[Ohiogift] Davidson Institute eNews-Update: March 2020

Fri Mar 27 13:08:46 EDT 2020

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March 2020
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|  The application deadline for Davidson Academy's online campus has been extended to April 15 - Apply today! See details below.  |

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Whats's New in Gifted Education
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Technological Innovation Necessary as Students, Parents, Schools Navigate Through COVID-19
With most schools across the country shifting all or some aspects of their schooling to an online mode in response to COVID-19, many are relying on online classroom environments for the first time. Many families may be taking classes online and homeschooling for the first time.

Thanks to advancements in education technology, a few schools and online learning platforms are leading the way in remote learning innovations. Among them is Davidson Academy Online, which is well positioned to offer several strategies for success.

Considerations for Schools: 
Davidson Academy Online recommends designing online courses that are collaborative, flexible, personalized, rigorous, and encourage critical thinking and rich discourse.   
   - Collaborative courses should contain synchronous (real-time) instructional elements requiring collaboration among participants. Online learning should not be isolating.   

   - Online courses should have a flexible learning plan that allows them to be responsive to the needs of individual students. Assignments, instructional materials, and outcomes can easily be adjusted based on student strengths and interests without altering the expected course outcomes.   

   - Personalized courses should provide students with a highly supportive learning environment that address the needs of individual learners and provide opportunities for student voice in learning. Instructors should be present in the course and knowledgeable about their content and the students so that instructional materials and/or the actual course design can be personalized to the needs of each cohort of students.   

   - Online courses should have the appropriate level of rigor will challenge participants to achieve to their potential. A supportive online classroom encourages academic risk and growth.    

   - Quality online courses should provide opportunities for participants to form and support opinions and experience a variety of perspectives.
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|  Considerations for Families:
Tips from the Davidson Gifted Database article, "Is Your Gifted Child Ready for Online Learning?":   
   - Good online courses require just as much time and effort as their brick and mortar counterparts, if not more. Families who enthusiastically approach online learning as a serious endeavor worthy of the time commitment will hopefully find it to be a solid option for both supplemental and full time education.   

   - Personal qualities such as perseverance, problem solving capabilities, and a certain level of independence are crucial to a good online experience.    

   - While the ability to follow directions and problem solve is a critical skill for students interested in online learning, inevitably there will come a time where communication with the teacher (or other students) in order to solve a problem is necessary. Being able to effectively communicate via writing alone when there is a question or problem is an important skill.   

   - Organizational and time management skills are absolutely essential for an online class. Between managing course files and keeping track of due dates without the daily aid of a teacher, executive functioning skills are among the most important for gifted students who are interested in virtual classes.  Additionally, these skills are highly transferrable, and gifted students might find that the rest of their lives are easier to manage after receiving training in organization and time management.
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Book Publishers on the Pulse of Gifted Education
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|  A number of publishers provide a wealth of information for gifted students, their parents, educators and more. Here are some of their latest releases, with numerous additional offerings listed on their websites:   
   - Free Spirit Publishing       
      - Sometimes When I'm Sad
      - Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today’s Classroom
      - Worries Are Not Forever 

   - Gifted Unlimited       
      - ABCs of Raising Smarter Kids: Hundreds of Ways to Inspire Your Child

   - Prufrock Press       
      - Healing the Heart: Helping Your Child Thrive After Trauma
      - Methods and Materials for Teaching the Gifted (5th ed.)
      - Social, Emotional, and Psychosocial Development of Gifted and Talented Individuals

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Davidson News
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Davidson Academy Online Campus
A Stimulating Online Community Where Students Can Thrive
The Davidson Academy's online campus is a game changer for profoundly gifted students. Open to U.S. and Canadian students academically ready for our seventh-grade level curriculum and above, the accredited online campus builds off the one-of-a-kind, exceptional framework put in place by the Davidson Academy Reno campus. The result is a robust online community where students thrive. A Day in the Life of a Davidson Academy Online Student >

The Davidson Academy’s Online instructors build their virtual “teacher presence” in order for students to feel connected to them, as if they were in the same physical classroom. When asked what methods they use to accomplish this goal, they shared a variety of approaches.

