Gifted Education Commons^™

2014 Imsaloquium, Student Investigation Showcase, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

IMSAloquium Event Booklets

"The ability to work with professionals is a life-changing experience for our students. Working with world-class scholars and advisors, students have contributed to advances in a variety of fields from science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to the performing arts and history."

Increasing Interest Of Young Women In Engineering, Diane Hinterlong, Branson Lawrence, Purva Devol

Publications & Research

The internationally recognized Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students in grades 10 through 12 in its advanced, residential college preparatory program. IMSA also serves thousands of educators and students in Illinois and beyond through innovative instructional programs that foster imagination and inquiry. IMSA also advances education through research, groundbreaking ventures and strategic partnerships.

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 34, Spring 2014), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

The Value Of Creating An Innovation Talent Pipeline, Britta Mckenna

Publications & Research

Investing in the innovation pipeline today translates to Illinois business tomorrow. Somewhere between the rise of “STEM” and “staying globally competitive” in a time after Millennials is Generation Z. Gen Z digital natives are now making their way to and through primary and secondary education and we need to be ready to nurture the emerging talents of these and other future innovators. This is particularly important in Illinois where developing – and retaining – top talent will be a key driver of the state’s knowledge-based economy. There is hard work ahead reimagining what education should look like to support this …

Case Study Of A Successful Educational Partnership: University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign And The Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy, Dave Devol

Faculty Publications & Research

This article describes partnerships between an NCSSSMST member institution and a research university and the use of student-generated survey data as a means of both professional self-reflection and asking further questions. As a chemist, I have been trained to write in the style of scientists, and in fact I teach a course at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy on the methods of science and scientific writing. This article is intentionally not written in a scientific style; rather is written to convey a story of how a partnership between institutions naturally progressed into my current area of research into motivational …

Learning Outside The Rules: Lessons From The Past, Eric L. Mann

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Bootstrap Blues, Hannah M. Frantz

SURGE

Meet David*. In mid-January, he came to the small town Iowa elementary school where I work. David has attended more schools in the two years since he started school than I have in my lifetime. In fact, the school he just moved from only has four days of attendance listed on his record. David moves so often because he’s homeless. His situation is not what we may stereotypically think of as “homeless”—you wouldn’t see him on the streets or even in soup kitchens. Instead, David stays with his mother, and they couch surf from one home to another from week …

The Imsa© Promise: Diverse Perspectives Do Enrich Understanding!, Barb J. Miller, Adrienne Coleman

Publications & Research

For years we have grappled with the effects of the Achievement Gap, which has been defined by: (a) the National Assessment of Educational Progress (2011) as the “observed, persistent disparity of educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity and gender; (b) The National Education Association (2013) as differences between the scores of students with different backgrounds (ethnic, racial, gender, disability, and income) are evident on large-scale standardized tests, adding that test score gaps often lead to longer-term gaps, including high school and college completion and the kinds of jobs students …

Newcomers: Portraits Of Immigrants Raising Academically Achieving Gifted Children, Kipling E. Wiles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To date, few research studies have focused on the home environments and specific strategies used by immigrant families to successfully parent gifted youth. This dissertation explores the parenting beliefs and practices of immigrants raising academically achieving gifted children in the United States. Using data from home observations and interviews, the study attempts to detail the cross-cultural parenting beliefs and practices of immigrants and what role these play in nurturing the academic success of gifted children. The study also examines the influential role of traditional values from the country of origin on these beliefs and practices. Using the qualitative method of …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 33, Winter 2014), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

The Imsa© Promise: Igniting And Nurturing Diverse Stem Talent, Adrienne Coleman, Barb J. Miller

Publications & Research

“Your PROMISE Program has been the life-line to extend and enhance the knowledge base for these students…by providing them with the time to develop seemingly outlandish ideas or tease their brains with the “what if” possibilities…you are making such a huge difference in the lives of these inner city youth who, otherwise, would not be privy to this level of academic exposure until much later on in their academic pursuits” (McNeal, 2013).

