From dwylan at cwcom.net Sun Jun 4 09:25:48 2000 From: dwylan at cwcom.net (Jeff Hughes) Date: Sun, 04 Jun 2000 09:25:48 +0100 Subject: BCS Disability Group Meetings in June 2000 Message-ID: <15648250900655ntc@cwcom.net> Dear all I realise that these meetings may be rather peripheral to many of you but hope that they will be of interest to a few and the silent majority will be tolerant of this intrusion. Jeff There are two meetings of the British Computer Society Disability Group during June. You are invited to attend either or both. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wednesday 21 June 2000 at 6 p.m. (Tea & coffee from 5.30pm) Badar House Resource Centre, Witchards, Basildon, Essex SS16 5BP ACCESS TO WORK AND A VIEW OF ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR HANDS-ON! Speakers: Dr Geoff Busby MBE Chairman BCS Disability Group Mike Day Technical Advisor Employment Service London and South East Regions Disability Services For security reasons we MUST know that you are intending to come so please call Christine Goldsmith to obtain a map or directions: - Christine Goldsmith Tel/Fax: 01245 242924/50 Email: geoffrey.busby at gecm.com Marconi Software Solutions, West Hanningfield Rd Gt.Baddow Essex CM2 8HN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tuesday 20 June 2000 at 7 p.m. (Tea & coffee from 6.30pm) Access Summit, St Peters House, Precinct Centre, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9GH. ICT SUPPORT FOR ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES IN STUDY AND EMPLOYMENT Speakers: Tina Elliott Manager Access Summit Joint Universities Disability Resource Centre Gerard Conroy Disability Advisor and Learning Support Teacher, UMIST For security reasons we MUST know that you are intending to come so please Telephone: Jeff Hughes 0161 827 2719 Fax: 01744 24608 Email: dwylan at cwcom.net or geoffrey.busby at gecm.com Write: C. Goldsmith c/o Marconi Software Solutions, West Hanningfield Rd Gt.Baddow Essex CM2 8HN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Not only are you invited but you are also asked to pass on the invitation to anyone you think might be interested. There is a poster and map available for each meeting. I can forward the posters by email to those who ask. Jeff Hughes ?? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sent by Jeff Hughes, Chartered Educational Psychologist, Head of SEMERC Information Service, Granada Learning, Quay Street, Manchester M60 9EA Tel: 0161 827 2719 Email: jeff.hughes at granadamedia.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SEMERC Special Needs Learning Network is an approved provider of training in ICT for SEN for SENCOs, mainstream teachers& teachers in specialist schools and inclusive units ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Go to www.semerc.com for information about special needs ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From h.wilson at ox-west.ac.uk Thu Jun 8 15:29:41 2000 From: h.wilson at ox-west.ac.uk (Helen Wilson) Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2000 15:29:41 +0100 Subject: 'The Truth about Toffs', Sunday Times Message-ID: <00Jun8.152945bst.119043@firewall.ox-west.ac.uk> I wondered if any of you read the Sunday Times article by Brian Appleyard, entitled the 'The Truth about Toffs' which follows from the recent controversy about Oxbridge admissions? I found it highly contraversial and I felt that his use of statistics rather destroyed his argument, which is in defence of the present system. For example: '7% of the U.K.'s pupils are educated privately, yet they take almost half the Oxbridge places' He fails to give any indication of the application rate from the two sectors. 'If exam results were the only criteria, state school pupils should account for two thirds of the top universties' intake - they get 65% of the straight As at A-level - not a half as they do now. Note, however, that even then they would be seriously underperforming. If they were as good as private schools, they would take 93% of the places.' He fails to take into account the number of private schools that are selective. He goes on to cite Dr Peter Saundres, profesor of sociology at Sussex University, who used the National Child Development Survey, a survey of 17,000 people through the course of their lives, to assess the importance of intelligence in how far people get in society. 