All parents and teachers, not just those who work with gifted kids, are often concerned about how to make the best decisions for each unique child. All children need custom attention to help them grow up resilient, flexible, and compassionate. The challenge of working with gifted children is that it can feel isolating and lonely without proper support and resources. Sometimes just a little advice, validation, or encouragement, can go a long way towards working through the tough spots. Because of this IEA offers complimentary Gifted Support Group (GSG) meetings during the school year.

GSG meetings invite leading professionals to share their knowledge and experience. These meetings provide support and community in a space specifically for shared discovery and exchanging resources and ideas. Someone else is going through or has gone through the same struggles. The GSG meetings offer a community eager to share what they have learned in their journey through not only gifted education, but also gifted living.

Talking about common struggles together is a great way to brainstorm solutions. Maybe something that didn’t work for one student is the fix another family is looking for. Sharing experiences with other parents and educators who interact with gifted children has proven to be enormously helpful in supporting gifted students strive towards reaching their full potential.

Sharing what we have learned may help someone else forego the struggles the community has encountered. But the right community of like-minded people can provide more than just new information, it allows you to be yourself. You can enter the space with no fear of judgment.

Join our community as we work together for continued success.

Here are some recording and resources from last year’s GSG meetings.

Linda Powers

• Communication Tools for Difficult Conversations

Jill Stowell

• Empowering Your Exceptional Learner in the Pandemic
• Parenting in the in 21^st Century – Regine Muradian

Cynthia Molt

• There is No Wrong, There is No Right, There is Only Learning
• Gifted Resource Center

Susanna Pollack

• How Games Can Be Used for Social Good
• Games for Change Student Challenge
• Sea Hero Quest
• Behavior Training Research
• EndeavorRx

Bethany Kwan

• A Gifted Student’s Pathway to Success in Science and Research in Healthcare

Maya Sissoko

• How to Support Your Gifted Child From the Start
• Whole Child Education
• Mathpickle.com
• Beastacademy.com
• Set Game (via Brilliant.org)
• National Museum of Mathematics
• Art of Problem Solving Online
• Guided Meditations (Tara Brach)
• WISC-V Test (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children)

Bonus

• One Size Does Not Fit All! Understanding the Special Needs of Gifted & 2E Kids with IEA President, Betsy Jones sits down with Jill Stowell of The Stowell Learning Center.

Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the moms. I hope you have found a special moment just for yourself, and a lovely day with family. This time last year, we were all still trying to understand and adopt to the realities of lives in pandemic. Schools cancelled, working from home, senior shopping hours, and predicting the peak (over and over again). So much have changed since then, yet some important changes remained.

Moms are now working more jobs, their personal and professional boundary lines have been blurred to none, and they have less time for themselves. In addition to the roles prior to the pandemic – working, parenting and domestic duties, most moms are also taking on some versions of homeschooling for their children. For parents of gifted and profoundly gifted children, it has become more challenging to “keep up” with their unmet needs from their virtual classroom.

We know there are a lot of parenting resources in gifted education, from programs to services, assessments to advocacy. This blog post, however, primarily focuses on the self-care for parents of gifted and highly gifted children, how you can take care of you while taking care of the family.

If you haven’t already, please check out IEA’s monthly Gifted Support Group. It’s a great place to start. Our monthly Gifted Support Group meetings feature experts on various aspects of 

gifted education. The goals are to support parents, build community, it’s a venue for shared discovery, and a space to exchange resources and ideas. Sharing experiences with other parents and educators who interact with gifted children has proven to be enormously helpful.

In this open letter titled “Dear Tired Mom of Gifted Kids,” Gifted Specialist Colleen Kessler from Raising Lifelong Learners reaffirmed that sharing experiences with other parents and building community is critical to bringing calm to everyday parenting life. 

In this podcast by Debbie Reber, who is the founder of TiLT, a parenting community for raising unconventionally wired children, Debbie shared twelve strategies and ideas for creating a sustainable, doable self-care practice.

Taking care of you paves a strong foundation for the wellbeing of the whole family. The journey of raising gifted and highly gifted children is long, joyous, tenuous and amazing all at the same time. Know that you have a community and are never alone! Best wishes and keep in touch![vc_single_image image=”10489″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””]

Moderating screen time for youth has never been more difficult. Television, streaming services, and video games are a huge draw for children. But video games, or gaming, has benefits beyond television and streaming services. Gaming is an interactive activity. Children can play against friends and interact with other youth which is especially needed during these times of social distancing. Games can also include problem solving and learning opportunities.

