What is Gifted Education?
It's part of human nature to want to learn, to be in that place where we can grow intellectually, emotionally and creatively. We want to feel challenged, to move beyond where we are and toward our innate potential, to test our limits. Abraham Maslow, the well-known humanistic psychologist, called this the tendency toward self-actualization, and viewed it as an essential human drive.
Children need to feel challenged. In order to stay engaged, interested and excited about learning, they need the opportunity to explore, create, grow and go off in their own directions. Gifted programs exist to support students who need a different kind of learning experience - where they can work at an accelerated pace, on an advanced level academically, and to be around others with similar needs.
Giftedness has to do with how you approach things, how you learn, and your potential for learning. Giftedness means you are biologically wired to view the world in a certain way. Giftedness is about potential and attributes - "just viewing the world through a different lens". Therefore, a person's giftedness influences how they interact with the world.
Being identified as gifted is neither a good thing or a bad thing. It simply is. The label doesn't define you - the characteristics you display everyday do. The key is to learn how to manage those things - especially hard things such as emotional intensity, peer interactions, expectations - yours and from the people around you. Gifted education exists to provide students the tools they need for a successful journey.
Supplies, Events, Permission Forms:
The Joplin Elementary Gifted Center is located on the 3rd floor of the Memorial Education Center at 8th and Pearl. It services grades 2nd - 5th. When visiting, please come in the West entrance.
Faculty:
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Wendee Hughes - 2nd/3rd
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Miranda Hembree - 4th/5th
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Kasey Pliler - Director
Supply List:
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Upcoming Events:
*Elementary Read-a-thon!/TBA
Lunch Menu:
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Joplin Elementary Gifted Center
The curriculum of the Joplin Elementary Gifted Center addresses the intellectual abilities and academic strengths of students through activities that encourage them to discover themselves and their abilities. The primary goal is to create an autonomous learner, a student who learns to solve problems and develop new ideas. He/She should grow to be an independent, self-directed learner responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of their own lifelong learning. To achieve this goal the students will explore the following concepts: thinking skills, creative problem solving, creativity, research skills, appreciation of literature, skills extension, affective education and group dynamics.
Major Instructional Objectives:
I. Intellectual Skill Development
A. Thinking Skills
The learner will . . .
1. Use basic thinking skills to compare and contrast and recognize patterns in sets of data.
2. Use critical thinking to identify the parts of an idea as well as recognize the relationships and organizatio of those parts. (Analysis)
3. Use critical thinking to arrange and combine elements in order to form a whole not previously evident. (Synthesis)
4. Use critical thinking to assess the value of an idea or concept as related to its stated purpose. (Evaluation)
5. Arrive at a conclusion based on reasoning from the specific to the general. (Inductive)
6. Arrive at a conclusion based on reasoning from the general to the specific. (Deductive)
B. Creative Problem Solving
The learner will . . .
1. Use problem solving skills to focus on a problem and to ask and answer questions of clarification.
2. Locate factual information as an aid to understanding the problem. (Fact finding)
3. Analyze the whole problem.
4 Use the process of brainstorming to generate a number of possible solutions. (Idea finding)
5. Evaluate ideas. (Solution)
6. Predict and organize a plan of action. (Acceptance finding).
C. Creativity
The learner will . . .
1. Demonstrate fluent thinking, the generation of a quantity of ideas, through experiences in various creative processes.
2. Demonstrate original thinking, the ability to produce new and/or unique ideas, through experiences in various creative processes.
II. Academic Skill Development
A. Research Skills
The learner will . . .
1. Locate, assimilate, and implement information from a variety of resources including books, the internet, interviews and other sources.
2. Apply basic research skills
3. Make use of the scientific inquiry process.
B. Appreciation of Literature
The learner will . . .
1. Compare and contrast a variety of literature.
C. Skills Extension
The learner will . . .
1. Explore in depth a topic of particular interest to him/her.
III. Self Discovery
A. Affective Education
The learner will . . .
1. Demonstrate an understanding of giftedness and build a positive self image.
2. Recognize and use his/her abilities to become an independent and self-directed learner.
3. Experience and apply positive social and team skills.
B. Group Dynamics
The learner will . . .
1. Demonstrate openness to a variety of responses by members of a group when participating in brainstorming.
2. Demonstrate the use of exploratory group decision/discussion techniques to complete a task.
3. Use effective questionning techniques and listen to other group members in order to solve a problem.
