The Gifted Education Magazine for Parents - Inaugural Issue 資優樂 - 創刊號

ISSUE NO.

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MAY 2009

Lifelong Learning ‘Parent Education Programme 08-09’

Feature Articles:

‘Critical Thinking’ Dr Irene T. F. Ho ‘Parenting of Nobel Prize Winners’ Dr Echo H. Y. Wu

Index Editorial 1

Consultation Centre

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The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted

Foreword

News Bites

Education (HKAGE) understands and recognises the critical role that parents play. Therefore the Consultation Centre

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has been established to provide parents with information and advice to meet their

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gifted children’s needs. The services include:

Feature Articles

Research Corner

· a phone and email enquiry service manned by a trained Education Advisor

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who provides information and advice to parents

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· face-to-face consultation with parents or gifted children whose needs are complex

Parent Voice

Book Review

Contact Details

12 Hotline : (852) 3698 3947

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Email : consultation@hkage.org.hk Operating Hours:

Parent Zone

Other Events 16

Monday to Friday: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

(Closed on public holidays)

Editorial

Nurturing the Gifted –

The Gifted Education Magazine for Parents Gifted children have their unique traits and developmental needs that are different from other children. Parents are often at the end of their tether when faced with the challenges of parenting and developing their gifted children. How can parents nurture happy and healthy gifted children and at the same time stretch their gifted children’s potential?

Our new publication, ‘Nurturing the Gifted’, is a magazine for parents of gifted children.

This biannual publication contains information on gifted education, parenting skills, homeschool collaboration, and news about the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education’s Parent Education Programmes. We hope that the magazine with its feature articles and informative sharing by educators and experienced parents will give parents insights into parenting the gifted young, as well as encouragement in their journey as parents.

The theme of our first issue is ‘Lifelong Learning for Parents’. It is our belief that parents, as role models for their children, should be continuously learning to improve their parenting knowledge and skills.

Through reflection and continuous learning, parents demonstrate a strong commitment as well as a firm belief to fulfil their parenting role in the value of learning.

In this inaugural issue, two famous scholars have been invited to contribute articles: ‘Nurturing Children’s Critical Thinking’ and ‘The Impact and Influence of the Parents of Nobel Laureates’. In addition, Ms Veon Cheng, the recent former Chairman of the Parent Association for the Exceptionally Gifted, shares her experience as the parent of a gifted child and her continuous learning insights. There is also a piece on research into the effectiveness of parent education as well as a recommended book written by a Taiwanese mother about the Finnish education system. We hope to present the core theme ‘Lifelong Learning for Parents’ through different types of information and different perspectives.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our editorial staff and all the writers.

Without their contributions and efforts, our magazine would not be possible.

I hope you will enjoy ‘Nurturing the Gifted’ and find it informative and useful. Please do not hesitate to share this with other parents!

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Foreword Dear Parents

W

elcome to the first edition of the HKAGE Parent Newsletter! We hope that you find it informative, useful and interesting, with an appropriate balance between information relating to facts and information relating to judgments.

The role of parenting is never easy but when there is the added dimension of having a gifted child the tasks can seem ever more daunting. There are no absolutes in being a parent and what works for one child may be entirely inappropriate for another. That is why it is so difficult to generalise about what most suits the needs of gifted children.

One of the four frontline divisions of the HKAGE is Parent Support and we aim to ensure that no matter what issue you are facing we can offer information, advice and support to help you see your way through the problem or issue. This Newsletter is part of the overall service provision from the Academy and we hope that it will prove to be a useful addition to the growing armoury of tools for effective parenting.

This is a Newsletter for you! We want you to feel that it serves your needs well because it addresses the issues that are important to you. To do this properly requires responses from you so that we can be more confident that we are meeting your needs, so please • l et us know what topics you would like to see covered in future additions • email us with your experiences where you have found something that works with your gifted child • email us with your questions and we will provide answers in subsequent “Q & As” (ps@hkage.org.hk) The research evidence is very clear. Good parenting can make a significant difference. Parents do matter!

And Parent Voice is important – so we hope this Magazine goes some way to making your role a little easier.

Dr Stephen Tommis Executive Director, HKAGE

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News Bites

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A Date with Us!

‘My son is really smart and he learns fast. I really want to know more about how to nurture his talents by taking part in some parent seminars from the Academy. But it’s so far away,’ a mother living in Yuen Long says to her neighbour.

