Welcome to the Gifted Matters Blog!
Updated: Apr 6, 2023
….takes a deep breath…
Ok then — welcome to the Gifted Matters Blog! This is a project I’ve been wanting to make happen for years, and I guess now is the time. I’m a homeschooling parent of a twice-exceptional teenage boy, and also a psychotherapist specializing in gifted and 2e issues (in case you hadn’t seen my website…). My intent with this blog is to share resources, musings and ideas I come up with. I’m especially interested in supporting parents who are raising QuASIE (Quirky, Anxious, Sensitive, Intense, Excitable) children. I think we can find ourselves exhausted and isolated and frustrated and worried a lot of the time…which is not fun…so I aim to improve the situation, and this blog is (hopefully) another way to do that.
You can expect a variety of things here: ideas from some of my talks, reviews of books I’m reading, tips and techniques that have been useful to me and my clients, and probably the occasional rant about education policy. I’ve been teaching and writing and presenting on this stuff for a number of years, so I’ve had a lot of ideas brewing that I want to put down in one place, and hopefully engage in some meaningful discussion as well. I invite you clever fabulous people to join in the fun!
Mika
My first thought about helping students organise their own learning is that the everyday experience deserves as much attention as the larger explanation. Keeping track of unfinished tasks can make a busy school week feel more manageable. That connection helps me see why student learning organisation can be worth a closer look. I would be interested in a simple example, because it is often the ordinary details that make an idea memorable. What kind of planning system is simple enough for students to use consistently?
The topic of making space for questions in the classroom gives me a few things to think about, especially when the discussion moves beyond general advice. A thoughtful pause can give quieter students time to develop an answer. It also gives the phrase student classroom participation a clearer meaning than a label on its own. I would be interested in a simple example, because it is often the ordinary details that make an idea memorable. What helps a classroom welcome questions that do not have an immediate solution?
Considering rebuilding confidence after a learning setback, I keep coming back to the difference between knowing about an idea and putting it into practice. A disappointing result does not have to define the next attempt. I would use that point as a starting question when considering learning confidence recovery. I can imagine different answers depending on the situation, so I would want to understand the context before drawing conclusions. What helps a learner recognise progress after an earlier difficulty?
When it comes to introducing music through listening and practice, I would rather understand one useful detail properly than rush through a long list of ideas. Listening for one musical detail can make a short piece feel entirely different. That connection helps me see why music listening education can be worth a closer look. A short discussion of an everyday example would make this easier for me to connect with, especially as someone still learning about the subject. Which listening exercises work well before a learner starts studying notation?
The subject of developing skills through focused workshops feels more interesting when there is room for a reader to stop and ask their own questions. A short workshop can be useful when it gives participants time to try one specific technique. I would keep that thought nearby when looking for ideas about focused skills workshops. A short discussion of an everyday example would make this easier for me to connect with, especially as someone still learning about the subject. What should a learner be able to do differently after a focused session?