Catering for Giftedness

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Catering for Giftedness

• Guest Presenter Beth Wood
• TEA4202/TEA3206
• 26th August 2002

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The central purpose of schooling in Queensland
should be to create a safe, tolerant and
disciplined environment within which young people
prepare to be active and reflective citizens with
a disposition to lifelong learning. They will
be able to participate in and shape community,
economic and political life in Queensland and the
nation. They will be able to engage confidently
with other cultures at home and abroad.
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RATIONALE FOR GIFTED EDUCATION

• Department of Education 1993
• The right of each individual to develop his or
  her potential
• The need for a school to be concerned with
  individual differences
• The right of each individual for opportunity to
  access appropriate education provisions
• The needs of society for the fully developed
  talents of all

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DEFINITION

• Gifted and Talented students are those who excel,
  or have the potential to excel, in general or
  specific ability areas
•  
• Queensland Department of Education, 1993.

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CLUES TO USE WHEN LOOKING FOR GIFTEDNESS IN YOUNG
CHILDREN

• from Gifted Young Children by Roedell, Jackson
  Robinson
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD uses advanced vocabulary
  correctly, or when a child asks about a new word
  heard in a story or a lesson and then practises
  the word.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD uses metaphors and analogies.
  For example, a child might say that moss on a
  tree is like an old mans beard, thus going
  beyond the simple perception of moss.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD spontaneously makes up songs
  or stories, particularly when these elaborate on
  new experiences or when they involve playing
  with the pronunciations of words, rhymes, rhythms
  and the like.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD uses verbal skills to handle
  conflict or to influence other childrens
  behaviour. For example, the child might use
  verbal skills to initiate a toy exchange, or to
  decide peer group activities, or to exercise
  general leadership.

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Clues cont

• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD makes interesting shapes and
  patterns with small blocks, large blocks,
  play-dough or drawing material. Notice if a
  child attempts to copy a pattern or if the
  pattern is symmetrical. Notice also elaborate
  artwork in any media. Notice the process the
  children go through as they plan their work.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD appears to modify his or her
  language for less mature children. For example,
  a child might appropriately shorten sentences,
  use less sophisticated words, and change his or
  her pitch when talking to very young children.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD displays skill in putting
  together new or difficult puzzles, particularly
  if they examine the shape of the puzzle pieces
  and seem to know where to put them without trial
  and error.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD says or does something that
  indicated a sense of humour. For example, a child
  might pretend that the characteristics of one
  thing belong to another, as in a dog meowing.

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Clues cont

• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD expresses an understanding of
  abstract of complex concepts, such as death, time
  or electricity.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD masters a new skill, a new
  concept, song or rhyme with unusual speed or when
  a child demonstrates competence that has been
  presented in a lesson some time previously. For
  example, a child might independently use
  construction paper to assemble a witch, copying a
  technique demonstrated by the teacher some weeks
  earlier.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD seems capable of locating
  themselves in the environment. E.g. does the
  child seem to know where everything is in the
  room or school building? When on a walk can they
  tell how to get back to school? Does the child
  manoeuvre their tricycle skilfully around the
  yard, and seem to know when a space is too small
  to drive through? Do they understand how to keep
  out of the way of a swing?
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD uses language for a real
  exchange of ideas
  and information among themselves.

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Clues cont

• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD becomes totally absorbed in
  one kind of knowledge. For example they might
  spend all their free time with cars and trucks,
  want to read books about cars and trucks and
  knowledgeably about cars and trucks.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD displays great interest or
  skill in ordering and grouping items. For
  example a child might create block constructions
  that are symmetrically organised by shape, sort
  toy vehicles by size and shape, or spontaneously
  arrange pegboard pieces to form a rainbow ordered
  series.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD takes apart and reassembles
  things with unusual skill.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD identifies left or right,
  both in relation to his or her own body and the
  body of another person, or they understand how to
  move to the left or the right.

