Chaos in the classroom: Exposing gifted elementary school children to chaos and fractals

A unit of study for gifted 4th and 5th graders is described on the subject of mathematical periodicity and chaos and the underlying physical processes which produce these phenomena. A variety of hands-on experiments and the use of various data analysis tools and computer aids provide students with powerful raw material for their analysis, interpretation, and understanding. The concepts of simple periodic motion (e.g., a pendulum), complex superposition of motions (e.g., the vibrations in musical instruments), and chaotic sequences (e.g., stock prices) are covered, with numerous practical examples. Opportunities to involve related activities emphasizing language arts, history, and graphic art are included. The student response to the material is documented.     

Case studies of gifted kindergarten children part II: The parents and teachers

Early life experiences can powerfully impact attitudes toward learning and later achievements in education. The chances for optimal development of children with special needs, including the gifted and talented, can be enhanced with identification and intervention at an early age. This paper reports on investigations into the lives of five gifted kindergarten students utilizing a case‐study methodology, which yielded themes relating to intellectual, achievement, social, affective, physical, aesthetic, and creative domains (discussed in Part I, published in Roeper Review, volume 26, pp. 192‐207). This paper, Part II, will discuss parental and teacher influences.     

A Turkish profile of prospective elementary school teachers and their views of teaching

This study explores the characteristics and perceptions of those currently entering elementary teacher education in Turkey. A questionnaire consisting of fixed-response, Likert-style and open-ended questions was administered to all entry level elementary teacher education students (n=381) enrolled in the Faculty of Education of Selcuk University during the 2001–2002 academic year to seek information about their background characteristics, past and preferred elementary schooling experiences, reasons for choosing elementary teaching as a career, and perceptions of elementary teaching as a profession. Results indicate that significant differences exist between male and female prospective elementary teachers’ preconceptions of the teaching profession. Implications for preservice teacher education and further research are discussed.     

论高中化学教师教学反思能力的提升

教学反思能力是新时期高中教师的必备能力.建议通过以下方式提升高中化学教师的教学反思能力:变革培训方式,增强化学培训的学科针对性;增强教师对问题的敏感意识,提升教师捕捉关键问题的能力;做好文本叙事,促进教师对教学实践的深度反思;开展课例研修,以集体反思帮助教师改进教学行为.     

The team teaching experiences of pre-service science teachers implementing PBL in elementary school

The current phenomenological-qualitative case study examined the team teaching related experiences of 17 Israeli student teachers in the context of using the project-based teaching method in the course of their pedagogical practicum module conducted in elementary schools. The focus of the study was on participants’ experiences in terms of quality and content. Data collection methods included reflective reports and in-depth interviews. Data analysis was conducted using the qualitative method for content analysis. Findings of the study indicate that during team teaching, the student teachers underwent a process of four qualitatively different experiential stages, each of which is characterised by a unique set of experiences. There was also a qualitative difference at each stage between the experiences of student teachers who emerged with an overall positive assessment and those who emerged with an overall negative assessment of team teaching. The practical implications of the findings are discussed. This research contributes to the professional literature on the team teaching of science courses, and may serve to encourage educators to implement team teaching as part of student teachers‘ practicum involving a project based, student centred methodology.     

Resisting punitive school discipline: perspectives and practices of exemplary urban elementary teachers

Drawing on the literature related to classroom management, and culturally relevant critical teacher care, and effective teaching for students of color, this paper uses interview and observation data to explore the perspectives and practices of two exemplary fifth-grade teachers who refuse to rely on punitive discipline with their students of color. Findings revealed that the teachers did not view students’ behavior as challenging – they viewed behavior simply as one of the many areas they believed it was their responsibility to teach. Their instructional practices focused on coaching students to reach their potential and liberating them from barriers that limit their access to successful life paths. The study helps both researchers and practitioners reflect on the concept that discipline assumes and provides portraits of teacher practice central to dismantling the school-to-prison-pipeline.     

Supporting the career development of gifted students: New role and function for school psychologists

The American ethos that you can be whatever you want to be has not always been a helpful adage for gifted students. Gifted students require career counseling to understand the world of work, and to identify their interests and values in addition to their already-identified talents. Academic planning and career development for gifted students is an important and complex process that requires thoughtful consideration. School psychologists have the skills and abilities to provide valuable career development services to gifted students. The authors explore the unique challenges and career development needs of gifted students and provide suggestions for interventions.     

Mathematically gifted students and high achievement: the role of motivation and classroom structure

One of the most intriguing questions for those who study intellectually gifted students is why some of them reach peak performances at school and others don’t. Moderator theories of giftedness assume that domain-specific gifts are transformed into achievement in a process influenced by non-cognitive and environmental variables. Thus, the current study investigates differences in the non-cognitive construct motivation (achievement goals, interest, self-concept, self-efficacy, implicit theories) and perception of classroom environment (classroom structure, class climate) between mathematically gifted high achievers (n = 66) and mathematically gifted students with non-high achievement (n = 144) using a latent variable approach. Gifted high achievers expressed higher levels of motivation than non-high achievers. Furthermore, they perceived a classroom structure that provides more tasks with a focus on learning and more autonomy.     