To support families through the ongoing pandemic, the 2020-2021 Davidson Academy Online application deadline has been extended until April 15. See further details on the "How to Apply" page and view the admissions process.  

The online campus is designed to be different from a traditional online education. Online students benefit from:   
   - Live, synchronous sessions
   - Quality peer interactions
   - Small class sizes
   - Responsive, caring instructors
   - Guidance counseling
   - College planning
   - Personalized Learning Plans
   - Opportunities for socialization
If you have any questions, please email online at davidsonacademy.unr.edu.  |

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Davidson: Explore
Davidson: Explore offers rigorous, advanced, full-year middle school courses that are modeled off of expectations at middle school courses at the Davidson Academy. Students will be expected to work on asynchronous learning activities, such as reading, drafting essays, completing practice problems, assignments, etc. in addition to the hour spent in live-sessions each week. Apply today - the application deadline is March 31, 2020.

Compare the different online learning opportunities offered by the Davidson Institute and Davidson Academy to see what’s right for your student in this infographic!  |

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Davidson Young Scholars
The Davidson Young Scholars program provides FREE services designed to nurture and support profoundly gifted young people and their families, including talent development, educational advocacy, an online community and the Ambassadors program. Young Scholars can also access annual get-togethers, two residential summer camps for 8 to 13 year olds and challenging online middle school courses. Applications are due the first of each month. See the Application Process and Testing Requirements pages.  |

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Legislative & Policy News
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|  NATIONAL - The Administration recently released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Education, which proposes elimination of the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program. Javits previously had received $13 million in funding. Source: NAGC

ALASKA - The Anchorage School District recently passed a budget that provides full funding for its elementary gifted program. A number of critics have voiced concerns on how much the funding helps students. Source: Alaska Public Media - 2/19, 2/18

CALIFORNIA - Enrollment has plummeted for a gifted elementary school program in Santa Barbara. Source: Santa Barbara Independent

NEW JERSEY - The recently-signed Strengthening Gifted and Talented Education Act is designed to create guidelines and oversight for schools' gifted and talented programs. Source: Montclair Local

PENNSYLVANIA - The Wyoming Valley School District recently voted to end a local stand-alone elementary gifted program. Source: Times Leader

VIRGINIA - Charlottesville City Schools has implemented a policy in which students who respond to core instruction in a general education classroom setting and participate in assessments based on grade-level standards will be identified as gifted. Source: The Daily Progress  |

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On the Web
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Featured Articles & Resources
The Davidson Gifted Database features articles, resources and state policies to help students, parents and educators pinpoint gifted information:

Recently-Added Articles
Advice for Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Applicants - this article provides a wealth of advice from a parent whose child has successfully applied in the past.

In What Colleges Look For in High School Students, view 2020 findings of what college admission experts determine that colleges want to see in their applicants.

Online Program Comparisons
These program can be utilized in a variety of ways; enrichment, tutoring, curriculum replacement, independent study, etc.   
   - Online Math Program Comparison
   - Online Language Arts Program Comparison
   - Online Science Program Comparison
   - Online Foreign Language Program Comparison
   - Online Social Science/Humanities Program Comparison
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In the News
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   - Social and Emotional Support for Gifted Learners during Covid-19 (Belin-Blank)
   - COVID-19 and Anxiety in Gifted Children (NAGC)
   - Thoughts on Parenting Differently Wired Kids Through a Pandemic (podcast) (TiLT Parenting)
   - Gifted Boys - Behind the Mask of Masculinity (podcast) (Mind Matters)
   - Are Gifted Kids Healthy (NAGC)
   - What Exactly Is Gifted Education? A New Guide Attempts to Explain (Education Week)
   - Don’t get rid of gifted and talented programs in the name of integration. Integrate them. (Hechinger Report)
   - Exploring Giftedness: Is a Child Prodigy Born or Made? (The Swaddle)
   - Endless possibilities for gifted children and adults (Gifted Challenges)
   - Gifted kids, spirituality, anti-intellectualism, and existential struggle: A mixed bag (Gifted Challenges)
   - How Oklahoma’s Identification Of Gifted Native Students Could Serve As A National Model (KGOU)
   - New assessments needed to identify gifted students among underrepresented groups (Education Dive)
   - Enduring Math Woes Jeopardize America's Standing in the World (The High Flyer)
Discuss these stories and more on the Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.  |

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Student to Student
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Ashwin Sivakumar, Davidson Ambassador

The purpose of the Davidson Young Scholars Ambassador Program is to foster learning and civic engagement through community service, volunteerism and leadership in highly motivated and mature Young Scholars. Ashwin's project is "Go Native!"

