Gifted Education Commons^™

Aristotle’S Poetics: A Biologist’S Approach To Tragedy, James J. Clauss

Honors in Practice Online Archive

The paper describes a class that introduces Aristotle’s Poetics from the perspective of his scientific, especially biological, treatises: a systematic analysis of what emotions a tragedy is supposed to elicit and how they are resolved by the audience (homoeopathy). Students read 11 ancient and modern plays and view one film, observing whether his theory of the Tragic explains our responses. The final project includes the writing of a tragic story (not a drama) evincing the students’ own understanding of the Tragic based on the readings.

Mindfulness In Honors: An Experiment In Collaborative Learning And Team Teaching, Pascale F. Engelmajer, Massimo A. Rondolino

Honors in Practice Online Archive

What do students hear when we talk of mindfulness? To reframe unexamined assumptions among students who conceptualize both mindfulness and honors education as “doing more” (more exercises to gain psychological benefits and more work to gain higher GPAs), the authors of this paper piloted a new course in philosophy and religious studies. In this essay, they discuss their collaborative experience designing, co-teaching, and assessing an honors course on mindfulness: its roots in Buddhist thought and practices, its contemporary secular developments, and its potential impact on students’ learning and lived experience. Integral to this experiment is also an approach to teaching …

Forming Civic Virtue Through An Honors Seminar Focused On Local Civil Rights History, Lynn Stallings, Aaron D. Cobb

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Citizenship and related values are common elements in the missions of honors programs. Our goal was to design a junior honors seminar with an intentional focus on developing citizenship, civic identity, and civic virtues through engagement with the challenging history of our city, Montgomery, Alabama. The course employed four evidence-based strategies for character formation in higher education: reflection on personal experience, engagement with virtuous exemplars, dialogue that increases virtue literacy, and awareness of situational variables. This paper describes our focus on learning about Civil Rights history to develop citizenship and civic virtues, the course’s impact on students, our reflections on …

The Involvement Journal: A Signature First-Year Seminar Assignment, Matt Baran

Honors in Practice Online Archive

An involvement journal assignment encourages first-year students to attend a variety of events and engage in meaningful reflection and development.

Physics And Theatre: An Unexpected Pairing That Enhances Learning For Both Disciplines, Amber Karlins

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Taking an interdisciplinary approach to seemingly disparate subjects like theatre and physics allows students to more deeply engage with both disciplines.

Addressing The Climate Crisis Through Science And Art: The Value Of Interdisciplinary And Intergenerational Team Teaching, Megan Jacobs, Kineo Memmer

Honors in Practice Online Archive

The climate crisis is a growing concern for many people, especially those who are of college age, making it an important and pressing issue to explore in honors courses. Eco-Art: Using Art to Reconcile with the Climate Crisis, a University of New Mexico (UNM) Honors College course, integrates the disciplines of art and environmental justice to examine climate change and address the social and emotional toll of climate grief. The class was co-created and team taught by Associate Professor Megan Jacobs and UNM undergraduate honors and environmental science student Kineo Memmer. This article unpacks the methodologies and lessons learned from …

Fostering Belonging Through Bread (And Other Foods), Maria Elliott, Steve Garrison

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Communal eating serves as an effective teaching tool for cultural awareness while providing a powerful vehicle to promote community between faculty and students.

An Involvement Journal Assignment Encourages First-Year Students To Attend A Variety Of Events And Engage In Meaningful Reflection And Development., Jean-Paul Benowitz

Honors in Practice Online Archive

After 24 years of trial and error, an honors leadership course evolves to become relevant to the needs of the students while reflecting the learning objectives of the curriculum and giving students something tangible for learning in the real world.

Third-Year Medical College Rotations For Premedical Honors Program Undergraduates, Harvey G. Stenger Jr., William L. Ziegler

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Honors programs typically enroll many students interested in the healthcare field, and honors administrators and faculty do their best to ensure that those students’ dreams are fulfilled. With Medical Doctor (MD) program acceptance rates averaging just 6.1%, students need a standout application. Experience has shown that getting accepted into a medical school is more than earning a great GPA and excelling on the MCAT exam; it also requires convincing a committee of professionals that an applicant has the right personal qualities and work ethic to succeed in the field of medicine, and applicants need to highlight their clinical experience as …

A Year Of Great Change And A Future Of Greater Change, Susan E. Dinan

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Good morning friends,

This fall semester began on my campus with a new crop of eager and engaged students who were ready to jump into their classes without the hesitancies we saw over the past few years. Our faculty is energized and excited to teach. I hope you had a similar experience on your campuses. I hope your presence at our national conference has also imparted a sense of excitement about your work in the classroom and as administrators. I always learn far more than I expect when I attend our annual conference.

