A Meaningful Mess: Real Conversations about Gifted Education and Genius Hour

In this episode, I talk about meaningful goal-setting in the classroom and why setting healthy goals are so important for our gifted learners.

In this episode, I share 5 specific ways that you can utilize AI right now to differentiate content for your gifted and advanced learners. You don't want to miss this one!

In this episode, I share 5 reasons that productive struggle is so important and how we can make it a priority when implementing Genius Hour in the classroom.

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I think that identifying gifted learners is so important. Because, if they are never identified, they are never served. And, that can lead to some less than desirable outcomes. In this episode, I share the reasons that learners are often not identified as well as some innovative ideas for identifying gifted learners that you may not have considered.

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In this episode, I share specific questioning strategies and question examples that we can use, as educators, to help our learners make progress, take ownership, and reflect on their learning as they work on their Genius Hour projects.

The home school connection is so important and is something that should be prioritized when implementing Genius Hour in the classroom.  In this episode, I share five practical ways to make that connection a reality.

I often hear so many things about this type of learning that simply aren't true.  On today's episode, I share five myths around passion-based learning.  We will explore, not only the myth, but also the reality that needs to be considered before implementing Genius Hour into your classroom.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why Genius Hour is so much more than free time

How passion projects are different from research projects

Why Genius Hour isn't just for gifted learners

How to manage Genius Hour

How to find the time and resource to make this type of learning a priority

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Giving your learners an opportunity to create authentic products can help them move from simply learning content to understanding content.  When students deeply understand what is being learned, they will be able to use what they know to create something new.  In this episode, we talk about why products are important, how they can be utilized, and how we can give feedback that matters.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why products are important

What types of products can your learners can create

How you can provide authentic feedback to honor their work

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Underachievement can be frustrating and difficult to understand.  Why would a learner capable of so much achieve so little?  In this episode, I share four specific causes of underachievement and specific ways that it can be addressed.  If you are a parent or learner of an underachiever, this episode is for you! 

In this episode, you'll learn: 

What is underachievement? 

What causes underachievement? 

How can we support gifted learners that are underachieving? 

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Have you ever wished that your learners could make their class presentations more meaningful?  In this episode, 5th grade teacher, Tiffany Perry shares a framework that she created to make this happen in her own classroom.  Listen as she shares practical ideas and easy-to-use resources that will make presentations much more meaningful through intentionality. 

In this episode, you'll learn: 

A framework for purposeful presentations 

How to utilize Question Formulation Technique in the classroom 

Why depth should be considered by today's learners 

How to improve presentation delivery 

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In this episode, I share three intentional pivots that I had to make to shift from being a traditional teacher that did what was easy to being an innovative educator that did what was write.  

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why pivots are important

What to do when you feel stuck

How to become a connected education

How to shift the way that you lesson plan

How to ask the right question

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Everybody makes mistakes...on this episode, I share four mistakes that I made when serving my gifted learners in the general education classroom as well as what we must consider in order to avoid making these mistakes in the future. 

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why we shouldn't tell gifted learners that they are smart
• Why perfection shouldn't be the expectation
• Why comparison is always a bad idea
• How we can design experiences with gifted learners in mind

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It’s no secret that Genius Hour had a huge impact on myself as an educator and on my learners. In this episode, I share 7 important attributes of passion projects that need to be considered when making this type of learning a priority in the classroom.

In this episode, you will learn:

• What Genius Hour Is and Is Not
• 7 Key Attributes of Passion Project
• 4 Ideas for Actionable Projects
• The Difference Between Passion and Purpose

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"This is hard."

" I can't do this."

We hear this often in our classrooms when things don't come easily. In this episode, I share how you can help your learners embrace productive struggle and understand that valuable learning happens when things don't go as expected.  

In this episode, you will learn:

• What productive struggle is
• Why productive struggle is important
• What is a pre-mortem strategy?
• How can I model productive struggle?
• How can we celebrate the struggle?
• What is My Favorite No?

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How can we move beyond just knowing what our learners can do and into understanding who they are?  And, how can we be intentional about identifying giftedness that may not be evident in the classroom?  In this episode, I share three ways to make strengths-first mindset a priority as well as why I believe it is so important.

In this episode, you will learn:

• What is a strengths-first mindset
• How can a strengths-first mindset help us identify gifted learners
• What are three ways to implement a strengths-first mindset
• How can Genius Hour play an important role in making a strengths-first mindset a priority

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Extensions for Gifted Learners (with Megan Minno)

What does it look like when gifted specialists and general education teachers collaborate to co-plan and co-teach?  In this episode, Megan Minno and I share experiences and practical ideas that can be utilized to meet the needs of gifted learners in a manageable way.

"When we know better, we do better."  ~ Maya Angelou

Extensions for Gifted Learners (What They Should and Shouldn't Be)

If you serve gifted learners in any way, shape, or form, it's important that you give this episode a listen. 

Look, I get it.  Oftentimes, we are so focused on our struggling learners because we assume that they need us more than our gifted learners do.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  The reality is that all of our learners need us to design experiences with them in mind.  In this episode, I share four things that should be considered when extending the learning for those that already understand or finish their work early.

In this episode, you will learn:

• What extensions should and shouldn't be
• 4 things to consider when designing extensions for those that already understand or finish early
• A practical way to design for depth
• What makes an extension meaningful?
• A practical way to identify student strengths
• How to utilize respectful tasks to make extensions appropriate
• How to be intentional about the extensions that you design

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

3 Things to Consider BEFORE Implementing Genius Hour

If you are considering passion-based learning for your classroom, don't miss this episode!  

It's August and that means it's time to go Back to School.  Many educators are considering how to implement passion-based learning in the classroom.  In this episode, I share three important questions that educators need to ask before making this a reality.  Intentionality can go a long way and asking these three questions can make implementing Genius Hour feel more manageable.  

In this episode, you will learn:  

• Why Genius Hour is something that you should consider
• 3 things to consider before you implement Genius Hour
• A simple process for implementing Genius Hour into any classroom
• What needs to be considered when you are deciding when you implement Genius Hour
• Some benefits of implementing this type of learning in any classroom

Links Mentioned in this Episode: 

In this episode, Andi shares about the Passion-Based Teaching Academy and why she believes teachers need passion projects, too.

In this episode, Andi shares 5 mistakes she made when implementing Genius Hour and what she would do differently today.  

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Feedback Questions:

What's going well?

What's not going well?

On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your project progress?

What questions do you have?

Documentation of Learning Slides:

Listen as Andi shares three questions we should ask to determine if technology is meaningful, as well as a framework that provides different lenses to consider as we explore and investigate technology to utilize in our classrooms.

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In this episode, Andi shares 4 ways that we as educators can look beyond the label to identify and address what every learner brings to the table. 

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Learn how one simple sentence can be used at the end of an experience to help the learning stick and help our learners make connections.  

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In this episode, Andi shares 5 myths that we often assume to be true about gifted learners.  Learn why they are myths and what we can do to move beyond the myth to acknowledge the reality.  

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In Episode 41, Andi shares how a shift in mindset can help us organize our teacher plates in a way that is manageable for us and meaningful for our learners.

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In this episode, Andi shares why it's important to let your learners D.R.I.V.E. their own learning and how as educators, we can still play a major role from the passenger seat.

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In order to move forward, we want to be intentional about reflecting on what just happened.  In this first episode of Season 3, Andi shares 3 ways that 2020 helped us grow as an education community.  

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In this episode, Andi shares 6 SUPER practical ideas for formatively assessing while having your students document their learning. 

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