GREAT THINKING THURSDAY
For Klein ISD Educators of Gifted/Advanced Learners
February 27, 2020
Klein DI Shines: 16 Teams Headed to State at UT Arlington!
Benignus: Picture This!
Team Managers: Jennifer Smith and Kelly Hammons; Principal Amanda O'Dowd
French: It's About Time
Team Manager: Josephine Leetch; Principal Holly Conroy
Hassler: To the Rescue
Team Managers: Tina Beaber and Sarah Cobb; Principal Sarah Brown
Hassler: Picture This!
Team Managers: Ashley Powers and Mallory Martin; Principal Sarah Brown
Mueller: Rising Stars
Team Manager: Katie Romijn: Principal: Kathy Shealy
Theiss Elementary: To the Rescue
Team Manager: David Leith: Principal: JoAnn Keenan
Hofius: It's About Time
Team Manager: Stephanie Zimmerman; Principal Christy Goforth
Krimmel: To the Rescue
Team Manager: Darchell Chesser; Principal Prentiss Harper
Krimmel: Picture This!
Team Manager: Jana Scott; Principal Prentiss Harper
Krimmel: First Encounter
Team Manager: Kristen Banford: Principal: Prentiss Harper
Krimmel: The Big Fix
Team Manager: Paige Hamlin: Principal: Prentiss Harper
Klein High School: To the Rescue
Team Managers: Reann Carter and Chase Hooper; Principal Jessica Haddox
Klein Cain: Picture This!
Team Managers: Courtney Osborne and Nikki Zachary; Principal Nicole Patin
Klein Cain: The Big Fix
Team Managers: Nikki Zachary and Courtney Osborn; Principal Nicole Patin
Klein Oak: In the Cards
Team Managers: Kristine Munger and Pam McGee; Principal Thomas Hensley
Klein Oak: First Encounter
Team Managers: Pam McGee and Kristine Munger; Principal Thomas Hensley
Klein Cain-Zachary-Osborne
Klein Cain Osborne-Zachary
KOHS Munger-McGee
The Meddler in the Middle
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
We have often heard the terms “Sage on the Stage” and “Guide on the Side” as two ways to describe teaching styles. Much talk in education recently is encouraging teachers to move from the Sage to the Guide, and let students own the learning. But, there may be another option that could also be beneficial for our GT and most advanced learners. It is called the “Meddler in the Middle.” So many of our GT learners find themselves bored and unchallenged, and reach their secondary education having not experienced any type of real struggle or failure. “Meddling” could be a new take on how to allow GT learners a safe place to struggle, and we all know that everyone learns best from a struggle. Ian Byrd summarizes a paper written by Erica McWilliam in the following blog post, but also links her full paper for reference. As educators, we know that there are times to be a Sage and times to be a Guide, maybe we should also make time to be a Meddler for our GT learners as well?
Becoming a Meddler in the Middle, Ian Byrd
Additional Resources:
Raylene Olinger: Meddling in the Middle: A Role for Teachers in the 21st Century
Brian Housand: Meddler in the Middle Slideshare
Book Report Badness
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
When working with GT students, especially those who love to read, the traditional book report becomes a dreaded task! When students are asked to summarize every chapter or identify plot elements as they read, it forces them to constantly “stop and go” and disrupts the enjoyment of the novel. Lisa Van Gemert, the Gifted Guru, in “Book Report Badness,” discusses the rationale of traditional book reports and ways to adapt it for GT learners.
Van Gemert also shared a great idea from another educator of how his students reported back about And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie:
Development of Creative Thinking
Shared by Jessica Jasper
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
If you have looked at your smart phone, listened to music, or watched a television show in the last 12 hours, you have witnessed the results of someone’s creative thinking. We could very well have the next Steve Jobs or Frida Kahlo in one of our Klein classrooms at this very moment! But as classroom teachers, how can we foster and assist in the development of that creative thinking ability? In this article, the idea of what creativity is (and isn’t) is explored and suggestions are offered on how to cultivate a culture of creativity in your classroom.
Teaching Creativity by Calvin Hennick
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/2017/teaching-creativity/
John Spencer Returns to Klein ISD!
GT UPDATE CONFERENCE: SECONDARY
ATTENTION TEACHERS: AP SUMMER INSTITUTE INTEREST
COMPLETE THIS FORM TODAY!
Texas State Plan for Gifted: Opportunities for professional learning in the area of gifted/talented education are provided on a regular basis, and information on them is disseminated to professionals in the district.