Wonderful As You Are

"There is often debate over gifted versus high achieving." What are your thoughts?-giftED Blog Challenge 2018 #3

I think it is a pretty wide spread misconception that giftedness automatically equates with high achievement. In some cases it does. For most however there are a host of issues such as heightened intensities, over excitabilities and asynchronous development that many teachers or other adults probably wouldn't know about unless they had a reason to research it. Or, if they were lucky enough to be offered support and professional development to learn about them.

When people think of gifted they may think of wonderful artists in history, Van Gogh for example. They see the high achievement, the beautiful paintings, the amazing contribution to the arts. But many don't think about the fact that this high achievement only came in the most part many years after he had passed away. At the time he stood out to only a few. Van Gogh struggled to sell paintings. In many ways he lived the life of a 'tortured artist.' He was not at all a high achiever in his lifetime. Yet now his work provokes wonder, pleasure and inspiration for many.

A Starry Night- Vincent Van Gogh

It can be hard to change your mindset to think about giftedness in a different way. To not think giftedness equates to just high achievement in academics, arts and sports.

High achievement if well managed can be wonderful too. If it causes stress, pressure and anxiety for parents, teachers or students themselves then you need to review how you approach your goals. We should celebrate their success with them. Can we encourage them to have a sense of wonder about their learning as well, definitely!

There is however something wrong with others judging gifted students through a lense that sees them as someone who should be a high achiever and as a failure if they don't. Is it time to celebrate that a gifted person can bring a sense of wonder, creativity and joy into our learning spaces? They may not always achieve in a way that is expected but if they are passionate about their learning and driven to be the best and happy in their own unique way isn't this enough to start with? We can support them to work towards their potential without losing that sense of wonder, curiosity and creativity. After all, sometimes the high achievement comes in retrospect. Let's give our students this chance.

Where the Earth Meets the Sky

                                                giftED Blog Challenge Post 2018 #2


That moment when the light sparks and appears between Papatuanuku and Ranginui. The start of a new day. Hope, new beginnings, the intersection between our learning and new understanding.

Maybe it's the visual manifestation of Oprah's famous 'Aha' moment. Finding the balance and avoiding the pitfalls for a gifted student in a mainstream learning space may come in many different forms. Like all of our students we make our personal connections and find out 'what makes them tick.'  We work to differentiate. But, sometimes it's not until such a student comes into our orbit that we truly have that 'Aha' moment.

For most teachers this doesn't come without professional development, support and guidance. Maybe its always been there, or we think we know. But I think it's not until that spark appears, that's when we can start to see the gifted student for who they are. Just as a new day starts and is different, so are these students.

So the challenge is to research, collaborate, keep evolving and learn from our mistakes.

"Whaowhia te kete matauranga" - Fill the basket of knowledge

Nga Mihi,

Bex

The Power of Connection

"The Power of Connection"- Rita Palmer.

This connection is so important for our students. All students need this to feel a sense of mana whenua (belonging) and mana atua (wellbeing) that comes from a personal connection in their learning environment. They need to feel like their special interests, passions and thoughts are valued. Often for gifted students in particular these interests may seem a bit 'left field' or they delve into them in a more intense way. They are looking for a connection on lots of levels. A connection with their passion areas, a connection through friendships, with their environment, a connection with an educator who is passionate and shows an interest in them as a person.

Not only do students not learn from people they don't like, I think it can sometimes make them disengage from their learning space completely. If they don't have that champion who understands them, then for a gifted student their potential is left on the 'back burner.'

That joy of learning needs to fostered through the power of connection. Every child needs a champion. Be that person who cares enough to step up and be there for them.

Nga Mihi,

Bex

giftED Blog Challenge 2018 #1

Coping Skills for Kids

                                                            Source: Unknown

I saw this infographic recently and it really resonated with me. It has so many options which could work with almost any child or adult! Sometimes when our students are stressed or overwhelmed at school it's hard to find ways to help them cope. But, using something like this as a guide could really help. Especially for those that may take some time for teachers to build relationships with. Often they relate well to only one teacher and then they can't cope when that person is away. These are usually the times when you may see behaviour and actions really escalate in a school setting.

These students seem to  'misbehave' or act 'irrationally' from our view point. Really it's just that they need help to learn some coping skills. "What can I do if my 'go to' teacher is away?" " What will help when that sense of belonging and connection are missing if they aren't here with me?" "I'm feeling anxious and I don't know how to make it stop." Here is where our connections with students are so important. If they feel safe and happy to talk to you then they can begin to learn some valuable coping skills. Learning to cope is a lifelong skill that they can carry with them into the future, rather than the baggage that comes with the misbehaviour.

Nga Mihi,

Bex

Reading Adventures with Aroha

 Learning to love reading! This term I have worked with students from Aroha Pod who are 7 and who needed support to become more fluent and confident readers. We have had a strong focus on Science through 'The Kitchen Science Cookbook",  STEM and making, especially with "Epic Cardboard Adventures". This has involved a lot of problem solving, discussion and increased exposure to more vocabulary in a meaningful context.

We start each session with me reading to the students as a 'warm up'. This has lead to good discussion and the right 'mindset' to start thinking about reading as something that is enjoyable and fun! Students have come to ask: "Can you read our story?" which is awesome to see them start to love being read too! It's also a lovely way to expose students to books and authors they may become interested in themselves.

Secondly, I have used a variety of fiction and non-fiction journals at suitable levels and tried to find out about passions and interests to guide these. For example we read 'The Maize Maze' about mazes which lead to students wanting maze reading activities. They then transferred that to using Dash and making mazes for him to move through.

