GREAT THINKING THURSDAY
For Klein ISD Educators of Gifted
January 24, 2019
Dr. Champion Visits Klein Collins AVID
By Gordon See
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
On January 18, Dr. Champion visited with the Klein Collins AVID students to share about his journey to Klein. The students enjoyed hearing about the many activities Dr. Champion participated in when he was in high school and how his choices led him into education.
Students utilized their inquiry methods, an AVID WICOR skill, and asked questions ranging from “What’s the difference between the last district and Klein?” to “If you weren’t in education, what would you have done?” to “What motivates you to love teaching and education so much?”
In response to, “What is some advice about becoming a superintendent?” Dr. Champion shared, “Always remember that your voice matters, it doesn’t have to be because you’re superintendent. But it matters everywhere. So your voice matters. The people around you matter. It is always best, always, always, always, sow positive relationships. Always plant seeds for positive relationships. Never be the negative person in the room.”
To round out his time with the KCHS AVID Tigers, Dr. Champion shared five pieces of advice:
- Never let “never” drive your decisions.
- Experience everything you can.
- Go all in.
- Always be curious; always wonder.
- Always keep learning.
Myths of Differentiation
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
Dr. Richard Cash is an expert in the field of Gifted Education. He has served as an educator at all levels, including college, a director of gifted programming, and serves on numerous boards and associations for gifted education. He works with gifted curriculum and has published books for gifted educators as well. In one of his books, Advancing Differentiation, he speaks about “10 Myths and Realities of Differentiated Instruction.” When perusing the book this initial section jumped out at me. As I read through the myths about differentiation I thought to myself how many of them I had heard before. Sometimes, myths and reality get confused because of lack of knowledge or misinformation. I thought that exploring these myths a couple at a time this semester would be a good refresher for all teachers who have students performing on multiple instructional levels in their classroom. So, everyone!
Sometimes we confuse some strategies as differentiated, when really they are individualized.
Continue reading Carrie's article here!
SAT Ambassadors Share the Promise of the PSAT!
Professional Learning: GT Update Courses Spring 2019
Have you earned your GT Update for 2018-19?
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THRIVELY?
Girish Venkat, Founder and Creator of the student portfolio platform will be here January 30, 2019 for this INCREDIBLE professional learning opportunity!
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Register in Eduphoria today!
Biomimicry — imitating nature’s best ideas in our design of materials, structures, and systems — can provide huge leaps in our understanding when it comes to solving challenges. Example: How do we keep our buildings from being completely damaged during hurricanes like Hurricane Katrina? We might try to think like a tree… specifically live oak trees:
With sturdy, spiral trunks and deep roots that intertwine with neighboring trees, a live oak is a force to be reckoned with. Find out how architects and engineers are starting to think like a tree when designing safe and resilient structures.
This is Wired’s Think Like a Tree, a series that celebrates innovation and sustainability through nature-inspired design, narrated by biomimicry pioneer Janine Benyus. Excellent all around.