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From the WATG Membership Committee
One of the big goals of WATG’s Membership Committee is to reach out to other groups around the state to share information about serving the needs of gifted individuals in our state. As an organization, we are constantly fielding questions, and coaching parents/caregivers and educators as they experience the joys and challenges of working with gifted children and adolescents. Additionally, we are forging partnerships with other organizations, and seeking opportunities to speak at their conferences and conventions. This past month, past presidents and current WATG Board advisors Cathy Schmit and Jackie Drummer spoke at the Wisconsin School Counselors’ Association Fall Conference in Wisconsin Dells. Their presentation focused on characteristics of gifted and talented children and adolescents, the role of counselors in providing services for gifted students, and common themes and concerns of gifted students, their parents/caregivers, and educators. Cathy and Jackie provided many ideas to encourage discussion and support. School counselors, like educators, are provided little training about the unique needs of gifted students, so this presentation to a large group of school counselors was an excellent opportunity to reach out and educate. If we at WATG can provide additional educational support for gifted learners at other conferences or events, please contact us at www.watg.org. We are always eager to help! (WATG would like to extend its deep appreciation to Esther Vazquez Guendulain of Appleton Bilingual School for translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking families and educators. The translation can be found below.) Outreach Update Una de los objetivos más importantes del Comité de Miembros de WATG’s, es llegar a otros grupos alrededor del estado para compartir información sobre cómo atender las necesidades de los individuos con talentos excepcionales en nuestro estado. Como organización, estamos constantemente respondiendo preguntas y enseñando a los padres/tutores y educadores, conforme ellos experimentan las alegrías y los desafíos de trabajar con niños y adolescentes con talentos excepcionales. Adicionalmente, estamos forjando alianzas con otras organizaciones y buscando oportunidades para hablar en sus conferencias y convenciones. El pasado mes, los anteriores presidentes y actuales consejeros del Consejo de Gobierno de WATG, Cathy Schmit y Jackie Drummer, hablaron durante la Conferencia de otoño de la Asociación de Consejeros Escolares de Wisconsin en Wisconsin Dells. Su presentación se enfocó en las características de los niños y adolescentes con talentos excepcionales, el papel de los consejeros en la prestación de servicios para los estudiantes con talentos excepcionales y los temas y preocupaciones comunes de los estudiantes con talentos excepcionales, sus padres/tutores y educadores. Cathy y Jackie compartieron muchas ideas para fomentar el apoyo y el hablar de este tema. Los consejeros escolares, al igual que los educadores, reciben muy poca capacitación sobre las necesidades únicas de los estudiantes con talentos excepcionales, por lo que esta presentación para un grupo grande de consejeros escolares, fue una excelente oportunidad para llegar a más y educar. Si nosotros en WATG podemos proporcionar apoyo educativo adicional para aprendices con talentos excepcionales en otras conferencias o eventos, por favor contáctenos en www.watg.org. ¡Aquí estamos siempre ansiosos por ayudar! (WATG extiende su agradecimiento a Esther Vazquez Guendulain de la Escuela Bilingüe de Appleton por la traducción de este articulo al español para nuestras familias y educadores hispano-hablantes. La traducción la puede encontrar también en los bloques de nuestra página web.)
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First of all, I am excited to be WATG President for the next year! When I was asked to take on this role, I thought, hmm...how can I fit this in? I am a full time classroom teacher and I love it. I teach fifth grade language arts and science. Can I do both? Should I try? Over the past 21 years I have held many positions on the board. In fact, I was President of WATG from 2009-2011. Other positions I’ve held include Acceleration Project Lead, Programming Committee Chair, Scholarships Chair, and Secretary. No matter which role I am filling for WATG, some things never change. Wisconsin has passionate, dedicated educators and families who volunteer their time and expertise to ensure that WATG keeps our mission in mind in all that we do -- “to educate about and advocate for the needs of the gifted in Wisconsin.”
