This is the fourth in my series of monthly round-ups of @GiftedPhoenix Twitter activity related to gifted education and associated subjects.
It covers the period from 12 January 2012 to 21 February inclusive.
I have continued to provide fairly comprehensive coverage with tweets organised into three categories:
- News items on gifted education outside the UK
- News and comment on issues pertinent to gifted education within the UK
- Research and opinion
but this time I am experimenting with sub-categories since there are so many different entries. I have also abandoned chronological order.
I have only included tweets that contain a hyperlink to another source. (I haven’t rechecked that all these work, so apologies if you encounter any broken links.)
The vast majority are my own tweets; a handful are modified tweets or retweets of originals sent by others. I have stripped out all addresses and hashtags except where they are essential to make sense of the tweet.
I have also corrected a few typos – otherwise the wording is unchanged.
If you have any suggestions about how I can improve the presentation of these records of my Twitter activity, please don’t hesitate to suggest them using the comments facility below.
Global Gifted Education
Google has launched its online Science Fair 2012 – http://t.co/dBpoGqmk – ages 13-18
Twice-exceptional Newsletter Jan 23 2012 – http://t.co/yvGZ8570
Twice Exceptional Newsletter January 26 2012 – http://t.co/HmTI5CVN
Twice-Exceptional Newsletter 2 February 2012 – http://t.co/Stnlc6Rr
Africa
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls also attempts to overcome a troubled history – http://t.co/ETvYrijs
The African Children Talent Discovery Foundation – http://t.co/6S0Xwag3 – has partnered with Cry for Help – http://t.co/ZZRPVJGs
Surprised to see African Council for Gifted and Talented still listed as World Council affiliate on new WCGTC website: http://t.co/V56HVeKn
This is why I’m surprised the African Council remains an affiliate of World Council for Gifted and Talented Children: http://t.co/mwdsSYWk
The Americas
Interview with David H Feldman of Tufts on gifted and gifted education – http://t.co/uKoZGx7K
The new Director at CTY writes about gifted education in Maryland – http://t.co/Tulewe7R
CEC comments on absence of gifted education from President’s 2013 budget – http://t.co/2Y8LkMyZ
US NAGC statement on 2013 Budget: http://t.co/33zIM3LG
Looks like the Obama budget continues to fund gifted education in Guam – http://t.co/zdaXqjqI – even though funding has gone in USA!
Details of US NAGC’s Call for Board Nominations – http://t.co/QOKkSp3n
Gifted education in Kentucky USA (where it’s Gifted Education Week next week) – http://t.co/9h2Uevkt
How long before the first UK school is caught feeding concentration enhancing drugs to its borderline students? http://t.co/x2WjLJB9
NYT article on the achievement gap – http://t.co/IdQ8FxYz – including the impact of the recession on said gap
Short profile of Bard College at Simon’s Rock (never sure whether I have that the right way round!) – http://t.co/jmHYRoQX
Hispanic representation in Colorado gifted programmes – http://t.co/n3gN9xc2
February is Gifted and Talented Education Month in Maryland USA – http://t.co/zAA5hZeK
Massachusetts, California and Oklahoma are considering ‘creativity and innovation indices’ for their schools – http://t.co/fm2EF3ql
A ‘federal grant for highly gifted students’ is paying $188,000 for 215 gifted students to go to summer school? Which? http://t.co/5LlYtxp7
US NCEE has launched Center on International Education Benchmarking (CIEB) http://t.co/QZ568GDl
Gifted Education and the Law in the US. Good overview! http://t.co/QmOEqbGl
Not sure why it’s a problem for Houston to have too many gifted students: http://t.co/9nQ7kH6b It’s all about how you support them
Asia
When Yale Meets Confucius – tensions between the liberal arts tradition and Singapore’s education system: http://t.co/DHMqpqxs
Curtin University honours founder of Malaysia’s Permata Pintar gifted programme: http://t.co/MNIlqOSl Here’s my post: http://t.co/e4dcljwM
Singapore’s Arts and Culture Strategic Review recommends Talent Development Centres for gifted young people – http://t.co/xlLNRUxc
Bahrain and Palestine have discussed collaboration in gifted education – http://t.co/cBlmfs96
Report of a press conference on the upcoming Asia-Pacific gifted education conference in Dubai – http://t.co/pIhl5zPb
Latest Giftedness 2012 E-blast http://t.co/bsOliG9I
UAE’s Innovation By You (IBY) awards for gifted young inventors – http://t.co/ZXdjpJyM (They have to be ‘Big Boys’ Toys’!)
