QUO VADIS
, GIFT
ED
EDUCATIO
N
JOYC
E VANTA
SSEL
-BASKA, E
DD.
SMIT
H PROFE
SSOR E
MER
ITA
COLLEG
E OF
WIL
LIAM
AND M
ARY
PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
Analyze worldwide trends in gifted education
Connect these trends to Hong Kong opportunities for the gifted
Draw implications for future Hong Kong gifted program development
ORGANIZATION OF THE TALK
Leadership and the social-political seascape in education
The response of leaders to the call
The trend toward talent development and away from gifted education
The trend toward work with students of poverty
The trend toward options for the gifted outside of school
The trend toward high level learning for all
“I AM ALWAYS DOING THAT WHICH I CAN NOT DO, IN ORDER THAT I MAY LEARN HOW TO DO IT.”– PABLO PICASSO
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP IN GIFTED EDUCATION?Attending to multiple realities
Using power to enhance the growth of others
Building learning communities
Accepting and creating challenge
THE TWO AGENDAS OF GIFTED EDUCATION
GIFTED STUDENTS ALL LEARNERS
THE EDUCATIONAL POLITICAL SEASCAPEStandards movement has become
assessment-driven and focused on narrow goalsEquity and Excellence still viewed as dichotomiesCompeting values between standardization and personalizationTensions between tradition and innovation
SO, LEA
DERS O
F TH
E
GIFTE
D EDUCAT
ION
MOVEM
ENT
MUST
ENGAGE
IN D
UAL
REALI
TIES
—GEN
ERAL
EDUCAT
ION A
ND GIF
TED
EDUCAT
ION—
TO G
AIN
TRACTI
ON IN T
HE
CURRENT
ENVIR
ONMEN
T.
KNOW HOW PEOPLE LEARNNew knowledge is constructed based on existing conceptions .Usable knowledge is connected and organized around important concepts that support transfer of learning .The use of deliberate strategies needed to scaffold learning.
- National Research Council, 2000
USE MODELS OF RESEARCH-BASED
PRACTICE Concept mapping Articulation of
thinking Promoting higher
level thinking Making
connections Teaching
metacognition
MAKE CONTENT-BASED MODIFICATIONS
Align to standards by
differentiation via:
AccelerationComplexityDepthChallengeCreativity
“IT IS NOT THE ANSWER THAT ENLIGHTENS, BUT THE QUESTION.” – EUGENE IONESCO DECOUVERTES
USE INQUIRY AND ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
What do we know?
What do we need to know?
How do we find out?
What is the purpose?
How do we develop multiple perspectives?
What data do we use to drive our decision making?
What inferences can be made from analyzing the data?
CREATE SYSTEMS OF LEARNING
A system of identification
A system for program and service provisions
A system for program management
A system for personnel preparation
A system of curriculum development and design
A system of classroom and institutional support for learning
QUO VADIS?
Talent T
WHY THE SHIFT FROM GIFTED EDUCATION TO TALENT DEVELOPMENT?
Disenchantment with the label (giftedness is an essence, bestowed)
Reaction against IQ testing
Focus on performance, not ability (can do)
Works as a metaphor for all of education
GAGNE’S DIFFERENTIATED MODEL OF GIFTEDNESS AND TALENT
PERSONALITYAutonomy
Self-ConfidenceSelf Esteem, etc.
SIGNIFICANT FACTORSPersonsPlaces
InterventionsEventsChance
GIFTEDNESSAptitude Domains
Intellectual {
Creative {
Socioaffective {
Sensorimotor {
Others {
_________
_________
_________
_________
_________
MOTIVATIONInitiativeInterests
Persistence
ENVIRONMENTAL CATALYSTS
INTRAPERSONAL CATALYSTS
TALENT
Fields of Talent(sample)
ArtsAthletics & Sports
Business & CommerceCommunicationsCrafts & Trades
EducationHealth Services
Science & TechnologyTransportation
Learning/Training/Practice
Spatial
Linguistic
Bodily-Kinesthetic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Musical
Logical-Mathematical
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES AS A BASIS FOR TALENT DEVELOPMENTGARDNER, 1983
TALENT SEARCH: A SYSTEM OF TALENT DEVELOPMENT
THE TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (INSIGHT FROM BLOOM, 1985)
Early exposure to the field Right teacher at the right time (romance,
rigor, master) Role of schools as facilitative or blocking (not
directly nurturing) Progressive development characterized by
high standards, much time and much hard work
Role of home environment in developing work ethic and sense of excellence (parental modeling)
QUO VADIS?
WHY THE TREND TO FOCUS ON LOW INCOME STUDENTS?