Another aspect of WATG that remains the same is that we continually strive to improve and grow. Over the past few years we have adjusted to all virtual board meetings, conferences, and committee meetings. In the midst of this stress, our WATG Board Members have put forth new ideas to add to our Programming efforts -- we now offer podcasts and Town Hall Meetings on gifted issues. I am so proud of all of the projects in the works! Our Membership Committee also succeeded in their “Pandemic Pivot.” They had to cancel in-person membership events because everything had gone virtual. Our Membership team brought forth new ideas to grow our connections with stakeholders and managed to recruit more board members than ever! Additionally, they added over 150 new parent members in less than six months! Our Government Action Committee achieved the Herculean feat of doubling the line item for gifted in our state’s budget! As a result, $474,400 is now appropriated for grants each year. Long hours, hard work and heaps of preparation were involved to present to legislators, educate them, and advocate for more funding for our gifted students. For these reasons and more I decided I couldn’t pass up a chance to work with such an inspiring group again! I am proud to be WATG President and spend another year working with our members and board, trying to make a difference for gifted students in Wisconsin. I welcome your ideas and your support. Sarah Kasprowicz, President WI Association for Talented and Gifted Each year, the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted celebrates Gifted Education Month during October. We celebrate with our annual fall conference with its informative and thought-provoking keynotes and workshops, with ceremonies and awards for service to our students and our field, proclamations from our Governor and Department of Public Instruction, and activities that promote camaraderie and sharing among our constituents. It is our hope that educators, parents, and caregivers will take this momentum back to their communities and share with others. Here are some ideas to get you started:
However you choose to celebrate gifted education week, know that we at WATG appreciate your efforts. The kids do, too! Jackie Drummer, Past President and Board Advisor, WATG (WATG would like to extend a huge thank you to Esther Vazquez Guendulain of the Appleton Bilingual School for translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking families and educators. The translation can also be found below.) ¡Celebremos el mes de la Educación para las Habilidades Excepcionales! Cada año, la Asociación para Niños con Habilidades Excepcionales de Wisconsin celebra en octubre, el Mes de la Educación para las Habilidades Excepcionales. Lo celebramos con nuestra conferencia anual de otoño que incluye talleres y conferencias que invitan a la reflexión; con ceremonias y reconocimientos por el servicio hacia nuestros estudiantes y nuestro ramo, palabras de nuestro Gobernador y del Departamento de Instrucción Pública y actividades que promueven la camaradería y el intercambio entre nuestros integrantes. Es nuestro deseo que educadores, padres y quienes estén a cargo de niños lleven este ímpetu a sus comunidades y lo compartan con otros. Estas son algunas ideas para empezar:
Lo que sea que escoja para celebrar la semana de educación para habilidades excepcionales, sepa que en WATG apreciamos sus esfuerzos. ¡Al igual que los niños! Jackie Drummer, Presidente Previo y Consejero de la Junta de Gobierno de WATG (WATG extiende su agradecimiento a Esther Vazquez Guendulain de la Escuela Bilingüe de Appleton por la traducción de este articulo al español para nuestras familias y educadores hispano-hablantes. La traducción la puede encontrar también en los bloques de nuestra página web.) As you read this article, I will be closing out my final month of serving on the WATG board for seven years. I’m not going away though, simply moving into a different kind of role within WATG. But the culmination of a seven-year term has me really pondering the work that I’ve done to date because of WATG and because of having gifted children myself.
Let me start by telling you, (or reminding you) that I have regrets for not putting up the kind of fight needed to get service for my own children while they were in school. I was a teacher within the same district and I felt as though I had to be careful not to rock the boat too hard and I especially did not want to damage relationships or burn bridges with the folks with whom I worked. In the end, that only resulted in holding back my own kids from getting their educational needs met at school year after year. We tried to give them the rigor and challenge they craved through home activities and adventures. And then they graduated… one after the other. The good news is “they survived,” as most gifted children do, but I always wonder how different things might have been for them had their needs been met, truly met, with appropriate challenges in school. I wonder if the anxiety and perfectionism they deal with today could have been avoided (or minimized) had they had the right lessons about “being” gifted, including the social and emotional support from school staff during their school years. So yes, I have regrets. And then, along came my opportunity to work with WATG… a place to turn my regrets into action. It has been a soap box platform for me to “shout from the mountain tops” that our gifted kids need EVERYONE’s support. It doesn’t matter what role you play within a gifted child’s life; you have an important role to play to give that child the best support possible. There will be times that it seems impossible and that the obstacles are too big, but it will be worth it in the end. WHY? Because you will have fought the good fight, not just for your student, but for all the others that will come after this one.You will have no regrets because you “left it all on the field”. Perhaps you are asking right now what you can do to make a change from your corner of the gifted world. Let me give you an incomplete list.
I can tell you that every bit of effort that you put into this work will pay off in the end. You may not see it right away, but the benefits are real. Perhaps you are feeling the same regrets. Perhaps you feel like you are past the point of needing to battle because your children have graduated. Don’t think that way… grandchildren may need the same thing! I have had five grandchildren join my life since landing on the WATG board and the need to keep working on this has only intensified with my Nana status! I will leave you with this thought: The work we do is important. Your voice is important. It makes a difference to our own children, but also to those children (and parents) who have no voice within our current system. Stretch yourself and find new ways to do this work. Leave it all “on the field” and have no regrets for a job well done. I am beyond grateful for those that have fought before me, with me, and will join us in the future. Thank you to each and every one of you. Take care and take heart. WATG is here to support you as they have me. Cathy Schmit, President, WATG As we entered the 2020-21 school, we were all asked to consider what we were passionate about. Was it our freedoms, our ability to be together with a collective voice, or a realization of how much we had steered away from what we are most passionate about?
