Giftedness in Early Childhood Education

Do you work with children that are curious, self-motivated, creative, and possess unusual leadership? Or students that have advanced vocabulary, exhibit high performance intellectually or are great problem solvers? If the answer is yes, you may be working with a gifted and talented child.

Often times when an individual thinks of ESE (Exceptional Student Education) they think of children that are struggling academically or behaviorally. Students that are excelling and possibly behavior issues due to boredom also fall under the ESE title. These children are referred to as gifted and talented.

Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines gifted as having great natural ability and revealing a special gift. These children with their special gifts and their parents with their questions are the challenge I have chosen for my course project. Specifically the challenge is children with varying abilities with the sub-topic of giftedness in early childhood. I have chosen this topic to look at the brighter side of education. I also want to give a voice to a group of children that are sometimes left to their own devices as schools focus on struggling children. Gifted and talented children need to be provided opportunities to maximize their potential.

My initial questions deal with identification of children that are gifted and talented. I am specifically interested in the identification of these children in unrepresented populations: various races, low socioeconomic and English language learners. A second question is resources available to support the families of gifted children. If the child is identified as gifted, does my child have to attend a different school and how will this affect the family? The final area to be addressed is gifted and talented children that are not challenged and thus become behavior issues.

References:
Merriam-Webster Dictionary online. (2013). Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Childhood and Play

Childhood is a period of exploration and learning. Babies play by exploring the world within their reach and thus learn about the world. Babies from different cultures have a variety of experiences but develop in similar fashion. Babies in Africa play in the dirt, in Mongolia babies can crawl amongst the animals, in the United States babies crawl in a safe, clean and probably risk free environment. This poses an interesting question; have the “safety” restrictions hindered natural growth and development of children?

While pondering this question, listen to the video The Benefits of Risk produced by Alliance for Childhood and KaBoom. Here is the link: http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/node/96 .  The short video has four professionals discussing the benefits of risk. In general, the professionals share that children learn from their own efforts and mistakes. Struggling is a part of childhood and setbacks build perseverance and confidence as mastery is achieved. This struggling can be the result of mastering a piece of playground equipment to climbing a tree to learning to make new friends. The professionals discuss how the United States culture is obsessed with safety and the real problem is accepting the possibility that a child might get hurt. Trying to make a child’s life risk free is a mistake as life is not risk free. Tom Mullarkey, Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, states “We must try to make life as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.”

Joe L. Frost, University of Texas at Austin states, “The American Journal of Play promises to change the common view that play is frivolous and unimportant. Play builds and heals minds and bodies. It is nature’s way of ensuring competence and fitness.”  You can access the journal learn more about the importance of play for all ages at the following link: http://www.journalofplay.org/

A day full of play which heals minds and bodies is International Mud Day coming June 29, 2013. Check it out http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/get-ready-for-mud-day-2013/ The mission of the Nature Action Collaborative for Children is to re-connect children with the natural world by making developmentally appropriate nature education a sustaining and enriching part of the daily lives of the world’s children. A day set aside for enjoying the outdoors and a good ole fashion mud pie. I remember building mud pies as a child and as an adult with my children. It sure did heal the mind and body. An excellent website for gathering more information and resources about Mud Day is http://www.muddyfaces.co.uk/mud_kitchens.php 

We can view the value of play through quotes from some famous people.

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” Fred Rogers, 1928-2003

“Play is the highest form of research.” Albert Einstein, 1879-1955

Inspiring approaches to fostering learning

Early childhood education is constantly in flux as research on brain development and global sharing of best practices keep educators on their toes. Some cultures believe children learn best through a play-based curriculum and others through didactic instruction. I believe children learn best through experiences. Experiences in which teachers integrate curriculum and scaffold instruction. Carollee Howes in Culture and Child Development in Early Childhood Programs states "Effective teaching requires teachers who can engage children in warm, sensitive, and meaningful interaction" (2010, p148).

