Although nearly all educators value as an outcome for students skillful critical thinking, defined as well-reasoned reflection informing decisions (Ennis, 1987), many still choose to limit student decision-making and to avoid opportunities for practicing critical thinking. Art classes can be a locus of critical thinking when art teachers encourage a cycle of reasoning, reflection, and evaluation, leading to artistic decision-making. Popular educational resources set high standards for the thinking students do in art class. Research has shown that a rigorous art program can improve critical thinking skills.
Gifted students’ needs include the challenge of practicing critical thinking skills in every class every year. Advancing at an appropriate pace in knowledge and skill is not enough to develop talent. Cognitive abilities also must be developed in various contexts in order to maximize potential as future experts, scholars, and artists.
What would it take for art class to meet gifted students’ needs to develop their critical thinking skills, and what other benefits might art class have for the intellectually gifted? Continue reading
As the legislature convenes in special session and school districts across New Mexico build budgets for funding the 2017-2018 school year, the New Mexico Association for Gifted would like to highlight the need for a range of quality gifted education programming in our state.
A wide range of needs
New Mexico’s student population contains a wide range of gifted students – children of immigrants, research scientists (and immigrant research scientists!), artists, farmers; speakers of Spanish and English, Navajo and Tagalog; students whose lives outside of school are incredibly enriched in ways that support school learning, as well as those who care for siblings instead of doing homework, so that their parents can work multiple jobs.
At current funding levels, schools across New Mexico struggle to identify giftedness with equity and serving the wide range of needs. Yet, thanks to the promises made in Individual Education Plans, our gifted students may receive a range of services to meet their needs, including small group services that help students who will be the first generation in their family to attend college, whole-day programming for the highly gifted, acceleration in talent areas, and special thinking skills instruction. Continue reading
Announcing the upcoming alternate protocol training for identifying gifted students in New Mexico. Access the tools you need to identify high academic potential among diverse gifted learners in your schools.
GENIE averages clusters of scores and calculates reliability statistics in order to help gifted education professionals more easily identify a variety of kinds of giftedness across multiple developmental stages. Drafts reports, letters, and goals to make the identification process easier.
FTAP Express = Frasier Talent Assessment Profile with Enhancements for New Mexico
Helps to reduce bias in tests used for gifted identification, and graphically display profiles of strength and weakness. Includes updated norms.
What: New Evaluators can obtain initial certification for 1 year. Sept 18 – 20. Evaluators and Trainers can renew current certifications for another 3 years. Sept. 20, 2017
Where: Nusenda CreditUnionTrainingCenter, 4100 Pan American Freeway NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107
When: 8:30-4:00 PM each day Cost: Registration is $400 per person + NM Gross Receipts Tax for the New Evaluator training, $150 + NMGRT for the Update training (New LOWER price!).
Register: By emailing Kathy with participant info, contact & PO, or fill out this online form.
In a recent Larry Jacobs interview, M. René Islas, Executive Director of the National Association for Gifted Children, praises the new movie, Gifted for revealing the struggle that goes into realizing one’s potential. Islas says it shows how children with extraordinary intellectual ability and their parents “are working so hard to develop their talents.”
The interview includes award-winning director, Marc Webb, who says he took on the script partly because of his own “natural (romantic even) connection to mathematics and the subject matter” through a lineage of mathematics educators in his family. Webb also praises the child actor, Mckenna Grace, (Mary) for delivery of a balance in acting for “both humor and emotional depth.” The relationship between Mary and her guardian and uncle Frank, played by Chris Evans, is at the core of the audience’s involvement in the story, says Webb.
NMAG Promotes Gifted the Movie in Albuquerque
NMAG is promoting the film, which opens this week (April 11-16) at Regal Winrock Stadium 16 on Louisiana Blvd NE. Visit the NMAG booth at the theater for advocacy information and sign up for our mailing list. Each new sign-up to our contacts list and each new selfie posted to our Facebook page will earn an entry for a movie gift card prize drawing.
Showtimes for Friday and Saturday at Regal Winrock Stadium 16: 11:15 AM; 2:00 PM; 4:45 PM; 7:30 PM; 10:15 PM
Please read this message and forward it to anyone and everyone–friends, family, co-workers etc. Ask them to send it to others.
Contact your representative to support HM 15 ALLOW SCHOOL ACADEMIC ACCELERATION and HB 354 EXPAND “SCHOOL-AGE PERSON” DEFINITION.
NMAG has worked with Representative Christine Trujillo to sponsor these for the benefit of high ability students in public schools. You may click on this link for the Find My Legislator tool online.
Thank you for your help in ensuring both the memorial and bill get to the governor’s desk.
Cut and paste the paragraph below and add your signature and contact information.
