There are a number of online resources for educators of gifted students out there. This is certainly great news for those working in the field of gifted education. Need help finding some of these kinds of resources? Read along as we take a look at five, great online resources for educators of gifted students.
National Association for Gifted Children
Of all, possible online resources for educators of gifted students, the National Association for Gifted Children, or NAGC is as authoritative as it gets. This official body represents the whole of the field of gifted education and gifted function. It would be accurate to view it as a governing body, exclusive club, and leading advocate for the world of the gifted.
Gifted teachers stand to benefit in countless ways from the organization’s many offerings. Publications on best practices, the latest studies, and methods in educating can all be found here. Assessments of the gifted and further training opportunities for educators can be found here as well. In addition, points of contact provide direct routes to any resource needed involving the gifted and their education.
State Department of Education
Each state has its own arm of educational oversight applied to those within its boundaries. Each of these arms, or state departments of education have their own comprehensive website and online resources. Educators of the gifted can benefit immensely by going to their corresponding state’s education department website and looking for the resources on gifted education made available there. A few examples of these incredibly helpful, state-by-state resources include:
Georgia Department of Education
Virginia Department of Education
Colorado Department of Education
Alaska Department of Education
Contained therein are always valuable resources for educators of the gifted.
Unites States Department of Education
The US Department of Education is another authoritative voice on all things related to education. Within this government-provided, online resource, the educator to the gifted can find all sorts of publications directly relevant to their field. Some recent offerings at the site have included:
- “My Child’s Special Needs”
- “Gifted Children’s Relationships with Teachers”
- “Gifted Education”
- “Descriptions of a Quality Gifted School and Recommendations to Parents Today”
- “Recognizing Gifted Students: A Practical Guide for Teachers”
Each publication is composed and backed by leading experts in the field. Outside of such publications, resources on continued education and training, legal regulations, best practices, and more are all made available to anyone searching for them.
Unwrapping the Gifted Blog
Online resources for educators of gifted students can also come in the form of a blog. Unwrapping the Gifted is Education Week Teacher’s blog specifically for gifted education. Gifted teachers can benefit substantially from this online resource aimed specifically at them.
The blog itself covers all types of gifted subjects including medical diagnoses, obstacles to the gifted, independent learning concepts for the gifted, and much more. Posting for several years now, Unwrapping the Gifted has amassed a respectable following. Esteemed author and expert in the field, Tamara Fisher always brings the focus back to the ins and outs of educating the gifted in all of her writings.
Ramblings of a Gifted Teacher Blog
The final spot on our list of online resources for gifted teachers goes to yet another popular blog – Ramblings of a Gifted Teacher. This blog gives a more ground-level approach in addressing teachers and advocates for the gifted. Gifted intervention specialist and teacher, Jeffrey Shoemaker regularly provides visitors with reads worth coming back for. Recent topics of Shoemaker’s coverage have included testing issues in the gifted, math learning concepts in the gifted, and stress in the gifted. The blog page also gives direct access to contact Shoemaker himself, well-categorized blogs from the past, and a link to Shoemaker’s associated Twitter Feed.
Gifted teachers work in a very specialized area of expertise. The rewards are many, and the challenges can be numerous as well. Online resources for educators of gifted students such as these five, excellent examples make the job that much easier.
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