EO Logo


DL Ruf 2009
      September 2011         

In This Issue
Future Problem Solvers
Global Virtual Meeting for Gifted
Open Yale
Database for 2e Resources
Natural History Museum
BEST Robotics
Toys and Games in Chicago
ITAG Conference
In Minnesota: MCGT Fall Conference
Keeping Up With Dr. Ruf

Besides her years of expertise as an educational consultant, Dr. Ruf also is well established as a national and international speaker on all issues of giftedness.

*************

   

Dr. Ruf will be presenting at the 58th Annual Convention of the National Assn. for Gifted Children (NAGC) in New Orleans November 3-6.

 

Dr. Ruf will present a breakout session on Levels of Giftedness at the MCGT Fall Conference on Saturday, November 12. 

 

 

Greetings!

 

So school has now begun for just about all our children. Did your children come home from that first day bubbling with enthusiasm, or were they downcast and dragging their feet?

 


We know that the brighter a child is, the less likely it is that the regular classroom will be a good fit. So if you are seeing an unhappy child coming through the door day after day, make some changes before it gets even worse. Take a look at our website at www.EducationalOptions.com, see what we have to offer, and ask us how we can help you.

 

Sincerely, Kathy Hara, Editor

 

Future Problem Solvers

Is the forty-hour workweek a relic of the past? What Future Problem Solversimpact will longer work hours and increased telecommuting have on families and on mental health of children and adults?

 

This is just one of the issues that students in the Future Problem Solving Program will contemplate this year. Now that school has begun, coaches are looking forward to training workshops and teams are forming to begin a year of competition.

 

Founded by creativity pioneer, Dr. E. Paul Torrance, Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI) stimulates critical and creative thinking skills, encourages students to develop a vision for the future, and prepares students for leadership roles. FPSPI engages students in creative problem solving within the curriculum and provides competitive opportunities. 

 

In Minnesota, the FPSP's mission is to "Explore Possible Futures, Evaluate Probable Futures, and to Act for a Preferable Future." The program provides students with necessary thinking and problem solving skills, which will serve them well throughout their lives.

 

The first deadline, for coach workshop registration, is September 16. So check out the international website soon at http://www.fpspi.org/index.html. In Minnesota, go to  http://www.mnfpsp.org/. And to download the Minnesota Futurists' newsletter, go to  http://www.mnfpsp.org/FILES/2012/Fall_eNewsletter.pdf.


Global Virtual Meeting for Gifted
 

Last January, Dr. Ruf participated in the 4th Global Virtual Meeting for Gifted Education in Second Life. Now in its 12th such event, The Bavarian Center for Gifted and Talented Children is sponsoring Dr. Mary Bruck to speak on Engaging Gifted Students in Critical and Divergent Thinking on September 24 at 9 p.m. CEST.

 

Virtual Global MtgFor more information about how to sign up for this free event, visit the website of the Bavarian Center for Gifted and Talented Children. The website also provides a link to a Time Zone Map in order to determine when this will be showing in your city. In addition, the page also links to the Global Virtual Meetings 1 through 11.


 

Open Yale

Let's take a class at Yale!  

 

Not only is this now possible for anyone, it is also free and easy to access! For example, under the category of Psychology, you will find 23 sessions of The Psychology, Biology and Politics of Food, presented by Professor Kelly Brownell.  

 

Open Yale Courses provides access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. The aim of the project is to expand access to educational materials for all who wish to learn, and it reflects the values of a liberal arts education.  

   

Database for 2e Resources
 

Did you know that as many as one-fifth of gifted children may have some kind of learning difficulty? These children are described by the term "twice exceptional," or 2e.  

 

Glen Ellyn Media has a website that supports parents of the twice exceptional, as well as a bi-monthly newsletter. Now this organization has launched a new resource, the 2e Professional Database. The database, constructed by a member of the 2e community, is designed to make it easier for parents to find resources for assessment, counseling, advocacy, and more. It lists professionals who understand giftedness, and then describes their particular areas of expertise in support of the various exceptionalities.  

