Understanding the World of Academically & Intellectually Gifted

Understanding the World of Academically & Intellectually Gifted

Watson School of Education AIG Mini-Conference

Angela Housand, [email protected]

A Practical Guide to Differentiation

How do you differentiate?

They Are All So Different…

Children come to us in a variety of shapes, sizes, intellectual abilities, creative abilities,

inter/intra personal skills, and a myriad more characteristics that makes each child we deal with unique and special.

Carol Ann Tomlinson

Diversity in students can include:

Ability (aptitude) differences Achievement differences Academic background differences—lower achievement can be due

to poor preparation and limited exposure Cultural differences—second language acquisition, interaction style

differences Differences in affect (enthusiasm level and personality) and effort

(effort vs. ability issues) Differences in styles of learning style (visual, auditory, concrete,

abstract, hands-on, written) Differences in interests Differences in preferences for products and processes Differences in self-regulation and study skillsSally Reis

The success of education depends on adapting teaching to individual differences among learners.

Yuezheng,in 4th century B. C. Chinese treatise, Xue Ji

Why Aren’t Some Students

Challenged?

Classroom Practices StudyTeachers reported that they never had any training in meeting the needs of gifted students.

61% public school teachers54% private school teachers

Archambault, F. X., Jr., Westberg, K. L., Brown, S. W., Hallmark, B. W., Emmons, C. L., & Zhang, W. (1993). Regular classroom practices with gifted students: Results of a national survey of classroom teachers (Research Monograph 93102). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut .

Classroom Practices Observational Study

Students experienced no instructional or curricular differentiation in 84% of the activities in which they participated:

Reading Language ArtsMathematics Social StudiesScience

Westberg, K. L., Archambault, F. X., Jr., Dobyns, S. M., & Salvin, T. J. (1993). An observational study of instructional and curricular practices used with gifted and talented students in regular classroom (Research Monograph 93104). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.

Types of Differentiation in Which Target Gifted Students Were Involved

No Differen tiatio n Ad v an ced C o n ten t Ad v an ced P ro cess Ad v an ced P ro d u ct In d ep . S tu d y w/A ssig n ed In d ep . S tu d y w/S elf-selected Oth er Differen tiatio n

0

20

40

60

80

100

Reading

Language Arts

Mathematics

Science

Social Studies

All Subject Areas

Perc

ent

No

Diff

eren

tiatio

n

Adv

ance

d C

onte

nt

Adv

ance

d Pr

oces

s

Adv

ance

d Pr

oduc

t

Inde

p. S

tudy

w/

Ass

igne

d To

pic

Inde

p. S

tudy

w/

Self-

sele

cted

Top

ic

Oth

er

Diff

eren

tiatio

n

The Five Dimensions of Differentiation

Yourself

Content(Knowledge)

Process(Pedagogy)

ClassroomOrganization and

Management

Products(Expression Styles)

What is differentiated instruction?It’s teaching with student variance in mind.

It’s starting where the kids are rather than with a standardized approach to teaching that assumes all kids of a given age or grade are essentially alike.

It’s responsive teaching rather than one-size fits-all teaching.

Ways to Differentiate Content

• Varied Texts• Accelerated Coverage of Material• Varied Supplementary Materials• Independent Projects• Tiered Lessons• Interest Development Centers

• Compacting

Approximately 40-50% of traditional classroom material could be eliminated for targeted students.

Reis, S. M., Westberg, K.L., Kulikowich, J., Caillard, F., Hébert, T., Plucker, J., Purcell, J.H., Rogers, J.B., & Smist, J.M. (1993). Why not let high ability students start school in January? The curriculum compacting study (Research Monograph 93106). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.

Compacting

Assesses what a student knows and what content is not yet masteredContent not yet mastered becomes part of learning goalsPreviously mastered content is not required thereby “freeing up” time for enriched, accelerated, or interest driven activities

Renzulli & Reis (1997)Tomlinson (1995)

When teachers eliminated as much as 50% of the curriculum, no differences were found between treatment and control groups in most content areas. In fact, students whose curriculum was compacted scored higher than control group students in some areas.

Reis, S. M., Westberg, K.L., Kulikowich, J., Caillard, F., Hébert, T., Plucker, J., Purcell, J.H., Rogers, J.B., & Smist, J.M. (1993). Why not let high ability students start school in January? The curriculum compacting study (Research Monograph 93106). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.

What is Curriculum Compacting?

Modifying or streamlining the regular curriculum Eliminating the repetition of previously mastered materialUpgrading the challenge level of the regular curriculum

When once the child has learned that four and two are six, a thousand repetitions will give him no new information, and it is a waste of time to keep him employed in that manner.

J.M. GreenwoodPrinciples of Education Practically Applied, 1888

Student Behaviors Suggesting that Compacting May Be

Necessary

• Finishes tasks quickly• Completes homework in class• Appears bored during instruction time• Brings in outside reading material• Creates puzzles, games, or diversions

in class

• Tests scores consistently excellent• Asks questions that indicate advanced

familiarity with material• Sought after by others for assistance• Daydreams

For Students, Compacting

Eliminates boredom resulting from unnecessary drill and practice.

Provides challenge leading to continuous growth.

How to Compact

Step One: Identify the objectives in a given unit and pre-test students to ascertain mastery level.

How to Compact

Step Two: Eliminate or Streamline instruction for students who demonstrate mastery.

How to Compact

Step Three: Keep records of the process and instructional options available to compacted students.

Inconceivable

Should every student have an Individualized Education Plan?