The Oxford dictionary defines passion as “showing or caused by strong feelings or a strong belief” and the pandemic taught us many things. It afforded us time to think about what is most important in this world. The timing of the pandemic, coupled with the murder of George Floyd, caused many of us to acknowledge that at times we have not always seen experiences similarly to others, especially those who may look different or share a different experience in this world. For many of us, our passion for building a strong understanding of equity in the world, especially in the world of gifted and talented, took on an even greater urgency. We share a desire to examine inequities, and we are committed to the efforts we must make to improve the opportunities for all students. One question that continues to be researched is this: “What makes one family aware and familiar with the pathways for educational success, while others guess and wonder what that journey entails?” Over time, we have seen generations breaking barriers, understanding the journey and ensuring that education and access to rigor is key to success. A scientific study by Hart and Risley (1995), Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children, shared pivotal information with educators about the importance of early literacy and the importance of vocabulary development in young children. The study found significant differences in the communication patterns occurring in higher socioeconomic families compared to lower socioeconomic homes, and revealed an early opportunity gap that must be addressed by American schools. The 30 million word gap by age 3 and children’s language differs greatly across income levels. Hart and Risley found that “so much is happening to children during their first three years at home, at a time when they are especially malleable and uniquely dependent on the family for virtually all of their experience, that by age three, an intervention must address not just a lack of knowledge or skill, but also an entire general approach to experience”. What can gifted and talented educators and programming do to begin to address academic gaps starting so early in our students' lives? If we are truly committed to equity, we must be focused and intentional about early literacy work with students and families to ensure support for our most vulnerable learners. Where gifted and talented intervention often begins after second grade, our teams and interventions can and should be utilized in grades 4K-3 as well. Supporting teachers to deliver intentional vocabulary development will ensure that children are hearing affirmations and are making deep connections to the new information they are learning; this will enhance the understanding of new words and their meanings. Students must hear academic vocabulary to build their lexicon and have conversations that deepen their understanding of the words they hear in and around their surroundings. We must move beyond simple yes or no answers with little to no explanation, and must build rich vocabulary and understandings of words and concepts. These will stay with our children for a lifetime. So where do you begin this learning? Well, one important way to connect to this learning is to attend the Wisconsin Association for Talent and Gifted virtual fall conference October 3-5, 2021. What better way to hear from our nation’s experts in gifted and talented learning than to be present and able to take away the learning from the very best? Dr. Sharon Y. Alexander WATG Board Member I think you should start by checking out KK’s Creations Website and You Tube Channel (new subscribers are welcome). Once you do, I think you will want to know more about a sixth grader whom I will call KK. She attended virtually all year, and I was so happy to have a chance to be her teacher. In case you are also interested in dragons and digital art, you might want to see her Avery Myst site and YouTube Channel. But wait! There’s more! KK also invented her own fan fiction tribe of dragons, which is featured on her Moonwings site.
Now that you’ve seen KK’s work, I can tell you what we worked on this year in school. I am a sixth grade science and language arts teacher. To call this year stressful is a wild understatement. However, this year also brought me a lot of joy. Case in point: KK. I knew KK and her family from previous experiences in our district. I knew that her parents are both highly creative and successful professionals who are supportive and involved in our district. KK attended an after school STEM course I taught several years ago, and l I was wowed by her ideas. KK was a student I had been waiting for...hoping to have an opportunity to be her full time teacher. This year she was in my homeroom. Jackpot! Since I knew of her interest in rockets and STEM studies, we concentrated on compacting sixth grade science and creating “orbital studies” for the first part of the year. (Orbital studies are studies related to regular curriculum, and extend and enrich it.) Her dad was extremely helpful and valuable with these efforts because he is an aerospace engineer and knows a lot more about rockets than I do! KK and I would chat during our Google Meets and she told me about her drawings and interest in dragons. She was in my Strategy Games elective class and created a spectacularly produced board game based on the Wings of Fire book series, complete with multiple sets of miniature 3D printed dragons. It was incredible. I asked to see more of her work, so we had an after school Google Meet. KK shared her screen and really let me into her world. The sheer volume of KK’s creations and wide variety of media helped me realize that she needed to have this work incorporated into her (virtual) school day. I knew she had a 3D printer in her basement, a small kiln in her garage, and her own Etsy site, but I didn’t realize how much KK was creating during the school day. There was some downtime in the