 

Glen Ellyn Media is introducing the 2e Professional Database with a small core of professionals, and now invites others to refer names to the list. Users can see the site at www.2edb.info, and they can submit names at www.2edb.info/submit/, using the username 2edb and the password access77.

 2e DB

 

Natural History Museum

I recently featured the 2011 Young Naturalist Award winners in the August edition of our TalentIgniter newsletter. In the process, I discovered the website of the American Museum of Natural History.  

 

One of the sections, Ology, is designed specifically for kids and families and features links to information on anthropology, archeology, astronomy, biodiversity, brain, and climate change. I'll have to tell you, though, that you may never get beyond the tidbits of information spewing from a monster's mouth, such as the fact that earthworms have five hearts, and that it's impossible to snore in the weightlessness of space!

 

Kids can also join Ology, which allows them to have their own Ology card collection, to make projects using Ology cards, and to submit projects to Ology.

 

BEST Robotics
 

BEST logoBEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) Robotics is a competition for middle and high school students. Its mission is to engage and excite students about engineering, science, and technology and to inspire them to pursue careers in these fields. Participants learn to analyze and solve problems utilizing the Engineering Design Process, which helps them develop technological literacy skills. It is these skills that industry seeks in its workforce.

 

BEST Robotics Inc. (BRI) is a non-profit, volunteer organization based in Dallas, TX. It started in 1993 with 14 competing schools and 221 students, and today has grown to over 700 middle and high schools and over 10,000 students participating each fall.  

 

Go to the BEST website to learn more and to register a team. There is no fee for schools to complete in this program.


 

Toys and Games in Chicago
 

Chicago is a great place to visit, especially for a holiday Chicago Toys and Gamesweekend with the kids. And here's another incentive: the Chicago Toys and Games Fair,  which will run November 19 and 20.

 

This is the only toy and game fair in America that is open to the public. You can preview, play and purchase the newest toys and games, as well as the classics, and meet the inventors. There will be a Star Wars Breakfast, stage events, life-sized toys and games, contests, a Young Inventor Challenge, costumed characters, tournaments and much, much more.


 

ITAG Conference
 

ITAG 2011 ConfWe extend our best wishes to our friends in Iowa, as they prepare for their annual conference in Des Moines this October 17 and 18. Iowa Talented and Gifted is an association of interested parents, educators, and concerned citizens dedicated to meeting the needs of talented and gifted children and youth, and their conference theme this year is Cutting Beyond the Edge, New Realities in Gifted Education.

 

For more information about this conference, go to the ITAG website.  

 

 

In Minnesota: MCGT Fall ConferenceMCGT Logo
 

The Minnesota Council for Gifted and Talented Fall Conference has been scheduled for Saturday, November 12, at the University of St. Thomas in downtown Minneapolis.

 

During the conference there will be breakout sessions on a variety of topics for adults, including a presentation by Dr. Ruf on Levels of Giftedness. In addition, there will be a keynote session, the usual full day and half-day classes for kids in kindergarten through seventh grade, and an array of interesting exhibits and information.  

 

Watch for more details about the event on the MCGT website.

 

TI Logo Reflection  

  Home of the Ruf Estimates™ of Levels of Gifted Online Assessment. Don't leave your child's education to chance! Find out today - affordably, conveniently, and privately - what your child needs to succeed in school. For more information, go to www.TalentIgniter.com.

  

The TalentIgniter newsletter and archives are available by going to http://talentigniter.com/resources/talentigniter-newsletters

 


5 Levels of Gifted: 5 Levels cover
School Issues and
Educational Options

Dr. Ruf's book, 5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options (2005) (formerly published as Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind), is available here

Deborah Ruf
Educational Options
www.EducationalOptions.com
[email protected]
763-521-4565
Changing your email address?
Please let us know, so we can continue to send you our newsletter. Simply send us a note at [email protected]. Thanks!