Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Session 4 - Question 2

Would you recommend this book to someone? Support your response.

24 comments:

  1. Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to people. I actually am going to pass it to my older sister because she has a two year old who I think definitely fits into at least Level 2 and I want her to be aware and know what she, as a parent, can do for him. Also, not to get frustrated and learn the system to know what the best things for him are. As an educator it has also helped me get a better understanding on how unique each level truly is and just because one is labeled "gifted", we still need to differentiate within our enrichment.

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  2. I would pass this book on to parents and teachers,etc., that work with gifted children. There is so much confusion, doubt, and even guilt in parenting and educating the oddly bright youngsters. I wish I had read this book sooner. It gives reasons to suspect the various gifted levels, to explain unusual behavior and gifts, and to serenely go forward with knowledge and acceptance and wisdom.

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  3. response to Katie: funny you should mention your sister! I had to text my sister about some examples at the end of the book. The children described seemed lonely, and I thought of ways my nephew, through the grace of God, beat that loneliness. It made me cry. (over a textbook!!)

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  4. I would definitely recommend this book to the parents and relatives of gifted children. Would also recommend it to teachers, but I would caution them about the chapters 11 and 12. In my opinion, the author’s passion for gifted children overshadowed her ability to maintain objectivity when addressing issues of educational equality. Although I understand the source of her arguments, at times, I did perceive an elitist tone when comparing gifted children to “typical” children (page 279). Experience has shown me that this is a common argument against the gifted for those who are resistant to providing them with appropriate, adequate, and necessary services. Additionally, I don’t outright dispute the truth the author’s statement on page 283 which posits that teachers “almost universally” favor social skill development over “intellectual growth and continual progress”, but I am skeptical of its accuracy. Moreover, it is this type of statement that I fear could cause some teachers to discount the treasure trove of expertise, advice, and experience based evidence presented in the rest of the text.

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  5. I would definitely recommend this book to other teachers (especially preschool and elementary teachers because that is where identification should happen), administrators, counselors and parents of gifted children. Administrators need to read it to understand that these children deserve just as much educational support as “SpEd” or learning disabled students (ideally don’t they all deserve the same amount of attention?). Counselors should read it as well, because they may be allies with parents and classroom teachers to create different learning goals for GT students. Parents of GT students need to read it when their children are still young so that they can know what to expect and to prepare themselves to help their children find the right fit educationally, intellectually, socially and emotionally.

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  6. I would recommend definitely recommended this to a parent of a gifted child (or children) who wants to learn more abvout their kid(s). I would also recommend it to someone that works with gifted children (educatiors).

    I did learn from the book. As I said in a much earlier post, I had heard of areas of giftedness, but I did not realize that there were levels of giftedness. I now understand and it makes perfect sense. In life, there are different levels of everything, there isn't much out there that is completely uniform.

    As far as reading for pleasure, I did not truly appreciate the book.

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  7. In response to Melanie and Katie, I also thought of my family, especially my nephew. I am sorry if I annoyed anyone when I kept coming back to him in my posts, he was my major point of reference when reading the book.

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  8. I would recommend this book to parents who feel their child is developing “differently” then their peers. I really feel that almost all parents could relate to one of the experiences shared in this book. I also feel this book may shed some light on what the future holds for these children and will help some parents to be the strongest advocate for their child. Beside parents this book would also be help for novice and veteran teachers. The scenarios given may relate to a child we may have and help us figure out how we as educators can allow our gifted student to be successful.

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  9. I would recommend this book to new parents of gifted children. I believe that it serves as a good support guide by providing testimonial frames of reference on behaviors and experiences of other children. I also think it would be helpful for them in understanding what they can expect from their school. I also very much like the first two appendices. They are a very good quick reference for spotting comparative developmental milestones.

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  10. I agree with lguidry. I would like to add, that this is a good overview book for administrators. Especially when they do not grasp the concept that GT are just as "special needs" as our special needs children.

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  11. I agree with Elizabeth H. I would recommend this book to parents and educators of gifted children. I learned from the book and found many aspects interesting. However, I did not think of this as reading for pleasure. I found some parts biased and condescending. This book would be most helpful for parents of young gifted children.