'The figures are complex and as in any large survey of this kind, a large part, 65% in this case, of the variations remain inexplicable, 17% of success is attributable to intelligence, 3% to the father's social class, 1% to parental aspiration, 3% to the family's interest in education, 5% to the child's motivation, and 6% to the qualifications won by the age of 16.' "What it boils down to," says Saunders, "is that if you are a betting man, easily the safest way to gamble on someone's future success is to see how they do on a simple intelligence test taken at the age of seven." I thought that some of you might have thoughts on the above! Helen Wilson Westminster Institute of Education, %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From joy.lee at totalise.co.uk Fri Jun 9 14:24:40 2000 From: joy.lee at totalise.co.uk (Joy Lee) Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2000 14:24:40 +0100 Subject: 'The Truth about Toffs', Sunday Times References: <00Jun8.152945bst.119043@firewall.ox-west.ac.uk> Message-ID: <002e01bfd216$1209aa40$0b00000a@mwa> I read Helen's message and agree with her whole heartedly! I must admit my first reaction to the controversy over Oxbridge admissions was that it merely showed that Harvard had lower standards, or more probably more space, than Oxford! (I'd better keep my head down after a comment like that :-) ) But the Application to Oxford was for Medicine, which I believe is a massively over-subscribed course, whereas the application to Harvard was for biochemistry - probably less demanding and without the same over-subscribed state. I think one thing that really irritates is the concept that one has a "right" to go to a particular place based on exam results alone. If that is to be that case, then exams need to be made much more difficult, so that there is more discrimination at the top end of the scale. I have a nagging suspicion that in order for results to appear to be getting ever better, the exams are actually getting easier, and thus giving less useful information to the Universities. Back on the "rights" front, would we complain about someone not having the right to join the England Football team, or the UK Olympic team. These are places where a body chooses from a large group of possible people, a few who they think will best represent the country. Why should Oxford/Cambridge/Durham/St Andrews etc. be any different. Most independent schools are meritocracies, who have pre-selected their input and pay their teachers more. It is not surprising therefore that their pupils generally get better results. They prepare children better for what is expected of them at Oxbridge interviews, they probably make it their business to know which courses are likely to be over-subscribed, and which colleges are most likely to take a given applicant, so can advise students where, and for what, it would be sensible to apply. Not everyone who sends children to independent schools is rolling in money. Many have scrimped and saved for years to try to get enough together for school fees (I know, because we are trying to save for four children - I have continued to work from home, computing ever since my eldest was 6 months old, it means no foreign holidays, no meals out, no visits to the hair dresser, no up-to-date fashions, no new cars, no gameboys or Dream machines, and it is still nowhere near enough.) Ultimately it is a case of priorities. Most independent schools have schemes by which they will help families who can't afford, if their children are bright enough. Sadly the government have removed their assisted places schemes, so the help is now limited to what the independent schools can raise themselves, so less people can benefit. I went to a state school, and did get into Cambridge, but then entrance was via the Cambridge Colleges Entrance exam, which I took the autumn before my A levels. I was very lucky that my school's head of maths was very good and could teach me to a level where I could do that exam, which was very different from the A level. It required far more lateral thought and application of ideas. It appeared to be looking for the way problems were tackled, rather than necessarily correct answers. I assume that the interviews now probe this sort of skill in place of the exams. My husband went to an independent school which had four separate maths teachers, each of whom specialised in a different area of maths - Statistics, Applied, Dynamics, Pure maths (Sets/groups etc.). He was taught by each of these in their speciality. The school instilled an attitude of pride in their achievements to all its pupils, children were not ostracised for doing well. The attitude of these children in interviews would be to have confidence in their abilities and not to hide their lights under a bushel. As a pupil in the state system I had cigarette ends thrown at me on the bus journeys to and from school. I was called a swat. People would often deliberately bump into me and hurt me just for being there. My parents told me to ignore these children and to consider them not worthy of being worried about. Not a nice attitude to have towards some of ones contemporaries, but one with which I survived. With this environment, I probably did not present well in interview - showing how much I knew had normally got me into trouble with my piers. We need an environment where academic excellence and aptitude are praised and promoted at *all* schools, but until that happens, I want my children to go to an independent school, where their sparks of genius are not smothered under a grey blanket of acceptable mediocrity. Where they are not considered as problems and told to sit at the back of the class and not ask difficult questions! (Maybe I'll hide in a bomb shelter for a while