the money is spent on rests with local school districts.

The term attached to this change is "flexible spending". For programs that will lose their funding to other interests the district deems more important, the term has the same ring to it as "positive attrition". Advocates of the change point out (quite correctly) that local administrators have a far better sense than the state of the best places to put the few precious dollars they are allotted. Moreover, many districts, like the district I work for, did not take money away from GATE and are continuing to run as they did before. We took a budget cut but it was no higher or lower than any other program. I am fortunate to work in a district where there is a clear understanding that leaving gifted and high ability students unchallenged and unserved will lead them to lack motivation and perform poorly. There are, however, districts that have taken away all GATE funds and put them toward other services and programs. As a student in one of my university classes put it, "GATE has gone away" in her district.

I am curious and eager to hear what is happening in districts across the state regarding their GATE funds. Even in the best of economic times, this population of students does not get adequate attention and funding. In this "high stakes testing" age, often there is the assumption that gifted students will always test well so there is no need to worry about them. The truth is, their performance will decline if they are bored and see no relevance to their academics. Even more importantly, they will not be given opportunities to practice higher level thinking and problem solving.

If you are a parent or teacher in a district where "GATE has gone away", I urge you to actively advocate for gifted students and to let me know if and how I can support your efforts.