There are many resources available to parents with questions about gaming including our upcoming Gifted Support Group on February 11, 2021 at 6:00 PM PST. This Gifted Support Group will feature Susanna Pollack from Games for Change. In this presentation, Ms. Pollack will provide insights on how games have a power beyond entertainment that can be used for social good. 

Whether through using games as a platform for learning, building awareness around important social issues, or building 21st Century Skills, young people can engage with pro-social activities while enjoying a medium that “meets them where they are. With a commitment to learning and education, Ms. Pollack also developed a portfolio of programs that advance the use of games and immersive media in learning.  She launched the G4C Student Challenge with the NYC Department of Education in 2015, which is now a national program that reaches 10,000 students annually.

Additional resources online include:

• Finding Balance with Video Games, National Association for Gifted Children
• Healthy Limits on Video Games, Child Mind Institute
• Video Game Play May Provide Learning, Health, Social Benefits, Review Finds, American Psychological Association

As parents of gifted children, we’ve all had our share of “those moments.” Like when our child has a enormous melt-down in the store aisle, or when we are late for school or work, because our child can’t leave the house until the tags on their clothes are all cut off, or when we’ve reached our limit and yell, because, well we’re human too.

After experiencing one of those moments, what do you tell yourself? Do you quickly blame yourself or others, do you berate yourself for messing up, or replay the situation over and over reminding yourself of what a failure you are as a parent? Have you ever responded by telling yourself, ‘This is really hard. You’re really suffering now. You’re going to be ok, you’re doing the best you can.” Take a moment to reflect on a recent one of those moments. Now imagine if you were to hear the same narrative from one of your dearest friends. What would you say to them? Would you have a critical response, blaming or shaming them for a mistake, or would you offer them compassion and empathy? I’m assuming that if you’re like most people, you wouldn’t imagine telling them some of the same things that you so easily tell yourself.

Parenting is a slippery slope. It’s one of the most challenging endeavors we encounter as human beings, and yet, there are no absolute instructions. However, when we look around us, someone else always seems to be doing it better. It’s really easy to fall into the shame trap as parents: never feeling good enough, being keenly aware of our shortcomings and mistakes, or replaying the highlight reel of our latest blunders. However, learning to practice self-compassion is the antidote to all those shame poisons we commonly ingest after a challenging day. Self-compassion quells the voices of doubt, shame, criticism, and judgement.

So what exactly is self-compassion? It’s offering ourselves empathy and compassion, just as we would to a dear friend or to our child in a time of suffering or pain. When we learn to recognize our own voices of criticism, perfectionism, comparison, judgment, or shame, and turn them around into kindness and empathy, we are practicing self-compassion.

Researcher and author, Kristin Neff, Ph.D., (https://self-compassion.org) talks about self- compassion as 3 essential components.

• Self-Kindness vs.Self-Judgement: “First, it requires self-kindness, that we be gentle and understanding with ourselves rather than harshly critical and judgmental.”
• Common Humanity vs. Isolation: “Second, it requires recognition of our common humanity, feeling connected with others in the experience of life rather than feeling isolated and alienated by our ”
• Mindfulness vs. Overidentification: “Third, it requires mindfulness—that we hold our experience in balanced awareness, rather than ignoring our pain or exaggerating ”

I’ve noticed in my own life, along with other parents that I know, it’s easy to begin with good intentions to make positive changes, or develop a new practice, but then life seems to always get in the way. For me, I’ve become conscious of what I need to be stay aware and grounded, and in turn able to be compassionate to myself and others. There are four things that will always work against us, and sabotage our efforts of self-compassion.