In North Point, a teacher keeps complaining to a mother about her hyperactive gifted child who often plays around in class. The mother feels miserable and helpless. She really wants to help her son but doesn’t know what to do.

Dear parents, do you share similar experiences and feelings? Please check out our Project Twice Exceptional and tell us how you feel and what you need. You can also chat with ‘the two mothers from Yuen Long and North Point’ in our online e-forum to share your experience in parenting your gifted child.

”

Project Twice Exceptional

e-Forum for Parents

Twice exceptionality refers to children who are gifted

This is an interactive platform for parents to share

and who are diagnosed with other special educational

their experiences in parenting a gifted child. You

needs (e.g. Autism / Asperger, Special Learning

are welcome to voice your opinion on the various

Difficulties and ADHD, etc.). The understanding of

parenting topics and we shall respond to some

and support given to this special group of children

comments. For more information, please check

in Hong Kong is scarce. This project will focus on

out the Parent Zone on our website.

identifying the needs of twice exceptional children and their families and develop research-based evidence and supporting services for them. If your child is twice exceptional, please do not hesitate to join us.

Website: www.hkage.org.hk/b5/pz_te/

Website: www.hkage.org.hk/b5/pz_forum/

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Feature Articles

Lifelong learning for parents ─

Parent Education Programme 08-09 In this issue, we have invited two speakers from our ‘Parent Education Programme 08-09’ to share their knowledge with us. If you have participated in our seminars this year, let us review and reflect on what we have learnt. For those of us who were too busy to attend, let us begin our learning journey together now.

’W

hich school is better for my child?’ ’Should I use

A thinker with sound values and a good attitude will tend to

Chinese or Western medicine?’ ’How can I prepare

be more selfless, open, just and careful. Also, a competent

myself to survive the financial tsunami?’

critical thinker can only analyse and reason having solid

You have to make choices every day. But how do you know if you are making a good decision? Critical thinking is crucial when you have to analyse a situation in which there are different contributing factors. We need critical thinking skills to establish our views and stands on issues

knowledge related to the issue being analysed. For example, if a person is ignorant about the local political scene or does not have adequate knowledge of the Hong Kong legal system and history, his views on the universal suffrage for the Chief Executive will be questionable.

such as same-sex marriage, euthanasia or the

Nurturing critical thinking in children

implementation of universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council.

Three essential factors for critical thinking The quality of critical thinking is affected by one’s thinking skills,

A child’s habit of information use and interpretation as well as

Critical

his / her problem solving

Thinking Dr. Irene Ho

attitude and knowledge

nurture a critical thinker, parents have to provide children the opportunities to practice critical should discuss

reasoning about. The set

with their children

of thinking skills represent the

issues with no

ability to analyse an issue based on

definite answers,

facts, logic and different perspectives.

encourage them to

Highly intelligent people usually

ask ‘why’ questions and

have strong thinking ability;

develop their ideas with

however, without sound

reason and evidence. Allowing

values, positive attitude

children to make decisions

and common sense, would be affected.

critical thinking ability. To

thinking. Parents

in the area which one is

their analytical reasoning

approach reflects his / her

and teaching them how to evaluate

different positions can also

develop the children’s critical thinking skills.

Feature Articles

In addition, activities that can broaden a child’s horizon are beneficial to widening the child’s perspectives and deepening his / her understanding of certain issues or topics.

Children should be encouraged to read widely, participate

Dr. Irene Ho is an Assistant Professor teaching the Educational Psychology Programme at the Department of Psychology, HKU. She is also a Registered Psychologist with the Hong Kong Psychological Society and is currently the Chairperson of the Division of Educational Psychology of the Society. Dr. Ho has extensive experience in psycho-educational services for children with special needs. Thinking skills development is one of her research areas and she has been co-leading the recent development of a critical thinking teaching package for senior secondary school students with other local and international scholars. This project was commissioned by the Education Bureau and Dr. Ho has participated in related teacher training.

in community services and go on outings to gain more general knowledge. Finally, it is important that parents are role models for their children in critical thinking. As a parent, you can share with your child the process you have

Profile of Dr. Ho

taken in making a stand or arriving at a certain decision, instilling in them the importance of making good decisions, with careful deliberation and supported by good reasons.