Google Meets and she would draw. KK was also drawing and creating while attending classes. All this indicated that KK had a bigger need for GT programming than just compacting science. We implemented a team process for the rest of the year. The team included our GT Coordinator, KK, her parents, and me. KK and I started to meet regularly to create and set goals for the rest of the year. KK continued to compact science material and we added social studies as another place to “buy time”. KK worked on her social studies course at her own pace and used the time saved in science and social studies to work on her creations during the school day. Our GT Coordinator started meeting with KK regularly to do a book study, using The Gifted Teen Survival Guide. Her parents read the book with KK and were a great support during this process. I had KK create a portfolio-type website to organize and share the work she had already created at home. Her parents helped take and post gorgeous photos featuring each media category on the site. We concentrated on the website and videos, which were posted in our district’s newsletter and tweeted out by our principal. Eventually, the website and videos started to become a grind for KK. HIghly creative people detest that sort of routine, and I sensed that KK was becoming disengaged from our goals. We shifted our focus, created fewer goals for production, and made sure to discuss and value work that she would still produce “just for fun.” We wanted to help KK meet deadlines, but also retain the joy of creation. One important revelation was that KK enjoyed the video production a lot less than creating art. The team realized she needed chances to share her work in a more personal way. We then brainstormed and set new goals. I arranged for non-digital opportunities to share her work. Her parents helped her curate a collection of her art and they brought it in and arranged it in the school’s display case near the office. Check out the slideshow of her art here. The cards beside each piece explain a bit about the work and inspiration that guided her work. I arranged for KK to have one-on-one Google Meets with her friend Julia so that she could share her work and simply talk to her friend whom she hasn’t seen in person for a while. I also arranged for KK to collaborate with another student in our class to co-create a fantasy story. Aubrey would write it and KK would illustrate it! We didn’t have time for them to finish the story this year, but I hope that they can collaborate more in the future. I plan to keep tabs and work with KK in the future. I might not be her teacher anymore, but I hope to stay involved. I will be KK’s advocate and continue to find ways for her to share her creations with the world. Sarah Kasprowicz WATG Board Member WATG is proud to announce that 11 scholarships were awarded to students in Wisconsin in grades 2-11 to be used for enrichment opportunities during the summer of 2021. A large number of applications for summer scholarships were received prior to the April 15th deadline and the scholarship committee had a difficult time narrowing down the applications to only award 11 scholarships. Two common themes were mentioned in the student scholarship essays. Many applicants shared the difficulties they and their families encountered this past year due to COVID. The need for additional enrichment beyond what students are able to get during the school year was also repeated throughout the essays. The scholarship committee was impressed by the many talents and accomplishments of the scholarship winners. These talents ranged from playing instruments, including guitar, trombone, piano, bassoon, flamenco guitar, and violin, to a love of sports, including hockey, soccer, baseball, and swimming. Areas of interests were diverse including writing, engineering, bike riding, technology, coding, maple syrup harvesting, science, mathematics, LEGOs, language arts, foreign languages, artificial intelligence, astronomy, finance, rocketry, and robotics. Accomplishments included published books, essay contest winners, high honor roll, forming a jazz group, high school credits while in middle school, Early College Credit Program credits, and national rocketry competition winners. In addition many of the winners find time to volunteer at various organizations that help their communities. Congratulations to the following students for winning a summer scholarship: Ali from Onalaska (Onalaska School District) Annabelle from Waukesha (School District of Waukesha) Lucus from Greendale (Greendale School District) Mae from Madison (Madison Metropolitan School District) Mason from Wales (Kettle Moraine School District) Nathan from Madison (Madison Metropolitan School District) Phineas from Franklin (Greendale School District) Raylea from Hartland (Merton Community School District) Salem from Greendale (Milwaukee Public Schools) Wellington from Madison (Madison Metropolitan School District) Zebediah from Sturgeon Bay (Sturgeon Bay School District) The variety of summer enrichment programs chosen by our winners was also outstanding.  There are a lot of very bright students in Wisconsin who are interested in summer enrichment programs and could use your financial support. If you would like to make a donation to WATG’s 2022 summer scholarship fund, please contact us at watg@watg.org to find out more information. Jessica Schultz WATG Board Member and Scholarship and Awards Chairperson WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can be found below. 