|
|
|
|
| Friday 3rd of September 2010 |
24 Elul 5770
|
|
Share
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BJE offers help for teachers of gifted students |
|
By FRANCES KRAFT
|
|
Tuesday, 15 March 2005 |
 Joanne Foster
Joanne Foster serves as gifted education consultant to UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Board of Jewish Education, working with teachers on an individual basis and running seminars for groups to help them meet the needs of their high-ability learners. Until three years ago, however, her position didn’t exist.
At a recent forum for parents of gifted children – the second of three this school year – Foster, who works in the BJE’s special education arm, Tikun Chaim, heard from some frustrated parents like the ones who said that some kids are just handed a book or “stuck in front of a computer because teachers don’t know what to do with them.”
“Have the teacher call me,” advised Foster, whose services are free to BJE schools. “Teachers may not be aware of the possibilities that exist and may think that being able to differentiate programming will be time and labour intensive. Once it’s in place, it facilitates what happens in the classroom.”
She noted that it’s important for parents to work with teachers in a collaborative way. “You are your child’s best advocate,” she said.
For teachers, she has three “key words:” flexibility, sensitivity (to children’s needs), and collaboration (with one another, with consultants, and with parents).
Foster, who began her career as an educator 30 years ago and teaches gifted studies and educational psychology at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, is passionate about her work.
“I love what I do. I believe in what I do. I am committed to making things better for these kids,” she said.
Debbie Gladstone, director of Tikun Chaim, said parents can also work with school administrators and boards to facilitate help from Tikun Chaim. “You have to work with [them] to make the changes.”
Foster recently co-authored a book, Being Smart about Gifted Children: A Guidebook for Parents and Educators (Great Potential Press). The detailed compendium devotes a whole chapter to parent advocacy. It is being used as a textbook at OISE and at Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Through the BJE, Foster works with teachers to help them program for high-ability students, a term she likes because it includes students who have not formally been identified as gifted. She also conducts workshops based on a specific subject area or grade level.
But in-school programs have to be initiated by individual schools. “It’s happening,” she said, “but I would like to see it happen to a greater extent.”
In many cases, students are adequately challenged by the dual track program in Jewish day schools, she said. “However, let’s say you have a child who’s very strong in math or science. That’s really not going to be addressed through learning a second language.”
There are “a huge number” of gifted kids in the Jewish day school system who would benefit from “differentiated programming,” said Foster. Also, she noted, such changes enrich the entire class, not just those children who are more advanced. “It’s doable,” she said.
She cautioned, however, that “gifted” is “a very loaded word, a label that can cause a child to feel different from peers,” and that there is no such thing as a typical gifted child.
Her definition involves “a level of subject mastery exceptional for a child’s age or grade.”
Issues related to giftedness include motivation, perfectionism, social and emotional issues including boredom and frustration in school and how to access good resources.
Both for gifted and other children, Foster advises, tasks should be matched to ability, and lessons should be as relevant as possible.
Her advice for parents and teachers who want to motivate their children includes having enthusiasm for the subject, conveying faith in the students’ ability to learn, being caring and respectful, creating a relaxed atmosphere, and giving positive reinforcement.
Parents who want to have their children tested for giftedness should make sure the tests are interpreted properly, she said. Three chapters of her book deal with testing issues.
The BJE, in conjunction with York University, is now offering a certificate in special education to teachers within the Jewish school system. The program, in its pilot year, has a first cohort of 25 teachers, and a second cohort is planned for next year.
“We are trying,” said Gladstone.
Some online resources for parents and teachers of gifted children:
• Being Smart About Gifted Children, the website for Foster’s book www.beingsmart.ca.
• The National Association for Gifted Children, www.nagc.org
• Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted, www.sengifted.org.
• Ontario Gifted: Resources and Information for Parents of Gifted Children, has active message boards, www.ontariogifted.org.
• The Association for Bright Children of Ontario, www.abcontario.ca.
• Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page, www.hoagiesgifted.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
