Monday, December 29, 2014

Imaginational Overexcitability

("Heavenly Nostrils" cartoon by Dana Simpson can originally be found HERE)


Gifted people often demonstrate some of Dabrowski's Overexcitabilities.  One of the categories is called Imaginational Overexcitability.  While in pre-school, my son had an imaginary friend named, Jelly-lo.  My child was a quiet boy while Jelly-lo was incredibly naughty.  My son was able to experiment with the world by talking about Jelly-lo's bad behavior and then asking about consequences.  While in the primary grades, my boy lived in a world of mice.  During his playtime, he was a teacher of a classroom of mice, and he blew a whistle to bring the imaginary class to order,  These mice played with my child and his real friends while on the playground at school, and the mice also went on adventures with my son and his real grandpa. Read below to see if any of Dabrowski's descriptions have made an appearance in your family's life.

IMAGINATIONAL OVEREXCITABILITY
Imaginational OE reflects a heightened play of the imagination with rich association of images and impressions, frequent use of image and metaphor, facility for invention and fantasy, detailed visualization, and elaborate dreams (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991). Often children high in Imaginational OE mix truth with fiction, or create their own private worlds with imaginary companions and dramatizations to escape boredom. They find it difficult to stay tuned into a classroom where creativity and imagination are secondary to learning rigid academic curriculum. They may write stories or draw instead of doing seatwork or participating in class discussions, or they may have difficulty completing tasks when some incredible idea sends them off on an imaginative tangent.

(This post was written by Tawnya Sherman)

See more about overexcitabilities at this website.


Sunday, December 14, 2014

AAGT 41st Annual Gifted Conference - Feb. 5 & 6, 2015


Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented (AAGT) is inviting all those interested in gifted education to their Annual Gifted Conference at the Black Canyon Conference Center in Phoenix, Arizona on February 5 and 6, 2015.

Enjoy two full days of learning, networking, and gifted education synergy! 

Their theme this year is ‘Advancing Gifted Education’ and that is what they aim to do. Sessions on differentiation, technology integration, the common core standards, social/emotional needs of gifted individuals, and much more will be offered, as well as a special strand for teachers of AP courses (Friday only). 

Click HERE to register.

Book Series Review - The Mysterious Benedict Society



A fabulous book series that appeals to all ages!

The Mysterious Benedict Society
by: Trenton Lee Stewart 

When she spots the advertisement in the newspaper, Reynie Muldoon’s tutor, Miss Perumal, suggests that Reynie try for the school.  Reynie is an orphan living at Stonetown Orphanage.  He is very bright and the advertisement calls for gifted children to apply for special opportunities.  Reynie agrees to give it a try.  The testing process is rather odd but he passes all the tests.  In the end, only four children are chosen from the hundreds who tested.  George “Sticky” Washington is a rather shy boy with a great memory. Kate Weatherall is a gifted athlete who carries a large bucket of objects with her.  Constance Contraire is a girl with a strong personality and a quick wit.  The four of them finally meet Mr.  Benedict.  He tells them that something very strange is going on and he needs gifted children to help.  The children must agree to help or they leave.  Reynie realizes that all the children are loners; orphans and runaways with no one to really miss them.  The children agree to work with Mr Benedict and then he lets them know what is going on.

* The Mysterious Benedict Society -- B.L. 5.6   A.R. 18 pts
* The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma -- B.L. 6.3  A.R. 15 pts
* The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey -- B.L. 6.1    A.R. 19 pts.

Click HERE to visit the website about the book series.