after that!) Joy ----- Original Message ----- From: Helen Wilson To: Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2000 3:29 PM Subject: 'The Truth about Toffs', Sunday Times > I wondered if any of you read the Sunday Times article by Brian Appleyard, > entitled the 'The Truth about Toffs' which follows from the recent > controversy about Oxbridge admissions? I found it highly contraversial and > I felt that his use of statistics rather destroyed his argument, which is > in defence of the present system. For example: > > '7% of the U.K.'s pupils are educated privately, yet they take almost half > the Oxbridge places' > > He fails to give any indication of the application rate from the two sectors. > > 'If exam results were the only criteria, state school pupils should account > for two thirds of the top universties' intake - they get 65% of the > straight As at A-level - not a half as they do now. Note, however, that > even then they would be seriously underperforming. If they were as good as > private schools, they would take 93% of the places.' > > He fails to take into account the number of private schools that are > selective. > > He goes on to cite Dr Peter Saundres, profesor of sociology at Sussex > University, who used the National Child Development Survey, a survey of > 17,000 people through the course of their lives, to assess the importance > of intelligence in how far people get in society. 'The figures are complex > and as in any large survey of this kind, a large part, 65% in this case, of > the variations remain inexplicable, 17% of success is attributable to > intelligence, 3% to the father's social class, 1% to parental aspiration, > 3% to the family's interest in education, 5% to the child's motivation, and > 6% to the qualifications won by the age of 16.' > "What it boils down to," says Saunders, "is that if you are a betting man, > easily the safest way to gamble on someone's future success is to see how > they do on a simple intelligence test taken at the age of seven." > > I thought that some of you might have thoughts on the above! > > Helen Wilson > Westminster Institute of Education, > > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From johnbuckles at stronans.kent.sch.uk Fri Jun 9 14:38:20 2000 From: johnbuckles at stronans.kent.sch.uk (John Buckles) Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2000 14:38:20 +0100 Subject: 'The Truth about Toffs', Sunday Times In-Reply-To: <002e01bfd216$1209aa40$0b00000a@mwa> Message-ID: <000e01bfd217$fa090880$e1150cd5@stronans.kent.sch.uk> Joy, Well done for being brave enough to stick your head above the parapit.....I'll stand with you there! John ____________________________________________ John Buckles, Deputy Headmaster, St. Ronan's School, Hawkhurst, Kent. TN18 5DJ Tel: +(0)1580 752 271 Fax: +(0)1580 754 882 Email johnbuckles at stronans.kent.sch.uk -----Original Message----- From: high-ability-request at mailbase.ac.uk [mailto:high-ability-request at mailbase.ac.uk]On Behalf Of Joy Lee Sent: 09 June 2000 14:25 To: high-ability at mailbase.ac.uk Subject: Re: 'The Truth about Toffs', Sunday Times I read Helen's message and agree with her whole heartedly! I must admit my first reaction to the controversy over Oxbridge admissions was that it merely showed that Harvard had lower standards, or more probably more space, than Oxford! (I'd better keep my head down after a comment like that :-) ) But the Application to Oxford was for Medicine, which I believe is a massively over-subscribed course, whereas the application to Harvard was for biochemistry - probably less demanding and without the same over-subscribed state. I think one thing that really irritates is the concept that one has a "right" to go to a particular place based on exam results alone. If that is to be that case, then exams need to be made much more difficult, so that there is more discrimination at the top end of the scale. I have a nagging suspicion that in order for results to appear to be getting ever better, the exams are actually getting easier, and thus giving less useful information to the Universities. Back on the "rights" front, would we complain about someone not having the right to join the England Football team, or the UK Olympic team. These are places where a body chooses from a large group of possible people, a few who they think will best represent the country. Why should Oxford/Cambridge/Durham/St Andrews etc. be any different. Most independent schools are meritocracies, who have pre-selected their input and pay their teachers more. It is not surprising therefore that their pupils generally get better results. They prepare children better for what is expected of them at Oxbridge interviews, they probably make it their business to know which courses are likely to be over-subscribed, and which colleges are most likely to take a given applicant, so can advise students where, and for what, it would be sensible to apply. Not everyone who sends children to independent schools is rolling in money. Many have scrimped and saved for years to try to get enough together