Ways to Differentiate Content

• Varied Texts• Accelerated Coverage of Material• Varied Supplementary Materials• Independent Projects

• Tiered Lessons• Interest Development Centers• Compacting

Tiered Lessons

Varied level of activitiesDesigned to ensure that students explore ideas at a level that builds on prior knowledgePrompts continued growth

Why use tiered instruction?

Maximizes the likelihood that Each student comes away with key skills and

understandings. Each student is appropriately challenged. Each student avoids work that is anxiety-

producing (too hard) or boredom-producing (too easy)

Developing Tiered Instruction

Think about the students who will be using the activity Readiness Interests Learning Profile

Create one activity that is interesting, requires high-level thinking and is clearly focused on the key concept, skill or generalization.

Developing the Tiers

Create an activity or use a successful activity from the pastThe activity should:– Be interesting– Engender high level thinking and problem

solving– Cause students to utilize target skills to

understand key ideas or concepts

Chart the complexity of the activity– Is it high skill complexity or low skill

complexity?– Who will be challenged by this activity:

• Advanced students?• On grade-level students?• Struggling learners?


Based on where the activity falls on the ladder, you can define who needs more or less challenging versions of the same assignmentClone the activity along the ladderHow many versions will you need?


All Tiers Should

build understandingchallenge studentsbe interesting and engagingbe respectful

Group sizes may vary

The number of groups per tier will vary The number of students per group will

vary For Example:

Tier One: Two groups of three Tier Two: Five groups of four Tier Three: One group of two

What can be tiered?

Assignments Activities Homework Learning

Centers

Experiments Materials Assessments Writing

Prompts

• Use two dice.• One person at a time,

roll the dice. • Add or multiply totals.• The goal is to reach

but not exceed 36.

Sample Tiered Math Game

1 + 21 x 2

= 3= 2

First cast of the dice 3

3 + 43 x 4

= 7= 12

3+ 12 15

Second cast of the dice

5 + 15 x 1

= 6= 5

15+ 6 21

Third cast of the dice

3+ 63 x 6

= 9= 18

21+ 18 39

21+ 9 30

Fourth cast of the dice

Modifications for Advanced Students

• Play to 100• Disallow paper for calculations or

remembering numbers• Use powers• Use subtraction • Allow negative numbers• What about fractions?

34

43

= 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 81= 4 x 4 x 4 = 64

81Tiered Lesson:

Using Powers Option

2+ 6 = 82 x 6 = 1226 = 6462 = 36

2 - 6 = -46 - 2 = 4

Tiered Lesson:Exploring Options

What about• Using a multi-sided die

64

36

• Or two?

We could really shake things up

• Try three dice and use the distributive law!

12

12 + (3 x 18) = 12 + 54 = 66(12 + 18) x 3 = 30 x 3 = 90

Did you get closer to 100?

A Quick Differentiation QUIZ

Did every student do it? NOShould every student do it? NOCould every student do it? NOWould every student want to do it? NODid the student do it willingly and zestfully? YESDid the student use authentic resources and methodology?

YESWas it done for an audience other than (or in addition to) the teacher?

YES

Avoid the Management Nightmare

The Learning Environment The physical classroom

(3 basic settings):• Whole class meeting• Independent stations• Teacher-directed small group work

The Learning Environment The “working” environment

• Provide opportunities for self-directed exploration of materials

• Establish guidelines for cooperative groups• Make groups inclusive• Ask students to reflect on their performance• Intervene when necessary• Establish a classroom conducive to student risk-taking

Learning Contracts An agreement between teacher and

student An opportunity for a student to work

somewhat independently Increases student responsibility for their

own learning Provides some freedom for the student in

acquiring skills and understandings

Learning Contracts Include:

A skills component A content component A time line Specification of expectations

• Behavior• Criteria for successful completion and quality

Signatures of agreement to terms (Student and Teacher)

ACSD (1997)Tomlinson (1995)

Consequences:

Learning contracts set positive consequencesExample: continued freedom

They also set negative consequencesExample: teacher sets work parameters

Flexible Grouping Employs several organizational patterns

for instruction Students are grouped and regrouped

according to: Specific goals Activities Individual needs Interests Desired outcomes (products)

http://www.eduplace.com/science/profdev/articles/valentino.html

Grouping Options

Teacher-Led Groups Whole class Small group Individual

Student-Led Groups Collaborative Performance-based Dyad (Pairs)


More Grouping Options Within Class Grouping

Ability Interest Question-Based Readiness Learning Style

Beyond Class Grouping Across-Class Multi-Age Team Regrouping

Renzulli & Reis (1997)Tomlinson (1995)

Ways to Differentiate Content in Groups

Varied Texts Varied Supplementary Materials Varied Graphic Organizers Independent Study Tiered Questions/Assignments Interest Development Centers

Anchor Activities

Self-paced, purposeful, content-driven activities that students can work on independently

Can be done over the course of a unit, grading period, or longer

Activities that are meaningful, ongoing, and appropriate to students’ learning needs

http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/anchor/

The Question of Equity

Equity, the quality of being fair, is not about offering the exact same thing to every student, it is providing individuals with suitable challenges and experiences that will enable them to be successful and grow beyond where they are now or where they have been before.

Questions?

References and Resources

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (Producer). (1997). Differentiating instruction: Instructional and Management Strategies [Motion picture]. (Available from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1250 N. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314-1453)

Fogarty, E. (2005). Differentiation as the key to successful grouping. Presented at Confratute, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.

Renzulli, J. S. & Reis, S. M. (1997). The schoolwide enrichment model. Connecticut: Creative Learning Press.

Strictland, C. A. (2005). Differentiation of Instruction. Presented at Newark, Delaware Public Schools.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1995). The differentiated classroom. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

http://wblrd.sk.ca/~bestpractice/anchor/


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Understanding the World of Academically & Intellectually Gifted