| 03/22/2005 |
| Gifted children probe advanced topics |
| By JENNIFER HAWKINS , Middletown Press Correspondent |
MIDDLETOWN -- One of the many objectives of education is to provide equal opportunity for all students to develop to their fullest potential, and the vibrant Pupils Reaching Out for Broader Experiences Program is a shining example of how this objective is positively impacting gifted elementary school children in providing a centralized system of academic challenges.
While the state Department of Education has handed down mandates that each local district must meet the needs of all students, there is often a shortage of adequate programs. Middletown has been fortunate to have dedicated individuals overseeing the evolution of the PROBE program. Begun in 1981, the program began with attempts at "roving instructors" visiting each elementary school to provide enhanced curriculum. Eventually establishing a permanent home in Farm Hill Elementary School, the eligible children from all the elementary schools attend a half-day per week in the PROBE program.
The National Paideia Center defines the Paideia seminar as a collaborative, intellectual dialogue facilitated with open-ended questions about a text. The teachers choose the text, which may be anything from a word problem to a description of an experiment or painting. The teacher then facilitates a student dialogue and exploration of ideas and values. In the Coached Project, students take on a variety of study techniques to research and explore different aspects of an area of study. This year, the students studied ancient Greece from a variety of view points and from a large assortment of study materials resources. On March 16, Farm Hill School was transported to ancient Greece as the fourth-grade PROBE students presented their areas of study to parents and fellow students. Working in sub-groups, the students presented visual, written texts, and demonstrations of life in those days. Topics covered food and everyday life, Olympics, funerals, literature, medicine, the role of women and much more. Using set pieces, costumes, handmade head gear, display boards, and even Power Point presentations, the students eagerly chatted with everyone who found their booths in the crowded cafeteria. One student, in serpentine headgear appropriate for Medusa, happily held forth on mythological topics along with her project-mates adorned as Zeus and Poisiden. At the other end of the booth of the gods sat one student who had read and reported on the epic poem "The Iliad and The Odyssey." His presentation included downloaded images of Cyclops. The students presenting a typical breakfast of ancient Greece were happily munching bread and drinking from beakers they claimed represented the wine that was really taken as part of breakfast. Recipe books and sample dishes, hand tools and early medical devices were all arrayed from booth to booth. The students presenting the medical booth happily related the origins of the Hypocratic Oath still used by today’s doctors, while across the room, shielded students discussed the life of the Spartans. The booth for the Olympics held lively discussions on the fact that women, who were not allowed to participate, would hold their own, secret Olympics and several theories on why the first Olympics were performed in the nude ranged from the heat of the sun, and from not wanting to catch clothing in the equipment. Each student was engaged and clearly proud of the effort that had gone into the project. PROBE students also work hour-long mysteries using note notes, organized data, reasoning skills, and via analyzing evidence. Hands-on equations are used to explore algebra by manipulating cubes and pawns to work through linear equations. Students also work with analogous relationships by analyzing the components and with teacher-led exercises. PROBE students have long worked with Wesleyan University students, and this year students majoring in Russian language with Professor Priscilla Meyer came to the PROBE program to teach an introduction to learning the language. Educators have long understood that gifted learners must be given stimulating educational experiences appropriate to their level of ability if they are to realize their potential. By allowing gifted students the opportunity to learn at their level of development, equal opportunity is attained. According to National Association for Gifted Children, at present, only slightly over one-half of the possible gifted learners in the United States are reported to be receiving education appropriate to their needs. There is physical and psychological pain in being thwarted, discouraged and diminished as a person. To have ability, to feel power one is never allowed to use can become traumatic. Many researchers consider the gifted as the largest group of underachievers in education. In understanding that when a developing mind is not progressing it is likely to be regressing, Middletown has addressed the needs of its gifted children by providing them with at least a few hours per week of level-appropriate education. The PROBE Program, in using the Paideia Model, has found a way of engaging and exciting students with newly developed tools for research and study. Between the work of Marie Serra and fifth-grade PROBE teacher Roberta Avery, Middletown has much to cheer about its academic performers. The fifth-Grade PROBE students will present their work March 30 at Farm Hill Elementary School. For information on gifted children in Connecticut, access www.ctgifted.org or www.nagc.org. To contact Jennifer Hawkins, e-mail jenniferhawkins@mac.com.
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