Online Learning Is A Reality, And It’s Reframing Education

Posted on May 5, 2012 by terbradley

I got to hear Sal Khan speak this week at the University of Denver Magness Arena. Sal is the founder of the Khan Academy.

Some background: In 2004, Khan began tutoring his cousin, Nadia, in mathematics over the Internet using Yahoo!’s Doodle notepad. When other relatives and friends sought his tutelage, a friend suggested it would be more practical and beneficial to record video tutorials on YouTube. The popularity of the YouTube videos prompted Khan to quit his job as a hedge fund manager in late 2009 to focus exclusively on developing his Khan Academy full-time. It’s mainly for math and science right now, but Khan will be moving into other content areas in the years ahead.

The Khan Academy is not a brick-and-mortar school. The Khan Academy is a web site and YouTube channel with a library of over 3,100 videos accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, worldwide. Their web site receives 2.5 million visits per month in the USA alone.

I recommend that you read Sal’s full story and how this endeavor came to be.  In been just a few years and it’s already getting millions of dollars in funding from sources like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Google!

KHAN’S PRESENTATION IN DENVER

Colorado’s Lt. Governor Joe Garcia introduced Khan at the University of Denver by saying: “The Khan Academy provides free access to quality teaching. This is accessible to all, and provides a world class education to anyone, anywhere. Teaching only works if learning happens.” I agree!

Some high points from Sal Khan’s talk:

  • The process of forcing all students through a lesson at the same pace isn’t always effective for mastery because the time it takes to learn something varies for each person. But everyone can reach mastery before moving on by going back to a video to re-watch and re-learn at their own pace.
  • When you let students work at their own pace they are on their own individual track. If they’re learning from a video on a computer, they aren’t as passive as they might be in a classroom. Many students spend a lot of time in the classroom disengaged because they don’t have ownership over their learning. With online learning there is more interactivity and the videos are fun.
  • Many students end up becoming advanced that wouldn’t have otherwise in a regular classroom because they are going at their own pace, and they can achieve mastery before moving on. Many students get gaps in their learning when they don’t understand a concept, but the teaching moves forwarded nonetheless.
  • Khan says more and more students who do online learning are outperforming traditional classroom learning. Learning at one’s own pace allows struggling students to do as much repletion and drill as they need, while advanced students have the opportunity to read it once, get it, and move on.
  • What keeps people from using online learning is more of their mindset and less about the cost (technology keeps getting cheaper). The mindset that needs to be overcome is that online learning can’t be as good as traditional, single-teacher-led classroom learning.

What is the role of teachers?

Teachers can spend more time monitoring each student’s progress, making sure they are on task, going at the pace they should be going at for their own individual learning ability, and they can spend more time diagnosing individual strengths and weaknesses.

There is a teacher toolkit that shows best practices so the teacher isn’t left trying to figure out how to best use Khan Academy videos.

With Khan Academy videos, a teacher can quickly identify students who have advanced potential or who are gifted and encourage them to move forward with their learning.

Khan videos can work great for gifted children

It’s a fact that many gifted students have, for so long, been waiting in classrooms for their time to learn. What an incredible validation of their ability and time to not have to review and repeat concepts they understood the first time. Khan videos give gifted kids the opportunity to move ahead at their more accelerated pace, moving on to higher levels or to a different subject altogether.

Many high school drop-outs are gifted kids who are tired of waiting to learn. Many students quickly realize that school is really for the kids who are struggling or at grade level, not the ones who are already ahead. Khan videos may be the opportunity to keep gifted kids who feel neglected and isolated, interested in and graduating from high school.

I’m going to try some of Khan’s instructional videos myself. Geometry was always a weakness for me in high school. It still pains me to think about it today. Even with a tutor, I simply couldn’t grasp it – I felt stupid. Stress and embarrassment made my brain shut down even more. These videos would have been amazing for me. I could have learned geometry on my own time rather than struggling to keep up with the those in the class that were moving faster. Nobody would have had to know that I was reviewing the video 5, 10 or even 20 times before it gelled. No teacher or tutor would have been that patient with me! But, I could have mastered it in my own time.

Go to the Khan Academy yourself and try it. And watch Sal on TED.

