Best Movies & Television for Inspiring Gifted Kids
This week at #gtchat, we explored movies and television that inspire gifted kids. They can portray gifted children in a negative light. Negativity, however, is often in the eye of the beholder. Movies and television programs reflect popular culture; and for that reason portray gifted children in a way they feel meets their audience’s expectations. Those which show gifted children in a one-dimensional light – smart kid who’s socially inept; the perfect student; a child regarded only for their contributions to society … these are negative portrayals.
What’s the downside of movies and television portraying gifted children only as geniuses or nerds? Kids are kids; they process what they see on the big and small screen. Gifted children rarely receive guidance on how to perceive these images and many adopt negative responses to being seen only for their intelligence or talents. When gifted children believe that they are only appreciated for their brain power, it can affect not only their behavior towards others but also their self-image. A poor self-image can lead to mental health issues and worse.
When gifted children see kids like themselves valued by society in films and television, they will benefit in how they see themselves and how they interact with others. Self-worth is a powerful motivator to be successful, respectful, and empathetic toward others. It improves their quality of life and of those around them; with family members, schoolmates, and teachers.
“When gifted kids see an “average” child in film or on television, they don’t see a reflection of themselves. They see someone with whom they can’t identify. This contributes to a sense separateness & increases feelings of isolation. Representation does the opposite.” ~ Jeffrey Farley, M.Ed., District Special Programs Coordinator, Beaumont ISD
When integrated into a gifted curriculum, movies and television can be a powerful teaching tool to guide students; to project role-models; to inspire creativity; to promote social consciousness. Using film and television in the classroom requires careful scrutiny of resources prior to their use. Teachers should be cognizant of individual needs of their students.
Many are fans of the recent movie, “Gifted”. They did a good job of portraying a multi-dimensional character in a highly relatable situation in a realistic way. It was obvious they knew their subject matter. Another film, Incredibles 2, debuts this week. The original, The Incredibles, has been a favorite of parents. Many films in the scifi genre include gifted children. They can often provide kids with a positive role-model.
Please check out our resources listed below! A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet which includes many great suggestions for movies and television programs that can inspire gifted children.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at Noon NZST/10 AM AEST/1 AM UK to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com
Links:
Movie: Gifted (2017) (Preview YouTube 2:34)
Movie: The Incredibles (Trailer YouTube 2:24)
Movie: The Incredibles 2 (Trailer YouTube 2:16)
Sprite’s Site: Gifted in Reel Life
Columbo: Breaking Gifted Stereotypes
Movies Featuring Gifted Kids (and Adults!)
25 of Our Favorite Gifted Kid Movies
Film Producer Seeks Honest Portrayal of Growing Up Gifted
10 Movies Gifted Children Will Love
Gifted Role Models in Literature and Film
The Impact of Popular Culture on Gifted Children
Using Movies to Guide: Teachers and Counselors Collaborating to Support Gifted Students (pdf)
Fostering The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children through Guided Viewing of Film
Cybraryman’s Teaching with Movies Page
Observations on Gifted the Movie
AUS: Gifted Resources Film Discussion Series
Duke TIP: A Look at the Movie “Gifted”
Image used with permission
Chat image courtesy of Pixabay CC0 Creative Commons
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad
Share this:
Books, Blogs & Documentaries for GT Parents & Teachers
There are many ways to find online for resources regarding gifted children, parenting, and the education of GT students. Google Alerts can be set to learn about the latest news in gifted children, gifted education and gifted & talented. Of course, you can check out @gtchatmod Twitter lists! Also, state and national gifted organization websites have great resources. Don’t rely solely on your own state’s sites; check around (TX, CA, OH, MN, CT).
Organizations for the gifted have resources for parents and teachers of GT students. On Twitter, a few include @NAGCGIFTED, @SENG_Gifted, @GiftedHF, @PPUK_, and @wcgtc; as well as @IEAgifted @SIGifted @belinblank @CECTAG and @Hoagies Gifted. Mainstream education websites also provide resources for gifted and talented; such as, @edutopia @ASCD, and @iste.