for school fees (I know, because we are trying to save for four children - I have continued to work from home, computing ever since my eldest was 6 months old, it means no foreign holidays, no meals out, no visits to the hair dresser, no up-to-date fashions, no new cars, no gameboys or Dream machines, and it is still nowhere near enough.) Ultimately it is a case of priorities. Most independent schools have schemes by which they will help families who can't afford, if their children are bright enough. Sadly the government have removed their assisted places schemes, so the help is now limited to what the independent schools can raise themselves, so less people can benefit. I went to a state school, and did get into Cambridge, but then entrance was via the Cambridge Colleges Entrance exam, which I took the autumn before my A levels. I was very lucky that my school's head of maths was very good and could teach me to a level where I could do that exam, which was very different from the A level. It required far more lateral thought and application of ideas. It appeared to be looking for the way problems were tackled, rather than necessarily correct answers. I assume that the interviews now probe this sort of skill in place of the exams. My husband went to an independent school which had four separate maths teachers, each of whom specialised in a different area of maths - Statistics, Applied, Dynamics, Pure maths (Sets/groups etc.). He was taught by each of these in their speciality. The school instilled an attitude of pride in their achievements to all its pupils, children were not ostracised for doing well. The attitude of these children in interviews would be to have confidence in their abilities and not to hide their lights under a bushel. As a pupil in the state system I had cigarette ends thrown at me on the bus journeys to and from school. I was called a swat. People would often deliberately bump into me and hurt me just for being there. My parents told me to ignore these children and to consider them not worthy of being worried about. Not a nice attitude to have towards some of ones contemporaries, but one with which I survived. With this environment, I probably did not present well in interview - showing how much I knew had normally got me into trouble with my piers. We need an environment where academic excellence and aptitude are praised and promoted at *all* schools, but until that happens, I want my children to go to an independent school, where their sparks of genius are not smothered under a grey blanket of acceptable mediocrity. Where they are not considered as problems and told to sit at the back of the class and not ask difficult questions! (Maybe I'll hide in a bomb shelter for a while after that!) Joy ----- Original Message ----- From: Helen Wilson To: Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2000 3:29 PM Subject: 'The Truth about Toffs', Sunday Times > I wondered if any of you read the Sunday Times article by Brian Appleyard, > entitled the 'The Truth about Toffs' which follows from the recent > controversy about Oxbridge admissions? I found it highly contraversial and > I felt that his use of statistics rather destroyed his argument, which is > in defence of the present system. For example: > > '7% of the U.K.'s pupils are educated privately, yet they take almost half > the Oxbridge places' > > He fails to give any indication of the application rate from the two sectors. > > 'If exam results were the only criteria, state school pupils should account > for two thirds of the top universties' intake - they get 65% of the > straight As at A-level - not a half as they do now. Note, however, that > even then they would be seriously underperforming. If they were as good as > private schools, they would take 93% of the places.' > > He fails to take into account the number of private schools that are > selective. > > He goes on to cite Dr Peter Saundres, profesor of sociology at Sussex > University, who used the National Child Development Survey, a survey of > 17,000 people through the course of their lives, to assess the importance > of intelligence in how far people get in society. 'The figures are complex > and as in any large survey of this kind, a large part, 65% in this case, of > the variations remain inexplicable, 17% of success is attributable to > intelligence, 3% to the father's social class, 1% to parental aspiration, > 3% to the family's interest in education, 5% to the child's motivation, and > 6% to the qualifications won by the age of 16.' > "What it boils down to," says Saunders, "is that if you are a betting man, > easily the safest way to gamble on someone's future success is to see how > they do on a simple intelligence test taken at the age of seven." > > I thought that some of you might have thoughts on the above! > > Helen Wilson > Westminster Institute of Education, > > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From barry.hymer at cumbriacc.gov.uk Fri Jun 9 16:42:26 2000 From: barry.hymer at cumbriacc.gov.uk (B Hymer) Date: Fri, 09 Jun 00 16:42:26 +0100 Subject: