Education Learning Issues

BRIGHT YOUNG MINDS. Two separate news releases marked the recognition of dozens of young Americans for their academic achievements. The Davidson Institute for Talent Development will honor 20 students with scholarships for contributions to science, technology, mathematics, music, literature, and philosophy. What kind of contributions? One student designed a computer model to aid physicians in patient diagnosis; another improved the mathematics of digital signal representations in portable devices. The ceremony occurs next Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Find out more. The second recognition is by the Society for Science and the Public, which on September 17th named 30 middle school scientists as finalists in its science competition. The Society's final competition and awards will also occur in Washington, DC. Read about it.

DON'T OVERLOOK GIFTED STUDENTS. That's the title of an opinion piece by Del Siegle, president of the National Association for Gifted Children. Siegle uses the recent Fordham Institute report as a starting point and goes on to suggest ways to address the needs of the gifted in a systematic manner. His single most important reform: ensuring that "all teachers have at least some background in methods and strategies to address the learning needs of gifted students..." Read it.

EDWEEK ONLINE CHAT. This week's online chat from Education Week was a discussion of research on adolescents with behavioral disorders. The chat features lots of questions from teachers, counselors, and others, answered by Richard White and Lee Kern. The transcript is available here.

NEUROTICISM PREDICTS ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. That's what psychology professor Michelle Craske thinks, based on her research with over 600 students. She finds that neuroticism -- the tendency to experience negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, sadness, or anger -- is a powerful predictor of both anxiety and depression. She also has a hypothetical mechanism by which neuroticism confers risk. Read the report.

YOUTUBE FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS. Got a budding gifted scientist? A site called TestToob is an online community where young people can collaborate on science. Young scientists can post videos of their science experiments and view others' videos. More features are planned soon. Find the site.

GIFTED AND AD/HD? For young people (and adults, too), the Attention Deficit Disorder Association offers frequent evening teleclasses on topics such as organization, medications, sleep issues, and preparing your AD/HD child for college. The classes are accessible by telephone or online, and are available as a member benefit to those who belong to the association. See the schedule of classes here.

WHAT MAKES AN ENGAGING TEACHER? Find out in the "Lesson Plans" blog on the New York Times site, where a self-described "young, dynamic teacher" in a public school describes some of the things he does that keep students engaged, even on late afternoons and weekends. Want to find out what keeps students from becoming engaged? Read a Teacher Magazine article where a student offers tips for teachers.

2e NEWSLETTER OUT SOON. We're putting together the September/October issue of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter. In it, subscribers will find out why Professor Bob Seney thinks so highly of the kid's book The Mysterious Benedict Society. Our lead article features language disorders in gifted children. And readers will come to understand from Dierdre Lovecky why assessing a gifted child with AD/HD is different than assessing a gifted child without AD/HD. There's more, of course -- and it'll be out within a week or so. Not yet a subscriber? Go here to find out more or download sample copies.