Eight Essentials for Engagement of High Potential Students

Colleen AnthonyJefferson County Public Schools

Gifted and Talented

Jennifer GottschalkGifted and Talented

Cherry Creek Public Schools

Jackie Trucky

Think about your students?Think about a student/s who you know or

suspect may be gifted.What keeps them engaged in learning?Where do you see the highest involvement in

learning? The lowest engagement?Share your thinking with someone.What creates the most engagement for your

learners?

Engagement• What does it mean?• A constructivist learning environment in

which students generate knowledge and meaning from experiences. (Tomlinson 1997)

• Four C’s that provide optimal conditions to motivate gifted learners:– Challenge– Control– Commitment– Compassion (Whitney and Hirsch, 2007)

How do students become engaged?Based on research and feedback from students,

teachers, and, parents the following eight essentials emerged:

1. Data Driven Instruction2. Acceleration3. Affective Guidance for Social/Emotional Needs4. Mentoring/Guidance/Career Counseling/Goals5. Differentiated Instruction6. Higher Order Thinking Skills7. Personal/Independent Study8. Integration of Media & Technology

What about acceleration?• Acceleration is defined as the appropriate

movement of a student and/or curriculum by pace or place which matches learning with student’s demonstrated readiness and needs.

• There are multiple ways to accelerate a student: content, grade, multiple grade, etc.

• The Iowa Acceleration Scale is a research-based resource that supports parents and schools in acceleration decisions

Are social/emotional needs really important?

Affective guidance addresses social, emotional and behavioral needs such as:Perfectionism Divergent ThinkingUnderachievement Advanced Moral

DevelopmentSensitivities/Over Excitabilities Precocious Talent

Gifted students also need guidance and direction in the areas of:Self-advocacy• Stress Management• Understanding overexcitabilities

Why Data Driven Instruction?Data driven instruction must flow from

known strengthsFocused instruction results in excellent

growthA combination of preassessment, formative

and summative assessments will yield best/accurate information

Above/off grade-level testing (when permitted) may be necessary

More on Data Driven Instruction

• Pre-assessment is an essential!—a student must have the opportunity to demonstrate what they know

• Become familiar with data that is available– What kind of data is it? (Is it cognitive or

performance?)– How do you interpret the data?– What direction will this provide for student learning?

• What data do you still need to make sound instructional decisions?

How do you differentiate for gifted?Gifted students need carefully planned,

coordinated learning experiences that extend beyond the core curriculum to meet specific learning needs. (NAGC 1994)

Curriculum can be differentiated by: content, product, process and learning environment

Differentiation is a philosophy—some strategies that facilitate this philosophy include:Compacting Multiple intelligencesCluster grouping Learning stylesFlexible pacing Tiered lessons

Why are goals and career guidance necessary?• Gifted children require appropriate affective

services including gifted-focused counseling interventions and career-development guidance programs to allow students to reach full potential (NAGC Position Statement)

• Goals based on data, ensure that students will develop to their full potential

• Mentorships can provide the expertise and exposure to the depth of knowledge students seek in their area/s of expertise

What are higher order thinking skills (HOTS) and why are they important?Higher Order Thinking Skills are a tool for

teachers to organize learning tasks that require analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and/or other critical thinking skills for questioning and activities

Higher Order Thinking Skills include: Analytical, Critical CreativeOrganizational Thinking

Why incorporate personal/independent Study? Independent Study provides an opportunity to

explore in depth, complexity, and novelty topics of passion by extending content, allowing choice, and making real-world connections to learning

Student motivation is enhanced through:ChoicePersonal goal-settingTime management based on self-created

deadlinesIndependent Study provides opportunity for

replacement of class work in which mastery has been demonstrated

How does media/technology engage?Technology… facilitates learning in a variety of formats for

learning and demonstrationprovides access to allow expansion of

knowledge in passion areasfulfills the need for depth and complexitycreates opportunity to transfer and

demonstrate learningpresents a vehicle to explore passions in

depth and display understanding in a creative manner

Getting back to your students…Focus on one student you feel engagement

who is in need of increased engagement?What could you incorporate in your

instruction to increase engagement?Where will you begin—what will be your first

step?

Analytical Reasoning SkillsPromote academic success through examination and analysis.

Identify CharacteristicsRecognize AttributesMake ObservationsComparing and ContrastingCategorizingClassifying/Criteria SettingPredictingDetermining Cause and EffectMaking AnalogiesAdapted from Deborah E. Burns, Ph.D. University of Connecticut

Organizational Thinking Skills Encourage the management, monitoring, and executing of higher order thinking skills.

MemorySummarizingMetacognitionGoal SettingFormulating QuestionsDeveloping HypothesesGeneralizing/develop a ruleProblem SolvingPlanningAdapted from Deborah E. Burns, Ph.D. University of Connecticut

Critical Thinking SkillsNeeded for analyzing and evaluating the quality, worth, or strength of an oral or written argument, proposition, or suggestion

Inductive Thinking: Draw an Inferential Conclusion

Deductive thinking: Draw a Logical Supported Conclusion

Determine Reality and FantasyIdentify Value Statements/Bias StatementsIdentifying Point of ViewIdentifying Fact and OpinionJudging Essential and Incidental EvidenceJudging Credibility: accuracy, missing

information, source, exaggerationDetermining the Strength of an Argument

Adapted from Deborah E. Burns, Ph.D. University of Connecticut

Creativity SkillsEncourage alternate solutions or products when existing solutions are inappropriate or yield less than satisfactory results.

FluencyFlexibilityOriginalityElaboration

Adapted from Deborah E. Burns, Ph.D. University of Connecticut

StrategiesImageryScamperAttribute ListingRandom ListingBrainstormingCreative Problem

SolvingSynectics

Colleen [email protected]