RE(2): 'The Truth about Toffs', Sunday Times Message-ID: <"OP.CINFC.288129*"" "@MHS> ****** Message from InterScan E-Mail VirusWall NT ****** ** No virus found in attached file att00002.doc ***************** End of message *************** -------------- next part -------------- Much food for thought in this discussion, and thank you Joy for raising a number of challenging issues based on your deeply felt personal experiences. I hope however that we can all remain sufficiently disinterested to disembed the evidence from the anecdote when drawing our conclusions, since this might help us to avoid drawing facile distinctions - for example between the merits of different sect ors of education: I know of schools from both the maintained and independent sectors which offer wonderfully rich, creative and supportive learning and emotional environments to pupils of all abilities. And I know of others (again from both sectors) - which do not. I happened to begin my teaching career in a school which often failed its ablest pupils miserably - but I'd be unwise to tar all in dependent schools with this brush. Barry Hymer Cumbria -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: att00002.doc Type: application/msword Size: 6144 bytes Desc: Word for Windows 6.0,7.0 Url : http://lists.becta.org.uk/pipermail/high-ability/attachments/20000609/805b0dd8/attachment.doc From suwardrop at yahoo.com Mon Jun 12 22:26:59 2000 From: suwardrop at yahoo.com (=?iso-8859-1?q?su=20wardrop?=) Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 14:26:59 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Inspiration Message-ID: <20000612212659.9877.qmail@web615.mail.yahoo.com> Dear John (Bergin) Do you know of any other good software for dyslexic/dyspraxic students ? Please let me know. Thanks Su Wardrop suwardrop at yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos -- now, 100 FREE prints! http://photos.yahoo.com %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From h.wilson at ox-west.ac.uk Fri Jun 23 12:28:50 2000 From: h.wilson at ox-west.ac.uk (Helen Wilson) Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 12:28:50 +0100 Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills Message-ID: <00Jun23.122850bst.119057@firewall.ox-west.ac.uk> At the Westminster Institute of Education, we have been carrying out a very interesting research project in which we have been linked with five teachers in Oxfordshire who are considered to be good teachers of able pupils. This was funded by the National Primary Trust and will be written up in the near future. One of the aims of the project was to identify a range of strategies used in the effective teaching of able pupils. It has been fascinating to find, from the data, that the sratategy that was common to all these teachers was the use of higher order thinking skills within lessons. All the teachers were familiar with Bloom's Taxonomy and they were all setting tasks that encouraged the children to access HOTs. I wonder if more teachers were made aware of this as a strategy, would able children be more adequately challenged? It seems too straightforward a possibility! Any thoughts? Helen Wilson Westminster Institute of Education %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From johnbuckles at stronans.kent.sch.uk Fri Jun 23 13:41:15 2000 From: johnbuckles at stronans.kent.sch.uk (John Buckles) Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 13:41:15 +0100 Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills In-Reply-To: <00Jun23.122850bst.119057@firewall.ox-west.ac.uk> Message-ID: <002c01bfdd10$525aa270$e1150cd5@stronans.kent.sch.uk> Helen, Very interesting but perhaps not suprising.... Have you looked at intervention techniques such as CASE that raise levels of cognitive development at the critical transition ages between concrete generalisation and formal operational thinking (to use Piagetian Terminology). This sits well with cognitive developmental theories and social constructivist approaches too. Were the teachers inducing cognitive conflict and encouraging metacognition? What were the research methods used? I would be greatly interested in discussing this further. I am taking the stance that such pedagogic methodologies are used in prep schools which generally have a higher slope on cognitive developmental curves than do schools that show "Typical" cognitive development as determined by Shayer & Wylam's measurements. The study certainly is very interesting, I would welcome the chance to discuss this with you further. Regards, John ____________________________________________ John Buckles, Deputy Headmaster, St. Ronan's School, Hawkhurst, Kent. TN18 5DJ Tel: +(0)1580 752 271 Fax: +(0)1580 754 882 Email johnbuckles at stronans.kent.sch.uk -----Original Message----- From: high-ability-request at mailbase.ac.uk [mailto:high-ability-request at mailbase.ac.uk]On Behalf Of Helen Wilson Sent: 23 June 2000 12:29 To: high-ability at mailbase.ac.uk Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills At the Westminster Institute of Education, we have been