What are some past and present projects you’ve worked on to help make a positive difference in the lives of others?
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I have always loved the outdoors. I am particularly passionate about nature and birdwatching. To me, birds are a fascinating yet easily visible manifestation of ecological complexity. I’ve taken a particular interest in the phenomena of migration and vagrancy, avian interaction with habitat, and avian conservation. Over the past two years, I’ve studied a wetland restoration in Oregon in collaboration with Portland Audubon, analyzed suitable California Condor habitat with the La Brea Tar Pits Museum, mapped owl territories in Southeastern Arizona on a trip with Earthwatch, and documented Amazona parrot hybridization with the Moore Lab of Zoology. However, it’s impossible to study birds and not fret about the dire threats they face, especially from habitat loss and climate change. This is what led me to my Go Native! project, where I have partnered with local nonprofit organizations like Pasadena Audubon and the California Native Plant Society to promote the use of native plants in public and private spaces.

What are some of your short-term and long-term plans?
My short-term focus is on my Go Native! Project. I have researched and created a brochure in collaboration with several non-profit organizations and local nurseries. My brochure offers local San Gabriel Valley native plant and tree replacements that are similar in structure and function to their non-native counterparts. I have distributed more than a hundred copies at plant sales, and education fairs and to homeowners to plan their native garden at home. I am also working closely with Pasadena Audubon for active advocacy with the city of Pasadena and other cities in Los Angeles County to replace non-native plants on their sidewalks, parks and public spaces with native species. This would greatly benefit urban wildlife as well as be more environmentally friendly. I am also an avid birder and try to find time every weekend to go birding, but with preparation for college admissions looming, this has become a bit harder lately! 

Long-term, I intend to go to college to study ecology, evolutionary biology, and potentially environmental policy and law focusing on birds,  and I would like to do everything I can to protect endangered species and their dwindling habitats. I would also like to continue birding in new regions of North America and the world. Hopefully, this would not only let me observe the fauna of different countries but allow me to become familiar with environmental issues beyond my own community.

How has the Young Scholars program helped you to reach your goals and achieve your accomplishments? 
The Young Scholars program has given me the opportunity to connect with other motivated students around the country, many of whom share my passion for science and learning. I have greatly enjoyed attending the Davidson Summits in Reno in summer, attending the various sessions and meeting my peers. I also feel fortunate for having been picked for the Young Ambassador program. The program has shown me how to take an idea and turn it into something that has an impact on the community. This requires hard work and a structure for planning and execution, and the past year as part of the program has been very helpful and educational. 

Please describe your academic setting and some positive experiences with mentors. 
I recently moved to Southern California after having grown up in Portland, Oregon until I was 13. My teachers at my schools, both in Oregon and now in California, have been wonderful at encouraging my passion for birds and science. I have also had many mentors at the Audubon Society and at museums and colleges in Southern California who have been extremely generous with their knowledge and their time and have encouraged me to be an active participant and contributor in the scientific side of ornithology and the study of birds. My mentor in the Ambassador program Ms. Nuntiya Smith, provided excellent guidance throughout the program and was there to brainstorm with me whenever needed.  |

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|  “We can work together to keep our communities healthy as our families adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic. While monitoring and protecting our children’s physical health, we can point out opportunities for them to notice and learn from the work of highly capable problem-solvers throughout the world.”

--Kate Boonstra, NAGC  |

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|  If you have information to include in a future newsletter, please contact us at administrator at davidsongifted.org.

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 Davidson Institute for Talent Development
 Supporting our nation's brightest young minds
 Reno, Nevada
 DavidsonGifted.org
 administrator at davidsongifted.org

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|  Copyright © 2020 Davidson Institute, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Davidson Institute9665 Gateway Drive, Ste. BReno, NV 89503

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