Thoughts for administrators, directors, coaches, and other leaders of gifted and talented programs.
I’ve long been concerned about how gifted education, as a field, communicates it’s purpose. If we don’t have a clear story, some else will write our story for us and it won’t be pretty.
I didn’t learn by listening to speakers or reading books or going to conferences or by scrolling through lists of resources.
You don’t need to hire experts to fly in and do a one-day training. Look within your ranks for potential leaders. Equip them with resources and opportunities. Grow your own leaders.
You’ve been plunked into a new 1st through 8th-grade gifted pull-out program… what do you do?
Are you ignoring the most cost-effective feedback about your program’s effectiveness? Talk to some past students!
You can only have one priority. Anything else is a cop-out.
I’ve been to over a hundred parent nights and my main takeaway is this: use the time to build a community and get to know your parents’ needs. And stay away from PowerPoint!
As leaders we have to constantly ask ourselves this question: Is this easy for me or is it easy for the people I’m leading? Very rarely is something easy for both parties.
The key to a great presentation? Only talk about things you have actually, personally done. Oh, and always start with your failure!
In this “Rethinking Giftedness” video the filmmakers make a claim that gifted programs cause fixed mindsets. The three questions I immediately wondered were: Where is the research? How were the students in this video selected? Did they visit any great gifted programs? Let’s dig into it. Where Is The Research? The video and its accompanying […]
Clear communication is simple, succinct, and relies on words that people understand. Jargon is the opposite. Journey with me as I attempt to define some edu-jargon…
A common question I get is folks asking how to make the case for a gifted program. Usually someone is pitted against an administrator who doesn’t see the value in a gifted program. How do we change minds?
Three images I’m using to do a better job explaining giftedness to parents of gifted kids.
It’s conference season, and that means we’ll all be settling in for a few sessions. I’ve put together a free resource to try to make those sessions more enjoyable for both presenter and attendee.
When speaking about giftedness, I am often told that “labels are harmful.” Here’s why I think labels have a powerful (but limited) purpose.
I am frequently asked about research supporting gifted programs. Is there evidence that putting gifted kids together is a good thing? The short answer: yes.