Attitudes towards science of intellectually gifted and mainstream upper primary students in Singapore

The attitudes towards science of upper‐primary students in three ability strands (average, above average, and gifted) were investigated. A total of 580 upper primary students from co‐educational government and government‐aided schools in Singapore were involved in this study. The attitude subscales investigated were enjoyment of science, preference for science careers, and appreciation of the social implications of science. Gender and ability were found to have statistically significant effects on the variations in the mean score for each attitude subscale. Boys, in general, had more positive views about science than girls. Overall, above‐average and gifted students had comparable attitudes towards science; both of them consistently showed more positive attitudes than average ability students. At least 18% of the sample, with greater percentage being boys, reported “not sure” responses in 50% or more of the total attitude items. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 940–954, 2008     

俄联邦支持天才儿童的教育

文章介绍了俄联邦支持天才儿童教育的情况 ,包括制定天才儿童教育纲要 ,为天才儿童的教育发展创造良好的条件 ,所需资金由国家财政拨款     

关于高校“生评教”误差的探讨

学生评教是我国高校普遍采用的一种教学评价制度,本文阐述了学生评教误差的几个主要典型的类型,并针对这些误差提出了相应的建议。     

Effective instructional characteristics of teachers of junior high school gifted students

This ethnographic study analyzed video tapes using the simulated recall procedure and the comparative analysis of a student opinionnaire to determine effective characteristics of teachers of gifted junior high school students in rural, urban, and suburban schools.

Among the most desirable traits are sense of humor, enthusiasm, creativity, care and respect for the student, and the expectation of high quality work by the teacher. Less observable and less significant to students were flexibility and teacher intelligence. Two additional behaviors consistently demonstrated by the teachers and appreciated by the students, but not listed among the ten standard behaviors were (a) maintaining a close physical presence, and (b) the use of probing questions to stimulate discussion and thought.     

关于高校"生评教"误差的探讨

学生评教是我国高校普遍采用的一种教学评价制度，本文阐述了学生评教误差的几个主要典型的类型，并针对这些误差提出了相应的建议。     

中美中小学教师职前教育课程的理论比较

中小学教师职前教育课程是我国高等师范院校教育改革的重点,高师院校课程结构和内容关系到未来中小学教师的培养和国民科学素质的提高。．美国在中小学教师职前教育课程设置与改革方面的经验对我国有很大的借鉴意义。本文首先阐述教师职前教育的相关概念和理论。接着以物理学科为例,介绍中美两国中小学教师职前教育课程的基本概况。     

The Finnish public discussion of giftedness and gifted children

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of research in which the Finnish public discussion of giftedness and gifted children, and conceptions of giftedness and gifted children presented in it, were examined. The research was conducted by analyzing articles from the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and the teachers’ periodical Opettaja, using the content analysis method. The results show that giftedness is seen as multidimensional, and both intrapersonal and environmental contributions are recognized as essential in talent development. The conceptions of gifted children were quite diverse, and gifted children’s possible problems were frequently discussed. Moreover, misunderstandings were revealed as well as areas that have not been adequately addressed.     

Conceptualizing the use of online technologies for gifted secondary students

In an era where technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and where information is readily accessible on the World Wide Web, educators should be capitalizing on these resources for gifted students. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to support individualized and independent learning within a network of peers that will provide challenging interactions through extensive use of online learning. Online resources and technologies promote the exploration of new concepts and sharing of new learning with a group of motivated and “like‐minded” peers.     

Attitudes of school role groups toward learning needs of gifted students

The cognitive approach to creativity emphasizes the processes involved in producing effective novelty, as well as the control mechanisms that regulate novelty production, and the structures that result. Merely novel structures display surprisingness and incongruity, to be sure, but they must also be meaningful and practicable to be effective. There are no special processes or control mechanisms unique to the production of effective novelty, but metasystematic operations are particularly favorable for it. Effective novelty can be produced at lower levels of cognitive development, but children's creativity is likely to differ qualitatively from that of adults. Although the cognitive approach takes little account of motivation, personality, or the social environment, it provides an operationizable definition of some aspects of creativity, and offers insights into what needs to be fostered to promote it.     

西藏小学教育专业师范生教师口语教学模式初探

教师口语是一门培养学生教育教学语言能力的职业技能课程,是一门具有很强的实践性和人文性的课程,笔者现在一直从事教师口语的教学,就目前的教学实践来看,主要存在的问题有:教师口语课程与藏族师范生的实际相脱节,教师口语课程与西藏小学课堂相脱节,不同专业的教师口语课程开课时间都相同,这些将直接影响到教学效果,下面从以下方面进行初步探讨。     

The social and emotional world of gifted students: Moving beyond the label

Students who are identified as gifted have academic, social, and emotional experiences that are informed by both their cognition and their identification. Similarly, highly able students who are overlooked and remain unidentified have extra layers of social and emotional complexity to negotiate. While the label should not uniquely define the treatment of the student, this review of the literature offers some supported themes that might inform service. Research on traditional and contemporary concerns is placed in the context of conceptual and methodological limitations, concluding with recommendations for the practitioner as a beginning to the conversation.     

Bridging the gap between Religious Education and gifted education: theory and praxis in three secondary school programmes in Cambridgeshire

Religious Education (RE) has the potential to identify as gifted many students who might otherwise be missed. The findings discussed here are based on a study of Heads of Department in three very different secondary schools in Cambridgeshire, which investigated how their training and praxis affected the way they identified and challenged students gifted and talented in studying religion. Reasons are given for the gap between RE and gifted education, internationally, nationally and regionally. The lack of student challenge in much RE is identified and ways are suggested to extend and enrich all. Strategies are discussed for doubly exceptional students, with profound insights but poor written skills. Questioning the dominance of pragmatic approaches in the UK, the article suggests how the RE profession could develop a critical and theoretically informed approach to giftedness, with direct implications for classroom practices.