 

 

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Surprises During Productive Day at PTA Conference

Posted on April 22, 2012 by terbradley

Last Friday I was an exhibitor representing the Colorado Association of Gifted and Talented (CAGT) at the 91st annual Colorado PTA Conference. It was held at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, and was for individuals from all over Colorado who are involved in their school’s Parent/Teacher Association.

I was representing CAGT to promote the upcoming national conference for NAGC – the National Association for Gifted and Talented. As a board member of CAGT, we’re very involved in planning for the huge national conference. We want to spread the word to get more parents and educators to attend the national conference since it will be in Denver in November 2012. We’re expecting between 2,000-3,000 attendees.

I handed out info about NAGC Parent Day and told PTA parents about CAGT, of which I am a board member. I was there with other CAGT board members Linda Crain and Kathee Jones.

A highlight for me at the Colorado PTA Conference was talking to a woman who’s from Wyoming! Wait, wasn’t this a Colorado PTA Conference? Yes, but there isn’t a Wyoming PTA Conference OR a Talented & Gifted state association in Wyoming. So this mom was there from Casper to gather info for her district about running effective school PTAs, and to connect with other people who are involved in supporting their schools.

She was really excited to get information to bring back about the upcoming NAGC conference. I know she’ll spread the word in Casper and to surrounding areas, and she’ll encourage parents to attend the event in Denver, which is about a 4 hour drive from Casper.

Also at the PTA Conference, I got another parent rep for BVGT, the local Boulder affiliate of CAGT. The day ended up being a much more productive and enjoyable time than I anticipated. Check out the PTA in your school and, no matter what state you’re from, attend this year’s 59th annual NAGC conference in Denver.

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Go Boulder: Art, Education, Science, Flavor

Posted on April 16, 2012 by terbradley

My Action Lab was accepted! At the National Association For Gifted Children (NAGC) National Convention every year, on the day before the sessions begin, they have field trips to nearby interesting places. Action Labs are designed by local educators (like me) to provide an experiential learning opportunity that will broaden people’s perspectives and give ideas that they can use back home.

When I found out that this year’s NAGC National Convention was going to be in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center (Nov. 15-18), I wanted to create an Action Lab for Boulder, Colorado. I wanted some of the attendees (up to 50 people; about 2,000 will attend the convention) who are coming to Colorado from elsewhere in the U.S. to be able to visit Boulder before the convention officially starts in downtown Denver. Action Labs will be on Wednesday, Nov. 14 this year.

Many proposals for Action Labs are submitted; not all are accepted. Here’s the one I submitted:


Go Boulder: Art, Education, Science, Flavor
Combine a gorgeous natural setting with a sense of cultural freedom and a highly educated population and you’ve got Boulder. Boulder values a diversity of perspectives, and frequently earns top rankings in health, well-being, quality of life, education, and art.

Your journey begins at the Leanin’ Tree Museum of Western Art where you’ll view over 300 original western paintings and bronze sculptures.

Next, make a stop at Celestial Seasonings manufacturing plant for a tour of the tea-making process. There are plenty of free samples and delicious aromas to accompany your visit.

Enjoy a drive through the downtown Boulder and the University of Colorado’s beautiful main campus, home to Nobel Prize winners, astronauts, and an abundance of award-winning educational programs.

The final stop is the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Some of the world’s most important discoveries about climate, meteorology, and the environment have originated here. You will enjoy a tour, presentations, and interactive visualizations exploring atmospheric and Earth-system science.

I wrote and submitted my proposal (more detailed than what you see above) to the NAGC Action Lab committee over the winter. This week I found out that the Go Boulder Action Lab was accepted. I’m so excited! If you’re attending the NAGC National Convention, sign up for this Action Lab! You’ll love Boulder.

See all the 2012 Action Labs for this year’s NAGC National Convention coming to Colorado.

 

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Jonathan Mooney Wants Us To Re-Imagine Education

Posted on March 12, 2012 by terbradley

The evening was an extraordinary success! My group, Boulder Valley Gifted & Talented (BVGT), joined with our school district’s Office of Advanced Academic Services and the Parent Engagement Network (PEN) to bring author and education reformer Jonathan Mooney to Boulder for a presentation about focusing on kids’ strengths and ways to re-imagine education (“we have an 19th century system for 21st century children” he said).