 

Making a maze with Lego was also really popular.  I just ran with their passion areas and tried to tie in as much reading and writing as possible. Most students recorded their ideas on Seesaw which meant they were reading and recording their own ideas as well.

Halfway through the Term I came across this wonderful book and my students have absolutely loved using it.

It tied nicely into the Aroha Pod's instruction writing and reading. Also, although technically not being STEM/STEAM it still lends itself nicely to trial and error and problem solving. Some students really shone in this area of problem solving and as a result their reading fluency and confidence started to improve. It has taken an intensive two months of this type of instructional high interest reading alongside carefully selected high interest journals to see a boost in these areas.

We also tried to do a Science based cooking experiment using The Kitchen Science Cookbook once a fortnight. Students could opt into this. If they choose this they read and highlighted unknown words and concepts. We drew sketches to explain concepts and wrote down questions before embarking on the food experiment. Again this instructional reading was useful to immerse students in different vocabulary. They could follow a process and 'problem shoot' if things might need a tweak along the way.

The edible candle or confectionary candle    

                                                                      Bread in a Bag

Our final project was to make a small three tier greenhouse and to plant and grow sunflower seeds. Students read the instructions and made the greenhouse themselves. they then found out he best way to plant the seeds. Afterwards we had to watch instructional videos to find out why some of the seeds may not be growing. So there was a lot of problem solving and thinking tied into our acquisition of new vocabulary.

Students have really enjoyed being given lots of choices for their reading. I think it's this voice and choice that has been the real winner. Alongside getting to know my learners really well and finding out about their passions and interests in depth.   It will be interesting to ask them what they have enjoyed and how they think learning together this Term has helped their reading!

Nga Mihi

Bex

Highly Sensitive Students

                                                                Photo Credit: Source Unknown


What do we see when we have students who get upset, anxious or seem ‘overly sensitive’? 
Often it’s just that 10% if the iceberg where the behaviour is seen rather than all the attributes that have caused the student to react in this way. These attributes of being super observant, empathetic and caring mean they soak in everything from their surroundings. Words, noises, actions, looks, body language. All day, everyday, feeling and seeing things differently takes its toll on these students. If we don’t understand what’s going on often their outburst or action can seem out of place or something that’s come ‘out of the blue.’ 

Our reactions to these outbursts can mean our relationships with these students can be strengthened or they may be broken beyond repair. They see our annoyance, underlying anger, frustration (even if it's an unintentional look or off hand comment.). The ‘Why are you doing this? The ‘ What’s wrong with you?’ Then they start to feel like there really is something wrong with themselves. “I’m a bad person, I’m weird, No one likes me.” The negative self talk can overwhelm a student who already sees and feels too much. 

So how can we help them cope? Firstly, by helping them to understand that there is nothing wrong with feeling the way they do. It’s just that they need to learn the best way to process those feelings and observations.They may read into situations  and overthink what a person is dong or saying.  Talking  about feelings and normalising them can really help too. Other students, friends, teachers and parents have times when they might feel or react in the same way. It may be that they have learned strategies to minimise these reactions and then process them differently.


Finding a common language to describe emotions and how they feel so students can give words to describe what's going on rather than them emerging as actions or as others view them ‘overreactions' can be really positive. Starting to recognise when they feel their emotions are getting away from them and processing them differently is important. Or having the confidence to seek help or to remove themselves from a situation. 


It is vital to make sure that we treat students positively so that other students will accept that sometimes they need space, quiet or time to do something that centres them again. One of the biggest ways for students to be accepted by their classmates is for their teachers to treat them like a super star. Just as we do for all our other students! Then the perceived ‘negative’ reactions become more readily accepted and tolerated by their peers. They can start to develop a sense of empathy and understanding. With this we can  further develop a culture of caring. 

Helping these students find their tribe within your learning space will have a positive effect on everyone. Students, teachers and family. 

Gifted and Talented- Peas in a Pod

This week I dropped in to observe Victoria working with a small group of Gifted and Talented students  who were starting to prepare for The Tournament of Minds competition. They were breaking down a past challenge and discussing how best to approach it. It was interesting to listen to students talking about different aspects of the challenge. An area that stood out to me was the  'Spirit of the Tournament.' This, and the students ability to problem solve within the confines of a planned script and a dramatic performance which stuck to the brief and time limits.

To best achieve these goals mindfulness and clear, kind communication will be really important to these students. As will sharing not only skills and strengths but also areas of weakness or things that unsettle them with the team. It would be important for team mates to know about areas of 'excitability'  and 'sensitivities' which may derail the team as students struggle to cope with unexpected changes, too much loud stimuli etc. Mindfulness is not just about your own wellbeing, but also others you work with. In this way the team can support each other when they know something may be a trigger to 'stress out' one of their team mates. It will also mean that they can plan ahead of time possibly using visualisation techniques to 'see' a positive out come to possible problems.

Although the Peas in a Pod focus was a challenge title I think it lends nicely to an analogy of these students working together. They are all individuals with strengths and commonalities like 'peas in a pod" If they stay together in the pod they will be a cohesive and united group. If they don't,  the pod disintegrates and you are left with individuals without a common purpose or goal. The 'Spirit of the Tournament' becomes lost and they will not be successful.

Finding your tribe in an academic setting is a wonderful thing. I can't wait to see where this learning journey takes them.

Nga Mihi,
Bex