Gifted Students Explore Advanced Academic Topics This Summer
Two IEA students explore The Huntington gardens at a recent IEA event, Genius Day. – Courtesy Photo
Local gifted and talented students in first through eighth grade are coming together this summer for a day camp that encourages intellectual and social growth through advanced course work in disciplines such as math, science and humanities. Hosted by Pasadena-based Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA), Academy classes allow elementary and middle school students to explore academic subjects taught at the high school and college levels by local specialists in their fields.
IEA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs that help gifted children balance intellectual ability with social, emotional, physical and spiritual growth. Independent of government funding, IEA gives students the tools to work toward actualizing their full intellectual and personal potential in supportive learning environments such as Academy.
Academy classes this summer will be offered at The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. Students will learn both in the classroom and through exploration of The Huntington Library and its resources. This is the first time Academy classes will be offered in this location. New classes have been created and previously-offered classes are being adapted to suit the new environment and additional resources available in this unique setting.
“Since first opening its doors, The Huntington Library has been a scholar’s paradise,” says IEA Academy coordinator Louise Hindle. “This summer, our Academy students can enjoy some of that paradise, as they discover and learn through the rich resources this environment offers.”
IEA is meeting a need in the community by serving a demographic that often struggles with a lack of challenge in the mainstream classroom. Academy students are offered content-rich, challenging work within a community of like-minded peers as well as the opportunity to bond with and be mentored by highly qualified instructors who meet their needs. For the students IEA serves, weekly classes at the Academy are essential in fueling and satisfying their thirst for knowledge.
The program links a broad range of students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds with instructors who’ve been trained to teach advanced, high school and college material in a kid-friendly way. Summer 2014 classes include, but are not limited to, creative writing, engineering, literature, math, foreign language, neuroscience, chemistry, ethnomusicology, physics, game theory, art history and planetary astronomy. With class sizes of less than ten students, Academy classes are hands-on, inquiry-based and student-driven. In Rocket to Calculus, for example, students make use of actual rockets to learn the basics of algebra, geometry and pre-calculus; in the final class, calculations are brought to life with a real rocket launch.
IEA’s Academy runs year-round, with two summer 2014 sessions running June 9-26 and July 7-24. During the school year, classes meet once each week after school or on weekends. Over the summer, the classes take on a camp format, meeting daily for three weeks. Students can take up to four courses each session and spend extended time with one another over lunch and early evening activities, allowing for greater social interaction and growth. A full schedule of classes is available on IEA’s website or by contacting IEA at 626-403-8900.
This program is offered by the Institute for Educational Advancement and is not a direct offering of The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Please contact the Institute for Educational Advancement with any inquiries.
Institute for Educational Advancement
569 South Marengo Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-403-8900
[email protected]