Please support HM 15 and HB 354 to ensure that the needs of gifted and high ability students have their needs met in New Mexico’s public schools.
HM 15 ALLOW SCHOOL ACADEMIC ACCELERATION
HB 354 EXPAND “SCHOOL-AGE PERSON” DEFINITION
This legislation will provide acceleration options and consideration for gifted students to receive social work/transportation/ancillary services, and it includes a twice-exceptional definition for our gifted students who meet the criteria for a disability under federal law. I thank you for your support in providing best practices in education throughout New Mexico.
NMAG would like to promote student participation in the Moody’s Mega Math Challenge introduced here by Adrienne P. Ali of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). Check out their free downloadable Guidebook for Math Modeling as a model your gifted problem-based mathematics. You can also freely use their “What is Math Modeling” video library. Get ready for the Challenge Weekend at the end of this month.
It may seem like there is plenty of time, yet students who plan to do well are already registered and excitedly using the many resources offered, including FREE, year-long licenses to Mathematica and MATLAB, granted to all students on a team. Fully national since last year, students across the country are putting their heads together to vie for a share of $150,000 in scholarships to be awarded.
As a thought leader in education, can we count on you to help connect teachers and students in your area with this opportunity by distributing the below blurb? This ready to publish blurb is great for newsletters, online calendars, social media posts, and forwarding over email.
Also, please reply directly if you wish to receive promotional flyers, freebie mechanical pencils, and nice door prizes to giveaway at your meetings and events.
Adrianne, for M3 Challenge
Moody’s Mega Math Challenge
Registration for Moody’s Mega Math (M3) Challenge 2017 will close on February 17! Time is running out to register a team of three to five high school juniors and seniors to participate in the M3 Challenge for a chance at part of $150,000 in scholarships. The contest is free and open to U.S. high schools.
Participants solve an open-ended, math-modeling problem focused on a real issue in just 14 hours. Challenge weekend is set for February 24-27, 2017. Register before the deadline: Friday, February 17 at 4 p.m. EST sharp!
Students who hope to do well should use some or all of the many resources offered, including FREE, year-long licenses to Mathematica and MATLAB, available to all registered teams by request. Complete details, rules, and more resources are available at: http://M3Challenge.siam.org.
Designed to motivate students to study and pursue careers in applied math, economics and finance, the contest is sponsored by The Moody’s Foundation and organized by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).
Note: If you would like flyers or posters with more information about the Challenge to distribute to your organizations or colleagues, please send a request with the quantity, due date, and shipping address at the e-mail above.
Jessica Koppel, the current Treasurer for NMAG, is obtaining her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction and Gifted & Talented Education at New Mexico Highlands University. She will also receive NM state teaching licensure. She attends the graduate program in Curriculum and Instruction at the NMHU Rio Rancho Center. She will be able to utilize evidence-based instruction, and effective educational theory and practice in various content areas.
Jessica Koppel, Treasurer of NMAG, MA Candidate NMHU
Koppel has already completed and received her BA in Special Education with an emphasis in Gifted Education, completing the 12 hours needed for the endorsement required by the State of New Mexico. These four courses consist of:
Foundations of Gifted Education
Instructional Strategies for Gifted Education
Instructional Planning & Curriculum for Gifted Education
Twice Exceptional & Special Populations in Gifted Education
Koppel will be completing 12 more hours or gifted coursework for her master’s. These are the program courses.
Learning Environments & Social Interaction for the Gifted
Families of Children with Exceptionalities of the Gifted
Achievement Testing with Children with Disabilities and Gifted
Ethical Practices for Students with Exceptionalities & Giftedness
It should be noted that Koppel would be the first educator in the State of New Mexico to complete 24 hours in Gifted Education. State law does require students who do not have a teaching license to take the entire 24 hours or coursework for the endorsement to teach gifted students. Dr. PJ Sedillo advises Koppel and currently teaches all of the gifted courses at New Mexico Highlands University.
Today our Presidents Elect, Current, Past, and Ex-Past all gathered at the NM Roundhouse to present to the Legislative Education Study Committee our proposed legislation for the upcoming 2017 session. What a team!
Vision: NMAG strives to be New Mexico’s foremost gifted organization.
Mission: For all gifted students to have their unique needs met through advocacy, communication, collaboration and education.
New Mexico Association for the Gifted is an independent 501 (c) (3) public charity and is not associated with New Mexico Public Education Department..
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Support our efforts to advocate for gifted children in New Mexico!
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Now you can use your existing Google or Facebook account to log in and comment on NMAG posts. Select one of the social icons at the log in page. It will redirect to your favorite social media log in page. Then log in using your existing account and click “Create new account” to link it to your new nmgifted.org account.
Please note that opinions expressed in these articles are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of the New Mexico Association for the Gifted unless otherwise stated.