I’ve heard him speak before (see my previous blog about how I got Jonathan Mooney to speak in Boulder) and this time I got to hang out with him — he’s fun, genuine, caring and interested in each conversation.

Why was this event so successful? Partly because it brought together so many stakeholders (people who have an interest in education) in our community. Jonathan’s message spoke to everybody in attendance – parents, students, teachers, administrators, mental health professionals and advocates.

We had about 600 people attend at Boulder’s Fairview High School auditorium. Included in the audience were people who CAN make a difference in re-imaging our school system: the school district superintendent (BVSD), the Director Of Gifted Education for the State of Colordo, the president of Colorado Gifted & Talented (CAGT), a professor in gifted ed at the University Northern Colorado, the director of Denver’s Gifted Development Center, a school board member (good to get elected officials out to hear this message), and several principals and assistant principals from BVSD schools.

I was also impressed that so many parents with their children showed up. Jonathan’s message really hit home with them (see comments below).

WHAT WE SAID ABOUT JONATHAN MOONEY IN BOULDER  

Jonathan’s one of the best speakers I’ve seen.  He talked for 90 minutes without notes or powerpoint and kept the audience engaged and connected.  He’s an excellent storyteller.  Then he stayed for another hour doing Q&A and meeting personally with the dozens of people who wanted his autograph and a chance to chat.

Hearing Jonathan Mooney gave me the renewed spirit to reform education; to create a school environment where all kids can thrive.

Three of my takeaways from his remarkable talk:

  1. In schools we now create generalists yet in careers, and for the USA to thrive and flourish, we need specialists.
  2. We need to tell kids they are not broken.  Just because they learn differently doesn’t mean they’re stupid.
  3. All kids need to have at least one important adult that’s not in your family that believes in you, inspires you, and encourages you.

Here’s what some other people who attended told me about the event:

  • “My 15-year old daughter, who is dyslexic, attended the event with me.  She left that evening with her self esteem boosted by at least 200%.  Jonathan’s words of “you’re not broken” really hit home and I am grateful to BVGT for bringing him to Boulder.”
  • “Mooney described many compelling reasons to broaden our traditional definition of  “the good student” in our school systems– and he used wit and humor to convince us.” 
  • “He highly praised great teachers who really care about teaching children, and he is extremely motivating and positive. He suggested we make connections with our students which is what the best teachers are doing every day!” 
  • “To me his most important messages have to do with scaling strengths and not treating students as if they were broken.”
  • “Listening to Jonathan Mooney is uplifting. His energy and enthusiasm for educating all children combined with his command of facts and the science of learning was inspiring.”

My hope is that all of us who heard his message will work to make even more connections with all students, and encourage them to find their strengths and nurture their talents.

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How Taking A Risk Paid Off For Me

Posted on March 5, 2012 by terbradley

This is where I began.

Jonathan Mooney is a dyslexic writer and activist who did not learn to read until he was 12 years old. He is a graduate of Brown University, holds an honors degree in English Literature, and was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Jonathan is a highly sought-after speaker and author of two books, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal, is a memoir and Learning Outside The Lines (now in its 14th printing).

I saw Jonathan Mooney speak about 10 years ago in Denver. I was attending a Twice Exceptional (gifted with learning differences) Symposium. I was part of a teacher/parent cadre from Boulder gathering information to take back to the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD). I was struck by Jonathan’s energy, passion and his story of growing up as a kid who was marginalized because he lacked strong academic skills. As a result of his challenges in school, he acted out and became a class clown. He spent so much time in the hallway that the custodian became his best friend at school. He talked about how his mother was his saving grace; she got him through elementary school when others saw him as lazy and stupid. His mom never quit believing in him.

I was so impressed with Jonathan’s style, topic and presentation that I wanted more people to hear him speak. This was not a boring lecture – no power point! He was talking from first-hand experience (his life) about dyslexia and ADHD. Despite his rocky start, he turned his life around and became hugely successful in school and in his career.