2021 Becas Estudiantiles de Verano WATG se enorgullece de anunciar que se otorgaron 11 becas a estudiantes en Wisconsin en los grados 2-11 para ser utilizadas en oportunidades de enriquecimiento durante el verano de 2021. Se recibió una gran cantidad de solicitudes para becas de verano antes de la fecha límite del 15 de abril. El comité tuvo dificultades para reducir las solicitudes para otorgar solo 11 becas. Se mencionaron dos temas comunes en los ensayos de becas estudiantiles. Muchos solicitantes compartieron las dificultades que ellos y sus familias encontraron el año pasado debido a COVID. La necesidad de un enriquecimiento adicional más allá de lo que los estudiantes pueden obtener durante el año escolar también se repitió a lo largo de los ensayos. El comité de becas quedó impresionado por la gran cantidad de talentos y logros de los ganadores de las becas. Estos talentos iban desde tocar instrumentos, incluida la guitarra, el trombón, el piano, el fagot, la guitarra flamenca y el violín, hasta el amor por los deportes, incluido el hockey, el fútbol, el béisbol y la natación. Las áreas de interés fueron diversas, incluyendo escritura, ingeniería, andar en bicicleta, tecnología, codificación, recolección de jarabe de arce, ciencia, matemáticas, LEGO, artes del lenguaje, idiomas extranjeros, inteligencia artificial, astronomía, finanzas, cohetería y robótica. Los logros incluyeron libros publicados, ganadores de concursos de ensayos, alto cuadro de honor, formación de un grupo de jazz, créditos de la escuela secundaria mientras estaban en la escuela secundaria, créditos del programa de créditos universitarios tempranos y ganadores de la competencia nacional de cohetes. Además, muchos de los ganadores encuentran tiempo para trabajar como voluntarios en varias organizaciones que ayudan a sus comunidades. Felicitaciones a los siguientes estudiantes por ganar una beca de verano: Ali from Onalaska (Onalaska School District) Annabelle from Waukesha (School District of Waukesha) Lucus from Greendale (Greendale School District) Mae from Madison (Madison Metropolitan School District) Mason from Wales (Kettle Moraine School District) Nathan from Madison (Madison Metropolitan School District) Phineas from Franklin (Greendale School District) Raylea from Hartland (Merton Community School District) Salem from Greendale (Milwaukee Public Schools) Wellington from Madison (Madison Metropolitan School District) Zebediah from Sturgeon Bay (Sturgeon Bay School District) La variedad de programas de enriquecimiento de verano elegidos por nuestros ganadores también fue sobresaliente. Hay muchos estudiantes muy brillantes en Wisconsin que están interesados en los programas de enriquecimiento de verano y podrían usar su apoyo financiero. Si desea hacer una donación al fondo de becas de verano 2022 de WATG, comuníquese con nosotros a watg@watg.org para obtener más información.
Jessica Schultz WATG Miembro de la mesa directiva encargada de la distribución de becas. (La asociación WATG desea extender un agradecimiento especial al Dr. German Diaz de las escuelas publicas de Milwaukee por traducir este artículo en español para nuestras familias y educadores de habla hispana. La traducción también se puede encontrar en nuestros blogs del sitio web.) Unless everyone counts, no one does. Equitable learning environments require analysis of quantifiable evidence when examining all students. Theoretically, this data provides the tools to develop appropriate programming by recognizing both talents and needs. Traditional instruments for identification focus on either math or reading, creating a limited scope of student abilities. On the one hand, this appears logical; schools work primarily in these two academic areas. On the other hand, tools limiting the scope and understanding of abilities foster higher inequity in schools. Utilizing a non-verbal culturally neutral identification tool allows for a greater understanding of student strengths to emerge.
Education is more than a job; it is a calling. People dedicate their lives to this work, believing that helping others master skills opens doors to a greater future. However, the nefarious effects of inequity limit opportunities for our children. A desire for discovering a more equitable identification model created a collaborative project between the gifted and talented department and a kindergarten team in my district. There were three parts to this project: observing students in their daily school environments (classrooms) using a gifted observation tool, leading students in art discussions using higher-level thinking skills, and participating in an internet-based identification activity. Working with these teachers helped foster collaboration and encouraged meaningful discussions around students and their academic needs. For example, during our winter data meeting, kindergarten teachers shared more information about students that might benefit from a math extension. We began a small group that met bi-weekly during January, February, and March. Spending time with the students allowed for the development of familiarity. This familiarity, in turn, made the data collection process smoother and richer. Approximately two weeks before the COVID pandemic, we administered the culturally neutral, non-verbal test online. This test was available for all of our kindergarteners as a universal screener. No one opted out. Leaders in gifted and talented research stress the importance of developing local norms for talent identification. Early identification with local normative data provides a wider pool of students. Local normative data allowed students from various backgrounds to show their potential. The development of normed data framed the intent for administering the online, culturally neutral test. This tool identified sixteen students scoring at the 90% or above in one or more of the subtests. The students represented a broad demographic, including children of color and ELL learners. The gender data, while appearing male-dominated (11) boys to (6) girls aligned with classroom demographics -- there were more boys to girls by a ratio of 2:1. Therefore, this tool did show gender neutrality. Interestingly, the data showed that only five of the students' that teachers identified showed independent strengths in any sub-categories. As a test-site for this instrument, we had the opportunity to collaborate with the developers and learn more about understanding the data. Recognizing the potential in a larger group of students led to rich discussions about needs and services. Within the confines and challenges of a pandemic year, we dedicated ourselves to ensuring that students had opportunities to access learning and enrichment in their identified areas of potential. The plan we developed included an enrichment program for the current first graders. It included:
