GROWING GIFTS AND TALENTS: HOW DO WE RECOGNIZE AND FOSTER GIFTS AND TALENTS?

WDM ELP Team

Professional Development

ELP 101

Milburn, 2015

GREETINGS!

The "how" thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with futile "ifs" but goes right to work on the

creative "how."

Norman Vincent Peale

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DEFINITION

Iowa Code 257.44  Gifted and talented children defined

"Gifted and talented children" are those identified as possessing outstanding abilities who are capable of high performance. Gifted and talented children are children who require appropriate instruction and educational services commensurate with their abilities and needs beyond those provided by the regular school program.

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DEFINITION

Iowa Code 257.44  Gifted and talented children defined

Gifted and talented children include those children with demonstrated achievement or potential ability, or both, in any of the following areas or in combination: 1.General intellectual ability. 2. Creative thinking. 3. Leadership ability. 4. Visual and performing arts ability. 5. Specific ability aptitude.

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DEFINITION

National Association for Gifted Children [NAGC] (2010)“Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).”

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"To give a fair chance to potential creativity is a matter of life and death to any society."

Arnold Toynbee

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MYTHSGifted Students Don’t Need Help; They’ll Do Fine On Their Own

That Student Can't Be Gifted, He Is Receiving Poor Grades

Teachers Challenge All The Students, So Gifted Kids Will Be Fine In The Regular Classroom

Gifted Students Are Happy, Popular, And Well Adjusted In

School

Gifted Students Make Everyone Else In The Class Smarter By Providing A Role Model Or A Challenge

This Child Can't Be Gifted, He Has A Disability

All Children Are Gifted Our District Has A Gifted And Talented Program: We Have AP

Courses

Acceleration Placement Options Are Socially Harmful For Gifted Students

Gifted Education Requires An Abundance Of Resources

Gifted Education Programs Are Elitist Milburn, 2015

SO I HAVE THIS STUDENT…

•who may fit the definition;•who doesn’t have the ELP flag in Infinite Campus;

•who may need more than classroom differentiation.

What do I do?Milburn, 2015

NOMINATION FOR SCREENING

• For information, please visit: http://www.wdmcs.org/academics/talented-and-gifted/student-screening/

• To nominate, contact your building’s ELP teacher or ELP Coordinator, Kristine Milburn.

• Fill out Teacher Inventory (online or paper form).

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WHAT DOES WDMCS SCREEN & SERVE?

• General Intellectual Ability• Specific Academic Ability in one or more core content areas

• Creative Thinking Ability• Visual or Performing Arts Ability in music and art

• Leadership

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WDMCSMTSS

WHAT DO I DO IF MY STUDENT ALREADY KNOW IT?

Think

different work NOT more work!

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COMMON MISTAKES

1. Asking gifted students to serve as tutors for students who are struggling.

2. Giving gifted students more work when they finish early.

3. Only allowing gifted students to move ahead when they complete the grade/age designed work assignments with 100% accuracy.

For more information, visit “Tips for Teachers: Successful Strategies for Teaching Gifted Students”: http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10075.aspx

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WHAT DO I DO IF MY STUDENTS ALREADY KNOW

IT? (SELECT OPTIONS)

A Few Options…•Ability Grouping/Cluster Grouping•Differentiation•Curriculum Compacting•Learning Contracts•Enrichment•Acceleration•Honors Program•Pull-out Program•Special Schools/Programs

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ABILITY/CLUSTER GROUPING

Cluster grouping is a form of ability/readiness grouping in which a small group (typically 4-8) identified

gifted students is intentionally clustered in a mixed-ability classroom with a

teacher who has the desire and expertise to provide a supportive and

challenging environment for this population of learners

For more information, visit NAGC’s position statement on grouping: https://goo.gl/fH5qnT

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DIFFERENTIATION

CONTENT

PROCESS

PRODUCT

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

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DIFFERENTIATION

Teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:

•Design lessons based on students’ learning styles.

•Group students by shared interest, topic or ability for assignments.

