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Chicago Gifted Community Center

Creating connections - Creating community

In Chicago and the suburbs            

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Welcome to our blog.   Please note that this page is open to the public, so any comments made by members will be visible to the general public also.  At this time, only members can make comments to the posts. 


  • September 11, 2015 8:36 PM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)
    For seven days in October, the city’s top museums are joining together to celebrate Museum Week. Take advantage of discounted admissions, special exhibits, giveaways and more at each of the 12 participating museums. From culture to constellations, art to animals, this is your chance to experience Chicago’s most beloved institutions in a whole new way!


    See http://www.chicagomuseumweek.com/ for all the details.


  • September 05, 2015 2:36 PM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)

    Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT is a Twitter chat held weekly. Each week features a different topic and transcripts of the chats are available. Participating is a nice way to get a boost of support. Here is the complete description from their web site..



    Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter that takes place on Fridays at 7PM ET/6PM CT & 4 PM PT in the U.S. Find your time zone here. On the third Sunday of each month, #gtchat moves to 4 PM ET /3 PM CT and 1 PM PT in the U.S. (your time zone here) to accommodate the schedules of those who are unable to attend on Fridays. For 1 hour, parents, educators, advocates and experts in the field of gifted and talented gather to share resources, links, authentic life experiences and insights about gifted issues.

    Founded in 2010 by Deborah Mersino, this successful Twitter chat is now moderated by Lisa Conrad who may be followed on Twitter @gtchatmod. The #gtchat Community includes archived transcripts at Storify, a Facebook Page and this Blog where weekly posts summarize each chat and include all the links provided during the chat. The conversation does not end with the last tweet of a chat. More than 1,200 tweets are devoted to the #gtchat hashtag each week. Just search “#gtchat” on Twitter to see what’s happening in the gifted and talented community.

    A wide-range of topics are discussed each week. Past topics have included: twice-exceptional gifted children, perfectionism, multicultural gifted education, executive functioning, parenting gifted children, differentiation, acceleration, how to write an individual education plan for a gifted student and much more.

    At #gtchat, we also are proud of the many guest experts in the field of gifted education who have joined us to discuss their area of expertise. Past guests have included Dr. Lynette Breedlove (Executive Director of Gatton Academy), Dr. Lynne Kenney (The Family Coach), Dr. Joy Lawson Davis (Bright, Black and Gifted), Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman (Ungifted), Calista Frederick-Jankowsi (Davidson Young Scholars), Lisa Van Gemert (American Mensa), Ian Byrd (Byrdseed Gifted) and many more.

    Have we piqued your interest? Join us on Twitter by following @gtchatmod and the hashtag #gtchat. See you on Fridays at 7/6 C!



  • August 24, 2015 7:27 PM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)

    Registration is open for Fermilab's fall line-up of Science Adventures. Classes are for students in grades K - 8 and  generally take place on Saturday mornings. Example classes include "Dinosaur Hunt" (grades K-2), "Magnetic Magic" (grades 1-4) and "Lego Engineering" (grades 6 - 8). See the Fermilab Science Adventures web page for a complete listing of classes and registration information.


  • August 11, 2015 8:34 AM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)


    From the Adler Planetarium web site:


    Spend an Evening Underneath the Stars

    Don't miss your chance to spend a night at the museum!  Please note that Astro-Overnights are limited to children ages 6-10 (entering 1st grade through 4th grade) with their families, scout group, or other special group. All children attending the evening-only portion or the full Overnight MUST be accompanied by an adult. 

    • Check out our hands-on activities
    • See two amazing sky shows
    • Telescope Observing
    • Enjoy a light snack
    • Savor a continental breakfast

    Want to enjoy the evening, but can't spend the night? No worries. There is an evening only option available on select dates. Enjoy the same program, but sleep in your own bed.

    Tickets for 2016 Astro-Overnights will go on sale Saturday, August 15.

    Upcoming Astro - Overnight Dates:

    February 5, 2016

    March 4, 2016

    March 11, 2016

    April 1, 2016

    May 6, 2016

    June 3, 2016


  • May 28, 2015 10:50 AM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)

    Looking for more discussions with the gifted community? Here's one way to do it via Twitter.


    Each Friday at 7E/6C/5M/4P, people get together on Twitter to chat about all things related to the gifted community using the hashtag #gtchat. To join the conversation, you need to have a Twitter account and it cannot be designated as ‘private’. If you feel the need to protect your tweets (only followers can see what you tweet), consider opening a second account under a pseudonym just to chat.


