Gifted Resources at HB Woodlawn

1. Gifted Resources at HB Woodlawn TOPICS TONIGHT: County model for gifted services How that translates to instruction at our alternative school Fixed vs. Growth Mindset County programs and resources for gifted students HBW programs and resources for gifted students

2. Gifted Resources at HB Woodlawn County model for gifted services

3. Gifted Identification in the County Students in APS may be identified as gifted in one or more of the following areas: • English • Social Studies • Math • Science • Visual Arts • Music

4. Gifted Services in Arlington County • New elementary model matches current Secondary model for Gifted Services… • with the addition of: • Intensified, AP, IB levels • Dual enrollment college courses • Additional electives in Arts, Math, Science, English, Social Studies (e.g. Robotics, Creative Writing, Economics, Engineering, Psychology, Directing…)

5. Gifted Resources at HB Woodlawn 2. How that translates to instruction at our alternative school

6. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn HB Woodlawn is a little different, and that’s why you chose it for your child.

7. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn In keeping with this vision of alternative education, and because of the small size that makes the magic of our program possible, we do things a little differently. FOR EXAMPLE…

8. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn *however* Because an unusually large proportion of our students are identified as gifted in one or more academic areas, and in the arts, we do effectively have clusters of gifted students in our academic classes.

9. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn Arlington county requires all teachers who teach gifted students– which at HB is almost all teachers– to have training in gifted education… typically in differentiating instruction for gifted learners.

10. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn • Teachers might modify instruction in any / all of the following ways: • Content(what students learn) • Process(activities used to direct / assist learning) • Products(how students demonstrate what they have learned)

11. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn • And what about the Resource Teacher? • With teachers, I… • Co-plan and co-teach lessons • Research and create alternative assignments for students • Design ways to compact curriculum and provide enrichment for advanced students • Design & monitor independent projects for students • Work with teams & individuals on special projects • Advocate for individual needs of gifted students with & without disabilities

12. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn • And what about the Resource Teacher? • With individual students, I… • Help with independent studies • Serve as Mentor Teacher • Match students and support application processes • Frequently attend Student Studies, IEP meetings, etc

13. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn • And what about the Resource Teacher? • With whole staff, I… • Advertise and encourage participation in professional development opportunities • Help lead planning and implementation of Professional Learning Communities • Help design & deliver professional learning courses & conversations at HB-W

14. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn / Dweck • HB-W and APS are also talking about… • 4. Carol Dweck’s research on fixed vs. growth mindsets • FIXED mindset = Intelligence is a fixed trait. All people fit somewhere on a continuum of “smart.” You’ve got it or you don’t. • GROWTH mindset = Intelligence is malleable and can be developed through education and hard work

15. THE OLD SCHOOL: WE ARE BORN WITH FIXED INTELLIGENCE There is a fixed intelligence that can be measured using an IQ test No matter how much you learn or how hard you work your intelligence stays the same. Alfred Binet Invented the first useable IQ test

16. INTELLIGENCE IS COMPLEX - OTHER FACTORS MATTER AS MUCH, IF NOT MORE • Hard work, persistence and focus all play a role • Research shows that these traits are by-products of something else

17. Carol Dweck Professor of Psychology – Stanford University • Focused on: • Why people succeed at what they do • How to foster success Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University

18. Reaction to Failure • Students given impossible-to-solve math problems fell into two groups: • Fearful of mistakes • Easily discouraged and defensive • Fearful of not looking smart • A second set of students reacted differently • Said “I love a challenge” • Said “I learned something, I can solve it next time” • Enjoyed the experience of failing

19. THE STUDENTS HAD A DIFFERENT MINDSET • Mindset: • A mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to challenging situations. • Fixed Mindset: Intelligence is a fixed trait • Growth Mindset: intelligence is a quality that can be changed and developed

20. MINDSET STEP # 1 : LEARN, LEARN, LEARN • Fixed Mindset: • “Look intelligent at all costs” • “The main thing I want to do in school is to show others how good I am ” • Growth Mindset: • “Learn, learn, learn” • “It’s much more important for me to learn than to get top grades”

21. EVEN GENIUSES WORK HARD The most distinguishing features of highly successful people: 1. Their passion and dedication to their craft • 2. The way in which they identify, confront, and take pains to remedy their weaknesses • IN OTHER WORDS • It matters less what you are born with; it matters more what your mindset is

22. Growth Mindset • Better transition from elementary to middle school • Were less intimidated when work got harder. • Willing to put in more effort • Earned better grades • Better social relationships • More willing to admit to mistakes • Willing to broach problems • Less defensive • Mindset and the achievement gap (research studies) • Girls taught growth mindset did as well as boys on challenging math problems • A group of at-risk students showed sharp improvement when taught growth mindset

23. Fostering Success • Many students misunderstand how the brain works • Media messages often emphasize talent over hard work • Dweck: students were ‘galvanized’ when told hard work makes you smarter; “you mean I don’t have to be dumb?” • School culture can foster success: • Value taking on challenges even if you get a lower grade • Repeated message - hard work makes you smarter • School is not a place that judges you • Students performed better in classes when teachers possess and communicate a growth mindset

24. THE BRAIN IS MALLEABLE The brain is like a muscle that gets stronger and works better the more it is exercised. Too often students believe the brain is static, leading them to think talent and giftedness are permanent, unchanging personal attributes that automatically bring later success. Everytime you work hard, stretch yourself and learn something new your brain forms new connections and over time you actually become smarter.

