Miscelaneous Topics for Teachers and Teacher Librarians

• Using the national gifted education standards for university teacher preparation programs by Susan K Hohnsen, Joyce Vantassel-Baska, and Ann Robinson (Corwin Press, 2008, 235 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781412965248); and, Using the national gifted education standards for preK-12 professional development by Margie Kitano, Diane Montgomery, and Joyce Vantasel-Bask, and SusanK. Johnsen (Corwin Press, 2008, 147 p., $_____, ISBN: 9781412965224)

  Does anyone pay attention to the gifted and talented? Or, are we so motivated to get everyone to a minimal level that this group recedes into perpetual boredom?These two volumes, jointly published by the National association for Gifted Children, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the Association for the Gifted provide guidance for both pre-service education and for professional development in schools. Included in the volumes are regular references to the exceptional child who has special needs. The volumes include the national standards, of course, and then provide information, examples, and strategies to prepare teachers to coach these two groups. We looked with our library media center eyes at the standards and did find reference to the use of technology; available materials, and encouragement to allow these groups choice in what they explore, but, overall, one could think that the essential information-rich and technology-rich environment so conducive to the development of these learners is underrepresented. The emphasis for success is placed again on the classroom teacher with no mention of other specialists in the school. Sample rubrics tend to just add more prescribed work for the gifted child in terms of quantity – a sure-fire way for the leaner to hide. We prefer the rubrics Robert Marzano recently created that point to the exceeding of the standard expectations. It would seem that quality, high-level thinking, and big picture analysis and synthesis would be the foundation of excellence for these leaner’s. These two volumes are probably basic to any school paying attention to the exceptional child and the gifted and talented. However, we’d hope that programs for this group would be developed far beyond this set of standards.

• Teambuilding with teens : activities for leadership, decision making & group success by Marian G MacGreagor (Free Spirit Publishing, 2008, 185pp. $_____, ISBN: 9781575422657)

  So you have set up a task for teens, put them in groups, and say “go.” If nothing happens or the groups become suddenly dysfunctional, there is work to do. Because so much of the world of work is now done by groups, exemplary group skills are in order. MacGreagor provides a number of 35-45 minute strategies complete with individual/group worksheets to “study” the process of working in groups successfully. Activities include: icebreakers, self-awareness, working with others, communication, qualities of leadership, social issues, decision making and problem solving, and closure. Every teacher and teacher librarian needs a bag of tricks to stimulate group performance and even if you don’t care for the particular ideas here, you are sure to be stimulated to create better ones that will work with your brand of teens. That is the kind of professional book we appreciate – one that is either on target or one that stimulates the reader to be creative. Recommended.

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