But you are gifted, you should be at the top of your class! I’ve been writing about gifted children for a few years now, and the more I write, and the more I connect with parents of gifted children, the more I realize just how misunderstood giftedness is, even among professionals who should have sufficient knowledge of giftedness in children. We need to shed light on what giftedness really is, and try to dispel the myths and misconceptions many believe […]
The Top 50 Best Books for Teachers – Professional Development
There are a LOT of great books for teachers out there. Picking just fifty is no easy feat but we’ve done our best to cover the best books for teachers from five different angles. Related articles: 8 Education Technology Books Every Leader Should Read 13 of the Best Minecraft Books for Kids Who Are Reluctant to Read Books to Inspire Coding & Robotics Now all of these are exceptional reads. They are in no particular order. Number one is just as great […]
10 Facts You May Not Know About Gifted Children But Should—Infographic
Giftedness is a trait which is hugely misunderstood, even amongst professionals who should be in the know! These 10 facts from Celi Trépanier, author of Educating Your Gifted Child, are here to shed light on what giftedness really is. I hope they dispel some of the myths and misconceptions many believe about gifted children. Using and Viewing the Graphic The above infographic is published under Creative Commons. Feel free to share on your own blog, school site or social network. […]
27 Word Work Apps for the Elementary Classroom
Whether a teacher uses Daily 5 in the classroom or not, word work is an important piece of student daily learning. This article will provide an extensive list of iOS word work apps. Each app is listed by grade level and state, showing how it will best serve your students while they work with words in the classroom. All apps are free unless otherwise noted. Creation apps for all grades: Popplet Lite – Create a word web using Popplet Lite. In […]
Crossing the Line: Why Is Talking About Giftedness So Taboo?
What is it about giftedness that makes people clam up or strike back when discussed publicly? Why does a mom fear the inescapable rolling of eyes, as if on cue, the moment she utters the word gifted? Why does it seem to cause reactions of intolerance, envy or outright anger? Why do I, as an advocate for gifted children who has written hundreds of articles about giftedness, still have a cloud of uneasiness hanging over me each and every time […]
How to Create P.E.A.C.E. When Your Child Tantrums and You get Triggered…
As a conscious parent coach, I have worked with many families who find themselves “at battle” with their children. Whether it is not listening to what is being asked of them and throwing tantrums around not getting want they want, to facing challenges with school matters or bedtime routines. These are amongst some of the most common situations. I too have personally experienced each of these upset moments multiple times through my daughter’s six years of life. And not always with […]
Is The Next John Glenn or Neil Armstrong Sitting In Your Class? Encouraging The Next Generation Of Space Explorers
Within all of us, there lies a desire to explore. It can be as simple as trying a new cuisine or as complicated as diving into the depths of an ocean to see the vibrant colors of coral reefs. It drives us to push past our comfort zones and reach for the stars. Learning how to harness the innate need to pioneer new frontiers in our students can be difficult at times, perhaps even overwhelming. Each year we are faced […]
25 Real Ways Minecraft is Being Used in the Classroom
It’s hard to believe that just six years ago Minecraft was virtually unheard of. It was little more than a hobby project for creator and designer Markus Persson. Fast forward to 2016 and Minecraft has completely changed the way we perceive videogames. Starting as a novelty in a handful of innovative classrooms, Minecraft is now a foundation of curriculums around the world and has found it’s way into popular culture, books, LEGO and even kid’s parties! From math to art to geography and even quantum mechanics, Minecraft and imaginative […]
From Hermione to Iron Man: A Character Study of Gifted Kids’ Overexcitabilities
An overexcitability (OE) is a marker of giftedness and can help alert parents and teachers to giftedness in a child (Winebrenner, Brulles, 2012). Kazimierz Dabrowski (1902–1980), whose work laid the foundation of today’s OE research, established five OE categories to describe these innate intensities: emotional, imaginational, intellectual, psychomotor, and sensual. Most gifted kids have two to five OEs, though these vary in dominance and one OE usually stands out as the most dominant. Many gifted kids have all five of […]
Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs – Free Classroom Chart
The below ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs’ chart is published under Creative Commons. Feel free to share on your own blog, school site or social network. Over sixty years ago, our dear friend Benjamin Bloom chaired the committee of educators responsible for delivering what we all know today as Bloom’s Taxonomy (a bit rich naming it after himself, but it does have a more catchy ring than Krathwohl‘s Taxonomy). As a key foundation to many modern teaching philosophies, learning methodologies and real-world games, Bloom’s Taxonomy gives a theoretical progression to help classify […]