What educator writes such impassioned comments about an enrichment program designed to ignite and nurture talented underrepresented and underserved students?

2014 Viewbook, Office Of Admissions

Viewbook

Established by the State of Illinois to develop talent and leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy has become an internationally recognized, world-class powerhouse for inspiring, challenging and nurturing talented students who use their exceptional abilities to improve people's lives. IMSA's advanced residential college preparatory program enables academically talented Illinois students in grades 10 through 12 to reach extraordinary levels of achievement.

Writing On Your Feet: Reflective Practices In City As Text™, A Tribute To The Career Of Bernice Braid, Ada Long

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs

Introduction. . . . . . ix
Ada Long

CHAPTER 1: History and Theory of Recursive Writing in Experiential Education. . . . . .3
Bernice Braid

CHAPTER 2: Claiming a Voice through Writing. . . . .13
John Major

CHAPTER 3: The Role of Background Readings and Experts. .23
Ada Long

CHAPTER 4: The Beginner’s Mind: Recursive Writing in NCHC Faculty Institutes. . . . . . . .33
Sara E. Quay

CHAPTER 5: Assigning, Analyzing, and Assessing Recursive Writing in Honors Semesters. . . . . .41
Ann Raia

CHAPTER 6: Finding Appropriate Assignments: Mapping an Honors Semester. …

2014 Intersession Catalog, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Intersession Catalogs

No abstract provided.

What’S Art Got To Do With Math?, Eric L. Mann

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ap And Ib Instructional Practices For Students Who Demonstrate Advanced Proficiency In Spanish, Carol Mable Andersen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Linguistically gifted and talented students often do not receive appropriate instruction in the classroom. Little research has been conducted about how teachers of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses provide instruction to students who demonstrate advanced proficiency in a second language. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how teachers of these courses provided instruction for students who demonstrate advanced proficiency in Spanish. The conceptual framework was based on Krashen's second language acquisition theory and Gardner's multiple intelligences theory. Participants included 2 teachers from 2 high schools in 1 county in a western state. Data were collected …

Beyond High School Readiness In The 21st Century: A Multi-Case Study Of The Perspectives Of African American High School Students In Accelerated Learning Programs And Their Experiences Of Success In Terms Of Efficacy, Ethnicity, And Future Aspirations, Phyllis Findley Pearson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Secondary Education reform efforts have focused on perpetual achievement gaps for more than a decade, highlighting the essence of state level standardized test scores in reading and math, among diverse student groups in relation to their white peers. The reauthorization of ESEA (2013), is a reform effort described as the Student Success Act, whereby the expectation of student success is described in terms of all students graduating from high school, both college and career ready. The concept of no child left behind remains at the base of the law, which designates federal funds for education programs designed to ensure equal …

Differentiating Instruction For Gifted Learners In The Regular Classroom: A Quick-Reference Guide For Teachers, Sarah E. White

Honors Theses

Today’s educators face the daunting challenge of presenting mandated curriculum content to a very diverse set of students. Furthermore, their success as an educator is often determined by the scores their students earn on standardized tests at the year’s end. Focus is therefore shifted to the struggling student population, and meanwhile, the advanced learners may be left to their own devices, at least as far as their education is concerned. While pullout programs are in place in some school districts, students usually spend the majority of their time in the regular education classroom, where their needs must be adequately met. …

Teacher Perspectives Regarding Gifted Diverse Students, Toni Szymanski, Thomas Shaff

Gifted Children

Abstract

Understanding teacher perceptions of diverse, gifted students is a first step to exploring the underrepresentation of non-white students in programs for advanced academic ability. As professionals, teachers are responsible for making referrals for special programming and are often the “gatekeepers” for student identification. This qualitative study used exploratory interviews to examine perceptions of five second- and third-grade teachers and the talented and gifted coordinator at a school in which 65% of the student population was Hispanic. Three themes emerged in the findings: (a) Teachers experience differences in training to work with diverse, low income students and gifted students; (b) …

Perceived Classroom Management Needs Of Pre-Service Teachers, Nielsen Pereira, Jillian Gates

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

A disconnect exists between pre-service teachers’ expectations concerning classroom management course content and the reality of teaching in an elementary school. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived needs of pre-service teachers in a classroom management course for elementary education majors at a Midwestern university.