    Continue reading the instructions here, the source of the above excerpt.


  • May 21, 2015 4:10 PM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)

    From the Adler Planetarium 5/21/2015 Adler Planetarium email newsletter:


    How big is the Solar System, really? How long does it take light to travel from the Sun to the Earth? See for yourself with Planets on the Path, the Adler's new walkable scale model of the Solar System.  

     

    Starting this Memorial Day weekend, you'll find planet installations spanning Chicago's entire lakefront. Beginning with the "Sun" station at the Adler, you can follow the "planets" south to Calumet Park or north to Juneway Terrace Park. If you walk at a leisurely pace, it will take you about the same amount of time to reach each planet as it would take a beam of light. Pretty cool, right? 


    Learn more about Planets on the Path and map your route today!


  • May 20, 2015 7:51 PM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)
    The Illinois Science Council (ISC) is hosting its inaugural Chicago Science Fest May 28-30. It's all in honor of the 2600th birthday of science. (In 585 B.C., the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus correctly predicted a solar eclipse. His rigorous thinking and advocacy that phenomena are due to natural causes, rather than angry gods, made Thales incredibly influential and dubbed the "father of science." The date of the eclipse was May 28 which means this year can be deemed the 2600th anniversary of the founding of the field of science.)  

    Check out the great list of programs below and join us to expand your mind with Chicago's extraordinary researchers at Chicago Science Fest!


    Tickets are $10; $15 at the door; All Saturday Pass: $30 advance /$35 at the door, while they last.


    Sales end at 6:00pm the day before the event.
    Program details and speaker info at IllinoisScience.org


     

    Please spread the word about ScienceFest! #ChiSciFest



  • April 14, 2015 8:48 AM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)


    Every Saturday morning beginning April 4, through June 6, 2015; lectures start at 11:00 a.m. (No lecture on May 23rd [Memorial Day weekend]).


    Lecturer: Andrew McCann, EFI Postdoctoral Scholar 
    Topic: "Nature's Timepiece: The Exotic World of Pulsars"

    Kersten Physics Teaching Center
    5720 S. Ellis Avenue, Room 106
    Chicago, IL 60637


    Neutron stars are born in the final moments of the supernova death of massive stars and, in keeping with their exotic origin, they exhibit unmatched extremes in a variety of ways. Not only are they the smallest stars we know of, neutron stars are the most dense solid objects in the known Universe. Their surface gravity is 100 billion times that of the Earth and their magnetic fields’ strengths, which can reach 1015 Gauss, are the strongest known to exist. Neutron stars are born rotating rapidly and their emission, like the beam from a lighthouse, is observed as a highly stable and regular periodic pulsation - hence the name 'pulsating star' or 'pulsar'. Although pulsars were discovered over 40 years ago and the number of known pulsars exceeds 2400, the physical processes which power the vast array of unique and often bizarre phenomena observed from pulsars are poorly understood. Explaining the observed behaviour of neutron stars has become one of the most challenging puzzles in high-energy astrophysics. Despite the longstanding mystery of their emission, the steady and predictable pulsations from pulsars make them remarkably powerful astrophysical tools. This duality has put pulsars at the centre of some of the most compelling astrophysical research of the last few decades.


    Each week we will explore different aspects of this duality, by reviewing pulsar phenomena in different wave bands (radio, optical, x-ray, gamma-ray) and by discussing the role of pulsars in tests of Einstein's theory of relativity and in the search for gravitational waves.  No scientific background is required -- just bring your curiosity. 


    See The Compton Lecture Series web site for complete details.


  • March 19, 2015 12:08 PM | Linda Zanieski (Administrator)

    The Chicago Humanities Festival announces the 16th annual Stages, Sights & Sounds international performance festival for young audiences, May 7-20 at Victory Gardens Biograph Theater (2433 N Lincoln Ave). 

     From spectacular global performances to local favorites, and hands-on workshopsto readings and screenings, Stages, Sights & Sounds has just the ticket for the young person in your life!

    Stages, Sights & Sounds is Chicago’s only international performance festival for young audiences. Fresh, original performances from Canada, Europe, and even our hometown, Chicago, will delight children and adults alike. Join us for dozens of performances and hands-on experiences.

    Click here for complete listing of performances and workshops.  Prices vary by event.