You can check out our transcript at Wakelet to see favorite books, blogs and documentaries of chat participants. We’ve included links below to additional sites.
Disclaimer: Inclusion in the links below is for informational purposes only and does not imply a recommendation by Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at Noon NZST/10 AM AEST/1 AM UK to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com
Links:
Publishers:
Publishers Specializing in the Gifted
AUS: Hawker Brownlow Education
Teachers College Press Columbia University
Information & Publications at NAGC
Books:
Boost: 12 Effective Ways to Lift Up Our Twice-Exceptional Children (Perspectives) (Volume 11) (Amazon) January 2018
How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don’t Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up (Amazon) May 2018
The Gifted Kids Workbook: Mindfulness Skills to Help Children Reduce Stress, Balance Emotions, and Build Confidence (Amazon) Release Date: August 2018
The Power of Self-Advocacy for Gifted Learners: Teaching the Four Essential Steps to Success (Grades 5–12) (Amazon) October 2017
UK: Redefining More Able Education: Key Issues for Schools (Amazon) April 2018
Doing Poorly on Purpose: Strategies to Reverse Underachievement and Respect Student Dignity (Amazon) January 2018
UK: Providing for the Special Needs of Students with Gifts and Talents (Amazon Kindle Edition) November 2017
Twice Exceptional: Supporting and Educating Bright and Creative Students with Learning Difficulties (Amazon) February 2018
The Cheetah Stories: Understanding the Challenges of Being Gifted
Trilogy: The School for Gifted Potentials (Amazon)
Bust Your Buts: Tips for Teens Who Procrastinate (Amazon)
If This is a Gift, Can I Send it Back?: Surviving in the Land of the Gifted and Twice Exceptional (Amazon)
Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope with Explosive Feelings (2nd ed.) (Amazon)
Twice Exceptional: Supporting and Educating Bright and Creative Students with Learning Difficulties (Amazon)
Welcome to the Ark (Amazon)
Surviving the Applewhites (Amazon)
A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children (Amazon)
Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner (Amazon)
Searching for Meaning: Idealism, Bright Minds, Disillusionment, and Hope (Amazon)
The Survival Guide for Gifted Kids: For Ages 10 and Under (Amazon)
Bright, Talented, & Black: A Guide for Families of African American Gifted Learners (Amazon)
Multicultural Gifted Education, 2nd ed. (Amazon)
Bright Not Broken: Gifted Kids, ADHD, and Autism (Amazon)
Off the Charts: Asynchrony and the Gifted Child (Amazon)
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future (Amazon)
Exceptionally Gifted Children (Amazon)
Mellow Out, They Say If I Only Could: Intensities and Sensitivities of the Young and Bright (Amazon)
Gifted Children: Myths And Realities (Amazon)
When the Labels Don’t Fit: A New Approach to Raising a Challenging Child (Amazon)
Kindling the Spark: Recognizing and Developing Musical Talent (Amazon)
Iowa Acceleration Scale Manual 3rd Edition (Amazon)
Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting Our Brightest Young Minds (Amazon)
Teaching Gifted Kids in Today’s Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use (Amazon)
Education of the Gifted and Talented (6th Edition) (Amazon)
Jacob’s Ladder Reading Comprehension Program Set of 7, 2nd ed. (Prufrock)
Leonardo da Vinci (Amazon)
Blogs:
Blog: Ramblings of a Gifted Teacher
Blog: Institute for Educational Advancement Blog
Podcasts:
Podcast: Episode 8: A Guide to Self-Advocacy
Podcast: Episode 9: The Over-Under on Achievement
Documentaries:
BBC Documentary: Generation Gifted
Documentary: 2e – Twice Exceptional
Documentary: RISE The Extraordinary Journey of the Exceptionally and Profoundly Gifted (Promo YouTube 7:19)
The Misdiagnosis of Gifted Children (YouTube 14:21)
Documentary: The G Word (in production)
Organizations:
Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented
National Society for the Gifted and Talented
New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education
Chicago Gifted Community Center
UNSW: GERRIC (AUS)
Other:
Google DOC: Blogs, Vlogs and Podcasts For The Gifted Community
AUS: Gifted and Talented Education Kit for Teachers (GERRIC) Free
Cybraryman’s Gifted and Talented Page
Ginger Lewman: LifePractice Learning
Image courtesy of Pixabay CC0 Public Domain
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad
Share this:
How Home & School Environment Affect Student Achievement
How should student achievement be measured? Many schools are moving away from traditional measurements such as letter grades and testing. Assessment of achievement should reflect a student’s ability to use and understand what they’ve learned.