Becoming a reasonable gifted child Gifted children possess a strong ability to analyse and reason.

Their critical thinking abilities are usually better than their peers’. They are inquisitive and some can also demonstrate perfectionism. However, due to their lack of life experiences and knowledge, they might not have developed a set of sound values to guide them in reasoning. Hence they could seem to be unreasonable or overly critical in presenting an argument. Sometimes, they might bluntly point out others' mistakes without considering the possible negative effects.

Parents have to remind their children that even if they may reason well and have logical viewpoints they still have to learn how to express their views in an appropriate manner.

Should your child disagree with you, it is important that you show understanding and make allowances for them, bearing in mind that children need time and space to grow. Always remain calm even if there are disagreements. Effective parenting is always based on good parent-child relationship.

Tips for Parents ★ In addition to having critical thinking skills, a good critical thinker is knowledgeable and open-minded. ★ To nurture children’s critical thinking, parents should role model critical thinking behavior (make wise decisions, think well before acting and use sound reasoning). ★ To nurture logical and critical gifted children, in addition to cognitive development, parents should emphasise affective education as well. ★ Hold regular family meetings involving the children, and allow them to air their opinions in issues affecting the whole family. It is a good way for them to practice perspective-taking and critical thinking.

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Feature Articles

Parenting and Achievement:

Interviews with Nobel Laureates Dr. Echo Wu

Overview︱

The Nobel Prize has been the highest honour for outstanding achievements in both the academic and non-academic disciplines since its inception in 1901.

Many of us may be familiar with the works of these outstanding men and women but few would have knowledge about their family background and the roles of their parents in their growing years. My research aims to unfold the Nobel Laureates’ belief about family and the main factors that had contributed to their achievements through interviews. I hope the results of my research could inform parents, researchers and other professionals and have an impact on early childhood education. My study attempts to answer the following questions: (1) What do the Nobel Laureates understand by the relationship between parenting and achievement?

(2) How did their experience being brought up by their parents impacted their later success?

(3) What are the learning points for parents and educators?

Background︱ Researches have

Methods︱ This qualitative research aims to

shown that parents’ high expectation is one of the factors

study the unique environment in which the Nobel Laureates

which could lead children to subsequent success. Other

grew up in with a focus on their parents’ parenting approach

contributing factors include the involvement of parents and

in their early childhood. The first laureate was Dr. Bill Phillips,

the effort they invest in nurturing their children, family’s social

a physicist. The second laureate was Dr. Norman Ramsey, a

economical background, and the parent-child relationship.

professor of physics at Harvard University. The third laureate was Dr. Paul Samuelson, a professor of economics at M.I.T.

The Western philosophy about success has its roots

He was 92 when I interviewed him but he was still active

in ancient Greek which emphasises nature instead of

as an academic and working as a government economics

nurture. Many researchers have found that westerners

consultant. The fourth laureate was Dr. Ted Haensch, a

tend to attribute success to innate abilities and failure

professor of physics at the University of Munich, Germany.

to uncontrollable factors such as adversity or a lack of

The main questions asked during the interviews were

opportunity. In some Asian cultures, people usually

related to the characteristics of their family and upbringing

attribute success to hard work and failure to indolence.

during their early childhood, their cultural background,

My research aimed to probe into the reasons the Nobel

daily habits and activities, and the impact of their parents

Laureates had attributed their achievements to through

on their academic study.

interviews with them.

Feature Articles

Results and Analysis︱ From the interviews,

I found several common factors including the laureates’ passion for learning, enormous support from their parents, freedom of choice, reading habit, luck and mentors.

Firstly, all the four laureates mentioned their passion for mathematics and natural science. This had not only intrinsically motivated them to indulge in topics or activities they enjoyed but also led them to the career path which suited them most. Secondly, though not all the families of the laureates had an academic background, their parents provided them with tremendous and flexible support in their study, sporting and even social-emotional development.

Thirdly, their parents encouraged them and gave them the freedom to choose instead of imposing their preferences.

As parents, they were not excessively demanding. Despite the fact that their parents had different expectations on their choice of career, they allowed their children to choose their own areas of study. It was this freedom of choice which maintained their interest in the subjects they had selected and further cultivated their creativity and ability to solve problems independently. Fourthly, all of them loved books and had good reading habit. This habit enabled them to explore the world at a very young age through books, which had not only widened their horizon in terms of out-of-school knowledge but also fueled their interest in particular areas.