carrying out a very interesting research project in which we have been linked with five teachers in Oxfordshire who are considered to be good teachers of able pupils. This was funded by the National Primary Trust and will be written up in the near future. One of the aims of the project was to identify a range of strategies used in the effective teaching of able pupils. It has been fascinating to find, from the data, that the sratategy that was common to all these teachers was the use of higher order thinking skills within lessons. All the teachers were familiar with Bloom's Taxonomy and they were all setting tasks that encouraged the children to access HOTs. I wonder if more teachers were made aware of this as a strategy, would able children be more adequately challenged? It seems too straightforward a possibility! Any thoughts? Helen Wilson Westminster Institute of Education %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From ABridgland at aol.com Fri Jun 23 16:03:09 2000 From: ABridgland at aol.com (ABridgland at aol.com) Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 11:03:09 EDT Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills Message-ID: <17.743d04a.2684d62d@aol.com> Interesting to read your observations about the use of Bloom. In West Sussex, we have been recommending and using this approach (among others) for a long time and increasingly our teachers are finding his cognitive taxonomy extremely useful to help plan for higher order questions, tasks and thinking skills with able pupils (and indeed all pupils) in mind. It was music to our ears that the Literacy Strategy is also influenced by Bloom. We also detect an influence in the Thinking Skills highlighted in the new National Curriculum documentation! Ann Bridgland Adviser: Able Pupils/CPD. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From s.a.wilson at tinyonline.co.uk Fri Jun 23 20:10:36 2000 From: s.a.wilson at tinyonline.co.uk (s.a.wilson) Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 20:10:36 +0100 Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills Message-ID: <001d01bfdd46$b7671aa0$ed1f3c3e@sophia> I have never heard of HOTS and would be keen to access any information to enable me to utilise this concept. Can you help? -----Original Message----- From: Helen Wilson To: high-ability at mailbase.ac.uk Date: 23 June 2000 12:30 Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills >At the Westminster Institute of Education, we have been carrying out a very >interesting research project in which we have been linked with five >teachers in Oxfordshire who are considered to be good teachers of able >pupils. This was funded by the National Primary Trust and will be written >up in the near future. > >One of the aims of the project was to identify a range of strategies used >in the effective teaching of able pupils. It has been fascinating to find, >from the data, that the sratategy that was common to all these teachers was >the use of higher order thinking skills within lessons. All the teachers >were familiar with Bloom's Taxonomy and they were all setting tasks that >encouraged the children to access HOTs. > >I wonder if more teachers were made aware of this as a strategy, would able >children be more adequately challenged? It seems too straightforward a >possibility! > >Any thoughts? > >Helen Wilson >Westminster Institute of Education > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From ABridgland at aol.com Sat Jun 24 17:53:16 2000 From: ABridgland at aol.com (ABridgland at aol.com) Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 12:53:16 EDT Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills Message-ID: <62.4af8827.2686417c@aol.com> The DfEE website (Standards/Thinking Skills) has a good resume of Carol McGuiness' research on Thinking Skills, which colleagues who haven't found it yet may find interesting and useful. Similarly, teachingthinking.net is also a good source of ideas and further HOTS info. Ann B West Sussex %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From cachitagarcia at hotmail.com Tue Jun 27 16:13:19 2000 From: cachitagarcia at hotmail.com (Maria Caridad Garcia) Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 08:13:19 PDT Subject: Research Message-ID: <20000627151319.31900.qmail@hotmail.com> Hi, I am graduate student at the Gifted and Talented Education program at University of Houston. I am from Colombia and I interested in know about gifted education in United Kingdom. I am working in a document for one of my classes and I want to analyce the develop of gifted programs in U.K, USA and Colombia. I want to ask you if did you had to confront the debate "Excellence and Equity" in your country too? And How the gifted problems confront the idea of "Gifted education is a elitist kind of education"? Thanks in advance, Maria Caridad Garcia e-mail: cachitagarcia at hotmail.com ICQ:6530693 Nickname: "cachita" Phone: 01- 713 - 5298279 Addres: 2720 Newmann Houston, TX 77098 ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From H.Wientjes at ivlos.uu.nl Tue Jun 27 16:33:01 2000 