• “The Shoulds”: Whenever I detect disappointment or resentment creeping up inside me, I know that I need to check my expectations. When we can be honest about the expectations we have for ourselves as a parent, or for our’s child’s behavior or achievements, then we can explore where they’ve come from and if they’re realistic or not.
• Shame: When we see ourselves as flawed, not good enough, or as a failure, our core worthiness is in jeopardy, and we will inevitably struggle with showing ourselves kindness and
• Shrinking Space: A packed life and schedule leaves no room or margin for error, reflection, or intentional practices. Practicing simplicity of schedule builds in space for the unexpected moments of life that will inevitable
• Swift Speed: When we are able to slow down, we are able to cultivate patience for ourselves and towards our children. Patience is an important piece of showing kindness and

Take a moment today, to play back something that happened recently between you and your child that didn’t go well. This time, adjust your lens to see yourself and the situation with empathy and self-compassion. Then offer yourself words and actions of comfort and compassion, just as you would to a good friend. Nurturing yourself is not selfish or indulgent, it’s essential for our own emotional well being, and goes a long way in modeling self-compassion to our children as well.

Michele is leading our September Gifted Support Group Meeting. 

Topic: Parenting, the Self-Compassion Way

As parents of gifted and exceptional children, we are often focused on the pursuit of finding the individuals, services, experiences, etc. that will adequately meet our children’s ever-changing needs. But what about us? What about our experiences and inner worlds? In this presentation, therapist and parent of gifted and 2e children, Michelle Bodwell, will discuss the importance of tuning into ourselves, recognizing our inner dialogue, and cultivating a practice of empathy and self- compassion for the parenting journey.

Click Here to RSVP!

Biography:

Michelle Bodwell is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Board-Certified Art Therapist with a private practice in South Pasadena. In her practice, she specializes working with women, of all ages, guiding them in finding creative solutions for life’s problems. Through the journey of parenting her own gifted and 2e children, she understands the struggles and challenges of raising exceptional individuals and lends her experiences in leading A Mother’s Retreat, a parenting support group for mothers of children with high emotional needs. For more information go to www.michellebodwellmft.com

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already well into the new year: 2019. Despite heavy rains – much-needed and welcomed throughout Los Angeles County – in IEA’s home city of Pasadena, CA, the future looks bright! With the rainfall comes the opportunity to recalibrate, reflect, and reenergize for an exciting year ahead. We have some incredible new initiatives and programs on the horizon and are looking forward to continuing to serve and support our amazing students, families, educators, and community partners.

We hope you’re as excited about this list as we are!