The students in this cohort show significant growth in measurable academic areas such as math and reading. For instance, further testing for the students showing mathematical readiness identified both students ready for full acceleration and those needing concentrated extensions. Providing services for these children allows them to continue growing in their academic areas. The full math accelerates are completing the second-grade curriculum, and the enrichment students are on par for future acceleration opportunities. Students identified high on the verbal portions of this assessment showed significant growth in reading comprehension. Due to pandemic restrictions, the district utilized an independent, online reading assessment tool. The students identified in kindergarten as advanced in verbal comprehension started first grade reading at either the end of first grade or the beginning of the second. Mid-year data showed that these students now read at the third and fifth-grade levels. Lastly, the students identified as high in the logic portion of this assessment also showed academic growth. This early identification and service model further supported classroom teachers with differentiated instruction. Mapping student data across a continuum of time (kindergarten, first-grade fall, first-grade winter) encouraged teachers to plan for more differentiated work during regular classroom learning. Further, recognizing these children allowed the teachers to advocate for other students in their classrooms showing similar behaviors. Equity requires identifying and providing all students services in both their area of need and growth potential. Recognizing that gifted students and students of high potential exist across all demographics leads to a deeper discussion about content and resources. Utilizing a culturally neutral tool for talent identification allowed us to identify students with identified special education needs, English language learners, and students from different ethnic backgrounds. Providing services for these learners enabled them to show significant academic growth. Maria Katsaros-Molzahn, Ed.D WATG Board Secretary WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can also be found below. Identificación temprano: la importancia de la identificación temprana del talento basada en la equidad A menos que todos cuenten, nadie cuenta. Los entornos de aprendizaje equitativos requieren un análisis basado en evidencia cuantificable de todos los estudiantes. En teoría, estos datos proporcionan las herramientas para desarrollar una programación adecuada la cual reconoce tanto los talentos como las necesidades de los niños. Los instrumentos tradicionales para la identificación se enfocan en matemáticas o lectura, creando un alcance limitado de las habilidades de los estudiantes. Por un lado, esto parece lógico; las escuelas trabajan principalmente en estas dos áreas académicas. Por otro lado, las herramientas que limitan el alcance y la comprensión de las habilidades fomentan una mayor inequidad en las escuelas. El uso de una herramienta de identificación no verbal y culturalmente neutral permite que surja una mayor comprensión de las fortalezas de los estudiantes. La educación es más que un trabajo; es un llamado. Las personas dedican sus vidas a este trabajo, creyendo que ayudar a otros a dominar las habilidades abre las puertas a un futuro mejor. Sin embargo, los efectos nefastos de la inequidad limitan las oportunidades para nuestros niños. El deseo de descubrir un modelo de identificación más equitativo creó un proyecto de colaboración entre el departamento de educacion especializada y un equipo de jardín infantiles en mi distrito. Este proyecto constaba de tres partes: observar a los estudiantes en sus entornos escolares diarios (aulas) utilizando una herramienta de observación para estudiantes con habilidades excepcionales, guiar a los estudiantes en debates de arte utilizando habilidades de pensamiento de alto nivel y participar en una actividad de identificación basada en Internet. Trabajar con estos maestros ayudó a fomentar la colaboración y generó discusiones significativas en torno a los estudiantes y sus necesidades académicas. Por ejemplo, durante nuestra reunión de datos de invierno, los maestros de jardines infantiles compartieron más información sobre los estudiantes que podrían beneficiarse de una extensión de matemáticas. Comenzamos un grupo pequeño que se reunía dos veces por semana durante enero, febrero y marzo. Pasar tiempo con los estudiantes permitió el desarrollo de la familiaridad. Esta familiaridad, a su vez, hizo que el proceso de recopilación de datos fuera más fluido y rico. Aproximadamente dos semanas antes de la pandemia de COVID, administramos la prueba no verbal culturalmente neutral en línea. Esta prueba estaba disponible para todos nuestros niños de kindergarten como evaluador universal. Nadie optó por no participar. Los líderes en la investigación de talentos enfatizan la importancia de desarrollar normas locales para la identificación de talentos. La identificación temprana con datos normativos locales proporciona un grupo más amplio de estudiantes. Los datos normativos locales permitieron a estudiantes de diversos orígenes mostrar su potencial. El desarrollo de datos normativos enmarcó la intención de administrar la prueba en línea, culturalmente neutral. Esta herramienta identificó a dieciséis estudiantes con una puntuación del 90% o más en una o más de las