Archimedes. Omar Khayyám. Leonardo da Vinci. Maria Agnesi. Thomas Jefferson. Goethe. Steve Jobs. All of these people have something in common: they have been described as “polymaths” – people who are experts in multiple fields. Nearly synonymous with the term “Renaissance Man,” a polymath is unconstrained by narrow fields of
The last level of attaining expert status in any field is to contribute to that field. Although this is less straightforward than the previous two steps because it looks very different in different fields and for different people, the basic premise remains the same: you must further the field. You
Part 2: The Master’s Degree. Once you’ve made yourself familiar with the fundamentals of your own field of interest, as well as other complementary topics, you are ready for StepTwo. To continue the university metaphor, this is the mirror of a master’s degree – the step where you master what
Why would anyone want to become an expert, you ask? Because it’s fun. It’s invigorating to really know something deeply or be able to do something well, and it has nothing to do with recognition from other people. Someone recently asked me how I became an expert in the field
Every parent can use these essential tools, and I can practically guarantee that if your child is gifted, you will face at least five of the issues the tools below help fix. In fact, I’ll give you your money back if you don’t. I have no magic ball, so how do
Trying to figure out how to help young people develop internal motivation is a complex thing. What lights the fire (and what dampens it) in any one individual can seem like a mystery inside an enigma. While I don’t pretend to have all the answers, the Prezi below accompanies a
I’ve been speaking about perfectionism (the occupational hazard of being gifted) for years, and I thought I’d share my presentation on it. If you have a gifted child or are gifted yourself, you have likely dealt with the issue and struggle that is perfectionism for quite a while on different
Some of my best friends are teachers. No, really. I was one. Now my six word biography is, “She teaches even without a classroom.” If you’re not familiar with six word biographies, they’re really cool. Here’s a video about them: As a former teacher and the friend of lots of
This boy at the starting blocks is ready to race. He’s really fast. He is, in fact, the fastest runner on the team. To make sure that no one’s feelings get hurt and that he is able to fit in socially, his coach has him wait every 100 meters for
Part of what I do is train teachers to teach gifted kids. Did you know that that’s a job? I know, right? Sometimes I worry that teachers may think that because there is so much to learn about becoming an excellent teacher (especially of the gifted) that it is one
Conference season is beginning, and I’m off to Iowa and Washington next week to share some ideas and best practices for teaching and parenting the gifted. Here is my presentation The Gift of Self on developing self-concept in kids (particularly the gifted). There is a handout that goes with it. Although
Have you wanted to infuse your classroom with more technology? Or perhaps you’d like to make your home more edu-tech friendly. Whatever your purpose, I’ve created a simple guide for infusing technology into the classroom/homeschool room without overwhelming you! It’s two short pages, with lots of tips and great resources.