Fifthly, one of the words which appeared most frequently in the interviews was ‘luck’. Although the link of ‘opportunities’ and ‘luck’ to achievement was debatable, it was considered a key factor by all four laureates. Pasteur had once said that ’chance favors the prepared mind’. These laureates’ hard work and diligence over the years had prepared them well for subsequent extraordinary achievement. However, their attribution of success to luck showed their humility.

Lastly, the positive influence of mentors was identified as one of the most important factors for their success. To them, a good teacher or mentor could arouse students’ interest and motivate them to pursue excellence in certain fields. Appropriate and positive guidance was essential in developing gifts.

Dr. Echo Wu is an Assistant Professor at the HKIEd. Her research interests include gifted education and parenting. Dr Wu has tremendous experiences in teaching and conducting research. She possesses international perspectives in gifted and talented education as she has been teaching and studying in mainland China, Australia, Hong Kong and the USA. Dr Wu has presented papers at international educational conferences and her research outcomes have been published in various leading academic journals. She is a member of various professional organizations in gifted education such as National Association for Gifted Children, American Educational Research Association, and World Council for Gifted and Talented Children.

Profile of Dr. Wu

Implication︱ The interviews with

the four Nobel Laureates constituted only a small part of my research which involved 20 laureates (and two parents).

The initial results had pointed to the importance of family in the development of children’s potential. It is hoped that the study will inspire parents, educators, professionals or even other readers.

In general, parents’ encouragement and home support are the most crucial factors in determining how their children could excel in future. In addition to their support, parents should allow a certain degree of freedom and flexibility for their children to choose and discover their interests and passions, and to do what they really enjoy. Good reading habits, diligence and mentors could also positively contribute to their future success.

Tips for Parents ★ Attributing success and failure to factors that can be controlled (e.g. effort and strategies) can better motivate children to learn. ★ To enhance intrinsic motivation, parents should allow children the freedom to choose. ★ Establishing the habit of reading is more important than reading certain genre of books. Parents should give children the choice to pick their reading material in order to establish a good reading habit. Once they have this habit, the quantity and genre will naturally increase.

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Research Corner

Parent Education Programme -

Are you ready for that?

— An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Parent Education A Chinese leader once said that ‘validation is the only way to test the truth’ which implies the importance of validating facts. In terms of science, the understanding of the world through testing is called experimental research. We place a lot of trust on what the university professors present in their papers as these are often regarded as knowledge and theories. These knowledge and theories are validated by research evidence. In this magazine, we hope to share with you different types of research and their findings which we hope will enhance your knowledge in parenting.

Foreword

T

It emphasises the provision of family services and resources that improve parenting.

here are many types of courses for parents each year.

Sometimes we wonder if these programmes are really

Regardless of the terms used, Dr Hoard thought that it was

helpful to parents. Similarly, when you send your children to

important to evaluate the effectiveness of parent education

playgroups, tutorial classes or any extra-curricular activities,

programmes.

you would be wondering if your kids really benefit from these.

Dr Daniel Hoard from the University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A

Parent education: a brief history

was also interested in this issue. Therefore he conducted a meta-analysis in 2005 to scrutinise the effectiveness of parent education programmes in America.

Defining ' Parent Education’

Parent education can be traced back to the early 1800s when mothers met in small groups to discuss child rearing practices.

In 1918, the United States Public Health Service coordinated the first health-related programmes to educate parents.

Unfortunately, interest in parent education programmes

In order to examine the effectiveness of parent education,

declined in the 30's as increased responsibility was given

it is necessary to clarify this term. Dr Hoard (2005) defined

to institutions such as schools to teach children (Isn’t it the

parent education as the systematic presentation of information

same in Hong Kong?). As a response to changing family

to parents in order to support their efforts and abilities to

dynamics, several large-scale parent education programmes

promote their children's development. It is expected that

were developed in the 1970s and 80s including ‘Head Start’

after having participated in such learning activities, there

and the publication of the ‘Parent Effectiveness Training’

would be a positive change in the behavior of both parent

(P.E.T.) programme. These programmes were implemented

and child and also improved quality in their interaction

at a national level and had educated thousands of parents

with one another.

on techniques to relate positively with their children.