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  12. I, too, thought about my niece. I don't know very much about young children, so I'm not sure about what is "typical." However, my niece says some of the most extraordinary things, many of which are also in this book. I'll definitely share this with my sister!

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  13. I would be happy to recommend this book to friends, fellow teachers, parents and administrators. It opened my eyes about many things that happen in the elementary grades with which high school teachers may not be familiar.

    I like the easy-to-use charts and appendices for quick reference. Also, I found the notes about the individual students very engaging. I was very interested to see that the parents were mostly objective. I enjoyed reading the comments in other chapters as the students developed and grew.

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  14. Responding to Melanie on 4/9 at 3:35 P.M. I loved your comments about how you would "serenely go forward with knowledge and acceptance and wisdom." If the teacher comments in the book are to be believed, maybe they need more staff development about gifted children and how to respond to them!

    To me, this book is an example of how we are learning along with our students. I have loved reading all the comments from everyone because it helped me see the differences in our views. As a high school teacher I enjoyed reading the comments from the elementary teachers.

    Let's do what Melanie suggested and serenely go forward!!!

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  15. Several times while reading this book I thought about who I would pass it along to after I was finished with the book study. After reading everyone's comments, I have decided to give it to a woman in our department who entertains us with stories about her grandson's advanced abilities and love of learning. He is only two years old.

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  16. I would definitely recommend this book to others. This book has helped increase my understanding about giftedness, both on a personal and professional level. It presented a lot of information but generated more questions to be asked that can lead to further research and discussion.

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  17. I, too, agree with Iguidry and EVessali that this book can be useful to administrators. There are only certain modifications that teachers can do in their classrooms and receiving support from the upper hierarchy can make a significant difference.

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  18. I already have recommended this book. I am going to send a copy to my friend in California. After reading some of the things the parents said about their children, it immediately made me think of her children. I am also sending a copy to my sister-in-law because she definitely needs to read it to be ready for my nephew.

    Several teachers at school have also asked about it and I let them know that not only is the information valuable, it is presented in an interesting format, that is easy to read. The end of the book also includes information that would benefit all teachers.

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  19. I would definitely suggest this book to someone. It's a great stepping stone to understanding the concepts to GT and provides a sense of what to look for. It also begins discussions regarding the responsibilities of the schools, the parents and any other persons involved in creating a challengin, yet stimulating environments for GT children.

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  20. In response to EVassali, I agree. I would like for the administrators to read it also. I feel my administrator is very supportive of GT, but it makes a strong case for ability leveling not just for GT, but for all students.

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  21. In response to Elizabeth on April 11, I agree with you about recommending this book to both parents and educators. Most importantly I did too learn and expanded on my knowledge with the levels of giftedness. Now I feel I can look back and pin point where some of my previous students would have fallen and what I could have done to be a better educator for them.

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  22. In response to SWagner, in response to EVassali: I agree it is a great book for administrators to read, especially the ability level grouping.

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  23. Yes, I would recommend this book and I have actually recommended this book to a parent this spring during a parent teacher conference. I did caution the parent that this is one person's perspective, but that it offers a great deal of stories that may help them ubnderstand their own child better. I caution people to use this as their only baseline for understanding the gifted child. While it does offer great perspective, it may make already skeptical parents less willing to work with the school to help their child or children.

    Ruf's views about schools and teachers tends to make the uneducated person think that all schools are not equipped with educated teachers who are caring and compassionate and want the best for their children. Believe it or not, many people do believe most everything they read, especially if it is printed in a book. To some, if it was good enough to be published it is the ultimate source. Hopefully, those who read it, will read more than one book about the gifted.

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  24. Lisa M says...

    In response to Sasha who said that she would recommend this to parents who feel their child is developing differently than others, I agree. It provides some validity to what the parents are concerned about and shows them that there is nothing wrong with their child, but it helps to develop some compassion that otherwise might have been frustration. It also helps to offer some concrete examples of how and whre the child may have missed instruction- like in writing or math. It helps to explain why a child has deficiencies in writing or gaps in math. They may have been too busy focusing on another area of learning when the concept was introduced and they missed it completely . Those gaps have to be filled in order for the gifted child to reach his or her full potential.

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