•Assess students’ learning using formative assessment.

•Manage the classroom to create a safe and supportive environment.

•Continually assess and adjust lesson content to meet students’ needs.

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Bloom's Taxonomy VerbsWhen developing curriculum for your class, keep this list nearby. This will help you

determine the level of response you are anticipating from your students.

Knowledge

Count, Define, Describe, Draw, Find, Identify, Label, List, Match, Name, Quote, Recall, Recite, Sequence, Tell, Write

Comprehension

Conclude, Demonstrate, Discuss, Explain, Generalize, Identify, Illustrate, Interpret, Paraphrase, Predict, Report, Restate, Review, Summarize, Tell

ApplicationApply, Change, Choose, Compute, Dramatize, Interview, Prepare, Produce, Role-play, Select, Show, Transfer, Use

Analysis

Analyze, Characterize, Classify, Compare, Contrast, Debate, Deduce, Diagram, Differentiate, Discriminate, Distinguish, Examine, Outline, Relate, Research, Separate,

Synthesis

Compose, Construct, Create, Design, Develop, Integrate, Invent, Make, Organize, Perform, Plan, Produce, Propose, Rewrite

Evaluation

Appraise, Argue, Assess, Choose, Conclude, Critic, Decide, Evaluate, Judge, Justify, Predict, Prioritize, Prove, Rank, Rate, Select,

CURRICULUM COMPACTING

Curriculum Compacting is a three-step process implemented by the teacher for one or more students who have mastered portions of the essential curriculum: •Pre-assess what a student knows about content/skills to be studied

•Modify learning activities so that student only receives instruction about what he/she does not already know

•Provide alternate learning activities that offer acceleration or meaningful and challenging enrichment

For more information, visit http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/sem/semart08.htmlMilburn, 2015

LEARNING CONTRACTS

Learning Contracts are agreements between students and teachers that grant the student certain freedoms and choices about completing tasks, yet require the student to meet certain specifications.•Learning Contracts should be used to manage flexible groups based on the results of pre-assessment.

•Learning Contracts enable the teacher to provide direct instruction to one group while individuals or small groups work independently.

For more information, visit http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/tag/digests/e524.html Milburn, 2015

ENRICHMENT

Enrichment provides in-depth learning experiences that enhance the curriculum and are based upon individual student strengths, interests, and needs.

• Seminars• Independent projects• Alternative assignments• Outside of the classroom

For curriculum enrichment resources, visit http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/curriculum_resources.htm

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ACCELERATION

Acceleration occurs when students move through traditional curriculum at rates faster than typical. Among the many forms of acceleration are grade-skipping, early entrance to kindergarten or college, dual-credit courses such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs and subject-based acceleration (e.g., when a seventh-grade student takes pre-calculus).

•A Nation Empowered (NEW)

•A Nation Deceived (ORIGINAL)

For more information, visit http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/

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HONORS PROGRAM

Honors Designation•Successful completion of the following classes at Valley, including senior exhibition, will result in the Valley High School Honors Designation on the Valley diploma at graduation. Up to five elective credits may be transferred in from other institutions if the courses are not offered at Valley High School.

•For more information, visit http://goo.gl/sW7QGo

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PULL-OUT PROGRAM

ELP/Honors SeminarAt VSW and VHS, students may choose to enroll in the Extended Learning class, which is structured around the Autonomous Learner Model designed by George Betts. This model is based on five areas: Seminars, Enrichments, In-Depth Projects, Orientation, and Individual Growth. The Honors class at Valley High School overlaps with the ELP class, although Honors students will additionally be working toward the Senior Honors project/exhibit.

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SPECIAL SCHOOLS/PROGRAMS

• WDMCS Scholars Designation• Central Academy• Internships• Belin Blank Summer Programs• Northwestern’s Center for Talent Development• Stanford’s EPGY• Summer Institutes around the nation/world

Hoagies Gifted Page has an extensive list of opportunities:

• Gifted Schools: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/schools.htm

• Saturday and Summer: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/summer.htmMilburn, 2015