However, Dr Hoard also stated that the term 'parent education'

Analysis of parent education studies

implied a teacher-centred approach (with the speakers dominating the course) and provided little opportunities

Method

for interactions between speakers and parents. Terms like

In 2005, Dr Hoard conducted a meta-analysis of 16 studies

'family support programmes' are better received nowadays.

on parent education in the United States over the past

Research Corner

two decades. The analysis focused on the feasibility and effectiveness of the education for parents with children in primary or secondary schools and also aimed at investigating different approaches to parenting.

Studies which were included in the meta-analysis if:

Conclusion

1) The programmes met the definition of ‘parent education’

From the research, it is evident that parents who made the effort

to learn to be better parents would impact more positively on

as afore-mentioned; and

2) Children of these programmes' participant were primary

their children. Participation in parent education we believe will

not only improve parents’ parenting skills and knowledge, it

or secondary school students.

will also set the parents as good role models for their children.

Results Dr Hoard made useful suggestions and provided directions for assessing parent education programmes. He also made the following observations and conclusions concerning

Reference: Hoard, H. & Shepard, K.N. (2005). Parent Education as Parent-Centered Prevention: A Review of School-Related Outcomes.

School Psychology Quarterly. 20(4), 434-454.

the effectiveness of parent education: 1. Parents who had received the parent education programmes demonstrated a more positive attitude when managing their children's behavioral problems. In one of the parent education programmes that was targeted at enhancing parents support for their children, research revealed

Tips for Parents

that participating parents were able to provide more

★ Self-concept consists of self understanding, evaluation

guidance and handled their children’s emotions better.

and acceptance. Parents should have reasonable

This benefit was also seen in a follow-up study after one

expectations for their children and embrace their merits

year.

and demerits for a healthy self-concept development.

★ There are different types of gifted programmes for 2. Children benefit from parent education. The same study

children. When you choose a gifted course for your

also showed that students whose parents had received

child, check to see if it can develop his / her problem

relevant programme displayed significant improvements in self-

solving and higher order thinking skills. Attention

concept and at the same time a decrease in negative behaviors.

should also be given to whether the programmes also address the affective needs of gifted children.

Make sure the course provides interaction between your child and other gifted children of similar abilities (regardless of the chronological age).

P

articipating in any parent education programme is one of the routes in your lifelong learning journey. If you encounter any problems in selecting a course, our Education Advisor is more than happy to help you.

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Parent Voice

Parenting the gifted child

— growing together

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e are pleased to have invited Ms Cheng Siu Mui, Veon, former Chairman of the Parent Association for the Exceptionally Gifted, to share with us her experience in lifelong learning and nurturing her gifted child.

I： Can you share with us your learning journey as a parent?

I： There are many ways to learn. I know that you have participated in a lot of voluntary work.

V： Yes, sure. Every parent wants their children to succeed and hopes to maintain a good parent-child relationship.

V： Yes, I have. I started volunteering to do community

I’m no exception. Before getting married, I was a

services when my daughter was two. I also learned

childcare worker. After I got pregnant, I started to

how to use the internet and computer. I kept learning

learn how to cater for the psychological and physical

until she completed her primary education.

needs of children, such as enhancing their learning motivation, understanding the uniqueness of boys and girls and their needs, etc

I： Generally speaking, the changes in children will be more apparent when they approach adolescence.

Was it a great challenge to you as a parent of an

I： You’re already a professional. People migh ask why

adolescent? How did you prepare for that?

you needed to further your studies.

V： I gave up my job when my daughter turned nine months old. Although I already had professional qualification in childcare, there was still a need to pursue further education in this area. I then joined several parent seminars and consulted the experienced parents around me. I even learned foot massage after recognising that it would help my daughter to grow healthily.

V： I was told to look for a job when my daughter started her secondary education. But I didn’t because I knew adolescents needed their families to care and support them. I wanted my daughter to know that I was always there for her. I enrolled in a mediation course and volunteered at a mediation centre so as to learn the skills in building a harmonious relationship with my family.

Profile of

Parent Voice

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Ms. Veon Cheng Siu Mui Ms Veon Cheng, the former Chairman of the Parent Association for the Exceptionally Gifted, has worked as a registered childcare worker / supervisor and a registered community mediator. She is learning continuously and has even taken courses on acupuncture. She has conducted childcare courses for adults and volunteered at reading rooms, elderly centres, mediation centres, etc.