9 Solar System Projects for Astronomical Fun!
Shooting stars, colossal comets, and undiscovered UFOs—our universe is a mysterious place that inspires wonder in children and adults alike. Many children imagine futures as astronauts, traveling in a rocketship to explore the vast expanses of space. Whether or not this dream becomes a reality, you can bring the intangible aspects of space a little bit closer to home with the solar system projects we’ve compiled below. Is your child a budding artist or astronaut? Check out the yarn or […]
17 of the Best Board Games for Kids Who Spend Too Much Time Online
There was a time when the greatest new games could not be bought with a click from the App Store. There was a time when gaming was not a pursuit of lone children with poor posture, tired thumbs and illuminated brows. In fact, there was even a time when families of all ages would sit down together and play games in some kind of strange ‘bonding’ ritual. It’s name – the board game. Related articles: 25 of the Best Card […]
Appreciating What, Where and How Boys Read
Recently, I asked a boy in seventh grade, a football player and video game fanatic, how many books he had read in the last 6 months. He responded, “two books for summer reading… maybe three if comic books count.” Then I asked him, “what would get you reading for 15–30 minutes every day, between going to football practice and playing your video games?” After a few minutes, he said, “If I could read something I like and sit where I […]
9 Sites That Make Programming For Kids Fun
BitsBoxA below Ted Talk featuring the charismatic 6th-grade programmer Thomas Suarez has shown that programming is a skill that can be learned at any age. With the huge number of sites, programmable robots and products (and books) dedicated to programming for kids, there has never been a better time to get your class coding. iPhone application developer… and 6th grader | Thomas Suarez | TEDxManhattanBeachWatch this video on YouTube Statistics from the Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees have shown that only 4.1% […]
Using Minecraft to Challenge Students and Keep Learning Fun
Overview Much more than just a video game, Minecraft is being used by thousands of educators to tackle difficult learning concepts in an amazingly fun and collaborative digital environment. Students are exploring, crafting and making in 3D virtual worlds where their creativity and imagination can run wild. No matter what your discipline, the many different elements of Minecraft can be employed to add fun and meaning to just about any lesson. Name: Minecraft / MinecraftEdu Pricing: $26.95 / Education discounts Compatibility: Desktop / Mobile / Console Access: […]
Teaching our Children the Truth to Self-Love
Often we wonder how can we teach children self-love? I believe that in order to teach self-love, we need to demonstrate what it is. We should walk our talk. Why? Because we teach children with every action we take. Children watch and feel everything and they know the truth about how we feel about ourselves, regardless of what we say. Children see behind the masks we put up to pretend we are happy and have it all together. Seeing such […]
7 Apps the Best Teachers Are Using
Window (no pun intended) shopping the App Store these days can be a very dangerous game… Sure, it’s got a nice icon, a slick animated video of people ‘loving’ the app, and even a clever catch phrase that you swear you’ve heard before. But is it any good? Who can you ask? Well hopefully, it’s someone like you? Someone who is looking for what you are looking for. Someone who is trying to solve the same problems you are trying to […]
Montessori Meets Kaizen: Promoting Lifelong Learning
Sometimes one of those random websites that I stumble upon on the internet delivers information I’m grateful to know but wouldn’t have known to seek out. In seeking information about Montessori education, I didn’t expect to discover that a business concept called “kaizen” from Japan would stop me in my tracks, but it did. The Kaizen Institute defines “kaizen” as the practice of continuous improvement. In Japanese, ‘Kai’ means ‘change’ and ‘zen’ is ‘good’. The principle behind kaizen is that regular small […]
Exclusive Interview: Author Teresa Ann Power and The ABCs of Yoga For Kids Around the World
The following is an exclusive interview with Teresa Anne Power, internationally acclaimed children’s yoga expert and bestselling author, yogi, and advocate for the health benefits of yoga for children. Her first book, international hit The ABCs of Yoga for Kids, launched an empire of resources including CDs, DVDs, flashcards, and an informational website for parents and educators. Teresa’s newest book, The ABCs of Yoga for Kids Around the World is a fantastic resource for introducing children to yoga and world […]
Ultimate Project Based Learning – How Student Teamwork Built a World Championship Car
Every year for the past twenty the Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team (STA EVT) has built a new vehicle from the ground up to give our students the best engineering experience a high-schooler can get. The internationally recognized program started in 1997. My fellow moderator Mark Westlake and I believe in the importance of learning from mistakes. That the most important life lessons come from experience, that science is not always easy and that the answers are not always […]