  • March 14, 2015 10:19 AM | Deleted user

    Entering the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the maxim “Know Thyself” (γνῶθι σεαυτόν) chastened all to attend to the most difficult calling of the human experience: to go within, dismantle facades and defenses, and bring light to one’s Self.  Introspection often begins when presumptions are affronted by experience, with dichotomy between ideal and actual in the world or in the mind.  Individuals of high intelligence are not exempt; their inner landscape may be even more challenging.  Not only do inner processes potentially increase in speed and complexity, but oftentimes the border between our Selves and the world (perhaps the “chiasm”) is more permeable with a greater capacity to penetrate and be penetrated.

     

    “Superstimulatability” is one of a constellation of traits which we might include under the emerging category of neurodiversity.  Most famously, autism, but also dyslexia, synaesthesia, visual-spatial orientation, and intelligence are coming to be understood as difference in the development of the nervous system as a whole, a difference in wiring.  Connections exist in unexpected places, are more or less numerous, or differ qualitatively. Some brains and bodies contain wiring that bears a greater load, like an electrical circuit with lesser resistance channeling a greater current.  This may result in increased fluid intelligence; this may also result in a nervous system which allows more of the world in thus affecting the type, quality, and number of processes initiated inside.

     

    “Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching, and counseling in order for them to develop optimally.” – The Columbus Group, 1991

    Definitions of “giftedness” are as diverse and numerous as twentieth century educational philosophies.  The primary division is between those definitions which are achievement-oriented, emphasizing the contribution which the highly intelligent person might make to society, and those which are attribute-oriented.  While educational organizations are now commonly choosing to align themselves with the achievement and talent model which may be more appreciable to potential investors, organizations focused primarily on the affective or social-emotional ramifications of intelligence emphasize experience which diverges from the quantifiable norm.  Mensans are by definition at least two standard deviations above the norm representing the top 2% of IQs with a cutoff score around 130 depending on the assessment; two standard deviations below the norm, persons with IQ 70 and below are considered intellectually disabled and are widely supported by governmental and educational bodies especially in the areas of cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial functioning.  

     

    Equally outlying, both groups have divergent intellectual, psychological, and behavioral characteristics.  Those of higher intelligence often exhibit alertness, sensitivity, intensity, and idealism which extend to encompass individuals’ orientation towards themselves and the world.  An environment which fails to accommodate such outliers invites maladaptation: Frustration, anxiety, boredom, or depression bloom under hostile conditions, and adversity arises even under the most ideal.  However, intelligence may offer a key catalyst for transformation.  Kazimierz Dabrowski proposed that “disintegrative” periods may be positive and lead to the development of the personality – requiring both integration and self-knowledge – if the person possesses sufficient responsiveness, especially of intelligence, emotion, and imagination, alongside strong developmental potential and additional dynamisms.

     

    Recognizing the extent of the impact of such differences is foundational for self-knowledge and pivotal when raising a highly intelligent child.  Intensity characterizes every action and interaction, often leaving the parents of gifted children exhausted, bewildered, and isolated.  Organizations like Mensa, Serving the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Model Parent Groups, online networks, and other means of sharing information with others facing similar challenges create opportunities for both parents and their highly intelligent children to develop fluency with the theoretical frameworks and mediating practices which allow for development and flourishing.  Willing to venture unfamiliar shores for their children’s sake, parents often discover their own intelligence.  Exploring others, we discover ourselves.  Go forth and hasten inward to ascertain the pervasiveness of intelligence’s effect on your Self. Yet Thales would caution: It is difficult to know thyself; giving advice is easy.

     

    Recommended reading: Daniels and Piechowski’s Living with Intensity, James Webb’s A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children

      

    Heather C. Nicholson, M.S. Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Gifted Education, has recently moved to Chicago from the mountains of western Virginia.  She is the City of Chicago Coordinator and a board member of the Chicago Gifted Community Center, alumna of PEG at Mary Baldwin College, and new Mensan.

     

    This article was originally written for and published in Chicago-area Mensa's publication ChiMe in March 2015. 

     

About cgcc

The Chicago Gifted Community Center (CGCC) is a member-driven 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by parents to support the intellectual and emotional growth of gifted children and their families. 

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We  are an all volunteer-based organization that relies on annual memberships from parents, professionals, and supporters to provide organizers with web site operations, a registration system, event insurance, background checks, etc. 

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info@chicagogiftedcommunity.org

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