1. Celebrating Heart, Fostering Hope: On February 9, IEA will formally celebrate its 20^th anniversary with a gala fundraiser at the Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena. We’re so excited to share this incredible occasion with those that have helped shape IEA for two decades. If you’re unable to join in person, please consider donating, sponsoring, or providing us with a silent auction item. All money raised will go towards continuing to help serve the nation’s brightest and most deserving students, who drive our mission on a daily basis. For more information, please click here.
2. 18 years of Yunasa! Since 2002, and across 22 sessions, Yunasa has been providing gifted youth with award-winning programming, embracing them for who they are and helping them understand and work with the unique joys and challenges they face. This summer, Camp Shady Brook in Colorado and Camp Copneconic in Michigan will host campers, counselors, Fellows, and IEA staff for a unique, week-long experience like no other. Interested in applying? There’s still time!
3. Academy Additions: We’re introducing two new NAGC-award-winning Shelagh Gallagher curricula to our Academy offerings: Black Death and It’s Electrifying! – and that’s just in the spring session! Stay tuned for more additions in the summer and beyond, including a course for our youngest students, ages 6-9: The Penguin Predicament: A Problem about Animal Habitat and Survival.
4. Ready, set, make! On June 22, IEA will host its first-ever Maker Faire. Details about this one-of-a-kind event with makers, tinkerers, and creative minds coming soon!
5. Community: Now entering its second year of providing an academic and social home for the gifted community, IEA’s Learning Center at 540 S. Marengo is excited to welcome – and welcome back – families, educators, Externs, Bradley scholars, and community partners through programming, free events, open houses, workshops, trainings, and tours. Check out our Events page to see what’s on the horizon!
6. Our third content guide: In June, IEA will release its third content guide, which will focus on high schools throughout the United States that serve gifted students. We look forward to being able to provide our families with a well-researched, informative guide for their rising high schoolers. To view our two content guides released in 2018, please visit our IEA Publications page.
7. Calling all volunteers! IEA is launching its first-ever Volunteer program! Volunteers are an integral part of IEA. We rely on our volunteers to help support a variety of services for our community. Whether you’re working with students, engaging with guests at events, or performing administrative tasks, our volunteers help our programs thrive! Join IEA’s mission to ensure that each gifted child’s specific needs are met so that they can reach their full potential.
8. Brilliant scientists, brilliant students: LABS (Learning Among Brilliant Scientists) is in its second program year! Since its initial launch in March 2018, LABS has continued to build momentum with a great line-up of STEM professionals from Caltech, Cal State Los Angeles, and USC. They’ve shared their innovative work and research on such topics as astrophysics, molecular biology, computer science, ecology and evolution, biology and mathematics! The new year kicks off with an exciting LABS on Cancer Cells in the Blood! There are still spots available for the February 16 LABS Series: Living Monsters: Parasites, Pathogens, and Parasitoids.
9. Streaming live, coast to coast! Gifted Support Group meetings have gone digital! IEA is now livestreaming our meetings on Facebook and YouTube. We’re excited to be able to expand our outreach to non-local families and share gifted professionals’ amazing insight with our community. The next GSG meeting, on January 31, will focus on social emotional imagination in gifted education.
10. EXPLORE-ing a new location: EXPLORE is launching a program in Northern California! The program continues to garner great interest from applicants in NorCal, so this summer we’re hoping to make the leap up north to host students at 1 or 2 mentor sites. We’ll be able to expand our reach and serve more talented high schoolers!
11. Hot off the presses: IEA now has a 3D printer! Thanks to a generous grant from the Ahmanson Foundation, which is providing us with funds to transform our Learning Center, our programs are now equipped to provide students with 3D printing technology, design, and coding. Check out our first test print from Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Coordinator, Mallory Aldrich:
12. Speaking of hearts: Academy is hosting it’s first-ever Valentine’s Day card-making event the week of February 4. Stop by during business hours to make cards for family, friends, teachers, and other special people in your life. Free of charge! Details located here.
13. Beakers and Bunsen burners and bacteria, oh my! Within a few weeks, construction will be complete on IEA Learning Center’s new wet lab! With three working stations, sinks, and a flat screen monitor, Academy and LABS programs will be able to provide an authentic science lab experience for students and educators. We look forward to seeing this amazing space transform into a space of hands-on inquiry that has been years in the making.
14. Student-led workshops: 2018 was a fantastic year for student-led workshops and there are already two planned for February: the third workshop in CDB Scholar Luke Gialanella’s Votes and Voices series – A Presidential History of the U.S. Two-Party System – and The Wonderful World of Poems with Cassidy Kao. We’re so grateful that our students love sharing their knowledge and experiences with each other!
15. Family and fun: When not working with and serving our incredible students, IEA staff enjoys cultivating their hobbies and pursuing their interests. Marketing and Communications Coordinator Nicole LaChance is looking forward to joining her family for some rock and roll excitement this summer: “I am going to see Aerosmith in June at their residency in Las Vegas with my family. Aerosmith is a special band for us and I have probably seen them at least 8 times already. It will be awesome to spend time with my family and see a great show we are all super excited about. Maybe I’ll even get lucky at the casino!”

What IEA programs or events are you most looking forward to in 2019

Thank you to all the parents and volunteers who devote their time and resources to support IEA’s programs and services. Whether it’s donating books to the library in our Learning Space, facilitating a Gifted Support Group meeting, working as an EXPLORE mentor or CDB Selection Committee member, helping out around the IEA office or assisting with one of our special events, our volunteers greatly help us to provide quality programming to gifted students all over the country. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity in giving your time to our organization.

Thank you to everyone who has made a financial contribution to IEA this year. Your support is essential to ensuring every gifted child has the resources to reach their full potential. We couldn’t do the work we do without your generous support. Financial gifts of all sizes allow us to provide programming, materials and services to gifted students, as well as their parents and teachers. A special thanks to everyone who sponsored our Bay Area Celebration Event last month:

Thomas & Tiffany Hempel
Mar & Matthew Hershenson
Ken & Michelle Hirschman
Richard Chin & Christina Hyun
Megan Johnson & Dy Tran
McDonell Family
The Nueva School
Ann & Don Smith/Gifted Support Center Family

Thank you to everyone who has shared information about our programs and services, contributed a blog post and helped us advocate for gifted children. You are building a brighter future for gifted students across the country.

