Teaching Students In An Inclusive Setting

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Teaching Students In An Inclusive Setting
Suzanne Larocque Lorraine OReilly
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Welcome!
So you have a gifted student in your class
Dont panic.
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Overview

• What the Ministry says
• Who are the gifted and what do they need?
• Where to start
• Program differentiation
• How do I assess?
• 3 BIG ideas (What do you think they are?)
• Questions

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The Ministry Says
Giftedness is defined as an unusually advanced
degree of general intellectual ability that
requires differentiated learning experiences of a
depth and breadth beyond those normally provided
in the regular school program to satisfy the
level of educational potential indicated.
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Who Are The Gifted? What Do They Need?
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Cognitive Domain Characteristics

• COGNITIVE ABILITY Positive Aspects
• learns quickly and easily when interested
• processes information quickly
• unusual ability to abstract generalize
• progresses at more rapid pace than peers

• Difficult Aspects
• bored by routine and repetitive tasks
• may dominate others
• intolerant of those less able

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Cognitive Domain Characteristics

• INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY Positive Aspects
• asks many questions
• interested in wide variety of subjects
• has high tolerance for ambiguity

• Difficult Aspects
• pursues individual interests over class
  activities
• impatient with details and restrictions
• remains unfocused and scattered

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Cognitive Domain- Needs

• access to challenging curriculum
• interact with intellectual peers
• pacing work according to abilities
• be allowed to solve problems in diverse,
  creative ways
• be exposed to varied subjects and areas of
  interest

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Affective Domain Characteristics

• Positive Aspects
• heightened self-awareness
• unusually sensitive to expectations, feelings of
  others
• strong idealism and sense for justice
• leadership abilities
• keen sense of humour

• Difficult Aspects
• intolerant of those not sharing similar views
• may be self-critical
• high expectations frustration, perfectionism

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Affective Domain - Needs

• learn to set realistic expectations and goals
• learn self-advocacy
• opportunities to study real world issues,
  generate
• solutions and plans of action
• emotional intelligence learning

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Where To Start
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First Steps

• Review IEP
• Conference with student
• Survey strengths, needs (can be the same) and
  interests
• How student learns best
• What accommodations worked for student in the
  past
• Plan how and when to differentiate students
  program. Include student.

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Needs - IEP

• The needs of gifted students often result from
  their strengths. On the IEP, the strength and
  need may be identical.
• In most cases, needs do not change over time
• The identified exceptionality should be evident
  from the statement of needs
• Areas of need should make evident the reasons why
  the student requires a special education program
  and/or services
• Area of need should be drawn from the assessment
  data

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Program Differentiation
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Who?

• Students formally identified through the IPR
  process as intellectually gifted (require IEP)
• Students who have met Board criteria for
  giftedness but are not formally identified
  (require IEP)
• Students who just missed meeting the gifted
  criteria
• (should have an IEP)
• Students who are bright in a particular subject
  area
• (should have an IEP)

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Why?

• To assist students in reaching their full
  potential by matching students ability levels
  with appropriate programming
• To meet the individual needs of students
• To motivate and challenge students
• To reduce the number of underachieving gifted
  students

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When?

• On a regular basis, as required
• Students who are gifted or bright, are that way
  all the time, not just while attending
  specialized programs

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How? Blooms Taxonomy

• Gifted students should be spending the majority
  of their time at the
• Applying/Application Level or above.

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Suggestions for Evaluation (http//www.teachers.as
h.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm)
Useful Verbs Sample Question Stems Potential activities and products
judgeselectchoosedecidejustifydebateverifyarguerecommendassessdiscussrateprioritisedetermine Is there a better solution to...Judge the value of...Can you defend your position about...?Do you think ... is a good or a bad thing?How would you have handled...?What changes to ... would you recommend?Do you believe?Are you a ... person?How would you feel if...?How effective are...?What do you think about...? Prepare a list of criteria to judge a ... show. Indicate priority and ratings.Conduct a debate about an issue of special interest.Make a booklet about 5 rules you see as important. Convince others.Form a panel to discuss views, eg "Learning at School."Write a letter to ... advising on changes needed at...Write a half yearly report.Prepare a case to present your view about...
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What?