I started using a Jonathan Mooney video in SENG Support Groups I conduct for parents with twice exceptional kids (the video is What the Silenced Say). For the last six years I’ve shown it to these parents to help encourage them to believe in and stand up for their children.

Our school district, BVSD, has that video and a user manual in all schools (over 50) to use as professional development in teaching and reaching twice exceptional kids.

As president of Boulder Valley Gifted & Talented (BVGT), one of my privileges is to suggest and help arrange for speakers on various topics related to giftedness. We invite many speakers, local and national, to present at our public gatherings. I’ve always wanted others to hear Jonathan speak (and I wanted to hear him again) so I thought it might be a good opportunity to go about seeing if BVGT could host him.

Jonathan is an international speaker and acclaimed author who charges much more than we could afford. It was a long shot but I called his management, and asked them if he’d ever consider speaking to our gifted education community for a significantly reduced fee. Surprisingly, I didn’t have to wait long for an answer. In just a few hours his rep called back and said “yes, he’ll do it!” Woo hoo!

I’m excited to have hundreds of people be exposed to Jonathan Mooney’s uplifting, positive message about exceeding despite ones limitations. My next post will tell you how it went.

The Moral Of My Story
It’s all the cliches you’ve ever heard, but they’re true:

  • step outside of your comfort zone
  • take a risk
  • just ask
  • just do it
  • don’t give up before you even try
  • assume it’s possible until you find out it’s not
  • how are you going to know if you don’t try
  • people will often help a good cause if asked
  • “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” (Wayne Gretzky)

Ever think something seems too big, too daunting, and it’s not going to happen so why even try? I took a positive outlook and just did it…I asked.

My next risk: I’m asking a congressman if he’ll come speak to my high school class. Stay tuned…

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Tools & Strategies To Motivate & Engage Gifted Children

Posted on February 26, 2012 by terbradley

I recently watched an online presentation, a webinar through SENG, by Dr. Richard Cash titled Self-Regulation: Critical Skills For Adolescent Learners.

Self-regulation of learning is finding the tools and strategies that we need to become successful. In many cases, a perceived lack of motivation and/or engagement may be due to a student’s deficit in being able to learn independently.

Parents and teachers need to assist students in developing the skills of self-regulation.
 

I picked up many interesting things from this webinar, including these:

1. What are the self-regulation tools? Self belief, diligence, self discipline. Many kids are not doing these so they can’t self-regulate and hence, aren’t successful. These tools need to be learned; they aren’t inherent. Kids have to see self-regulation in process, especially as modeling by parents.  However, even with good role models, kids may not imitate the self-regulation behaviors.

2. There are two mindsets about intelligence (defined by Carol Dweck). One is fixed mindset.  Individuals with a fixed mindset believe intelligence and talents are fixed traits and a person is successful because they are smart. A child with a fixed mindset will have difficulty in admitting and correcting mistakes, always blaming someone else; mistakes threaten their sense of self.

The second is growth mindset.  People with a growth mindset believe you begin with what you have and build from there. Therefore, the more effort you make, the better you will become.  Success is about being your best self, not about being better than others.

3. A teacher tip: if a child is not thriving at school, find out where they are thriving outside of school. What are they doing in that area that makes them feel successful? Can that information be transferred to what the student is doing in the classroom?


 
Unfortunately, the self-regulation seminar is not yet available online but you can see the handouts from Dr. Cash’s presentation.

See other upcoming SENG webinars, like this one, at sengifted.org and search “webinars.”

 

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Supporting Parents Of Gifted Children

Posted on February 12, 2012 by terbradley

I enjoyed leading another all day SENG Facilitator Training Workshop at the Aurora, Colorado Public School administrative building. It wasn’t just for Aurora — there were seven districts from around the Denver metro area represented with GT coordinators, administrators, counselors, social workers, intervention specialists, and classroom teachers.

Here are three topics they really hit home with this group of SENG trainees:

Overexcitabilties — how gifted kids feel things more intensely and in more abundance.

Parent Awareness — how to help parents understand why their gifted kids behave the way they do. This helps the parents normalize giftedness for their children.

Do It Themselves — learn how to be effective moderators in their own group discussion process. I have them practice moderating their groups so they get a feel for the flow and focus.