There is strong evidence that school climate – student/teacher relationships; values and norms; shared practices – affects student achievement. Students respond when schools emphasize academic excellence and promote positive interpersonal relationships.
Educators as role models impact students’ establishing goals for knowledge attainment, how they view their personal strengths, and their goals for the future. In contrast, students will assume negative perceptions by teachers of their abilities; such as, being thought of as lazy, unmotivated, or lacking ability. Teachers can have a positive effect on student achievement by encouraging students to do their best and by having high expectations of student performance.
School-wide interventions promoting healthy interpersonal relationships can drive improvement in student achievement. Interventions should stress building strong bonds between school mission and removal of barriers to full participation by all students in school activities fostering an affinity for school.
The home environment sets the stage for openness to learning; appreciation for achievement; and opportunity for learning outside of school. Creating a positive atmosphere in the home that nurtures, encourages, and responds to a child’s needs in a caring and fostering way will promote healthy academic achievement. A positive home environment that promotes student achievement will include provide ample reading materials, visits to libraries and regional enrichment opportunities such as museums or historical sites & time with intellectual peers.
Parents purposefully involving themselves in their child’s academic life by setting a positive tone about the importance of education can strongly influence achievement. When parents and caregivers provide strong and clear messages about aspirations for their children regarding school performance, student achievement is positively impacted. A transcript of this chat may be found at Wakelet.
Big changes at TAGT! This week, the appointment of Strategic Association Management was announced as our new management model and Paulina van Eeden Hill, CAE, as TAGT’s new Executive Director. Read more about these exciting changes here. Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT welcomes Paulina and looks forward to working with her and the great team at TAGT.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at Noon NZST/10 AM AEST/1 AM UK to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com
Links:
Educational Environment and Student Achievement (pdf)
How parental involvement affects student achievement
Ready for Success: Creating Collaborative and Thoughtful Transitions into Kindergarten
Reframing Family Involvement in Education: Supporting Families to Support Educational Equity
What are the Effects of the Home Environment on Learning?
The Link between School Environments and Student Academic Performance
The Impact of Home Environment Factors on Academic Achievement of Adolescents (pdf)
How Does Your Child’s Teacher Influence Academic Performance?
Do Teaching Practices Matter for Students’ Academic Achievement? (pdf)
The Family Effect on Academic Performance in School
Does the school building itself play a role in student achievement?
Sprite’s Site: Gifted Under Achievers
Cybraryman’s Study Skills/Organization Pages
What Adults Can Learn from Kids (TED2010 8:06)
Boost: 12 Effective Ways to Lift Up Our Twice-Exceptional Children (Amazon)
Mind Matters Podcasts: The Over-Under on Achievement with Dr. Jim Delisle
Image courtesy of Pixabay CC0 Creative Commons
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad
Share this:
Developing Teamwork Challenges for GT Students
This week, we welcomed Greg Laufer of Adventures in Learning located in El Paso, TX as our guest to chat about developing team work challenges for gifted and talented students. Adventures in Learning provides services to both educators and gifted students with professional development, academic competitions and summer camps. Every year they host an academic competition called Team Quest – The Ultimate Academic Challenge.