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 32, Fall 2013), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

How To Lie With Statistics, Eric L. Mann

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Gifted Education Teachers' Perceptions On Implementation Of Blueprints For Biography: Stem Starters, Mary Christine Deitz

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study investigated gifted education teachers' perceptions regarding the implementation of the Blueprints for Biography: STEM Starters Series curriculum guide materials with gifted and talented pull-out classes in Grades 3, 4, and 5. Specifically, this study focused on gifted education teachers' perceptions about gifted students' knowledge, skills and interests, gifted education teachers' understanding of teaching biography, their perceptions about implementing science-related curriculum, and gifted education teachers' perceptions about teaching with primary-source materials. One group consisting of four gifted and talented teachers from two small, rural school districts who taught 124 students in 12 gifted and talented pull-out programs …

Meeting The Needs Of Gifted Students By Providing Year-Long Professional Development On Differentiated Instruction, Barbara M. Rollins

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study focused on how teachers' planning and teaching methods changed after they acquired more confidence in applying differentiated strategies in their instructional units. Teachers were given a questionnaire about their skills, qualifications and teaching beliefs comparing teaching general education students and gifted education students within the typical classroom setting. Then teachers received several professional development opportunities within the school year exposing them to different forms of differentiation. Time was given between trainings so that teachers would have ample time to integrate what they learned into their planning and instructional design. At the end of the study, teachers were given …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Experience In Middle School Honors Math And Language Arts Courses And Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Preparedness For Similar High School Honors And Advanced Placement Courses, Melissa Butler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to investigate student and teacher perceptions concerning the impact of honors middle school language arts and mathematics courses on preparedness for similar ninth through twelfth grade classes at a high school in northwest Georgia. The questions that guided the study focused on examining the perceptions of students and teachers who had experienced this phenomenon and their notions of the impact that participation in middle school honors mathematics and language arts courses had on preparedness for non-gifted students enrolled in similar accelerated high school courses. A transcendental phenomenological design was used to discover …

Creative Multi-Disciplinary Learning Incorporating Da Vinci-Style Thinking For Gifted Students, Amelia Melissa Ferrell

All Graduate Projects

This project reviews the merits of interdisciplinary study with a focus on creative thinking, using the foundational knowledge of the life studies of Leonardo da Vinci to teach students concepts in math, science, art, and social studies. From these learnings, students will develop projects of interest that show their basic learning extended into creative student-developed projects.

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 31, Summer 2013), Center For Gifted Studies, Tracy Inman Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

No abstract provided.

Accommodating Accommodations: How A Small Liberal Arts College Certification Program Redefines The New Ell State Mandates, Brent C. Talbot, Kaoru Miyazawa

Sunderman Conservatory of Music Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

2013 Imsaloquium, Student Investigation Showcase, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

IMSAloquium Event Booklets

"This year, we are proudly celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of IMSA’s Student Inquiry and Research (SIR) Program. Our first IMSAloquium, then called Presentation Day, was held in 1989 with only ten presentations; this year we are nearing two hundred."

Improv(Ing) Students: Teaching Improvisation To High School Students To Increase Creative And Critical Thinking, Beth D. Slazak

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project focuses on teaching High School students improvisational techniques to increase their creative and critical thinking skills. This covers tools of Creative Problem Solving, rules and concepts of improvisational theater, and affective thinking skills. The finished project includes lesson plans, a workbook, and a video that will assist students and educators in teaching these skills.