How are aliens related to math? The answer is: in every possible way! From science fiction, to popular culture, to UFO organizations, and even a famous jerky shop half way between Los Angeles and Las Vegas named Alien Fresh Jerky, extraterrestrial life pervades our imagination. The...
Tiffany’s recent post on tinkering inspired me to look further into the benefits of hands-on learning. When researching, I found several studies noting various benefits of hands-on experiments in the classroom, from learning teamwork to increased engagement for tactile learners. By far the most prominent,...
Being a gifted child can be difficult. Gifted children often feel misunderstood by their peers and possibly don’t even fully comprehend themselves and their abilities. This can lead to low self-esteem or self-doubt, hindering a child from thriving in school and reaching their full potential. This...
By Tiffany Kwong After reading Niña’s recent blog post about the Maker movement and Maker Faires, I was reminded of the importance of hands-on learning, making, and tinkering for kids in and outside of the classroom. In elementary school, I remember my sixth grade teacher, Mr....
By Bonnie Raskin Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Manager Finding the right high school can set the stage for the rest of a child’s academic and professional future. The key to choosing the best high school for your child lies first in understanding your child’s specific needs, but...
By Bonnie Raskin Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Manager WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU: Each high school has its own values and culture, and your best school fit will be one that matches yours. Even before you visit an open house or begin your high school research, take...
By Niña Abonal This past November, I had the opportunity to attend NAGC’s Annual Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Although the primary purpose of my trip was to learn more about the changing and ever-growing landscape of gifted education, I also had the privilege of listening to...
Here were the Institute for Educational Advancement's top blog posts in 2015: 25 of Our Favorite Gifted Kid Movies Our social media community and the IEA staff weighed in on their favorite movies featuring gifted children and young adults. The Bright Side of Overexcitabilities in Gifted Children Because...
Unique paper snowflake tutorial inside this post! It was snowing indoors at IEA’s tree-trimming party last Friday as parents, students and staff all worked together to create handcrafted ornaments and paper snowflakes to decorate the Barder House for the holidays. As families munched on cookies and...
What is an Academy? By Louise Hindle Louise is IEA’s Program Manager. A British import, Louise has 20 years of experience in education as a high school literature teacher, lead teacher, administrator, adviser, and consultant. She is also the parent of three fun and active school-aged children. IEA’s...
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The holidays are a time for rest and relaxation – if you can find a minute between making travel arrangements, hosting family and friends visiting from out-of-town, and finding the perfect gift for everyone on your list! The stresses that inevitably accompany the holidays can...
By Jennifer Kennedy Jennifer danced competitively for nine years growing up. Her dance career finished on a high note as a four-year letter winner on her college dance team. Many gifted children are perfectionists who put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform at the highest...
By Qiao Li One of the first assignments I received upon joining the IEA staff was to provide a Chinese translation for our program flyers. Being a native speaker, naturally I thought it wouldn’t take more than a few hours, but when I started looking on...
By Jennifer Kennedy I have a confession to make: I don’t always feel good enough to call myself gifted. I was identified as gifted as a child, but I never really felt like that label belonged to me at all. Other kids were smarter than me. Other...
The long-awaited Pasadena rain abated just in time for an evening filled with laughter, learning and storytelling during IEA’s “Imagine the Impact” fundraising event at the Brookside Golf Club. Long-time IEA supporters and advocates were joined by new faces as we welcomed friends and family...
The Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA) has named 29 young people across the country as its 2015 Caroline D. Bradley Scholars. IEA’s Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, the only merit-based, need-blind high school scholarship in the country, awards highly gifted students nationwide with a four-year scholarship...
And How That Can Help Gifted Kids By Jennifer Kennedy "Sometimes you need to talk to a two-year-old just so you can understand life again." – Unknown My niece is four years old. She has special needs that cover a wide variety of areas. Every time I am...
By Mark Erlandson Mark Erlandson, the parent of a gifted student who presently attends a boarding school out East, is a former lawyer and public high school English teacher from Wisconsin starting a new business as a legal writing consultant. Sad as it may be for some...
Gifted children often experience overexcitabilities, also called intensities. These areas of heightened stimulation are categorized in five areas: psychomotor, sensual, imaginational, intellectual, and emotional. Though overexcitabilities are not, in and of themselves, negative characteristics, they are often discussed as though they are problems to solve. However,...
We love celebrating the highlights and accomplishments of the IEA community. We wanted to take the opportunity to showcase this amazing community and what you have done over the past month so that we can all celebrate together. Even as summer wound down and IEA programs...
By Jennifer de la Haye, Yunasa Program Coordinator IEA’s pioneering Yunasa summer camps unite highly able youngsters with experts in the social and emotional development of gifted children. Campers explore and grow the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social, and physical aspects of their lives. When I sat down...
By Linnea Pyne Linnea is a Certified Mindfulness Facilitator and a Mindfulness coach, teacher, and facilitator. She often teaches Mindfulness at the IEA Academy. Those who spend time with, raise, teach, and care for young gifted people agree that these individuals are different from their peers in...
By Anna Enger Anna interned with IEA over the summer, working closely with the IEA Academy program. Here she shares her reflections on some of the things she has learned from the experience. Prior to joining the team at the Institute for Educational Advancement, I spent a...
Whether you have a child or student who has recently been identified as gifted, know a child who may be gifted, or have encountered a child who is gifted and have questions, you may need a place to start, a place that gives you the...