25. Fixed vs. Growth Mindset You’d think a fixed mindset would benefit gifted kids, who see themselves as smart. On the contrary: Dweck’s research has shown that for gifted children who believe that intelligence is innate, expending effort on schoolwork feels dangerous: the need to put in effort is proof that they aren’t so smart! In their attempts to look smart and always be successful, gifted kids fear taking risks, & only want to participate in activities they’re immediately good at.

26. Fixed vs. Growth Mindset How this may impact the transition from elementary to middle, or middle to high school: Students who have been successful with little effort begin to struggle in the more demanding environment. If they believe they’ve done well in school before because they were smart… now they begin to think they weren’t so smart after all. If their grades begin to slip, they may never recover, because they are likely to see the path to improvement– expending effort– as more proof of their failure.

27. Fixed vs. Growth Mindset WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP? Praise students for their effort rather than their intelligence. Emphasizing effort gives them a variable they can control. Teach students that as they exercise their brains they are forming new neural connections… the capacity to learn and remember grows along with these new neural pathways.

28. Fixed vs. Growth Mindset • EXAMPLES OF PRAISE… for effort, strategies, focus, persistence, willingness to take on challenges: • You really studied for that test– you read the chapter, you outlined it, you tested yourself on it– and it worked! • I like the way you tried a lot of different strategies on that math problem until you finally solved it. • It’s great that you took on that challenging project for your science class! It will take a lot of work– doing the research, designing and building the model– you’re going to learn a lot of great things!

29. Fixed vs. Growth Mindset • TEACH THE JOY OF LEARNING AS A PROCESS… express positive views of challenges, trial & error, mistakes: • This is hard– this is fun! • Hm, that was too easy. Let’s find something more challenging so you can learn something. • Mistakes are interesting… they show how your mind works. Let’s find a good mistake and see what we can learn from it. • … more information about DWECK / MINDSETS in these handouts… this research is informing conversations among staff at HBW and in APS Gifted Services this year.

30. Gifted Resources at HB Woodlawn 4. County programs and resources for gifted students

31. Enrichment Opportunities for Gifted Students - APS • Junior Honors Band & Orchestra (6th grade) • Honors Band & Orchestra (7th-8th grades) • Honors Chorus (6th-8th grades) • Regional & State Honors Ensembles (HS) • Fine Arts Apprentice Program (HS) • P.R.I.M.E. (HS) • Governor’s School (Academic, Mentorships, Arts, Foreign Language) (HS) • Superintendent’s Seminar (HS)

32. Gifted Resources at HB Woodlawn 5. HBW programs and resources for gifted students

33. Enrichment Opportunities for Gifted Students - HBW • Middle School • Elective courses in Robotics, Creative Writing, Economics • AMC “Math Counts” and Math League Competitions (Michelle Meehan, Mark Dickson) • TAB (book club producing reviews for public library) (Margaret Staeben, librarian) • Bee Keepers (Neal Payne) • Needle Art (Peggy Gaines) • VJAS (regional science fair) – your child’s • science teacher • Geography Bee (Eleanor Reed) • Junetime(Liz Waters) • National History Day (Dan Paris) • Odyssey of the Mind (Patty Healy, parent) … and much more! See HB’s website. Students are encouraged to propose and run interest clubs themselves! Very much part of the culture of student-directed learning at HBW.

34. Enrichment Opportunities for Gifted Students - HBW • High School • Elective courses in Engineering, Filmmaking, Social Sciences, Computer Science • Chess Club, Bridge Club (Mark Dodge) • Math Team & VA Math League (Mark Dickson) • National Honor Society (Jennifer Goen) • VJAS (regional science fair) (your child’s science teacher) • Scholastics Writing Awards (Catherine Frum) • Scholastics Art Awards (FaylindaKodis) • Student-proposed elective courses (e.g. Art History) • Student-proposed English electives • Outside teacher funds • CAS (Community as School) elective credit for internships (Kristale Grant)

35. Enrichment Opportunities for Gifted Students - HBW Vibrant theater department! Les Misérables, whole-school production • Almost monthly student-directed plays in our Black Box • Annual musical (this year: Footloose!) • Annual middle school play (this year: Lysistrata!... Adapted by 8th grade scriptwriters to involve protest against school policies…) Students direct, design and hang lights, design & build sets, design and create costumes, write and play music… often with support but very little direction from adults Henry 8, Middle School Production

36. Gifted Services at HB Woodlawn Questions? Please fill out a card with individual questions or concerns about your child, and leave me your phone number or email address… and I will get back to later this week! Liz Waters, liz.waters@apsva.us