Tips for Parents ★ Research has revealed that the participation of parents in the school activities of their children positively correlates with the learning outcome of their children. ★ Parents have to regard their adolescent children’s self-esteem. Learn to befriend them and your communication with them will improve.

I： You will understand the need of an adolescent better if you try to be his / her friend. Do you

★ Encourage your children to participate in extracurricular activities such as scouting and community services. These activities can enhance your children’s social-emotional development and help them better adjust to any new environments such as when they are promoted to secondary schools.

agree?

I： You are a good lifelong learner. Can you offer V： I agree. When I was preparing to teach a childcare course, my daughter helped me prepare the handouts and gave me many ideas on the format and teaching materials for the course. Since then my relationship with her has improved a lot and we became good friends.

Later, I also took a course in acupuncture. Each time I administered acupuncture treatment to my daughter, we would talk a lot and this deepened my understanding of her. Her gratitude for my treatment makes all my hard work and sacrifices worthwhile.

I also explore and engage in modern activity and popular culture such as golf and pop songs. All these have contributed a lot to our meaningful parent-child relationship.

other parents some tips on how to start their own journey of lifelong learning?

V： They have to know their own personality and interests before they choose suitable programmes to attend. Gradually, they can even learn other topics in addition to those they are interested in.

Sometimes, lifelong learning also means sharing with others or giving of yourself through voluntary work. We could all contribute to make the world a better place.

We thank Veon for her sharing and sincerely hope that you can also experience the joy of lifelong learning. Starting from today, select one mode of learning activity that suits you and grow happily with your gifted child!

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Book Review

A book to recommend:

'Finland— Author: Publisher: Year:

a country

Chen Zhihua ECUS Publishing Ltd., Taiwan 2008

Which of the following would be your first reaction if you find out that your child is gifted? a) He / She will need an IQ assessment. b) Keep praying to God that it is not true. c) No wonder why he’s so inattentive in class! d) Great! He can bring glory to our family! e) Should we let him skip a grade?

If you have selected any of the above, you could have overreacted. As people are more informed and pay closer attention to gifted education, many parents would clamour for any programmes that claims to be for gifted children. At this juncture, you might want to consider what kind of world you would like your child to live in: one which is highly elitist or one that provides equal opportunities for all? The book ‘Finland – a country without gifted classes’ will give you some insights. This book

by Chen Zhihua analysed the Finnish education system. Zhihua was a Taiwanese mother who migrated with her family to Finland and interviewed different schools and teachers there.

In this book, she mentioned that the Finns developed the talents and potentials of every child with special emphasis on the development of their lifelong learning skills as well as their understanding and exploration of knowledge. Instead of focusing on academic results, children were encouraged to raise questions on different issues. Children in Hong Kong can be very inquisitive too, but sometimes their parents just dismiss them with replies like ’Shut up!’ ’You’ll know when you grow up’. As time goes by, children will no longer ask questions.

without gifted classes

'

Book Review

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The Finnish education system encourages children to learn things as a whole before going into the fine details. Without repetitions which hinder children from positive and creative learning, the progressive and diversified education methods of Finland aim to broaden children’s horizons from the preliminary stage of cognition to the advanced phase of lifelong learning. This is carried out under the guidance of teachers who cultivate the children’s positive learning and inspire them to explore the values of life.

Repetitive drills can sometimes block the children’s learning and discourage them from having motivation and interest in learning.

If your child is inquisitive and asks lots of questions, you should treasure and nurture this quality. Only with this quality would they aspire to be true lifelong learners!

The book also states that the aim of almost all nations irrespective of their culture and educational policies is to develop their children’s sense of responsibility and global citizenship. Without school uniforms, fixed schedule or even designated activities, the Finnish children are educated to be self-sufficient and independent from a young age. You might have reservations about such an approach and probably doubt if the children’s abilities could be well developed. In fact, what they considered as core skills are the practice to cultivate independent thinking and planning their own lives. Such attitude and abilities to learn autonomously, to evaluate and to manage one’s life are in fact their lifelong ‘talents’.

Tips for Parents ★ Affective education should be an integral part of gifted education. A scholarship holder might not have the true quality of a scholar. Similarly a highly intelligent CEO can be selfish and make unethical decisions that harm the community. When nurturing the cognitive ability of their children, parents have to bear in mind the equally important affective and moral education as well.

