Cahn,+Kristen,+TAG

=Introduction =

About Me:
== Hello! My name is Kristen Cahn and I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. After college I worked for a mutual fund company in Public Relations and later in Marketing as a Product Manager. After having two children, my husband and I decided to move to beautiful Southern Oregon. I decided to stay home while my kids were young, and I have been volunteering in classrooms for seven years now. I love being in the classroom, which is where I discovered my passion for teaching. ==

Education & Career Goals:
== I'm currently in the 2-year MAT program and looking forward to getting my initial teaching license. I would also like to earn a reading endorsement. I am interested in being a reading specialist or teaching a primary grade. ==

Joys:
== When I'm not busy with classes and homework, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends. I am frequently on the sidelines rooting on my kids at their soccer and basketball games. I like to get outdoors to walk or hike whenever I can. I love the feel and smell of nature. I enjoy curling up with a great book as well. == == Helping others is what brings me a lot of joy. Through my volunteering in my kids' classrooms, I discovered how much I enjoy helping children, in particular. I also really like to travel to places I've never been and to discover new things. ==

Difficult Experience:
== When I was in high school I had a hard time understanding Geometry. I couldn't relate to the material and had difficulty grasping the concepts. The pace was too fast for me, and I struggled to get through the class. I felt so frustrated and it was like I was spinning my wheels. I ended up repeating the class in Summer school with another teacher who taught in a way I could understand. This experience will help me be understanding and patient with students with learning differences. My history has also showed me the importance of teaching multiple methods and strategies. ==

Inclusion Course:
== Even though I've spent time in classrooms, I have little experience with special education. I am greatful for my Inclusion Strategies class and hope to gain a deep understanding of the different learning needs. I know I will learn effective strategies and techniques to help me be a more effective teacher for all my future students. ==

Inclusion Strategies for Talented and Gifted Students **Mission: No Child Held Back** ==I selected this topic because I have a child who is a high-ability learner and it has been a challenge to ensure his needs are met in the classroom each year. It has been my observation that the talented and gifted children are currently underserved in the general education classroom.==

**Top 5 Things I Learned **
==1) There is no universal definition of giftedness. The Oregon State Department of Education definition: "Talented and gifted children means those children who require special educational programs or services, or both, beyond those normally provided by the regular school program in order to realize their contribution to self and society and who demonstrate outstanding ability or potential in one or more of the five areas. ==

5 gifted and talented areas identified by the Oregon Depart. of Education:
==**2) Gifted students have unique stressors with social and emotional factors, like anxiety and a fear of failure. They often feel socially isolated.** == ==3) Identification of gifted is different in every state. A student can be identified as gifted in California but not in Oregon. Identification is hindered with students who are culturally diverse, ESL, economicaly disadvantaged, and students with disabilities. == ==4) Some gifted learners may also have learning or other disabilities. These "twice-exceptional" students can go undetected in the regular classroom because their disability and gifts mask each other, making them appear "average". == ==5) Gifted students learn new information quickly.The average learner takes 12-18 repetitions to learn a new concept while a gifted learner takes 6-8 repetitions. ==
 * == **Academic Ability** - Unusual academic ability in one or more academic areas ==
 * == **Creative Thinking** - Ability in using original or non-traditional methods in thinking and producing ==
 * == Intellectual Ability - Uses measures of intelligence and aptitude ==
 * == Visual/Performing Arts - High ability in dance, music, or art ==
 * == Leadership - Ability in motivating the performane of others ==

= **My #1 Resource ** =

== I rate this source a 5 out of 5. This video was made by students and illustrates the diversity within the gifted learner community. I picked this resource because it represents a creative way of giving viewers insight into the needs of gifted learners. ==

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=8 Additional Resources = 1) I rate this source a 4 out of 5. This You Tube video was made by gifted students and provides their perspective of how teachers could teach them to make for an optimal learning experience. The students are from the secondary level but the tips and techniques can be applied at the elementary level. media type="youtube" key="9CCxzc6n2nw" height="315" width="420"

==**2) I rate this website a 4 out of 5 because it provides a series of articles discussing techniques that teachers can use in the integrated classroom. There are a lot of useful tips although some of the information is targeted specifically for gifted classrooms.**==

==3) I rate this source a 5 out of 5 because it is well organized and contains useful information for teachers, such as an article on the Dos and Don'ts of Instruction: What it means to teach gifted learners well.==

National Association for Gifted Children website
[] = = = = =4) I rate this source a 5 out of 5. This highly entertaining video was made by students and debunks the most common myths regarding gifted and talented students.= media type="youtube" key="MDJst-y_ptI" height="315" width="420" = = =5) I rate this source a 4 out of 5. This popular, best-seller book provides practical classroom-tested strategies for teachers to use. One chapter is dedicated to learning how to identify gifted students. Tip - Check your school's resource library for this or a similar book. = = Book: Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom by Susan Weinbrenner. = == [] = = =6) I rate this video a 4 out of 5. Elementary students talk about what it feels like to be a gifted learner. The video provides some insight into understanding the social and emotional needs of gifted students. I would have liked more information in addition to the student testimonials.= media type="youtube" key="xVQBXr2l8Zs" height="315" width="420" = = =7) I rate this source a 3 out of 5. This website provides lots of resources on educating gifted learners. It could be more user friendly, the pages are a bit cluttered and there are lots of links that take you elsewhere.=

Hoagies' Gifted Information Page []

**8) I rate this source a 5 out 5. It is very entertaining with good background music. A creative way to learn about identification of gifted learners.** media type="youtube" key="WjjVTPpimDk" height="315" width="420"

=Community Based Learning Project: =