Upcoming professional development offered by the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education (HKAGE) – http://t.co/L1t8jkDz
Hong Kong Academy and the Education Bureau have established their CPD framework in gifted education: http://t.co/i1duK8Oc
More about Hong Kong’s Professional Development Framework in Gifted Education: http://t.co/pf57nsTD
Gifted China – http://t.co/Yh33sPef – IRATDE conference in Beijing in April
Australasia
New Zealand Government’s TKI Gifted Education website is being updated: here’s the new section on 2e – http://t.co/bzcJJFl9
Salutary that lots of our old English gifted education resources are used and valued in New Zealand: http://t.co/ENVkKP6r
Schools in Western Australia are struggling to meet gifted learners’ needs says Murdoch University academic – http://t.co/FhMJoVWg
Europe
A comparison of Dutch and American approaches to (gifted) education: http://t.co/r3Eci6vg
Javier Touron has started a new blog in Spanish called Talent and Education – http://t.co/J7aRCe36
Sept 2012 Münster Germany 13th International ECHA Conference Giftedness Across the Lifespan http://t.co/1Aa4iB1W
Gifted Education Awareness Week 2012 in Ireland begins on 27 February: http://t.co/y4ka7Ico
UK Gifted Education and Related Topics
Grammar Schools
A more nuanced perspective on grammar schools ahead of part 2 of BBC4’s historical documentary tonight http://t.co/OblDx2JQ
Fiona Millar weighs in on grammar schools http://t.co/PRLiZ7SF Moreover 11+ is now partly a test of effort (and income for tutors)
Several Lords PQs on satellite grammar schools – http://t.co/fRZsGQtL – http://t.co/fRZsGQtL (Col WA185) – Limited answer however
Lords Question yesterday on GS expansion in which Lord Hill mentions gifted learners – http://t.co/tjQfNtl5 (Col 340)
Peter Wilby says academy converter grammar schools could be closed down by ‘a future Crosland’ at the drop of a hat – http://t.co/XEo5L5F6
I can’t see how you can deny GS the right to expand if non-selective schools are to keep that right – http://t.co/JEEEuS1G – what rationale?
More curate’s eggy commentary on grammar schools, coupled with righteous indignation – http://t.co/6SOYOGa8
What’s the Point of Grammar Schools? – http://t.co/EDwqdp4e
No real answer to this Lords PQ asking whether existing grammar schools could open ‘chains’ of annexes – http://t.co/0PAgW4HF
@toadmeister has produced the best piece on GS in the latest spate – http://t.co/VjTYxRl0 – but this argument will run and run
Types of school
Ormiston Victory Academy first to propose a 16-19 STEM free school in direct competition with itself: http://t.co/nbkNJ1od without UEA?
TES on 16-19 maths free schools: holds up Russian Kolmogorov School as an exemplar supposedly favoured by DFE http://t.co/efeCKvYD
This story made me wonder if 16-19 academies and maintained 6FCs could select in 14 year-old gifted students http://t.co/KTVHwPKe
Background on the London 16-19 STEM Academy: http://t.co/KLxHHgIS One of those getting NSN development funding http://t.co/NjZpYUiz
Eton’s involvement in the London Academy of Excellence, a 16-19 selective free school and a missed opportunity http://t.co/MzIkGRhL
TES report on Class, one of two ballet free school proposals in preparation – http://t.co/7v1VsjZr – How will they align with MDS scheme?