From: H.Wientjes at ivlos.uu.nl (Wientjes, Heleen) Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 17:33:01 +0200 Subject: Research In-Reply-To: <20000627151319.31900.qmail@hotmail.com> Message-ID: <20000627153315.165988060@ns.uu.nl> On 27 Jun 00, at 8:13, Maria Caridad Garcia wrote: > Hi, > I am graduate student at the Gifted and Talented Education program at > University of Houston. I am from Colombia and I interested in know about > gifted education in United Kingdom. The netherlands also ok?? > I am working in a document for one of my classes and I want to analyce the > develop of gifted programs in U.K, USA and Colombia. > > I want to ask you if did you had to confront the debate "Excellence and > Equity" in your country too? Yes, we have the same problem here - given the fact that money for education is scarce, the priority lies with education for the less 'gifted' (money and talents). Also there is a problem here with education for allochtone people (people working and living in Holland but coming from other cultures) - and the 'extra' money goes to that group also. And How the gifted problems confront the idea > of "Gifted education is a elitist kind of education"? Thats a topic to - but these days (last couple of years) the insight is growing that you can suffer a lot if you don't get the respect for who you are - be it woman, allochtone, poor, underachieving, or very able. > > Thanks in advance, > With you luck with your work! Heleen > Maria Caridad Garcia > > e-mail: cachitagarcia at hotmail.com > ICQ:6530693 Nickname: "cachita" > Phone: 01- 713 - 5298279 > Addres: 2720 Newmann > Houston, TX 77098 > > > ________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com > ******************* drs Heleen Wientjes IVLOS - Interfacultair Instituut voor Lerarenopleiding, Onderwijsontwikkeling en Studievaardigheden Universiteit Utrecht coordinator stichting PERDIX - voortgezet onderwijs aan hoogbegaafde leerlingen %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From d.eyre at ox-west.ac.uk Tue Jun 27 17:08:23 2000 From: d.eyre at ox-west.ac.uk (Deborah Eyre) Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 17:08:23 +0100 Subject: Research In-Reply-To: <20000627151319.31900.qmail@hotmail.com> Message-ID: <00Jun27.170824bst.119071@firewall.ox-west.ac.uk> Hi Maria This is an issue in the UK as well. Most progress has been made where links have been made to equality of opportunity. Gifted pupils are entitled to an appropriate education in the same way as other pupils - their educational needs are not more important, but they are EQUALLY important. If careful consideration is not given to the needs of the gifted then they become a disadvantaged group. The issue of elitism is less of a problem for our policy makers than it is for some teachers (and others) for two main reasons: 1. The link that has emerged between schools who focus on the needs of their gifted pupils and good general standards of education, 2. The government sees a need to nurture talent in order to be competitive in world markets. Intersted to know what you are up to in Houston.... Hope this is helpful. Deborah Eyre Deborah Eyre Deputy Head of Institute Westminster Institute of Education Oxford OX2 9AT 01865 247644 x8386 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From j.freeman at mdx.ac.uk Tue Jun 27 21:10:44 2000 From: j.freeman at mdx.ac.uk (Professor Joan Freeman) Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 20:30:44 +0020 Subject: Research In-Reply-To: <20000627151319.31900.qmail@hotmail.com> Message-ID: <39590EF4.18845.6E8425@localhost> Dear Maria, There's a great deal going on in the UK re gifted education. Yes, we do have the elitism debate, but it is disappearing. What we do have is a big gender difference in the opposite direction to the USA. Girls are beating the boys at every subject at all school levels - including math and sciences. Whereas in the USA boys are much more succesful in high level science and math. I suggest you read - Freeman,J. (1998) Educating the Very Able: Current International Research. London: The Stationery Office. The Stationery Office Generalenquiries: 00 44 20 7873 0011 Telephoneorders: 00 44 20 7873 9090 Fax orders: 00 44 20 7873 8200 Price(Stirling) ten pounds 95 pence Best wishes, Joan Freeman Prof Joan Freeman Middlesex University 21 Montagu Square London W1H 1RE Direct fax: 00 44 20 7224 6153 Web: www.joanfreeman.co.uk %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From AMurrayhud at aol.com Wed Jun 28 19:56:22 2000 From: AMurrayhud at aol.com (AMurrayhud at aol.com) Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 14:56:22 EDT Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills Message-ID: <43.6c75a01.268ba456@aol.com> Other possibly useful sources of information about Thinking Skills are to be found in Robert Fisher 1990 'Teaching Children to Think', London. ISBN 07487 2235 1; Alistair Smith 1998 'Accelerated Learning in Practice', Network Education Press ISBN 1 855 39 048 5; Barry Teare 1997 'Effective Provision for Able and Talented Children' Network Education Press ISBN 1 85539 041 8; BlaggN., Ballinger, M and Gardner R (1988) 'Somerset Thinking Skills Course' Oxfrod, Blackwell. A fascinating book about Feuerstein called 'Changing Children's Minds' is also available in paperback, but I do not have it with me at the moment. Also, Mary Fitzpatrick has recently recommended 'Thinking through the Curriculum' edited by Robert Burden and Marion Williams 1998, published by Routledge. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From ABridgland at aol.com Wed Jun 28 20:10:20 2000 From: ABridgland at aol.com (ABridgland at aol.com) Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 15:10:20 EDT Subject: teachers & higher order thinking skills Message-ID: Yes, I agree with all these publication recommendations. The Fisher ones (and others in his series, including "Games for Thinking ") are very well received by our teachers too, as are the Alistair Smith and Barry Teare ones mentioned. Deborah Eyre's various publications, but especially "Able Children in Ordinary Schools" , also contains very useful and do-able activities and strategies. As do Stephen Bowker's "Imagine That" and the de Bono series including "Change Your Life" and Getting Things Done". Great fun and motivational too, for pupils and teachers and teaching assistants to use. Ann B %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From rcoffey1 at ukonline.co.uk Thu Jun 29 20:45:13 2000 From: rcoffey1 at ukonline.co.uk (rcoffey1) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 20:45:13 +0100 Subject: teaching strategies for the able References: <00May19.171214bst.119074@firewall.ox-west.ac.uk> Message-ID: <004001bfe202$8b278c20$f91a86d4@oemcomputer> ----- Original Message ----- From: Helen Wilson To: Sent: Friday, May 19, 2000 5:12 PM Subject: RE: teaching strategies for the able > > re: I have used Bloom's Taxonomy, cognitive mapping and a variety of other > methods (e.g. creative writing) for stimulating able pupils (Years 7 and 8) > in science. I'm happy to send you material that I've used if you'd like to > give me a mailing address. > > > I too would be very interested in receiving these materials, as we have > been trying to apply the same principles here at Westminster in our Master > Classes for children who have been identified as being able in science at > primary level. > > Many thanks, > Helen Wilson > h.wilson at brookes.ac.uk > > I am the G&T co-ordinator at a secondary school in Salford. I would be grateful if you would share the materials with me. many thanks Rosemary Coffey rcoffey1 at ukonline.co.uk %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From Goldsenco at aol.com Thu Jun 29 23:09:19 2000 From: Goldsenco at aol.com (Goldsenco at aol.com) Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 18:09:19 EDT Subject: teaching strategies for the able Message-ID: Could I please have a copy Goldsenco Little Ilford School Manor Park London E12 6ET Many thanks %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% From simoncrawford at kingsosm.biblio.net Fri Jun 30 11:31:12 2000 From: simoncrawford at kingsosm.biblio.net (Simon CRAWFORD) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 11:31:12 +0100 Subject: teaching strategies for the able Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available Url: http://lists.becta.org.uk/pipermail/high-ability/attachments/20000630/38990261/attachment.ksh From ccurtis at nasuwt.net Fri Jun 30 22:27:25 2000 From: ccurtis at nasuwt.net (Cliff Curtis) Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 22:27:25 +0100 Subject: teaching strategies for the able References: <00May19.171214bst.119074@firewall.ox-west.ac.uk> <004001bfe202$8b278c20$f91a86d4@oemcomputer> Message-ID: <003601bfe2da$4d69f200$681ee0c3@oemcomputer> Please may I have some of your science material.I could meet any costs Cliff Curtis, KS3 G at T Co-ordinator Wetherby High School,Wetherby, Leeds LS22 4JS ----- Original Message ----- From: "rcoffey1" To: Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 8:45 PM Subject: Re: teaching strategies for the able > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Helen Wilson > To: > Sent: Friday, May 19, 2000 5:12 PM > Subject: RE: teaching strategies for the able > > > > > > re: I have used Bloom's Taxonomy, cognitive mapping and a variety of other > > methods (e.g. creative writing) for stimulating able pupils (Years 7 and > 8) > > in science. I'm happy to send you material that I've used if you'd like > to > > give me a mailing address. > > > > > > I too would be very interested in receiving these materials, as we have > > been trying to apply the same principles here at Westminster in our Master > > Classes for children who have been identified as being able in science at > > primary level. > > > > Many thanks, > > Helen Wilson > > h.wilson at brookes.ac.uk > > > > I am the G&T co-ordinator at a secondary school in Salford. I would be > grateful if you would share the materials with me. > many thanks > Rosemary Coffey > rcoffey1 at ukonline.co.uk > > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%