TAG and LiD

The Learning in Depth program is described in some detail on the Corbett Charter School blog that is linked to the right. It's a simple idea with profound implications for Talented and Gifted students. It provides structured support for independent learning that has no stop-point, no limit, no culminating gold star (no accompanying emptiness and feeling like one has yet again outstripped adult expectations). Students learn for the satisfaction of knowing, and they have organized outlets for sharing their knowledge with others. And the adults get caught up in it.

Yesterday Sheri and I were looking around a furniture store and she asked about wood samples. Why? One of her primary students has 'wood' as her LiD subject. The girl seems very taken with her topic, and frequently reports directly to me her discovery of a new species of tree or kind of wood. When the fellow at the store heard about her topic and her enthusiasm, he loaded us up with samples and invited us to bring her by the store (which has a furniture production shop attached) so that she could see how wood is put to beautiful and practical use around the house.

This fortunate student will never be expected to meet the second grade wood standard. She won't be held back for fear of trespassing on the third grade wood curriculum. If she sticks with it, she will have an expert's understanding of wood by the time she is 18. The cost of the program? Next to nothing. The potential benefit? Nearly limitless. Community connections rise up spontaneously. Experts in the field are anxious to share what they know. They are pleased that young people find their life's work meaningful. Teachers garner a wealth of information and understanding regarding all of their students' topics as they help to gather books and other sources of information.

Learning in Depth. LiD. A simple, effective, inexpensive program that can be implemented in every school in Oregon to the benefit of every student...and perhaps especially for the most gifted among them.