Underfunded and underservedThe major issue in general
education: How to close the achievement gap between the “haves” and the “have nots”
Poverty traps gifted students in neighborhood schools
LIFE TRAJECTORIES OF THE GIFTED POOR High achieving students from poverty
less likely to graduate and go on to college or graduate school than more advantaged counterparts.
Students from poverty more likely to choose careers commensurate with background rather than ability or achievement.
--The Achievement Trap, 2007
PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES OF LOW INCOME STUDENTS
Identity (bicultural identities)
Marginalization ( lack of a sense of belonging)
Ability and effort balance (smart people don’t have to work hard)
SELF PERCEPTION AS A FILTER TO ADULT ACHIEVEMENT
Self P
erc
ep
tion
Self P
erc
ep
tion
Self P
erc
ep
tion
Educational Attainment
Occupational Attainment
AdultCreative
Productivity
PROMISING IDENTIFICATION APPROACHES WITH GIFTED AT-RISK LEARNERSTraditional measures
Non-traditional measures
Try-out Activities
Nominations by educator, parent, community member
Use of profile data rather than a matrix
KEY SERVICES FOR LOW INCOME/MINORITY STUDENTS
Personalized LearningTutoring, mentoring, counseling Value-added Learning OpportunitiesExtended time Family Involvement and Access to
Resources for Promoting Educational Attainment
Tutoring, mentoring, counseling
QUO VADIS?
WHY THE TREND TO ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLING?
Lack of response to gifted students in regular schools
Targeted programs and services provided
Flexibility in time and content
RELEVANT ACCELERATION RESEARCH
Acceleration strategies enhance motivation to learn among the gifted (Brody & Stanley, 2004).
Acceleration provides a sense of self confidence and self esteem among the gifted (Swiatek, 2007).
Acceleration enhances opportunities for creative production in careers (Lubinski & Benbow, 2007).
THE CONTEXT FOR ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF SCHOOLING
Knowledge Explosion
Ad
van
cin
gTech
nolo
gyV
ou
ch
ers
Privatization
Sch
ool C
hoic
e
Global Competition
Alternative SchoolingModels for G/T
ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLING MODELS
FOR THE GIFTED
Homeschooling
Distance learning
University dual enrollment and early entrance
Internships
Mentorships
UNIVERSITY-BASED PROGRAMS(DUAL ENROLLMENT, TALENT SEARCH, EARLY ENTRANCE) Available based on tested readiness, not
age or grade Coursework taken for high school or
college credit Focuses on study in area(s) of strength,
typically one or two Flexible in respect to course selection and
timingContext of university usually guarantees
rigor
DISTANCE LEARNING
Requires and builds greater student initiative to maintain viable learning pattern (self efficacy).
Visual mode of learning highly attractive to many learners, based on exposure to video games and TV.
Allows for self-paced instruction with reinforcement and self correction.
QUO VADIS?
WHY THE TREND TO HIGH END LEARNING FOR ALL?
Societies need high level skills to function in 21st Century.
Students are capable of higher level learning, given opportunities.
Gifted children exist on a continuum of human abilities, not a special track.
National Curriculum Network Conference
March 6, 2008
Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska
Jody and Layton Smith Professor of Education
Executive Director, Center for Gifted Education
The College of William and Mary
THE INTEGRATED CURRICULUM MODEL
AdvancedContent
Dimension
Process-Product
Dimension
Issues/Themes
Dimension
VanTassel-Baska, 1986
SCIENCE RESEARCH FINDINGS: QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES (6 STUDIES)
Significant enhancement of critical thinking skills via scientific design for K-8 students
Motivational power of PBL
Continued growth over time for all groups
LANGUAGE ARTS RESEARCH FINDINGS: QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH (6 STUDIES)Significant learning gains annually in reading comprehension and critical reading for all groups
Significant learning gains annually in persuasive writing
Academic achievement effects were significant for all groups of learners regardless of socioeconomic status, ability level, or ethnicity.
Longitudinal effects apparent across the elementary grades
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH FINDINGS (5 STUDIES)
Significant change in differentiation practices over two years
Enhanced student engagement
Secondary specialized school teachers incorporate differentiation frequently and effectively
The Integrated Learning System for Successful Interventions
Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.
– Abigail Adams
Lack of social progress/resolution to the world’s most intractable problems (poverty, war, corruption)
Individual disaffection and alienation by the brightest from civic participation/social justice
Lack of cognitive development to optimal levels by the next generation
“THE ONLY PERSON WHO IS EDUCATED IS THE ONE WHO HAS LEARNED HOW TO LEARN…AND CHANGE.”
– CARL R. ROGERS
QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT EACH TREND
How is the trend impacting the Hong Kong gifted education program now?
What are the long term implications of this trend for Hong Kong gifted education?
How should the trend be addressed in program development initiatives?