Transcript How many hats do you want me to juggle now? How to meet the learning needs of gifted students K-8 in a small.

How many hats do you
want me to juggle now?
How to meet the learning needs of gifted
students K-8 in a small school division.
Kevin Kendall, Gifted Education Coordinator
Lexington City Schools ([email protected])
Defining Terms – from the Regs
“Appropriately differentiated curriculum
and instruction” means:
- Curriculum & Instruction adapted or modified
to accommodate the accelerated learning
aptitudes of identified students in their areas of
strength.
- Such Curriculum & Instruction strategies
provide accelerated and enrichment
opportunities that recognize gifted students’
needs for:
8VAC20-40-20 Definitions cont’d
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Such Curriculum & Instruction are
offered continuously and sequentially
to support the achievement of student
outcomes, and provide support
necessary for these students to work at
increasing levels of complexity that
differ significantly from those of their
age-level peers.
Gifted Students’ Needs for…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Advanced content and pacing of
instruction
Original research and production
Problem finding and solving
Higher level thinking that leads to the
generation of products
A focus on issues, themes, and ideas
within and across areas of study.
Establishing Priorities
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“Must have” – minimum requirements to
meet state regulations
“Should have” – to be consistent with
best practices for educating gifted
students (see www.nagc.org)
“Would like to add” – if staff and funding
allows; or if volunteers can provide
The Skills Sequence
K-12 Vertical Alignment
(“continuously and sequentially”)
by subject area
This can also serve to define an
“acceleration sequence”
Sample Scope and Sequence for
Gifted Learners
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SECOND GRADE
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Complete simple
sentences
Organized paragraph
2 levels of details
Expository writing
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THIRD GRADE
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Complete complex
sentences
Multiple paragraphs
3 levels of details
Persuasive writing
Sample Scope and Sequence for
Gifted Learners
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SECOND GRADE
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Plot, setting, character
Narrator
“problem”
“moral of the story”
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THIRD GRADE
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Static vs. dynamic
characters
Protagonist vs.
Antagonist
Types of narration:
first person vs. third
person; omniscient,
vs. limited
Conflict and resolution
Theme
Vertical alignment
(“continuously and sequentially”)
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Ask gifted resource/classroom teachers to define the “10
most important skills” for gifted students to have in a
certain subject area when entering a grade level and what
10 skills they will master before the end of the year
Develop a scope and sequence that can address these
skills and design activities that can allow students to
acquire them; this also provides backbone for a model of
continuous service K-12
Develop an assessment plan to measure the success of
the year’s learning objectives and programs
Make adjustments based on those assessments
What are the characteristics of
“top 10” skills?
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Ask the question, “What do (scientists, writers,
mathematicians, historians, etc.) do?”
Think about what skills students need to have
mastered before they can be independent in
differentiated assignments
Target critical process skills that can be
internalized and used in independent work
Move students up Bloom’s taxonomy through
appropriate scaffolding and questioning
The Conceptual Sequence:
“The Great Ideas of Science”
1. The universe is regular and
predictable.
2. Energy is conserved and always
goes from more useful to less
useful forms.
3. Electricity and magnetism are
two aspects of the same
force.
4. All matter is made of atoms.
5. Everything comes in discrete
units, and you can’t measure
anything without changing it.
6. Atoms are bound by electron
glue.
7. The way a material behaves
depends of now its atoms are
arranged.
8. Nuclear energy comes from the
conversion to mass.
9. All matter is made of quarks and
leptons.
10. Stars live and die. …
“The Science Students Need to
Know” by James Trefil and
Wanda O’Brien Trefil
Educational Leadership, Sept. 2009
The Historical Sequence
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“Keystone Events in American History”
“The Evolution of Democracy”
“The 10 Greatest Inventions of All Time”
“The 10 Greatest Innovators of All Time”
“Reading Society Across Time Through
Art/Music/etc.”
What’s Worth Fighting For
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People as resources
Cluster grouping in heterogeneous classrooms
Mandatory training for cluster teachers
Collaborative planning of master schedule to
meet the needs of all levels of students
Support for curriculum writing
Pilot programs
Don’t Forget Technology Skills
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The earlier students are exposed to technology
the better able they are to do independent
research and create products that they take
pride in completing (a PowerPoint presentation
or a PhotoStory rather than a book report)
Engagement tends to increase when
technology is incorporated, so long as students
have the skills they need to be successful
Scaffold these skills across the K-8 continuum
Use Your Teachers as Experts
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Encourage teachers to share success stories
with colleagues so that differentiated
assignments are seen as opportunities
Have teachers develop appropriate lessons
and mini-units that are then incorporated into
the official district curriculum
Build on this curriculum incrementally with
annual additions rather than overwhelming
teachers by trying to create an entire
curriculum in one summer or one year