Peter Lampl again pushes open access to independent schools: http://t.co/oAFzo4sF Says MGS and others will adopt if Government pays
Martin Stephen rightly condemns Lampl’s independent school scholarships for gifted as denuding state sector http://t.co/upGaiyWc
Will Lampl use much-delayed Sutton Trust report on gifted learners to puff his misguided open access scheme? http://t.co/upGaiyWc
Performance Tables, Tests and Qualifications
Some rather interesting FoI data showing the number of AABs and above for every school in England – http://t.co/1jOvvC1P
A level grade A* gaining traction in HE admissions – http://t.co/teUuVJpB
ACME to consult on new post-GCSE maths course for those not doing A level: http://t.co/LWiSIa6K but still silent on 16-19 maths free schools
Pearson seem to suggest S level-type qualifications at 16 and 18 via a panel of ‘leading HE subject experts’ – http://t.co/XsdaPwrQ
Pearson said to be proposing ‘tough new GCSEs and A levels set above expected standard’ for gifted students http://t.co/fSb8DOzW
Standards and Testing Agency is surveying reasons for schools not taking up optional L6 tests: http://t.co/Vw6lBlYy
Focus on ‘high achievers’ in performance tables welcome: http://t.co/UgxDx36w – but will ‘naming and shaming’ eradicate underachievement?
It would help Pupil Premium targeting if the ‘high achievers’ criterion was overlaid on the FSM criterion: http://t.co/UgxDx36w
More from CMPO about the problems associated with the new approach to segmentation in tomorrow’s performance tables – http://t.co/jGzKdqp6
The KS2 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements booklet for 2012, including details of L6 tests – http://t.co/L34U9Jxb
Class of 30 at Winifred Holtby School Hull take GCSE English in Year 8: http://t.co/IURZNHDu next is Eng Lit in Y9 + A level in Y10 #gtvoice
Except that lots of those Winifred Holtby grades were Bs, Cs and Ds – http://t.co/IURZNHDu – I hope they don’t regret that later…#gtvoice
KS4 destinations indicator planned for publication in May 2012 – http://t.co/UPFSjs6E (Col 41W) – what about the KS5 destinations indicator?
DfE article on internally marked KS2 L6 English writing test: http://t.co/nFFkL7ie – Downloadable from Friday 24 February
Fair Access to HE and Social Mobility
Direct link to today’s Barnardo’s critical Report on the operation of the 16-19 Bursary Fund – http://t.co/2eAa1IQe
The relative benefits of bursaries and fee waivers in supporting disadvantaged students to access HE: http://t.co/Oeq9n0qA
One could reasonably conclude from this piece that the quality of teaching at Oxford is seriously compromised – http://t.co/C4jPISpn
Strange how Ebdon’s being pilloried when both DFE and BIS have policy targets to increase FSM entry to competitive HE: http://t.co/VH4imzCf
Upcoming Milburn report may inflame silly fair access row: http://t.co/mo4qq94u Both admissions and attainment need attention
Splendid! Cambridge’s Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic reaches out to gifted learners in schools: http://t.co/5NlLKqbH
Direct link to Sutton Trust summer schools evaluation supporting progression to competitive HE: http://t.co/6SEOSgip
Tomorrow’s DEMOS report will advocate a centralised means-tested bursary/waiver scheme – http://t.co/QFHbu8DU
Lots of new access data from Oxford: http://t.co/s9siia2X – but DfE at least is interested primarily in increased ex-FSM admissions
Sutton Trust announces Independent Commission to review impact of tuition fees: Hutton, Machin, Lampl (and Purves!) – http://t.co/QZYURMEs
Southwark’s working with Cambridge and UCL on progression to HE for disadvantaged gifted learners http://t.co/xt2SqKmS
Yesterday’s Westminster Hall debate on social mobility – http://t.co/wkkRxGHy (Col 241WH)
No sign of this Tory Fair Access report yet: http://t.co/uITl21qa but God forbid that it leads on an independent school voucher
BiS confirms Ebdon appointment to OFFA: http://t.co/IuZvNRaw – Linked Cable letter to Select Committee is worth a read
The Hansard record of yesterday’s urgent question on OFFA: http://t.co/OZuNiPwo (Col 609ff)
Other
Good Royal Society ICT report, but doesn’t properly delineate progression pathway for gifted learners: http://t.co/eMAo6hCo
The timing of the Royal Society’s Review of maths and science education doesn’t fit well with the NC Review – http://t.co/FAaeIrZ5
Who can tell us more about the Children’s University Challenge: http://t.co/6Em4VCW9 for most able 9-13 year-olds in existing CUs?
Why is DfE evaluating Pupil Premium for only 12 months? http://t.co/2Z1Zaj6T – Where is the promised independent longitudinal evaluation?