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Clues cont

• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD remembers and makes mental
  connections between past and present experiences.
  For instance, a child might spontaneously apply
  a principle learned in a group time about mammals
  to another lesson, weeks later, concerned with
  dinosaurs
•  NOTICE WHEN A CHILD behaves in a way that
  indicates sensitivity to the needs and feelings
  of another child or adult. For example, they
  might help another child who had fallen, or might
  move out of the way of another child without
  being asked.
•  NOTICE WHEN A CHILD is able to carry out complex
  instructions to do several things in sequence or
  when they are able to absorb several new concepts
  in a lesson.
• NOTICE WHEN A CHILD is usually attentive to the
  features of the classroom environment. For
  instance, the youngster might frequently be the
  first to notice a small change in the arrangement
  of the room, a teachers new hairstyle, or a
  different picture on the wall.

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Identification Tools

• ACADEMIC RATING SCALE MATHEMATICS
• ACADEMIC RATING SCALE ENGLISH
• Stallings Environmentally Based Screen

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CURRICULUM PROVISION FOR GIFTED STUDENTS

• Gifted students need challenging programs that
• concentrate on developing and applying high-level
  skills
• emphasise problem identification and problem
  solving
• emphasise creativity, thinking skills and
  metacognition
• provide opportunity for quick mastery of the
  basic skills through compaction of the curriculum
• employ effective decision-making and management
  strategies
• explore career options

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Cont

• are futures oriented
• require study and mastery of the particular
  discipline
• accommodate self-initiated study
• allow opportunities for self evaluation, external
  evaluation and display of products
• develop positive self- images for students

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MEETING A SPECIAL NEED Gifted Children

• When planning to cater for childrens special
  needs, three basic choices are available to
  schools - Enrichment, Extension and Acceleration.
  Enrichment and extension activities have
  elements of acceleration within them just as
  acceleration involves extension and enrichment
  activities.

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Developing an Enrichment Unit

• Importance of having information about the
  students
• If I came to your house what would I see, hear,
  and do? This is a simple way to focus on
  learning styles.
• Introduction to the Interestalyser
• MI tests - discuss how to use these.
• Importance of analysing results - involve the
  student in the analysis
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• Focus on interest and create a number of
  problems. Have the child choose the one they
  are interested in.
• Finding a mentor
• Finding a real audience
• ? Wood 2000.

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INTEREST - ALYSER Adapted from Renzulli

• Four major points
• 1.  If the class was putting on a play, list
  three preferences for the role you would like to
  have.
• 2.  If you were a famous author, what sort of
  book would you write and what might its title be?
• 3.   Interests
•    Famous people to teach the class
• Collections the student has and would like to
  have
• Selecting from a list of activities to do when
  visiting a large city
• Listing the personal possessions the student
  would take on a trip as an astronaut
• Listing the most beautiful things in the world
• If the student created a beautiful painting what
  would it be about.
• If the student could become any character or
  person, who would they choose and why
• What does the student wish someone would invent
• If the student had three wishes what would be
  wished for

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Cont

• 4.    A list of activities that are part of the
  school day and the student is asked how often
  they engage in each activity. An important part
  of this section is to ask which activities the
  student would like to be involved in.
• In additional resources file
• A Multiple Intelligences Inventory for Adults
• TEST FOR STUDENTS Ways in which students are
  intelligent
• MAPPING STUDENT STRENGTHS

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Unicorn Project, Qld Education Dept

• Todays gifted students will be tomorrows
  leaders in Government, Technology, the Arts,
  Sciences and all other areas of human endeavour.
  These students have the right to participate in
  school programs that will help them reach their
  special potentials. Their parents, the community
  and the school have an obligation to provide
  flexible and effective programs for them.

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Queensland Association forGifted and Talented
Children Inc.