subpruebas. Los estudiantes representaban un amplio grupo demográfico, incluidos los niños de color y los estudiantes ELL. Los datos de género, aunque aparecen dominados por hombres (11) niños contra (6) niñas alineados con la demografía del aula, había más niños y niñas en una proporción de 2: 1. Por lo tanto, esta herramienta mostró neutralidad de género. Curiosamente, los datos mostraron que sólo cinco de los estudiantes que identificaron los maestros mostraron fortalezas independientes en cualquier subcategoría. Como sitio de prueba para este instrumento, tuvimos la oportunidad de colaborar con los desarrolladores y aprender más sobre la comprensión de los datos. Reconocer el potencial en un grupo más grande de estudiantes llevó a discusiones enriquecedoras sobre las necesidades y servicios. Dentro de los límites y desafíos durante este año pandémico, nos dedicamos a garantizar que los estudiantes tuvieran oportunidades de acceder al aprendizaje y al enriquecimiento en sus áreas de potencial identificadas. El plan que desarrollamos incluyó un programa de enriquecimiento para los estudiantes actuales de primer grado. Este plan incluye:
Los estudiantes identificados en las partes verbales de esta evaluación mostraron un crecimiento significativo en la comprensión de lectura. Debido a las restricciones de la pandemia, el distrito utilizó una herramienta de evaluación de lectura en línea independiente. Los estudiantes identificados en kindergarten como avanzados en comprensión verbal comenzaron la lectura de primer grado al final del primer grado o al comienzo del segundo. Los datos de mitad de año mostraron que estos estudiantes ahora leen en los niveles de tercer y quinto grado. Por último, los estudiantes identificados como altos en la parte lógica de esta evaluación también mostraron un crecimiento académico. Este modelo de identificación y servicio tempranos apoyó aún más a los maestros de salón con instrucción diferenciada. El mapa de los datos de los estudiantes a lo largo de un período continuo (jardín de infantes, primer grado en otoño, primer grado en invierno) alentó a los maestros a planificar un trabajo más diferenciado durante el aprendizaje regular en el aula. Además, reconocer a estos niños permitió a los maestros abogar por otros estudiantes en sus aulas que mostraban comportamientos similares. La equidad requiere identificar y proporcionar todos los servicios a los estudiantes tanto en su área de necesidad como en su potencial de crecimiento. Reconocer que los estudiantes talentosos y los estudiantes de alto potencial existen en todos los grupos demográficos conduce a una discusión más profunda sobre el contenido y los recursos. El uso de una herramienta culturalmente neutral para la identificación de talentos nos permitió identificar a los estudiantes con necesidades educativas especiales identificadas, los estudiantes que aprenden inglés y los estudiantes de diferentes orígenes étnicos. Brindar servicios a estos estudiantes les permitió mostrar un crecimiento académico significativo. Maria Katsaros-Molzahn, Ed.D WATG secretaria de la mesa directiva (La asociación WATG desea extender un agradecimiento especial al Dr. German Diaz de las escuelas publicas de Milwaukee por traducir este artículo en español para nuestras familias y educadores de habla hispana.) Cognitive intelligence (IQ) refers to the ability to learn, apply knowledge, and solve problems, whereas emotional intelligence (EQ) is viewed as the ability to understand and manage your own emotions. Even though there have been debates about which one is more important in real life, we could easily agree that we need both to be successful in life.
There is an additional ongoing debate on this topic related to gifted individuals, and IQ and EQ: “Are gifted individuals more emotionally intelligent than their non-gifted counterparts?” In the past, the definition of giftedness has been overfocused on cognitive intelligence; gifted individuals are more likely to have higher cognitive intelligence. Yet, there is a constant interaction between physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. So, to understand giftedness better, we need to research the social-emotional development of gifted individuals as well. Recently, we have seen more research on the social and emotional well-being of the gifted population. Aligned with this effort, researchers have examined emotional intelligence among gifted individuals, but these individual studies have provided mixed results. This year, Dr. Uzeyir Ogurlu at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point conducted a meta-analysis to clarify the relationship between emotional intelligence and giftedness. He collected and analyzed 17 studies that compared emotional intelligence levels among gifted and non-gifted populations. The study findings revealed that gifted individuals had slightly higher emotional intelligence levels than their non-gifted peers. This meta-analysis showed that the social-emotional adjustment of the gifted population was at least as high as that of their non-gifted counterparts and was often higher in many of the studies. Here is the full link to the paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886920306942 Dr. Uzeyir Ogurlu Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted Board Member (WATG would like to extend a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking families and educators. The translation can also be found below.) Individuos Con Habilidades Excepcionales: Inteligencia Cognitiva e Inteligencia Emocional El cociente de inteligencia (CI) se refiere a la capacidad de aprender, aplicar el conocimiento y resolver problemas, mientras que la inteligencia emocional (IE) es vista como la capacidad de entender y manejar sus propias emociones. A pesar de que ha habido debates sobre cuál es más importante en la vida real, podríamos fácilmente estar de acuerdo en que necesitamos de manos para poder tener éxito