West Sussex examining options for supporting gifted out of school activities when £80K council subsidy goes: http://t.co/wJPds0uq
Damian Hinds PQ on gifted children: http://t.co/FKOPemRf (Col 12W) – Not sure why the reply doesn’t utilise school census data…
Damian Hinds follow-up on gifted children data: http://t.co/wnGrNd0U (Col 637W) Is this 1st formal statement of end of Programme?
Anonymised NPD data will be made available by DfE ‘from June 2012’ – http://t.co/1YEIcVTK (Col WA249)
Chairman of the Prince’s Teaching Institute concerned at insufficient challenge for higher attaining pupils: http://t.co/DwBrdBk4
Twigg: ‘schools should be far more ambitious for their bright pupils’ – http://t.co/XHptkVNR
DfE’s issued an EoI for research on aspirations-raising for high-achieving disadvantaged learners: http://t.co/3lBofaeW
Is the Government’s new youth sport strategy any good? http://t.co/FWeIZCkU
Research and opinion
Australian Grattan Institute reports on what we can learn from leading Asian education systems: http://t.co/8wX2JEMJ Largely ignores gifted
Has Dweck’s Mindset work become little more than a cash cow? http://t.co/57MCNkyj
Brief round-up of new Excellence Gap research including Plucker’s update on ‘Mind the Other Gap’: http://t.co/m1xmf024
How teachers’ fixed views of intelligence can hold students back: http://t.co/qMzpjIjz
How cluster grouping helps gifted learners and others achieve their potential http://t.co/fa3sNPzI
The right kind of constraints can support creativity and individuals’ creative development – by @sbkaufman : http://t.co/sq4Vyuls
Direct link to today’s RSA Report ‘Solving the Maths Problem: international perspectives on mathematics education’ – http://t.co/u4OdtVL8
Is Giftedness Nothing More than Good Genes? by Brain Blogger http://t.co/FPCC00rI
The complex relationship between conscientiousness (drive to work hard/practice) and creativity – http://t.co/VsAkACGX
Dabrowski and the self-education of gifted adults – http://t.co/zTRxcYSe
What I’m Really Thinking: The Brainbox – http://t.co/UM8QthnT
Aspirations! Are they a barrier to educational attainment? North East Child Poverty blog http://t.co/3D8Lt3Nc
Post defending IQ as an admission instrument for gifted education programmes – http://t.co/oigWKVji
The case for using teaching strategies developed for gifted learners with all learners – http://t.co/RftS0KSo
The science of success – the difference between ‘orchid and dandelion children’ – http://t.co/zGHuCDcM
Jan 2012 Gifted Education International online edition: theme is new technologies and virtual learning – http://t.co/FJdrlDno
Here’s the original research behind the Mail’s ‘ being in a group lowers your intelligence’ story – http://t.co/atPCQHBV
Research into how ‘expressed IQ’ can be influenced in small group settings – http://t.co/fwHT4Bhj
Sally Reis presentation on identification in gifted and talented programmes – http://t.co/wSYWq9di – new I think
Reporting GCSE performance by groups is fraught with problems: http://t.co/weQZNenl – would reporting by sub-levels help?
Selective achievement: Following a passion may be more productive than piling on more courses: http://t.co/4Ug9TG7M
Excellent – top 10 ways to annoy a gifted child: http://t.co/tf27UVw8
If Charles Murray is right then eliminating the ‘overclass’ is a fundamental social mobility issue – http://t.co/3UtY6cl5
2012 Brown Center Report on US Education includes a valuable commentary on Misinterpreting International Test Scores: http://t.co/t1F4LA05
Growing Old Gifted by Annemarie Roeper from SENG http://t.co/rsP0aQjA
Douglas Eby on the relationship between creativity and intelligence: http://t.co/4w5R6W5D
Roeper Review is calling for papers on Gifted Education and Social Inequality, deadline 20 May 2012 – http://t.co/pSLf0o7u
Talent Mobility Good Practices – by World Economic Forum. Includes Saudi Aramco case study http://t.co/Qg4mXr65
Why does some people’s intelligence age better than others? http://t.co/sX4JdGjs
And here’s the Sutton Trust’s ‘historical research’ on state-funded direct grant places before 1976 – http://t.co/9F7w2gPC
I hope that you found something interesting and worthwhile!
GP
February 2012
Gifted Phoenix 
I did! Thanks.