Each child is unique. If we take education seriously and understand the unique traits of each and every one of them, does it matter whether there are ‘gifted classes’ or not?

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Parent Zone

Parent Education Programme 08-09

The ABCs of Giftednes

10 January 2009

The Educational Psychologist of the Academy, Ms Jessie Chow, clarified some common misconceptions about giftedness. In particular, she addressed the parents’ concern about the need for IQ testing. Dr Echo Wu, an Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, then shared her research on the experiences of several Nobel laureates, the influence and impact of their parents’ parenting approach on them. The research recommended that parents should provide parental support with choices given to their children to pursue their passion. This was crucial to their development and subsequent achievement. Having good mentors and a good reading habit from young were also some common factors shared by the Nobel laureates.

The Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Children

21 February 2009

The Educational Psychologist of the Academy, Ms Jessie Chow, talked about the social and emotional development and the affective characteristics of gifted children. She explained to the parents the heightened sensitivity and perfectionist traits of many gifted children. Dr Iris Chau, a registered psychologist and play therapist, shared with the participants some emotion management skills and how to respond to children’s positive and negative emotions. Dr Chau also introduced some strategies to manage children’s rebellious behaviour.

Parent Zone

Critical Thinking 7 March 2009 With the introduction of the new academic structure in Hong Kong, critical thinking has become a hot topic. Dr. Irene Ho, an Assistant Professor teaching the Educational Psychology Programme at the Department of Psychology, the University of Hong Kong, expounded critical thinking and its various forms through daily life examples. In addition, she showed the participants how to encourage their children to practice critical thinking skills.

Creativity 28 March 2009

Creativity is like our body’s ability to absorb calcium – the older you grow, the harder it is absorbed. The Educational Psychologist of the Academy, Ms Jessie Chow, explained creativity to the parent participants through games. In particular, she demonstrated the use of creativity in our daily lives. She also shared with the participants the ways to develop their children’s creativity by using various interesting strategies.

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Other Events

The upcoming events from the Student Programmes and Services and

Huma

n

Student Programmes and Services Leadership

★ Futu ities re Cur ator C ★ An ourse Intr oduct ion to

tics

Linguis

Mathematics

tion e New Genera

★ Mathematics in 24 lessons 2009 ★ International Mat hematical Olympiad (IMO) Training 20092010 (Phase I)

★ Leaders for th d Social hancement an ★ Leadership En

ts Services Projec bating orkshop on De W y or ct ★ Introdu Skills

Science ★ Marine Science (University-

based credit-bearing course)

ours Open Cted by schools）

ust

ants m

t Applic

en es（Stud

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orkshop ina minary test / W n be nom o C iad Preli p d ia m p ly m O l ly a ★ Pre-O onal Mathematic ng 2009 Ko rnati g n te o In

H

★ g Kong ontest – C n o for Hon ti c s p le o e S h s

Work lympiad ★ Pre-O Olympiad Physics

Other Events

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Teacher Professional Development divisions (For details, please visit the 'Student Zone' and 'Teacher Zone' of our website)

Teacher Professional Development Course / Activity Title

Target Group

Date

'Performance-based Assessment'

Primary & secondary school teachers

June 2009

'Understanding Students with Gifted Learning Disability & Strategies to Help Them'

Primary & secondary school teachers, student guidance teachers and school social workers

July 2009

Introductory Course: 'Gifted Education'

Primary school teachers

August 2009

Foundation Course (I): 'Nurturing the Gifted Learners' (36 hrs with practicum)

Primary & secondary school teachers

June 2009 March 2010

Foundation Course (II): ‘Nurturing the Gifted Learners’ (10 Modules)

Primary & secondary school teachers

July 2009

Intermediate Course: ‘Nurturing Gifted Learners on Leadership, Creativity and Critical Thinking’ (34 hrs with practicum)

Secondary school teachers

July - December 2009

Thematic Courses

Structured Courses

Contact Us If you have any query or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Website: www.hkage.org.hk Email: ps@hkage.org.hk

Consultation Centre Hotline: 3698 3947 Email: consultation@hkage.org.hk

Upcoming The second issue will feature articles and information related to the social and emotional needs of gifted children. Please write to us if you have any suggestion or if you want to share your story. (ps@hkage.org.hk)