• Government Education Initiatives
• QAGTC submission to the 2001 Senate inquiryThe
  QAGTC Inc. submission to the Employment,
  Workplace Relations, Small Business and Education
  References Committee Inquiry into the Education
  of Gifted and Talented Children, submitted in
  February, 2001.
• Senate Committee Press Statement (October
  2001)An announcement of its findings was made to
  the Senate by the Employment, Workplace
  Relations, Small Business and Education
  References Committee Inquiry into the Education
  of Gifted and Talented Children. The full report
  is available to be downloaded The Education of
  Gifted and Talented Children. In particular, see
  the Summary and Recommendations.

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Education Queenslands response

• EQ is reviewing its current policy on gifted and
  talented education. The review team, led by
  Professor Peter Freebody, invited public
  submissions concerning the current policy, CS07
  The Education of Gifted Students in Queensland
  Schools 1993, 1996
• Education Queensland Report on the review of
  Gifted and Talented Education in Queensland State
  Schools - Towards 2010 by Ken Imison. 2001    
• Education Queensland Policy Statement 1993

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Sample of Authors/Consultants

• Eric Frangenheim http//www.rodineducation.com.au/
  
• Tony Ryan http//www.headfirst.com.au/
• Edward De Bono http//edwdebono.com/shcort/
• http//www.howtolearn.com/
• Beth Woods others, homepage
• http//www.headstogether.net/
• ERIC Digests Index - Strategies for Identifying
  the Talents of Diverse Students
• Teachers Net Gazette, article by Sylvia Burke

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Strategies and Programs

• Mind Mapping /Lighthouse Programs
• Catering for the Gifted
• Mentor Programs individual students small
  groups
• Special Study Groups in-class or withdrawal
  groups
• Whole School Options 1-10 students per adult
  leader
• Independent Study free choice or given contract
• Challenge Sessions 5 minute to 5 hour programs
• Peer Tutoring matching cross-age learners
• Cross-Campus/Cluster Programs one-off or regular.

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The Six Metaphorical Hats  (or modes of
thinking) Edward de bono

• The White Hat- calls for information known or
  needed. 
• The Yellow Hat- symbolizes brightness and
  optimism.  
• The Black Hat- is judgmentthe devils advocate
  or why something may not work.  
• The Red Hat- signifies feelings, hunches, and
  intuition.   
• The Green Hat- focuses on creativity the
  possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas.  
• The Blue Hat- used to manage the thinking
  process. 

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Lateral Thinking Techniques

• alternatives using concepts as a breeding ground
  for new ideas.
• focus when and how to change the focus of your
  thinking.
• challenge breaking free from the limits of
  traditional thinking act as though the present
  way of doing things is not necessarily the
  best.  
• random entry using unconnected input to open up
  new lines of thinking.  
• provocation and movement generating provocative
  statements and using them to build new ideas.  
• harvesting capturing your creative output take
  note of the specific ideas that seem practical
  and have obvious value.  
• treatment of ideas how to develop ideas and
  shape them to fit an organization or situation. 

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Direct Attention Thinking Tools

• Tool 1--Consequences and SequelsLook ahead to
  see the consequences of an action, plan,
  decision, or rule.
• Tool 2--Plus, Minus, InterestingEnsure that all
  sides of a matter have been considered before a
  decision or commitment is made. 
• Tool 3--Recognize, Analyze, DivideBreak a larger
  concept into smaller, more manageable parts. 
• Tool 4--Consider All FactorsExplore all factors
  related to an action, decision, plan, judgment,
  or conclusion. 
• Tool 5--Aims, Goals, ObjectivesFocus directly
  and deliberately on the intentions behind
  actions. 
• Tool 6--Alternatives, Possibilities,
  ChoicesDeliberately try to find other ways.
• Tool 7--Other Peoples ViewsPut yourself in
  others shoes. 
• Tool 8--Key Values InvolvedEnsure that your
  thinking serves your values. 
• Tool 9--First Important PrioritiesSelect the
  most important ideas, factors, objectives,
  consequences, etc. 
• Tool 10--Design/Decision, Outcome, Channels,
  ActionDirect attention to the outcome of the
  thinking and action that follows.