Finally, thank you to all the gifted children who inspire us daily with their passion, creativity, ingenuity and readiness to learn and be challenged. You are the reason we continue to work diligently to provide a space for intellectual, creative and personal growth.

Thank you to everyone who has supported IEA this year!

Would you like to support IEA? Make a contribution today! Gifts of all sizes are welcome and appreciated.

“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” -Benjamin Franklin

In August of 2017, IEA’s long search to find a permanent physical space to offer our classes, workshops and meetings came to an end. By September, we opened the doors to 540 S. Marengo Avenue in Pasadena, welcoming excited students, parents and teachers into the new IEA facility.

A gorgeous craftsman structure on the historic registry, the house saw its public debut as a learning environment with an IEA Academy teacher training and a few days later, students in our Fall Academy session arrived for classes. We hosted our Gifted Support Group for the first time at the house in November and in December, nearly 50 children and parents joined us for an Open House and Tree Trimming event to celebrate the season.

IEA Academy teachers gathered for training at 540 S. Marengo.

With help from IEA team members, kids enjoy holiday craft-making at December’s Tree Trimming and Open House.

As with IEA’s programs and services, our recently acquired home is intended to provide an exploratory space to feed the minds of young intellects and nurture their personal growth as individuals. Based on the enthusiastic reception from children and parents alike, 540 S. Marengo is indeed providing that “food and fire” Benjamin Franklin said a home requires.

This enthusiasm has manifested in an outpouring of not just support but also in-kind donations of books for the library, children’s furniture, plants and flowers, office furniture and more. Students are eagerly displaying their class and personal projects to share with others and one student is even hosting his podcast series at the house.

In addition to outfitting IEA with three classroom spaces and a conference room/library, 540 S. Marengo provides office space for our program team. With high ceilings and plenty of windows offering a lot of light, the house is comfortable and airy. Parents often congregate in the library or on the porch while their children are in class, sharing resources and ideas on how best to support their gifted child.

Eager young scientists in Academy’s Brain Anatomy class are prepared for learning with their safety gear.

A student in Academy’s STEM Building class observes the results of their design, using the open space of the house to carry out her experiment.

As wonderful as 540 S. Marengo is as a learning space for our community, IEA envisions an even greater space. With the support of local foundation funders, we are planning to turn the kitchen into a science lab, complete with equipment and safety features that would allow for deep scientific and exploratory learning. Anticipated technology upgrades will enable rich, interactive discovery and allow our teachers and program team to add even more rigor to our courses.

The doors of 540 S. Marengo are always open to our gifted community. If you’re interested in a tour or looking for summer enrichment opportunities for your gifted child, we invite you to join us for our upcoming Open House on April 13^th. Swing by for class demonstrations, to meet Academy teachers and for your kids to enjoy craft-making.

Have ideas for IEA’s new home? Tell us in the comments section below or email us at IEAgifted@educationaladvancement.org.

]]> https://educationaladvancement.org/blog-giftedness-finds-home/feed/ 0 https://educationaladvancement.org/blog-iea-2017-highlights/ https://educationaladvancement.org/blog-iea-2017-highlights/#respond Wed, 03 Jan 2018 02:48:46 +0000 https://ieadev.wpengine.com/blog-iea-2017-highlights/ by Niña Abonal, Senior Program Coordinator

To celebrate the beginning of a new year, we wanted to take a look back at some noteworthy moments from 2017!

IEA has expanded and bought a house!

Through the generosity of our donors, IEA was able to purchase a beautiful craftsman home in Pasadena. The new space houses our programs, Academy classes, and monthly  Gifted Support Groups. This past December, we hosted a Tree Trimming and Open House where families had the opportunity to take a guided tour, observe Academy classes, meet our dynamic Academy instructors, make DIY holiday ornaments, check out student work and nosh on cookies and hot cocoa.

IEA released results from a first-of-its-kind poll about gifted learners.

We commissioned the first ever national survey assessing the American public’s views on gifted education which found overwhelming bipartisan public support for increased funding for programs and resources for gifted students. It also indicated that the public recognizes the gifted population is often underserved. As a follow up in September, IEA gathered gifted education leaders from across the country in Pasadena to discuss the next steps in advocating for a policy solution championing gifted learners. The gathering included a presentation of the poll results, roundtable discussions,  and a conversation on how organizations can work together to advocate for our nation’s gifted students. We are working on additional initiatives to inform and create change.

