Book for gifted 12 year old.

Dave Master dave_master_edu
Fri Apr 18 14:54:22 PDT 2003


Christopher, 
      If you haven't already read it, there is a wonderful book that explores the point that Alan makes.  The book is titled "Talented Teenagers" and  was written by Csikszentmihalyi, Rathunde, and Wong.  I think you'd really enjoy its' insights into the importance of "personal engagement".  Csikszentmihalyi is also the author of two other books that deal with this issue (and much more!): "Flow" and "Creativity".  Everything I experienced in my 25 years of teaching,  observing how "students" learn at every level (from Jr. High, thru H.S. and even when I was Director of Artist development at Warner Bros.), is reflected in Csikszentmihalyi's extensive research findings. When explaining the underlying philosophy of then ACME Animation program I always refer folks to Csikszentmihalyi's books.  
     With regards to the ACME program I've been developing over the last eight years with folks at WorkforceLA, I've found that our effectiveness in helping learners develop their abilities increases when we more intentionally implement the recommendations and suggestions culled from these wonderful books. (I have a quote from "Creativity", p.330, hanging in my office at Cal Poly where I can read it every day!) These books are not "How-To" educational "cookbooks", just insightful research findings and some modest suggestions that readers can reflect on and maybe adapt to their own situations. If you ever get a chance to hear Csikszentmihalyi speak (he is presently at the Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University), you should take advantage of the opportunity. I find his presentations to be thoughtful and measured as well as full of great insights one can reflect on and adapt. 
   Also, if you haven't already read it, another "Classic" on this subject is Alfred North Whitehead's essay "The Aims of Education" where he speaks eloquently (almost poetically) about what he terms "romance" and its relation to a learner's growing principled and precise understanding and performance abilities. His explanation of "the Rhythm of Learning" should be the main topic of discussion and practice/implementation in every Teacher Prep program in the country.  
  I love following all of the efforts of the folks in the "Squeakland.org" community as you facilitate young learners' creativity and principled understanding (I guess i'm what you tech savvy folks call a "lurker", as ominous and pergorative as that sounds).  I learn allot from the lively online dialogues and social problem-solving.  I hope those of you interested in animation (a wonderful multi-disciplinary artform and "language") will also check out ACME Online.  The initial informational website www.acmeanimation.org will be open sometime next week. We're still evaluating the data and feedback from the pilot participants (from 13 countries) and making the necessary revisions before opening up the site in October.      
     The ACME Online site is based on "personal interest" and  is not linear in nature.  But, a "dynamic tension" also exists between the learner's personal interests/aspirations and social recognition and validation from "one's tribe" or  larger community. Also there is a natural tension between one's personal expression and one's emerging mastery of fundamental principles and "tools"...aspirations and expertise don't always line-up, (ha ha!).   On Acme we give participants access to the domain/disciplinary principles and to field (expert) feedback in a timely ("just-in-time") manner (we call this exhibition to expert members of the "global tribe" the "Who sez?")...yet all of the activity is driven volitionally by  the participant in the context of his or her personal interests and aspirations. It's a "big mix" they navigate for themselves; we just provide multiple , and hopefully rich and diverse, options. 
       Csikszentmihalyi discusses the importance of these factors in the books I mentioned above books. I term this a "dynamic tension" becuase the primacy of one element over the other is never the same for all learners as they move through their explorations.  This "Rhythm" is something Whitehead speaks so eloquently about. 
    Chris, if you (or anyone in the Squeakland community) has any other suggested books or articles on the importance of "personal engagement" in the learning process (especially with regards to developing principled understanding, expertise, and  social feedback/validation issues)... I'd love to check them out. Chris, Good luck in your endeavors on behalf of young people.   Dave 
   
 Alan Kay wrote: The first question I'd ask is "what is she interested in?". It's 
almost always best to come up with projects that have some 
interesection with a learner's interests.

Cheers,

Alan

------

At 11:49 AM +1200 8/21/02, Christopher Sawtell wrote:
>Greetings List,
>
> I need some guiding about a book title for a very talented girl of 
>about 12 who is getting into squeak _very_ fast.
>
>Is there anything out there - on paper or otherwise - which is 
>between the "How to make a halo appear" type of tutorial and the 
>complex utterances from the real cognoscenti?
>
>Tnx a 10^6.
>
>--
>Sincerely etc.,
>Christopher Sawtell.


-- 


---------------------------------
Do You Yahoo!?
HotJobs, a Yahoo! service - Search Thousands of New Jobs
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://squeakland.org/mailman/private/squeakland/attachments/20020821/6d13a85d/attachment.htm


More information about the Squeakland mailing list