Andrea Yawman, aeyawman@gmail.

com AGATE Regional Conference, March 15, 2014

Welcome!

Parents Teachers Administrators Others What are your questions/concerns related to this topic?

bore verb To make weary with dullness, repetition, or tediousness

boredom noun Listlessness and dissatisfaction

Im:
o Tired

o Overwhelmed
o Hungry

Parent as probe

o Lonely
o Sad

o Mad
o Saying something Ive heard

peers/TV characters say o Weary of doing tasks that are not meaningful, engaging, or challenging

Beyond Boredom and Anxiety, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1975

Certain required tasks can be tedious and repetitive

Search for the purpose/usefulness Use a timer Add a dimension of creativity/imagination

We cant always be in a state of flow

Boredom can be the space needed to launch a creative endeavor

+Positive

Set the tone at the beginning Show gratitude

Specific
My kid is bored in school.

vs.
At home my child complains about a slow pace at school, especially during language arts time and he refuses to do the reading homework. This is new behavior.

Invite teacher to help with action research

o One week

Document frequency and circumstances when your child verbalizes boredom Compare notes with teacher Commonalities? How can these be addressed?

http://www.voki.com/mywebsite.php

How will a student attain the content? Consider a students:

o Readiness: needed faster pace o Interest: creative endeavors,

writing o Learning Profile: liked to work independently

Pre-assessment Why sit through what you already know? Replacement activity/project

Fight the urge to over-schedule and push Capitalize on strengths and interests What do you do?
Places People Home Other

Writers & Books Library Books!!! Community Organizations/Church Social Justice!

Family Friends Mentors

Games e.g. Forbidden Island Writers Guild Scavenger Hunts Create websites

Habits of Mind how do these apply to the highly capable childs ability to combat boredom?

Blah!

Persisting

Stick to it! Not giving up talk to the Persevering in task through teacher; figure out whatto will completion; remaining focused decrease boredom
Understand Others!

Listening with Empathy and Understanding

Devoting mental energy to another person's thoughts and ideas; holding in abeyance one's own thoughts in order to perceive another's point of view and emotions
Know your knowing!

Thinking About your Thinking (Metacognition)

Being aware of one's own thoughts, strategies, feelings and actions and their effects on others.

How do you know?

Questioning and Problem posing

Having a questioning attitude; knowing what data are needed and developing Find problems to solve. questioning strategies to produce those data. Finding problems to solve.

Be clear!

Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision

Striving for accurate communication in both written and oral form; avoiding over generalizations, distortions and deletions

Try a different way!

Creating, Imagining and Innovating

Generate new, original ideas

Generating new and novel ideas, fluency, originality

Venture out! Being adventuresome; living on the edge of one's competence

Taking Responsible Risks

Work together!

Thinking interdependently

Being able to work in and learn from others in reciprocal situations.

Take your Time!

Managing Impulsivity

You dontbefore haveacting; to goremaining with your Thinking calm thoughtful and deliberative. initial Im bored thought

Look at it Another Way!

Thinking Flexibly

Being able to change Consider otherperspectives, options generate alternatives, consider options.

Check it again!

Striving for Accuracy and precision

A desire for exactness, fidelity and craftsmanship.

Use what you Learn!

Applying past knowledge to new situations

Accessing prior knowledge; transferring knowledge beyond the situation in which it was learned.

Use your natural pathways!

Gather data through all senses

Gathering data through all the sensory pathways--gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic, auditory and visual.

Responding with Wonderment and awe

The world is awesome Finding the world awesome, mysterious mysterious and and beingintriguing! intrigued with
phenomena and beauty.

Have fun figuring it out!

Finding Humor

Findthe the whimsical and Finding whimsical, incongruous and unexpected. Being able to laugh unexpected. at oneself.

Laugh a little!

Remaining open to Continuous learning

Having humility and pride when learn. Resist complacency. admitting we don't know; resisting complacency

I have so much more to

Learn from experiences!

Illustrations from Journey, by Aaron Becker

Space

Resources

Joy!
Support habits of mind

My website I will post your ideas for places, people, home and other ways to engage and captivate kids: http://ThinkLearnTeach.weebly.com Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun, by Joshua Glen & Elizabeth Foy Larsen
Beyond Boredom and Anxiety, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Drive, by Daniel Pink

habitsofmind.org
Journey, by Aaron Becker National Association for Gifted Children website parent membership includes subscription to Parenting for High Potential newsletter: http://nagc.org Good questions/positive ways to communicate with teachers: http://nagc.org/index.aspx?id=1109