Here are two impressions that stuck with me after this SENG training session:

Overcoming Barriers — even though they want to do it, there are a lot of barriers to conducting their own parent group. One is trying to get support from their administration (that groups are needed); and two is financial, getting paid for extra work.

Share What We Know — it’s all about passing along more knowledge. The more aware and informed parents are about giftedness, the better parents they’ll be, and the easier it’ll be for the teachers and educators to work with both the gifted students and their parents.

There’s been steady interest from school districts in having me in to do SENG Facilitator Training Workshops. I’m so happy to be able to conduct them in Colorado and elsewhere. Read about my SENG Training Sessions here.

 

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Gifted Educators Celebrate 20th — Dr. George Betts Speaks

Posted on January 23, 2012 by terbradley

I got to spend time recently with one of my good friends and mentors, Dr. George Betts. He was a speaker at the 20th anniversary of the Colorado Academy of Educators for the Gifted, Talented and Creative (CAEGTC).  8 of the 10 founding members, George is one, were honored at the celebration of the organization’s 20th year.

George spoke on “Celebrations and New Directions.” He traced the history of gifted education and reminded us how far the field has progressed. He brought up the new definition of giftedness as defined by the NAGC and all the controversy and confusion surrounding this updated definition. It’s always good to hear someone who’s been in the gifted field for so long speak. George has such a wealth of knowledge; I love hearing his historical perspectives and his hopes for the future of gifted ed.

Since 1992, over 160 Colorado educators, including me, have become members of the Academy and form the core of educators dedicated professionally to education of GT students throughout the state.

 
 
 

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Boulder Parents Join SENG Model Parent Groups

Posted on January 19, 2012 by terbradley

I’m starting another SENG parent group – Supporting The Emotional Needs of Gifted.  These classes, known as SENG Model Parent Groups (SMPG), help parents gain a better understanding of their gifted children and provides tools for parents to work with their kids more effectively. It gives parents the opportunity to look at their child’s behavior from new perspectives and helps them gain insight into their child’s motivations. It also provides a forum for sharing experiences with other parents of gifted children. The result is more confidence and responsiveness for parents, validation and support for children, and a happier and a better connected family!

This session will be once-a-week for five weeks and this time it’s just for BVGT Parent Reps.  These are parents with kids in schools (K-12) in the Boulder area (17 public and 8 private schools). The parents serve as a liaison for BVGT in their school.

I’ve been doing SENG training since 2003 and have trained hundreds of people in effective ways of supporting the emotional needs of gifted children.

If this topic interests you, get the book we’re using:  A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children by Webb, Gore, Amend, DeVries.  It’s a guided discussion, where we discuss chapters of the book together.
 
 

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Make A Difference With Student Discussion Groups

Posted on December 30, 2011 by terbradley

Discussion groups are an often overlooked school-based intervention that have a huge pay-off in social and emotional benefits for gifted students.  I have facilitated my own student discussion groups for middle and high school students for the past eleven years in the Boulder Valley School District.

Gifted students must be provided with affective education and affective support as part of their differentiated curriculum and instructional services.

Student discussion groups are a helpful intervention for all populations of gifted students, including those at-risk, twice exceptional, and underachieving.  Discussion groups require the facilitation of an individual that is comfortable with and familiar with the characteristics and social-emotional needs of gifted learners. Individuals interested in facilitating these discussion groups can be counselors, administrators, parents, GT coordinators, or classroom teachers.  This allows for more facilitator possibilities.

One of my areas of interest and expertise is teaching others to lead groups.  I often do full-day sessions training teachers, educators and parents on the value and importance of facilitating a student discussion group for gifted students that focuses on affective issues they have in common.  I’ve led these sessions at the national NAGC and SENG conferences, the state CAGT conference and regional Beyond Giftedness conference where I encourage and aid session participants to feel confident in beginning their own student discussion groups. I offer concrete suggestions and share specific materials and activities which will support the process of student group building, raising personal and social awareness, strengthening inter/intra personal skills, and providing positive adjustment strategies.

School districts all over the state of Colorado have hired me to give this training to their educators.  If your school district is interested, you can contact me at terbradley @ comcast.net.

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