- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Blog highlights STEM Starters+ research

Shanna Fitzgerald — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 20:59:02 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock study that examines effective ways to identify high-potential science and engineering students from traditionally underrepresented groups recently was featured in the . Test scores aren’t always the best way to evaluate student potential, said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the ��Vlog��ýLR Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education. “Engineering is ripe with opportunities for children who have a talent for hands-on tinkering,” Robinson said in the blog. The Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education study, called STEM Starters+, is funded by a five-year $2.5 million U.S. Department of Education grant. Robinson is the principal investigator, and the project director is Kristy Kidd. ��Vlog��ýLR researchers are collaborating with the Museum of Science in Boston, which developed the Engineering is Elementary curriculum used in the research. . Photo: Kristy Kidd (right) and Dr. Ann Robinson

Girls in the Middle encourages students to enter STEM disciplines

Taylor Aldana — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 14:57:04 +0000

Eighth-graders from throughout Arkansas participated in Girls in the Middle, a new program that encourages students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. “Research indicates that even extremely able young women often opt out of STEM careers because they have not had the opportunity to develop a sense of belongingness to their field,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education. Developing career awareness and opportunities to explore the disciplines early and meet other adolescent girls with similar interests are important steps in reversing the trend, Robinson said. Girls in the Middle was started to meet the needs of girls who are highly advanced academically and who are interested in STEM disciplines. “It’s an exciting new adventure,” Robinson said.

Some participants in a Girls in the Middle activity Oct. 10, 2015. Photos courtesy of Brad Sims.

Established in 2001, the ��Vlog��ýLR Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education serves as a community resource for talented youths, their families, school districts, and state education officials. It is only one of 25 such centers nationwide. Through the Girls in the Middle program, about 20 girls visited the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock on Saturday as part of a collaboration with the museum and the Mahony Center for a STEM scavenger hunt and Tesla coil show. This informal learning experience prepared them to design their own unique interactive museum exhibits at ��Vlog��ýLR. At the end of the day, the girls presented and showcased their designs in teams. “We had an absolutely wonderful day on Saturday,” Robinson said. “It was a great experience for us, for the girls, and for their families.” The girls who attended the program were all students for 2015. Girls who attended the Arkansas Duke-TIP Recognition Ceremony in May 2015 and participated in a STEM Scholars Day session were eligible for Girls in the Middle. Girls in the Middle was funded through a grant from the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE).

��Vlog��ýLR professor gives keynote speech at international conference

Shanna Fitzgerald — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 22:00:58 +0000

Curriculum developed at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock recently took a worldwide stage during an international conference for researchers and educators who work with gifted and talented students. Dr. Ann Robinson, professor of educational psychology and founding director of the ��Vlog��ýLR Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, participated in the conference, both as a keynote speaker and workshop presenter. The setting for the conference — Odense, Denmark, the childhood home of Hans Christian Andersen — was inspirational, something Robinson said she incorporated into her workshop on using biography-based curriculum for gifted readers primarily in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale Theatre at the Andersen Museum and Archives in Odense, Denmark

For an educator fascinated by creativity, “the location itself was magical,” Robinson said. “It was just a fairy-tale setting.” Biographies that depict Andersen’s childhood or that focus on the early years of notable historic figures like Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein are the types of texts Robinson had in mind when she created the Blueprint for Biography gifted and talented curriculum in recent years. “It’s extremely engaging for both teachers and kids,” Robinson said.

Some attendees of Ann Robinson’s keynote speech pose for a photo to tweet from Symphony Hall in Denmark.

In addition to leading the workshop, Robinson gave the keynote speech, titled: “What makes a practice best? Evidence-based recommendations in gifted education.” One of the challenges for Robinson — associate editor of Gifted and Talented International, the journal for the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children — was to craft a message that could apply to both researchers and educators from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Those perspectives from other countries also were educational for Robinson, who noted that teachers and researchers in other parts of the world have their own ideas and perspectives on the best ways to educate gifted students. “There are different approaches, and that’s part of what makes that conference so truly fascinating,” Robinson said. This wasn’t Robinson’s first World Council conference, which is held every other year. It won’t be her last, either. Robinson already plans to attend the 2017 conference in Sydney, Australia. Note: Main photo courtesy of Sam Oldenburg, Center for Gifted Studies

Commissioner to address academically talented seventh graders May 7

Gloria King — Tue, 05 May 2015 14:15:44 +0000

Commissioner Johnny Key of the Arkansas Department of Education will deliver a talk to hundreds of high-scoring seventh graders during a special ceremony at ��Vlog��ýLR at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 7.

Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner Johnny Key

Key will visit campus as part of the annual Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) in which 457 Arkansas seventh graders will be recognized for their exceptional scores on the ACT or SAT tests typically given to older college-bound students. ��Vlog��ýLR has been the site of the Duke TIP Awards Recognition Day since Arkansas joined the Duke Talent Search in the 1980s. There will be two separate “Draping of Medals” ceremonies at the University Theatre on May 7, one at 10 a.m., featuring Key, and one at 2:30 p.m. featuring Alice Mahony of the Arkansas State Board of Education. Dr. Ann Robinson, director of ��Vlog��ýLR’s Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, said the award ceremony is a joint effort between ��Vlog��ýLR and Duke University, supported by the ��Vlog��ýLR Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. A reception hosted by the Mahony Center will follow in the University Theatre Lobby for students and families. At least one state recognition ceremony is held in each of the states with the largest Talent Search enrollments. Over 64,400 seventh graders nationwide took the ACT or SAT through Duke TIP during the 2014-2015 school year.

New this year

Girls in the Middle, a new grant awarded to the Mahony Center for Gifted Education, is to encourage girls into science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines. All girls invited to the 2015 Duke TIP recognition ceremony were invited to apply. The grant is funded through AGATE, Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education. To participate in the program, applicants attend any of the STEM content sessions before either one of the recognition ceremonies and also attend the Oct. 19 Reconnect Day at the Museum of Discovery. The museum is collaborating with the Mahony Center for a STEM Scavenger Hunt to explore exhibits, an experience intended to prepare girls to design their own unique, interactive exhibits that will be a differentiated student product showcased the afternoon of Oct. 19 at ��Vlog��ýLR.

More about the event

In 2007, the Mahony Center established ��Vlog��ýLR’s Talent Search Scholars Day to showcase ��Vlog��ýLR faculty and programs to a college-bound cohort of students and their families. Held in conjunction with the ceremony honoring Duke scholars, the event is a ��Vlog��ýLR program organized and administered through the Mahony Center, which invites ��Vlog��ýLR faculty from high-profile programs that appeal to up-and-coming scholars. While on campus, TIPsters have the opportunity to learn about the arts, as well as programs featuring science, technology, engineering, and math. “We ask faculty to prepare a day of engaging activities for the students,” Robinson said. “As director of the Mahony Center, I offer simultaneous sessions for parents who often have lots of questions about developing their child’s interests, talents, and motivation.” For more about the variety of programs offered through ��Vlog��ýLR’s Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, contact giftedcenter@ualr.edu or 501.569.3410.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock