Student
Profile:
“How’d you get the name Jinx?!?” is the
first question asked by many people who meet Jinx Braxton for the first
time. Jinx tells her friends that she was born on July 13 which fell on a
Friday. When her older brother came to the hospital and saw his baby
sister for the very first time he called her “Jinx” and the name stuck.
“I like having an unusual nickname,” says Jinx, “because it’s a neat way to get
to know people. They’re always asking me about my name and anyway, my
real name is Irene, same as my Mom’s, so it’s nice to have a different name that’s
special to me.”
Jinx is a very outgoing 11 year old who spends part of her
school day in a resource room for children who are gifted and talented.
All through her life learning new things has come easily for Jinx and when she
started kindergarten her teachers spoke to her parents about what seemed to be
a great number of Jinx’s special talents. Her parents, Bob and Irene, who
operate a hair salon, were surprised to hear about their daughter in these
terms. Jinx’s mother knew that her daughter was full of surprises and
that she crawled, walked and talked months earlier than did her older brother
when he was small. And Jinx’s dad remembers that by the time she was two,
Jinx was reading a number of road signs as she sat in her car seat riding to
the day care center.
After the school personnel administered a number of
psychological tests, Jinx was placed in a program for gifted and talented
children. Her parents are very proud of her and the work that she does,
especially in mathematics and in art, but they have learned that it is
important that Jinx have the time and the opportunity to be a child
first. Jinx’s friend, Brenda, is an important part of her life and the
Braxton’s are careful to allow Jinx the time and the freedom to have friends
her own age and to develop interests that are appropriate for an eleven year
old. But even though her parents are aware of the “genius syndrome” and
work to keep Jinx from being perceived in that way by her peers, there are
times when Jinx must work through the potential social difficulties that being
a very bright person can present.
Jinx tells her
friends that learning is more than getting right answers or all “A”s, and that
there are things that are hard for her, too, and that she must work at learning
just as they must. Jinx points out to Brenda and Renaldo and to her
parents, too, that she is a multi-faceted person with likes, dislikes, hopes,
fears, talents, and problems similar to those that all children have and that
being bright is just one part of being Jinx.
http://ezzo.pbworks.com/w/page/24277584/Rethinking%20Diversity
Support:
During a
discussion-based lesson, it will be very important to allow Jinx’s strengths
and opinions to come out while also making sure she does not dominate the
conversation. Since her thinking
is more advanced than many of her classmates, she might be able to make
connections that the other students do not initially come up with. Because of this, the teacher may want
to utilize Jinx as a discussion-starter if her peers are struggling to take the
conversation in the right direction.
However, the teacher should also take steps to avoid letting Jinx be the
only student to have a say in the conversation. From what I’ve seen in both my own schooling and my
placements, children have a tendency to let who they consider to be the “smart”
students do most of the talking.
Implementing some type rule for who speaks and how many times would be a
good way for the teacher to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard during the
discussion.
For any
post-assessments following the discussion, differentiating Jinx’s assignments
might be beneficial to her learning.
This could be done by giving her a slightly different prompt, asking her
to write a greater amount, or giving her a more extensive chart and/or table to
complete. Additionally, the
teacher should not automatically make any assumptions that Jinx will be able to
complete her assignments without support and should be sure to check on her
progress while circulating the room.
I think you have some good ideas on how to support Jinx. Her situation is a little different than others so we need to remember as teachers that being "gifted" is an exceptionality as well and it too needs to be supported. I agree that it would be beneficial to allow Jinx to start a discussion if other students are staying quiet. Her higher level thinking skills will definitely come in handy here. You also made a good point that she might dominate the conversation and having some type of discussion rules or roles in place may help deter away from this.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you that while we can not just assume she will understand every assignment and task easily, we still need to think of additional/more complex things for her to do to further her learning and make sure she is not getting bored with the work.
I like that you chose this student as a focus, because I think it is easy to dismiss this type of student as needing accommodations or differentiation within a lesson. However, you've made some great points as to how you should consider this type of student when planning. I think the "three before me" discussion rule, as you mentioned will be a positive implementation. I also think that it would be beneficial to have some class expectations put into place in which it is considered "normal" to have students explain themselves, thus, if this advanced student provides insight that is above the other student's current reasoning, they have the opportunity to not only agree/disagree, but also question other student responses. Thus, for "Jinx", this would help teach her patience in learning to explain her ideas so others understand or try to help others understand, also helping to increase her social ability, bringing her more to her peers' level through this type of discussion. Likewise, Jinx can ask her peers to explain their answers, it's a culture of "asking why" as to foster everybody's development.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as mentioned, differentiation is key in assignments and follow up work. "Tiering" may be effective, in which the same assignment is given, but with more challenging aspects or deeper level thinking.
I also reccommend a significant level of group work with Jinx, as the social aspect of "being bright" is a very significant aspect to consider. As I discussed with the "culture of asking why" I think Jinx would significantly benefit from working in groups to learn how to collaborate, rather than rely on her own knowledge. While her intellectual talents will take her far in life, collaboration is a key attribute to most successful endeavors in life, and thus, she should be able to communicate her thoughts effectively to others.