• Content
• Process
• Product
• Evaluation

• Kind
• Breadth
• Depth
• Pace

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Change .

• Content
• Kind move from fact-concept-generalization-theory
  
• Breadth divergent, multidisciplinary
• Depth convergent, intense interest
• Pace fast or slow dependent on scope and
  complexity
• Strategies compacting, acceleration, broad-based
  theme, interdisciplinary study, in-depth study of
  topic, self-selected topic, independent projects

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Change .

• Product based on learning styles
• Kind designate audience - feelings, attitudes
• Breadth advanced technical skills, creative,
  participatory
• Depth independent, productive, creative thinking
• Pace opportunities to transfers skills to new
  situations
• Examples
• 3-D models
• Multi-media computer presentations
• Oral - podcasts

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Change .

• Process
• Kind move from basic thinking skills to
  integrated inquiry models
• Breadth complexity of thinkingmultidisciplinary
• Depth intensity of thinking application of
  higher-order thinking, self-directing
• Pace move towards independent thinking, learning
• Strategies higher-order thinking, creative
  thinking, problem-solving skills, open-ended
  questioning

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Change .

• Evaluation
• Kind teacher, teacher/pupil, pupil leading to
  independent learner
• Breadth co-evaluation
• Depth self-evaluation
• Pace continuous assessment/evaluation
• Strategies teacher evaluation, peer evaluation,
  self evaluation, external evaluators,
  co-evaluation, criteria checklists, rating
  scales, rubrics, tests, inventories

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Guiding Principle
Always remember gifted students must be
evaluated against grade level expectations, even
when working above and beyond.
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First Steps

• Determine student competency in subject area
  (i.e. pretest, demonstration of evidence).
• If level 4 competency is demonstrated, this
  should be reflected in evaluative mark given.
• Plan for differentiation with the student.
• Provide assessment feedback (i.e. rubric,
  criteria checklists, conferencing).

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What Students Gain

• Chance to further develop
• Critical thinking
• Inquiry learning
• Creativity
• Project management
• Team skills
• Leadership
• Self-esteem

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Big Ideas

• Being Gifted Its Not Easy! We are Not Perfect
  and We Dont Know Everything!
• Needs and Strengths Can Be the Same
• Being Gifted Means Different, Not More of the
  Same.

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Resources - Books

• Being Smart About Gifted Children (2005),
  Matthews, Foster, Great Potential Press
  Incorporated
• Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom
  (2001), Susan Winebrenner, Free Spirit
  Publishing
• Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular
  Classroom (1997), Smutny, Walker, Meckstroth,
  Free Spirit Publishing
• The Schoolwide Enrichment Model A How-To Guide
  for Educational Excellence (2nd edition) (1997),
  Joseph S. Renzulli Sally M. Reis, Creative
  Learning Press
• When Gifted Kids Dont have All the Answers
  (2002), Jim Delisle, Judy Galbraith, Free Spirit
  Publishing

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Resources - Journals

• Journal for the Education of the Gifted. The
  official quarterly publication for The
  Association of the Gifted (a division of the
  Council for Exceptional Children).
• Gifted Child Today. Quarterly publication for
  parents, teachers and professionals interested in
  gifted education.
• The National Voice for Kids Creative Kids.
  Quarterly magazine showcasing student work.

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Resources - Websites

• http//www.abcontario.ca/
• The Association for Bright Children of Ontario is
  an all-volunteer, provincially incorporated
  support and advocacy group to support parents of
  bright and gifted children.
• http//www.nagc.org/
• NAGC (National Association of Gifted Children) is
  an American resource that supports gifted
  education and explains what's at stake if
  high-potential learners are not challenged and
  encouraged.
• http//www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalt
  on.htm
• This site provides suggestions of questions to
  ask potential activities.

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Give me an education that fits my needs, and you
give me a chance to change the world!