A Gifted Program – How and When?

1. A Gifted Program –How and When? By: Heidi Loring

2. Rationale: Some may argue gifted programs should be essential, none would argue that they are not important. Gifted students are outside the box, or square, or however you stereotype it… and deserve special services! If a district has a gifted program, how and when do you integrate it? The best avenue to incorporate a gifted program into a master schedule is always up for question.

3. Overview:There are many issues around how and when to have a middle school gifted program. Each option depends on what is best for the district’s specific situation. How? • Pull-out (ideal) • Resource room or special classes • Cluster Grouping • Enrichment in the regular classroom When? • During exploratory classes (ideal) • During non-core classes • During core classes

4. Overview continued: • ISSUES: • Ongoing... • - If students are not able to be pulled out during ideal times, then the program conflicts with core and non-core classes. • In the past… • - Our district has always been a pull-out program (they tried push-in and it didn’t go so well). I have pulled students out of English, Reading, and their exploratory class. • Current… • - This year it is planned for me to pull students out of their Reading class again, so…how do I meet both the Reading GLE’s and the essence of a gifted program at the same time?

5. Purpose:If you teach gifted students, or are the parent of a gifted child, then those issues apply to you, even if indirectly. • When gifted students are pulled out, no matter when, it not only affects them, but it affects others (students, teachers, family), too. • They miss out on educational experiences in the regular classroom with all peers, even though they are gaining other experiences with like-peers. This can be a frustration and challenge for all involved.

6. Expectations:The goal of this discussion is to answer the how and when of a gifted program. In this case… How will I best combine the boundaries of Reading grade-level expectations with the flexible constructs of gifted curriculum?

7. Theoretical Perspectives:Theoretical perspectives help us understand the cognitive processes in all students. These perspectives I believe will be best suited for gifted students in any classroom context, but especially in a Reading context. - Constructivism Learning Theory - • The term refers to the idea that learners construct knowledge for themselves – each learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning – as he or she learns. Constructing meaning is learning; there is no other kind. The dramatic consequences of this view are twofold: 1) We have to focus on the learner in thinking about learning (not on the subject/lesson to be taught) 2) There is no knowledge independent of the meaning attributed to experience (constructed) by the learner, or community of learners • If we accept constructivist theory, we are willing to follow in the path of Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky…among others. www.exploratorium.edu

8. Theoretical Perspectives Continued: Constructivism in practice: One way to exhibit constructivism would be to allow students to chose the books they read for class and question why they chose them, and how they apply to their lives. Then, continually reinforce reflection over that material and how it pertains to each student. Reading comprehension is necessary for understanding, so constructing meaning further meanings based on life experience from what one reads makes comprehension even deeper.

9. Theoretical Perspectives Continued: - Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning - • Richard E. Mayer, the creator of this theory, explores the idea that people learn at a deeper level when material or information is presented through both words (verbally) and pictures (visually) instead of only through words or verbal means. • This theory has been recognized as a valid theory and established because of the new ways in which we learn; primarily as a result of the booming growth in technology. Teachers and families cannot avoid adapting learning to the changes of the times. Learning verbally, or through words, is inevitable alongside visual learning in almost every aspect of life now

10. Theoretical Perspectives Continued: Multimedia Learning in practice: One way to exhibit multimedia learning is by incorporating visual images and graphic organizers into Reading curriculum that go along side what is being read. This is especially essential since Readings classes primarily focus on the written word.

11. Literature Review: • Reading Instruction With Gifted and Talented Readers: A Series of Unfortunate Events or a Sequence of Auspicious Results? By: Patricia F. Wood http://www.appstate.edu/~koppenhaverd/rcoe/5710/read/gifted/wood08.pdf • Guiding The Gifted Reader By: Judith Wynn Halsted http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/TAG/Digests/e481.html • Gifted Kids, Gifted Characters, and Great Books By: Bertie Kingore, Ph. D. http://www.bertiekingore.com/gtchildreninlit.htm • Mind the Gap: Engaging Gifted Readers By: Donalyn Miller http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/2009/03/mind_the_gap_engaging_gifted_r.html

12. Authentic Strategies:These are some of the more formal strategies I will utilize when teaching reading objectives to my gifted students. • Literacy Glossary A list of terms pertaining to literacy and reading. • Literature Circles/Discussions In literature circles, students come together to discuss and respond to a book that they are reading at the same time. Students use their experiences to create meaning, make connections, and have lively discussions about the book. • Predicting Predicting involves thinking ahead while reading and anticipating information and events in the text. After making predictions, students can read through the text and refine, revise, and verify their predictions.

13. Authentic Strategies Continued: • Reading Aloud When we read aloud to students, we expand their imaginations, provide new knowledge, support language acquisition, build vocabulary, and promote reading as a worthwhile, enjoyable activity. • Inferences Making an inference involves using what you know to make a guess about what you don't know, or reading between the lines. Teaching your students to use this technique will encourage more critical reading and better understanding and enjoyment of the text. • Metaphors and Analogies Metaphors and analogies are comparisons between unlike things that have some particular things in common. I will use metaphors and analogies to make new and unfamiliar concepts more meaningful to students by connecting what they already know to what they are learning. www.teachervision.fen.com

14. Problems/Barriers/Questions: As mentioned above there will always be: • problems that come about when pulling students from core and non-core classes… • A gifted teacher being expected to teach a subject they are not certified to teach • barriers in educating gifted students outside of the regular classroom… • People will always wonder…do we really need a gifted program? • questions that are asked because of gifted program circumstances… • Should I allow my child to be a part of the gifted program since they are pulled out of their regular reading class?

15. Conclusion: My desire would be to pull out my gifted students from their regular classrooms and be considered an enrichment/exploratory gifted program. I would prefer to not be confined by specific core or non-core subjects. Regardless of if my first desire becomes a reality, I will be teaching my gifted students through the scope of a Reading class this coming year. There are incredible learning opportunities that await me, and the students, too!

16. Works Cited: Hein, George E. “Constructivist Learning Theory.” Institute for Inquim. 1996. Exploratorium. 25 July 2012 <http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/constructivistlearning.html>. Learning Theories Knowledgebase . “Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (Mayer).” Learning-Theories. 2008-2012. 25 July 2012 <http://www.learning-theories.com/cognitive-theory-of-multimedia-learning-mayer.html>. Office of Curriculum, Instruction & Student Support. “Program Guide for Gifted and Talented.” December 2007. State of Hawaii – Department of Education. 27 June 2012 <http://gt.k12.hi.us/files/GT_Guide.pdf>. “Teaching Strategies for Reading.” TeacherVision (Family Education Network). 2012. Pearson Education, Inc. 25 July 2012 <http://www.teachervision.fen.com/reading/resource/48646.html>.