An educated mind is an opened mind. An opened mind is a liberal mind. Teachers don't have to intend to create liberals, it happens naturally. |
On the inside:
- Gifted and Talented
- Links to other education-related stories.
- As always, the topics will be whatever you want to discuss and there will be good community.
It's not for teachers only.
Door's Open...
Gifted and Talented
I am far from an expert on anything concerning elementary education (apart from the topic of gender as it relates to child development, which I will claim as a topic of study about a decade ago). But I have some personal experiences. And I try hard to exercise the part of my brain which deals with fairness issues whenever I think about....well...anything.
So I was listening to WNYC as I was driving to school the other day and the subject of "gifted and talented" programs came up. I was classified in that group when I was young...and got to participate in a program: I wrote about it once upon a time, in the Teacher's Lounge of October 14, 2006:
At the same time, the better students need to be challenged. I grew up in the era of "gifted and talented" programs and think it was good for me to get to do things that the other students didn't. But I didn't think it was fair, necessarily, that I got to go to places that they may never go to and be exposed to knowledge reserved for the few.
In New York City there is an attempt underway to try to locate the gifted and talented students in some way other than relying the parents having knowledge about the program and having the perseverance to find a program to get their children in. The present system has resulted in programs without significant minority participation. That does not seem fair to me.
I'm pretty sure the segment I listened to was on Leonard Lopate, but it doesn't seem to be available in the archive yet. However, it was referring to an earlier segment on Brian Lehrer, a discussion with Elizabeth Green and Robin Aronow (note: the segment is over 19 minutes long).
So the school system's proposal is to test all children, using an instrument which does not rely purely on the subjective judgment of adults as to which children are gifted and which children will not qualify, judgment that could be swayed by parental pressure and/or persistence.
My own experience as a child does not inform me of the method that was used to select me. I doubt it was a result of my parents demanding that I be included. I just can't picture that in my brain. But I know, having at one time taught mathematics in a gifted and talented program in Milwaukee for a month or two back in the early 80s, that there were no minority students in my class, almost no girls, and only one or two of the students in the class showed any glimmer of a gift for mathematics. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
If the purpose of such programs is to provide increased opportunity for our best and brightest children, to nurture them in an educational environment that virtually ignores them otherwise (since, you know, we place more emphasis on children who are struggling to become proficient than on the ones who already are), which I believe is a worthy objective, it is vital that the selection process actually locate the children who belong in the program.
Fair is fair...or should be.
--Robyn Elaine Serven
--Bloomfield College, NJ
Education Round-up: I've categorized.
Education Round-up: I've categorized.
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I'll be hanging around most of the day, actively waiting for your comments (actually, I'll be working in another program, but I'm close by), so at least one person will be here to discuss whatever anyone wants to discuss.
The Not-so-many Rules
- No general bashing of administrators, politicians, etc, just on general principles. If you want to bash them, have a point and a plan.
- No bitching about students unless you're talking about what you are going to do to alleviate the problems you think the students have.
- Introductions are encouraged, but not essential.
- I have no investment in hosting the Teacher's Lounge. If someone else thinks they can and wants to do it better, cool. I just want the space. And not for teachers only, but respecting the general theme of teaching and learning.
- Teacher's Lounge can be "slow blogging" if you want it to be. You don't get quality writing if you demand velocity. It doesn't have to be the case that something posted today is dead by tomorrow. I would like it to eventually be up and active 24/7, but that may have to wait until I have developed an independent blog site.
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Every Saturday I'll post a clean slate, around 12 noon EST.