Students, parents, and supporters gathered for IEA’s Summer Spotlight.

In July, over 100 students, parents, and supporters of IEA gathered at The Barder House for IEA’s Summer Spotlight event where families enjoyed interactive demonstrations of our programs conducted by IEA students and Academy instructors, connected with other families with gifted children, and chowed down on a complimentary barbeque dinner and drinks!

Twenty-eight middle-schoolers from across the country were named 2017 Caroline D. Bradley Scholars.

From an applicant pool of 386 students, CDB’s largest-ever applicant pool, 55 Finalists were selected by three Scholarship Selection Committees comprised of a diverse group of school admissions directors, CDB alumni, university personnel and community and business leaders nationwide. Following extensive personal interviews, 28 of the Finalists were selected as recipients of the 2017 scholarship. Congratulations to our 2017 CDB Scholars!

Twenty talented high school students worked with distinguished Mentors through EXPLORE.

Students were thoughtfully matched with mentors who shared similar passions in their career field of interest and had professional trajectories externs hoped to pursue in the future. These externs conducted college level research and work in fields such as biomathematics, computer science, architecture, pediatric medical research, ethnomusicology and more. Also, as a new component of EXPLORE, students met every Friday to attend educational excursions and workshops geared towards building their college and career readiness.

Yunasa brought together 113 campers for a summer of fun outdoor activities, workshops led by our beloved Fellows, and community-building events.

This year, Yunasa accepted the most campers it has in its 15 years of operation. We welcomed back 77 returning campers and 36 new campers for Yunasa and Yunasa West. The goal of the one week camp is to balance all sides of giftedness – intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and physical. Hannah, a 4th year Yunasa camper, shares her experience about finding her tribe at Yunasa on our blog.

Teacher trainings brought Academy instructors together to share their experience, knowledge and creative ideas.

Academy conducted 3 pre-session teacher trainings to help prepare our instructors to work with our community of gifted learners. Trainings covered such topics as support for twice-exceptional students and guest speakers included Sharon Duncan from GRO Gifted and IEA’s very own, President Betsy Jones.

IEA honored three valued members of the IEA community, Dr. Tony Travouillon, Jason Roberts and Sandy Roberts, at the Awards Dinner and Celebration.

In November, we hosted 90 guests at the University Club in Pasadena for our annual fundraiser. The evening brought together program alumni, Mentors, parents, board members, and supporters of IEA  and we also honored three gifted education rock stars including Academy Instructor, Dr. Tony Travouillon, who received the Educator Award, and Sandy and Jason Roberts of Math Academy who received the Community Advocate Award. The event raised nearly $30,000 to support IEA’s programs for gifted youth! Thank you to all who attended and contributed to this event!

We’ve grown our online presence through our redesigned Gifted Resource Center.

The Gifted Resource Center (GRC) is a free public tool created and curated by IEA which serves as an online database of resources for the gifted community. To date, the database has over 450 gifted resources and over 15,000 page views.

IEA hosted nine free Gifted Support Group meetings.

During the school year, we offer complimentary monthly talks featuring experts on various aspects of gifted youth and education. These talks are intended for parents and educators of gifted children to provide support and community, a venue for shared discovery, and a space to exchange resources and ideas. Previous topics include Mindfulness and the Whole Child, Gifted Resource Swap, Gifted and Teenage, Homeschooling 101 and Finding the Right School Fit.

Four new staff members joined our small but mighty team.

Anvi Kevany, Administrative Assistant
Abby Daniels, Director of Development & Communications
Nicole Endacott, Program Assistant
Hillary Jade, Program Manager

And, most importantly, IEA programs supported more than 453 bright young minds!

Needless to say, IEA had a lot to celebrate in 2017 and we could not have done any of this without the help of our amazing community!

IEA continues to receive remarkable support from families who have benefited from our programs, as well as community partners who believe in our mission and work. Thank you to everyone who generously contributed this year, and to our amazing volunteers who assisted in our programming, marketing, and fundraising efforts. Thanks to you, we are able to deliver highly customized programs to more bright and eager learners across the country.

