What’s Different About Differentiating for the Gifted?

What’s Different What’s Different About Differentiating About Differentiating

for the Gifted?for the Gifted?

Filling the Insatiable Learning Appetite of

a Gifted Learner!

Topics to CoverTopics to Cover

• How are gifted children different from other children?

• How is differentiating for gifted different from differentiating for others?

• Let’s practice!

Objectives

Participants will have an opportunity to:

-Identify needs and challenges of teaching gifted and talented students

-Match specific needs with specific strategies and techniques

-Create a lesson within your content using one of the strategies

Why is this Why is this important in the important in the

first place?first place?

Do you want this to happen in your classroom?

Or this?

THINK / PAIR / SHARE

Find a partner and share with them what your concerns are about working with the gifted.

How are gifted How are gifted children different from children different from

typical children?typical children?

Four Principles to Four Principles to RememberRemember

1. Gifted children see the world differently

Four Principles to Four Principles to RememberRemember

2. They do things differently

Four Principles to Four Principles to RememberRemember

3. They do things with intensity

Four Principles to Four Principles to RememberRemember

4. Judgment lags behind intellect

Be prepared!Be prepared!

You have been warned!Gifted children need constant

mental stimulation!

Remember:

1. More than half of gifted students are underachievers

2. It takes only one or two repetitions and they’ve got it

3. Gifted students have different levels of abilities

4. Have a need to explore subjects in surprising depth

5. Extreme curiosity- endless questions

1. Can be overly sensitive

What’s different What’s different about differentiating about differentiating

for the gifted?for the gifted?

Experts sited are Diane Heacox, Bertie Kingore, Sandra Kaplan,

Susan Winebrenner, Howard Gardner, Benjamin Bloom, and

Joseph Renzulli

What the Experts SayWhat the Experts Say

1) Extend academic standards

into “next level”.

Remove the lid off the

grade-level box!

What the Experts SayWhat the Experts Say

2.) Incorporate advanced, in-depth, novel, complex content and processes

Consider using the Kaplan Model

of Depth and Complexity

Griney Grollers Griney Grollers Thinking Skills TestThinking Skills Test

Can you answer my questions?

The griney grollers grangled in granchy gak.

**Moral: Students can answer low-levelquestions without thinking. Students enter/exit classrooms with no more understanding of what they've learned than what the"The Griney Groller”taught you!

What the Experts SayWhat the Experts Say

3.) Accelerate as appropriate

based on talent profile

Get to know your students!

Teaching Style Inventorywww.texascollaborative.org/tools/TSI.pdf

Online M.I. Test

Learning Tips for Different Learning Tips for Different Learning StylesLearning Styles

-Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic

http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html

Online Learning Style Test:

www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/studyguides/Learning%20Styles.doc

The “Draw a Pig” TestThe “Draw a Pig” Test

http://www.ldcsb.on.ca/schools/cfe/WebQuests/gifted/myers_pig.html

Curriculum CompactingCurriculum Compacting

Work in small groups to put the steps in curriculum compacting in order. Make sure a teacher could read the sentence strips and immediately understand what compacting is all about.

Think / Pair / Share

TieringTiering

Don’t Forget:Don’t Forget:

Pre-Assessment is your best friend!

WindshieldWindshield

What the Experts SayWhat the Experts Say

4) Provide cognitively complex

learning

Goldilocks Theory of Goldilocks Theory of EducationEducation

Too Hard!Too Hard!

Too Easy!Too Easy!

What the Experts SayWhat the Experts Say

5) Provide larger blocks of time to pursue interests some of which may be outside the school curriculum

What the Experts SayWhat the Experts Say

6) Individualize learning plans and experiences based on interests, needs, readiness

Individual Learning Contract Individual Learning Contract

Integration MatrixIntegration Matrix

What the Experts SayWhat the Experts Say

7) Increase skills for autonomous learning to reach high levels of independence

Just remember, they must be taught how to work independently and they still need your time throughout the day!

Set the working conditions

from the beginning!

Invasive Plants of Arizona Invasive Plants of Arizona

http://www.avondale.k12.az.us/departments.cfm?subpage=7382

Choice Menus / Tic Tac Toe Menus

What the Experts SayWhat the Experts Say

8)

Content = Subject matter and how you teach itProcess = Activity or how they will learn itProduct = How students demonstrate what

they have learned

Differentiating “Content” Differentiating “Content” For GiftedFor Gifted

• Consider using next level curriculum goals• Engage students in more abstract

concepts• Replace content that the students have

already mastered with more complex and in-depth content

• Use the interdisciplinary approach• Introduce students to more advanced

research skills

Differentiating “Process” Differentiating “Process” For GiftedFor Gifted

• Accelerate the pace of instruction to allow time to engage in investigations or advanced work

• Be flexible about time lines• Provide more open-ended tasks• Present tasks with high levels of rigor that

demand the use of critical and creative thinking

Differentiating “Product” Differentiating “Product” For GiftedFor Gifted

• Engage them in solving real problems • Move them beyond what is already

familiar to new ways of showing what they know

• Provide authentic feedback • Expect them to use their imagination and

create original products

Let’s Sum Let’s Sum It Up!It Up!

Plus / Minus / InterestingPlus / Minus / Interesting

Choose one of the eight recommendations just

discussed from the experts and complete a PMI with a

partner.

Transition PageTransition Page

Use the NAGC Use the NAGC standards to guide the standards to guide the

design of advanced design of advanced activities for the gifted!activities for the gifted!

www.nagc.org

Read and review the Read and review the “Gifted Students “Gifted Students

Bill of Rights” Bill of Rights” frequently!frequently!

Is there a magic bullet ? Is there a magic bullet ? Is the perfect curriculum out Is the perfect curriculum out

there for gifted learners?there for gifted learners?

NO!NO!Teachers know their students, what they need, and how to design learning that addresses their needs and capitalizes on their strengths.

TRUST YOURSELF!

Created by: Jason McIntoshCreated by: Jason McIntoshJanuary 2009January 2009Email: [email protected]: [email protected] by Animation FactoryTemplate by Animation Factory