Creating A Diverse Honors Faculty Through Collaborative Relationships Within The Community And The University, Amelia Underwood, Philip L. Frana, Awn-Amber Montoya

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay documents approaches to growing honors affiliate faculties through community and university partnerships. The need for new strategies to prepare non-traditional faculties is shown by evidence that the student population is changing and by the critical responsibility honors programs have in the mentorship of diverse students. Professionals, local experts, student affairs administrators, and international scholars can make valuable contributions to honors programs and colleges, given their practical insights and hands-on experiences. Methods for selecting, recruiting, and integrating affiliate faculty into honors education are also shared. The authors cite examples of successful collaborations with community leaders, officers in multicultural affairs …

Partners In Peace: A Sketch For A Link Between The Nobel Peace Prize And Nchc, Kevin W. Dean, Henrik Syse

Honors in Practice Online Archive

In a plenary address at the 2023 NCHC annual conference in Chicago, the former Vice Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee issued a challenge for honors students and educators to use their voices and positions of local leadership to promote peace. The call for peace advocacy extended in Chicago resonated with the large audience, as leadership development represents a high-impact practice that many honors programs embrace. As national and international conflicts produce increasing polarization and divisiveness that seep into our campuses and local communities, the urgency for honors students to hone critical thinking and practical skills needed for citizen leadership …

Applying Executive Function For The Sake Of Well-Being: A Case Study Of Gifted Middle School Students, Erika Lucas

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study provided gifted middle school student participants the opportunity to discuss the complexities of gifted culture in academia as they have experienced it. This study also sought to pinpoint the emotions or feelings that students and their parents experienced as they transition to high school concerning their perceived sense of confidence and readiness as it pertained to executive function. Gen Z students deemed "gifted" are at a higher risk for depression and suicide due to the rising levels of stress and anxiety they experience (Andrews, 2014). Klimkeit et al. (2011) discovered that teenagers with depression and/or anxiety disorders exhibited …

Honors Online: Teaching, Learning, And Building Community Virtually In Honors Education, Victoria M. Bryan, Cat Stanfield

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs

Contents

Introduction, Victoria M. Bryan and Cat Stanfield

Part I: Harnessing Virtual Connection in Program and Course Design

1. Through the Looking Glass: Honors in Virtual Reality, Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison

2. Exploring Incoming Honors Students’ Beliefs About Online Courses, Kristy Spear and Pavlo D. Antonenko

3. Reimagining Honors Curriculum—Delivered Through Technology Utilizing Our Alumni Community, Mollie Hartup, Amy Cossentino, and Lexi Rager

4. Online Faculty Professional Development and Community as Nexus, John Zubizarreta, Beata M. Jones, and Marca V. C. Wolfensberger

5. Building a Pipeline for Transfer and Scholarship Through (Virtual) Honors Research Partnerships, …

Doordash, Inc. Strategic Audit, Brenna Paul, Nihaela Ponnatha, Pyper Haarala, Summer Liu, Abigail Mathiasen

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This case study analyzes DoorDash, an innovator of online delivery in the software publishing industry. We conducted a strategic audit using principles from prominent strategic management to guide our process. Our research is based on publicly available information, including IBIS World reports, industry reports, DoorDash’s SEC filings and website, academic articles, and news articles. This case study aims to collect data from a prominent business and analyze it through strategic management to evaluate the firm’s potential for competitive advantage.

Our research includes firm analysis, industry analysis, external analysis, internal analysis, performance analysis, competitive dynamics, business level strategy, corporate level strategy, …

From Fixed To Growth: How A Mindset Transforms Student Learning, Andrew Fabo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Placing labels onto young learners, such as “smart” and “gifted,” impacts their brain growth and mental health tremendously; rarely in a positive manner. This way of thinking, formed by separating students into “accelerated” and “normal” categories, can instill what is known as a fixed mindset of learning. Believing that there is no room to grow, or being afraid to make mistakes, largely due to the impact of these labels, learners quickly become less likely to attempt more challenging tasks; as well as persevere through difficult obstacles. Through extensive research within the Akron-Summit County Public Library, The University of Akron’s Bierce …

Supporting New Colleagues In Gifted Education: Finding Your Starting Point, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Newly hired teachers and administrators often lack experience with gifted learners. The goal of this essay is to share four books to act as primers to introduce new teachers and administrators to gifted education and understanding gifted learners.

Higher Order Thinking ‘On The Go’, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Educators of gifted learners often teach in non-traditional spaces and need to be adaptable. This essay shared five cognitive models that support higher order thinking which can be implemented anywhere and with few materials.

Intentional Planning To Differentiate, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

The proficiency model expects all students to meet the same standards, regardless of their readiness nor ability. The essay discusses how Gentry’s (2014) 2 P’s, 2 C’s, and 2 F’s of Differentiation framework may help teachers plan lessons to meet the array of learning needs in their classroom.

Dueling Abilities, Behaviors, And Characteristics Of Gifted Learners, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Using the Star Wars’ characters, R2-D2 and C-3PO as analogies, educators can better conceptualize the diverse ability, behaviors, and characteristics of gifted learners. Gifted learners do not fit a single profile and this essay aims to help challenge stereotypes teachers may have of gifted learners and highlight the diverse cognitive, social, and emotional needs gifted learners may have.