Two examples of innovative and inspiring approaches for fostering learning during early childhood are Auburn Early Education Center and Lucy School. I learned of the Auburn Early Education Center (AEEC) when searching the internet for kindergarten programs. "The mission of AEEC is to provide meaningful, integrated experiences that nurture a child's natural curiosity necessary for life-long learning." AEEC is a public Title 1 school that provides kindergarten in Auburn, Alabama. I feel having a school that is just kindergarten is an innovative approach to education. Kindergarten is unique in their standards and curriculum. Administrators in K-5 elementary schools focus on the testing grades due to accountability even though they realize addressing needs in K and 1 would be more beneficial. You can learn more about this unique school by going to http://www.auburnschools.org/auburn_early_ed/

The second innovative school is Lucy School which I learned about from a fellow colleague in my Walden Studies. The Lucy School is an Arts based school and teacher training center in Middletown, MD located on a 17-acre farm. "The arts, in all their forms, bring that meaningful context to the classroom. When individual students make connections between what they are studying and the physical and emotional world they live in, that learning "sticks". The arts integration allows the student to engage their brain and their heart. You can learn more abouth this unique school by going to http://www.lucyschool.com/

Are you familiar with any innovative schools? Schools that are changing with the 21st century? What do you believe is important for early childhood education? Please share.

Play of the Past

A quote on play from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "It is a happy talent to know how to play."

Play is an activity that has changed over time according to  George Rollie Adams, historian, former teacher and led the development of the National Museum of Play. American Journal of Play interviewed Mr. Adams. Mr. Adams shared that in the past, play was more open and free. Rules were developed to meet the situation. Play objects were the stuff you found and turned into something new. In Mr. Adams case, a delivery crate into a truck. Mr. Adams shared, "We had no idea at the time that we were learning to negotiate and to adjust our system to the environment in which we were operating. Turns out those are invaluable management skills." His statement shows the value of play and how play led him to developing a museum.

In my introduction post, I shared how I played a teacher in a school play and then became a teacher. My father in law shared with me how his play experiences led him into a career with the US Army. As a child, he enjoyed playing war games with his brothers and neighbors. He was intrigued by the strategy he had to form to evade his friends and that set the foundation for his career. What play activities did you indulge in as a child? Did they lead you to your career?

Alliance for Childhood is a research and advocacy group that "promotes policies and practices that support children's healthy development, love of learning, and joy in living." Their website has videos that promote play. One video is Prescription for Play and is narrated by Dr. Ken Ginsburg, pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Dr. Marilyn Benoit, Chief Clinical Officer at Devereux Behavioral Health. The two individuals share how play is the work of childhood. Dr. Ginsburg shares that success is related to happiness and creativity and that play is a big part. Follow the attached link to view Prescription for Play.
http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/prescriptionforplay

What is your prescription for play? Play has changed over time, do we need to prescribe more opened play?

Thank you for sharing your views.
Sharon Lloyd

Introduction

Education Sandbox: Play to Learn is a blog about the value of play. My name is Sharon Lloyd and I have been involved with play throughout my life. As a child, I can remember dressing up and pretending to be Raggedy Ann, enjoying the out of doors while making mud pies, playing tag with friends and a multitude of crafts. I was playing to learn. I developed cognitively, linguistically, social-emotionally, and physically. I learned from my experiences that sharing and building relationships make play more fun.

 

In the second grade, I played a teacher in the school play and knew what I wanted to do with my life. I have followed that dream since that date. I was a day care worker in high school,  then onto college and into the education field. I have been employed as an elementary teacher for 25 years. I enjoyed education prekindergartners and  kindergartners. I also served math and science resource teacher. I know the value of learning and am seeking my EdD degree in Early Childhood Education from Walden University. Currently, as a kindergarten teacher I incorporate play into the curriculum whenever possible which is difficult with the accountability push.

 

Through this blog I hope to share what I know about play-based curriculum and learn from others. Can you remember a time when you benefitted from play?

 

Let me leave you with this quote from Plato:

 

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”