We look forward to an impactful 2018!

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]]> https://educationaladvancement.org/blog-iea-2017-highlights/feed/ 0 https://educationaladvancement.org/blog-giving-thanks-2017/ https://educationaladvancement.org/blog-giving-thanks-2017/#respond Wed, 22 Nov 2017 01:05:00 +0000 https://ieadev.wpengine.com/blog-giving-thanks-2017/ As Thanksgiving approaches, we’d like to take a few minutes to give thanks to our IEA community!

Thank you to all the parents and volunteers who devote their time and resources to support IEA’s programs and services. Whether it’s helping decorate our new learning space, facilitating a Gifted Support Group meeting or assisting with one of our special events, our volunteers help us provide quality programming to gifted students all over the country. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity in giving your time to our organization.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to IEA financially this year. Your support is essential to ensuring every gifted child has the resources to reach their full potential. Financial gifts of all sizes allow us to provide programming, materials and services to gifted students, as well as their parents and teachers. A special thank you to those who sponsored our Awards Dinner & Celebration:

Jason & Sandy Roberts
Seoung Jin An & Ha Yeon
Peter & Jennifer Burke
Dennis & Nancy Finnerman
McDonell Family
Hap Deneen & Jennifer Yount
Hahn & Hahn
Becky & Peter Knell
Seong Sik Jeon & Joo Eun Bae
Licher Printing & Mailing
Chris & Abby Newman

Thank you to everyone who has shared information about our programs and services, contributed a blog post and helped us advocate for gifted children. You are building a brighter future for gifted students across the country.

Finally, thank you to all the gifted children who inspire us daily with their passion, creativity, ingenuity and readiness to learn and be challenged. You are the reason we continue to work diligently to provide a space for intellectual, creative and personal growth.

Thank you to everyone who has supported IEA this year!

Would you like to support IEA? Make a contribution today! Gifts of all sizes are welcome and appreciated.

Like this post? Sign up for our email newsletter to receive more stories, information, and resources about gifted youth straight to your inbox.

Learning about the brain development of gifted children gave me a deeper understanding of their heightened experience and unique learning needs.

At IEA’s monthly Gifted Support Group, Dr. Nicole Tetreault, Dr. Joanna Haase, and Dr. Sharon Duncan from Gifted Research and Outreach (GRO) gave a presentation on understanding the gifted brain. Their extensive literature review on existing neuroscience research supports the hypothesis that gifted individuals have increased intellectual, emotional, sensory and motor processing capacity. Specifically, their research shows:

Gifted individuals have increased brain volume

Gifted individuals have greater brain activation

Gifted individuals have greater white matter connectivity

Gifted individuals have increased sensory and auditory processing

Neuroanatomy shows individuals with higher IQ have increased grey matter volume in various regions of the brain – what the cerebral cortex is composed of. The regions with increased volume include the frontal lobes (complex decision making and hypothesis testing), temporal lobes (auditory processing and language interpretation), parietal lobes (taste, temperature, touch sensation), and occipital lobes (visual information) [1].

This could explain why gifted students can process a large amount of information and do calculations faster than their peers. As a child, I was always told that practice makes you better, but at times, too many repetitions can make you lose interest. Keeping a child interested, engaged, and challenged is a delicate balance; understating neurodiversity is the first step to differentiating individual’s learning pace and style.

With accelerated processing speed, comes the challenge of responsiveness. Some students can solve math problems quickly in their head, but they have a hard time articulating the process. When it comes to sensory and auditory processing, gifted students can be particularly sensitive and react strongly to sound, smell, taste, and visual stimuli.

While many gifted students can identify with these feelings, it is also important – albeit difficult – to try to express one’s logical process as coherent as possible. In learning environments where the needs of gifted students are often overlooked, the ability to communicate clearly and effectively is a good practice to foster mutual understanding and master proactive learning habits.

I left GRO’s lecture with a greater understanding of neurodiversity and the difference in learning needs for gifted students. Understanding that our students learn differently, not ostracizing them for who they are, and helping them work towards their personal best with their unique learning pace and style is a great recipe for a happy and healthy childhood.

Notes:

[1] “The Gifted Brain.” https://www.gro-gifted.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GRO-article-Phase-1-a-final-3_24_16.pdf March 17, 2016

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