Grouping strategies are most often used in full inclusion classrooms. For in class grouping, peer-grouping greatly benefits gifted students. Another popular strategy is flexible-grouping which may yield benefits by reducing misconceptions of elitism. Gifted and talented students report overwhelmingly preference for work with other intellectual peers for numerous reasons. They get frustrated when group members expect them to do a majority of the work.
“I have seen how grouping helps students learn, become better listeners, learn life skills, and understand their classmates and themselves. Grouping by ability and interest are important, BUT we all know life is not always so neat and tidy. Students will face MANY situations in life when they will not get to work with someone like them. They also need to see the value in how others think and do things.” ~ Greg Laufer
What are the benefits of fostering team building through group work for gifted students? They need to experience working on a team early on to understand how to interact with others and prepare for later academic challenges. Gifted students can benefit from the experience of working with multiple ability peers that mirror the society in which they will one day work and live.
“Probably the biggest benefit (of grouping) is helping GT students to see they do not have to deal with everything on their own. It is common for GT students to take on too much and place pressure on themselves. Grouping helps them to see it’s OK to reach out and ask for help. Differing perspectives is another reason we at Adventures in Learning love grouping students. Inside our academic competition (Team Quest) we see this every day.” ~ Greg Laufer
We can encourage gifted students to see the value of group work with respect to successful participation in the workforce. Parents can communicate their own participation in working in groups to their children and how it has made a difference in their work experience. Teachers and schools can provide opportunities for job-shadowing and career day programs during the school year.
“With a global economy that we see today, being able to communicate and work with others is more important than ever before. The days of sitting in a cubical for 8 hours and never talking to anyone are not as prevalent as they once were. Students must be TAUGHT teamwork. Companies today are learning that being a team player and someone having still to collaborate is SOOOOOO important! After if a job candidate can demonstrate the ability to work together, they have a better chance at getting the job over a more “qualified” person.” ~ Greg Laufer
One of the best ways to impress upon children the importance of anything is to model the behavior you want to see in them. Participating in community service and including them whenever possible sends a powerful message. Parents can provide opportunities for their children to be on a team during after-school and summer recess.
Our final question of the chat was for our guest Greg Laufer: How did Adventures in Learning begin conducting Academic Competitions? Greg started Adventures in Learning over 20 years ago. His longevity in the business speaks to its benefits for the gifted community.
“I started out 22 years ago when I was asked to assist a friend to present the “paper/pencil” portion of an academic competition. It was such a fun experience that I have turned it into my life’s work. Over the years I have worked with nearly 60,000 GT students in our program TEAM QUEST. The Team Quest Theme for next school year will be “Secrets of the Sea” We will be posting about our new program throughout the summer.” ~ Greg Laufer
A transcript may be find at Wakelet.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at Noon NZST/10 AM AEST/1 AM UK to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com
Links:
Adventures in Learning (El Paso)
Adventures in Learning: About Us
Team Quest The Ultimate Academic Challenge
Adventures in Learning University Workshops
Adventures in Learning Professional Development & Trainings
10 Team-Building Games That Promote Critical Thinking
Developing Critical Thinking and Creativity through Team Building in the Classroom
Elementary Matters: Team Building Activities
Gifted and Talented Center: LEGO Science and Engineering
Developing Leadership Skills in Young Gifted Students (pdf)
AUS: Tournament of Minds – Inquiry into the Education of Gifted and Talented Students (pdf)
12 Ways to Promote Teamwork, Creativity & Problem-Solving During the Summer (pdf)
Ability Grouping and Self-Esteem of Gifted Students
Adventures in Learning’s Summer Reading Program!
Team Quest: The Ultimate Academic Challenge
What Educators Need to Know About Gifted Students and Cooperative Learning (pdf)
Gifted Education and Cooperative Learning: A Miss or a Match? (pdf)
Cybraryman’s Collaboration Page
Cybraryman’s Connectivity Page
Image courtesy of Adventures in Learning.
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.