en la vida. Hay un debate continuo adicional sobre este tema relacionado con las personas superdotadas o con habilidades excepcionales, y el coeficiente intelectual: "¿Son las personas con habilidades excepcionales, más inteligentes emocionalmente que las personas que no poseen habilidades excepcionales?" En el pasado, la definición de “superdotado” o perdonas con habilidades excepcionales se ha centrado demasiado en la inteligencia cognitiva; individuos dotados son más propensos a tener mayor inteligencia cognitiva. Sin embargo, hay una interacción constante entre el desarrollo físico, cognitivo, social y emocional. Por lo tanto, para entender mejor a las personas con talentos especiales, necesitamos investigar el desarrollo socioemocional de individuos con habilidades excepcionales. Recientemente, hemos visto más investigaciones sobre el bienestar social y emocional de la población de personas con habilidades especiales. Junto con este esfuerzo, los investigadores han examinado la inteligencia emocional entre individuos con habilidades excepcionales, pero estos estudios han proporcionado resultados mixtos. Este año, el Dr. Uzeyir Ogurlu de la Universidad de Wisconsin – Stevens Point llevó a cabo un meta-análisis para aclarar la relación entre la inteligencia emocional y la inteligencia cognitiva. El, recopiló y analizó 17 estudios que compararon los niveles de inteligencia emocional entre poblaciones de personas con habilidades excepcionales y quienes no lo son. Los resultados del estudio revelaron que los individuos con habilidades excepcionales tenían niveles de inteligencia emocional ligeramente más altos que sus compañeros con habilidades promedio. Este metanálisis mostró que el ajuste socioemocional de la población con habilidades excepcionales era al menos tan alto como el de sus contrapartes y a menudo este tipo de inteligencia resulto ser mayor en muchos de los estudios. Aca esta la pagina de internet del estudio realizado por el Dr. Uzeyir: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886920306942 Dr. Uzeyir Ogurlu Miembro de la mesa directiva de WATG (La asociación WATG desea extender un agradecimiento especial al Dr. German Diaz de las escuelas publicas de Milwaukee por traducir este artículo en español para nuestras familias y educadores de habla hispana. La traducción también se puede encontrar en nuestros blogs del sitio web.) At a recent WATG Townhall meeting, “Leading the Way,” on February 25, educators and parents shared ideas on how to find and work with emerging leaders at all levels. Many great ideas were discussed, and one serendipitous idea especially caught our attention. What if we married current events articles about students finding themselves in leadership positions, and gleaning lessons learned? Then students could be learning about current events AND processing lessons learned about leadership, things such as: What does it take to be a leader? Does leadership find you, or do you find leadership? What skills are needed, and what skills can be learned? How are those skills learned? How do leaders find problems to solve? How do problems find leaders to solve them? How can we best teach the skills needed to be a leader? When (at what age) should we start? What leadership opportunities might be present in my life? Where can I get help with my ideas?
A perfect example to use in a leadership lesson such as this was reported recently In this article in the Washington Post, People Are Struggling to Get Vaccine Appointments...A 14-Year Old Stepped In. Freshman Benjamin Kagan essentially used the problem-solving method in tandem with his leadership skills, providing others with some valuable leadership lessons. First he spotted a problem; he discovered that many people were having difficulty securing appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. So he set out to learn more about the problem, and used both creative and critical thinking skills. He said he learned to navigate vaccine registration systems in January while helping his grandparents in Florida find appointments. Then a journalist who talked to his class for career day urged the students to watch a local news segment, in which Benjamin learned about the Chicago Vaccine Hunters group on Facebook. Realizing that his newfound vaccine registration skills might be in demand, he started sharing tips with the Chicago Vaccine Hunters group while on his winter break. Immediately his Facebook Messenger inbox began to overflow with requests. Many people asked for help because they said they were “too slow or technologically unskilled to sign up themselves.” At this point, Benjamin realized that he needed a plan if he were to upscale his idea. Since he could not keep up with the demand for assistance by himself, he enlisted the help of about 50 additional volunteers. Using Google Forms, Benjamin created a spreadsheet to organize the requests, the volunteers, and the work. Besides being a fabulous human interest story, this account provides a great teaching lesson in leadership. Additionally, there are probably many fine examples of leadership in action in the news, and they could be used to pique our young people’s interest in both leadership and service learning. So often when we find ourselves (immersed) in service learning, we find ourselves, our talents, and a calling. We learn new skills and use them to make our world a better place. Benjamin found himself and developed his leadership skills; others can too. How can we foster these skills? Additional note: The theme for WATG’s 2021 Annual Fall Conference is “Leading the World Into the Future.” We are planning to celebrate the many ways that we can develop leadership skills in our young people. What have you tried? Would you be willing to submit a workshop proposal and share your ideas? Here is your chance to be a LEADER! Proposal form can be found here. Take a risk; share and grow! |
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