Web sites and resources of interest to asynchronous learners and their parents.
DAVIDSON GIFTED
This site has a great library of articles about gifted/asynchronous learners as well as a great discussion forum. The site is maintained by the Davidson Institute for Talent Development which has programs for the most asynchronous of learners.
The Davidson Institute runs the excellent, free Young Scholars program for highly asynchronous kids under age 18 that includes excellent free seminars for kids and adults as well as free family consulting services. They also have an amazing (and free) school in Reno, Nevada that serves the needs of the most asynchronous learners by meeting kids where they are.
Guidebooks: Davidson has put together some great guidebooks for understanding and advocating for the needs of asynchronous learners.
Davidson also has a page of links to blogs and other resources of interest here.
HOAGIE’S GIFTED – a great web resource full of informative articles.
ACCELERATION INSTITUTE
Out of the University of Iowa, the Acceleration Institute studies acceleration in academically advanced children. They perform research and publish the excellent resources A Nation Deceived and A Nation Empowered. These guides are must-haves if you want to learn more about the advantages of acceleration for highly asynchronous learners. The books summarize over 50 years of research and also provide insightful case studies. Share these with schools and educators unconvinced of the value of acceleration for highly advanced students.
They detail 20 different methods of acceleration that can be effective.
- A Nation Deceived – Free, insightful two-volume pdf detailing the research about the benefits of acceleration.
- A Nation Empowered – 10-year follow-up to A Nation Deceived. If you can afford to purchase the book, please do — to help support the great work that the Acceleration Institute is doing. If you can’t afford to purchase the book, you can click on the Ideal Solutions link on the home page to go to their store where the pdf version is available at no cost (though you will have to register for the site).
DUKE TIP – non-profit program for gifted students run out of Duke University.
- Main site – Information about the program. Links to interesting pages.
- Resources – Links to resources for gifted students and their families.
- Research – Excellent database of research related to gifted education.
MIRACA GROSS
** Exceptionally and Profoundly Gifted Students: An Underserved Population by Miraca Gross – This article by Miraca Gross details the ways that traditional education fails highly asynchronous learners both socio-affectively and academically. It resonates deeply with my personal experience and the many tales that parents have told me about their own children’s experiences.
LINDA SILVERMAN
** Social Development in the Gifted – This paper made me cry when I read it. It details the conflict between socialization (the normative process of accommodating the group) and social development (developing one’s authentic self) that occurs for age-atypical learners. I consider this a must-read article.
The Two-Edged Sword of Compensation:How the Gifted Cope with Learning Diabilities – When highly asynchronous children have learning disabilities or sensory deficits, they often compensate without anyone suspecting.
WIL WHEATON
These two short YouTube videos of actor Wil Wheaton make me tear up every time I watch them. If you have a child that hates “being different”, they make take heart from these:
MORE RESOURCES COMING!
Resources by Edward Spiegel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.