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Discovering and Developing Talents in Spanish-Speaking Students
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Discovering and Developing Talents in Spanish-Speaking Students



November 2012 | 216 pages | Corwin
This comprehensive guide will provide teachers and administrators with practical suggestions and materials that they can immediately use to improve their teaching of high-ability students from Spanish-speaking households. The authors will share best practices that narrow the language and cultural barriers between educators and the families of their gifted students and will help teachers:Support ELL students by guiding teachers and schools to affirm them and their unique and rich cultural backgrounds. Increase minority enrollment in gifted programs by providing a much-needed resource to schools, teachers, and districts on meeting the needs of this population.Improve the effectiveness of educational programs by strengthening the home-school connection for Hispanic families.Bridge the Anglo-Hispanic cultural divide by informing educators on cultural nuances and helping them more effectively meet the needs of their students.Educate Hispanic parents on the meaning of gifted, giftedness, and how to support their own children.Overcome budget constraints with practical guidelines and reproducibles for teachers to implement in their programs right away.This book will also contain parent/teacher/student testimonials, samples of communications with parents, and an appendix of reproducibles in English and Spanish so that teachers can photocopy or adapt them for their own use to aid in their communication with student families.
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Introduction
 
1. Changing Landscape of U.S. Schools: A Call to Action
 
2. Bilingualism: A Cognitive Strength
 
3. A Cultural Primer
 
4. Recognizing Talents, Abilities, and Creativity in Your Spanish-Speaking Students
 
5. Identifying Gifted Hispanic Students
 
6. Effective Ways for Teachers to Connect Wth Spanish-Speaking Parents
 
7. Developing the Strengths and Talents of Hispanic ELLs: Strategies for Getting Started
 
8. Program Options for Advanced Hispanic ELLs: Putting Your Strategies to Work
 
Conclusion
 
Appendix
 
Bibliography
 
Index

"This book broadens the scope of gifted education to a large group of students who are often overlooked. Its message fills a gap across the country for gifted educators who want to be more inclusive."

Lori Helman, Associate Professor
University of Minnesota

"The authors provide a practical approach to assisting Spanish-speaking high ability students.  What sets this book apart is that it offers districts best practices for teaching and supporting all students from Spanish-speaking families."  

Lois Rebich, RTI Facilitator
Ross Elementary School, Pittsburgh, PA

"This practical guide suggests that educators look at students' strengths and view their language as a strength instead of a deficit. The authors provide great ways to communicate with parents, and I like the discussion of cultural norms. I would certainly recommend this publication to peers."

Theresa Dewitt, ELL and Bilingual Teacher
Sheboygan Area School District, WI

"ELL and Bilingual teachers, teachers of gifted and talented students, mainstream teachers, and administrators of these programs should all read this book. I have never seen any other book mention gifted and talented Hispanic students. This book will fill the void for a neglected area of under-represented peoples."

Diane Senk, ELL Teacher
Sheboygan Area School District, WI

"While we know that we need bilingual professionals to compete in a global market, we are failing to identify our own bilingual talent in America. This book will help educators, parents, and administrators find and nurture Hispanic-American talented children. I work with Hispanic families and students and I need a resource like this to help me advocate for them."

Lizbeth Alfaro, ESL Teacher
Lyle Creek Elementary, Conover, NC

Discovering and Developing Talents in Spanish-Speaking Students is long overdue and should be read by aspiring educators, current educators, school leaders and education policy makers. The authors have crafted an extensively well sourced piece of scholarship that references important research from an array of fields related to the education of gifted new learners of English. They provide critical information about why America needs to identify and nurture this pool of talent. In addition, the work is well organized, accessible and includes numerous practical examples and strategies for working with students and their families. The content has application across school subjects, grades and students.

Al Ramirez, Professor, Department of Leadership, Research and Foundations
University of Colorado

Joan Franklin Smutny

Joan Franklin Smutny is founder and director of the Center for Gifted, a Northern Illinois University Partner. She directs programs for thousands of bright, talented, and gifted children in the Chicago area annually. She also teaches creative writing in many of these programs as well as courses on gifted education for graduate students at the university level. She is editor of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children Journal, contributing editor of Understanding Our Gifted, and a regular contributor to the Gifted Education Communicator, Parenting for High Potential, and the Gifted Education Press Quarterly. Smutny has authored, co... More About Author

Kathryn P. Haydon

Kathryn P. Haydon has been an advocate for early second language learning, and has taught and developed curriculum for preschool and elementary school Spanish programs. She has also worked extensively with high-school aged Hispanic students as a college essay writing coach. The founder of Ignite Creative Learning Studio in Ojai, California, Kathryn is a nationally-known writer and speaker, and a teacher and mentor to gifted and creative students of all ages. A former second grade teacher, she is a published author on teaching, creativity, parenting, and early foreign language instruction, and her work was featured in Igniting Creativity in... More About Author

Olivia G. Bolanos

Olivia Gutierrez Bolaños is the Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District where one of her responsibilities is overseeing the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program. She taught bilingual education for 11 years and was a principal for 12 years. Olivia comes from a family very similar to the students she has worked with. Her ability to create an atmosphere of “familia” within the school community and her knowledge of Hispanic culture has helped lead to the academic success of her students. Olivia has seen the GATE Spanish Parent group flourish in the district in just three years by making a few... More About Author

Gina M. Estrada Danley

Gina M. Estrada Danley has been a teacher of gifted and talented students since 1997. She taught junior high English for 11 years and has served as district GATE resource teacher in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District for 4 years. Having had her own life powerfully impacted by participation in the Future Leaders camp at age 13, she has since been the assistant co-director for the Future Leaders annual summer retreat, dedicated to empowering young Latino/Chicano students to fulfill their leadership potential. A strong advocate for gifted education, Gina is proactive with the California Association for the Gifted (CAG). She facilitated... More About Author

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ISBN: 9781412996365
$41.95