Welcome! Enrichment & Differentiation For Gifted & Advanced Students October 13, 2014

Welcome! Enrichment & Differentiation For Gifted & Advanced Students October 13, 2014 Patricia Bower & Amy Neylon Gifted Support Teachers On your index card write an example of how you have differentiated for your advanced and/or gifted learners. Then put your card in the toolbox!!

Myth #1 All children are gifted.. Reality On a normal bell curve only 2.5% of the population will have a gifted IQ of 130 or higher Approx. 3-5% of the population is gifted

Gifted Education = Special Ed. For Gifted Students • Students with a 130 IQ are as far from the “average” of 100 as are students with and IQ of 70 • We accommodate struggling students when the pace is too fast or when key concepts are missed.. • We need to accommodate gifted students who already know the material or learn at a faster rate

Myth #2 Gifted students don’t need help…. they’ll do just fine on their own….

Reality Just as good athletes need a coach or trainer to help them develop their skills, academically gifted students need well trained teachers and a challenging curriculum to develop their academic talent.

Fast Fact The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) found that many gifted elem. students already know between 40% and 50 % of the school curriculum to be covered in class before the school year begins. http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/reiswest.html

Myth #3 Teachers challenge all students, so gifted kids will be fine in the regular classroom….

Reality Many teachers are frequently unfamiliar with the needs of gifted children.

Fast Fact • According to an NRC/GT study, 61% of classroom teachers did not receive any training in meeting the needs of gifted and talented students http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=538 • According to the NRC/GT, most gifted and talented students spend at least 80% of their time in a regular education classroom

Let’s not forget.. • Speaking of the “dark side”—with abilities may come burdens..they may be “At Risk” for.. • Anxiety disorders, eating disorders, bullying and other harassment, loneliness, exclusion and self-consciousness associated with “being different”..and they can be cursed with debilitating perfectionism..

Myth #4 Gifted students make everyone else in the class smarter by providing a role model or a challenge….

Reality Average or below-average students do not look to the gifted students in the class as role models They are more likely to model their behavior on other students with similar capabilities Gifted students benefit from interactions with peers at similar performance levels

Fast Fact • Grouping gifted and talented students for instruction improves their achievement. • Full-time ability grouping produces substantial academic gains in these students.

Myth #5 Acceleration options, such as early entrance, grade skipping, or early exit can be socially harmful for gifted students….

Reality High ability students often gravitate towards older students who share their interests and who are more similar as intellectual peers

Fast Fact • In a study of high ability children who had been accelerated, 71% reported satisfaction with their acceleration experience • The majority of those who reported they were unsatisfied…wanted more acceleration.

Acceleration • Acceleration is not Enrichment.. • Acceleration =move through the curriculum faster • Enrichment=add breadth and depth • Faster pace, fewer repetitions • Subject acceleration

Myth #6 Gifted education programs are elitist….

Gifted education is elitist..NOT if it’s done right…Good gifted education meets the academic, & social/emotional needs of the gifted, and it’s something that the rest of the kids don’t want!!” Carolyn K. Hoagies Gifted Education Page

Gifted Education: What Works • Acceleration • Grouping by ability • Curriculum Compacting • Advanced Placement • Pull-Out Programs • Teacher Training http://www.nagc.org

“Not every child has an equal talent or an equal ability or an equal motivation..but children have the equal right to develop their talent, their ability, and their motivation.” John F. Kennedy

Myth #7 That student can’t be gifted..he’s receiving poor grades….

Reality • Gifted students aren’t always motivated to get good grades • They resist homework that seems…meaningless and repetitive • Underachievement in the gifted is a very real and persistent problem

Developing specially designed instruction for gifted students is the responsibility of the school district’s administration,gifted support staff, AND regular education teachers. It should not be a one-size-fits-all program

Elementary Gifted K-6 • Focus for this school year: • TDA (text dependent analysis) will look at Jacob’s Ladder resource • DOK question stems to use with small group reading (teacher may use this but will need assistance) • R.A.C.E • Pre-test creating for EDM • Mini enrichment units for advanced students • Acting as a resource for teachers

Enrichment Toolbox for Teachers How can I provide enrichment within the classroom to students who are ready to think more deeply about content? • Everyday Math Enrichment • Enrichment & Differentiation Resources for Advanced and Gifted Learners http://www.wasd.org/Page/6459

"The surest path to high self-esteem is to be successful at something you perceived to be difficult. Unless kids are consistently engaged in challenging work, they will lose the motivation to work hard." ~ Dr. Sylvia Rimm, Psychologist and Author on Gifted Topics

Welcome! Enrichment & Differentiation For Gifted & Advanced Students October 13, 2014