Differentiation for Gifted and Highly

Able LearnersIRHS

Grade 8 Parents’ Night January 16, 2014

K. PattersonCo-ordinator Gifted Programming

Enrichment is for EVERYONE!

ENRICHMENT AT IRHS

“Giftedness” Highly Able students Clustering (Placement and Identification)

Learning Profiles Differentiation Enrichment Opportunities

Topics to be Covered

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.

Ontario Min. of Ed. Special Ed. Guide for Educators 2001

Definition of “Giftedness”:

Keen to go beyond the curriculum

Anxious to share ideas and discuss areas of interest

Think quickly and rush note-taking

Traits of a Gifted and/or Highly Able Learner

Skip steps in a process and jump to the answer

Have messy notebooks/incomplete homework OR are perfectionists with extraordinary organization

Traits of a Gifted and/or Highly Able Learner

Interact with other students◦Want to help others/Bored and want social outlet

Continuously ask questions, inquisitive

Traits of a Gifted and/or Highly Able Learner

More interested in individual work due to a desire to produce excellent products

Avoid group activities at times

Curious and want to learn new things

Traits of a Gifted and/or Highly Able Learner

“Insist that students with ability try things that are hard for them to do.”

- Carol Ann Tomlinson

Challenging Work = Growth

Students are clustered by:a) identification (Gifted) orb) marks (Highly Able)

Clustering occurs in: Math, English, Geography and Science

Students cannot be clustered AND in French Immersion unless timetable easily permits it and it does NOT interfere with French Immersion

Clustering in classes

Formally identified “Gifted” students are placed in clustered classes first according to their IEP placement:

“Resource Support – Secondary Gifted Placement”

They may choose to be in some or all of the 4 clustered classes offered in grade 9

Placement with IEP (Gifted)

Highly Able students fill the classes according to marks, beginning with the student with the highest mark in each specific subject.

Students can be invited into more than one class but in each case it depends on their marks for that subject.

Placement of Highly Able Students

February Report marks are used first and the invitation is dependent on the student maintaining a grade above the “cut off” by the end of the year.

If they do not do so, another student with a higher mark may be invited into the class and the original student moved to an academic class.

Placement of Highly Able Students

Invitations (a letter and/or phone call) are issued to the highly able student and parents, they may choose to accept or reject that invitation to join the clustered class(es).

Once the classes are filled to approx. the same size as Academic classes in the same subject area, the class is “closed”.

Placement continued

If your child was identified in another board

OR If you would like to have your child

tested to see if they meet the criteria to be identified “Gifted” in the Halton District School Board

1. You must submit a psycho-educational testing report to Kathryn Patterson

2. It is then reviewed by our Board Psychological Education Consultant

Process for Identification HDSB

If the report indicates that the child meets the criteria for identification in HDSB, the report is then presented to the IRHS School Resource Team (SRT) with the support of the parents.

Upon approval, the SERT prepares documents for IPRC. (Identification, Placement Review Committee)

Process for Identification HDSB

Documents and an invitation are sent home to the parents prior to IPRC.

SERT and Psych. Ed. Consultant present the case to the IPRC committee (VP, Superintendent, IPRC Special Ed. Staff, Regional Consultant)

Upon approval, the student is formally identified “Gifted”.

Process for Identification HDSB

Optional attendance forms are available from your home high school.

Fill them out and have the Principal at the home high school sign them and send them to IRHS.

If a student is identified “Gifted” in Halton, they may attend any SGP school of their choice and must return their SGP placement form to their elementary school SERT.

Optional Attendance

                     .

Registration packages are available through our Personal and Career Counselling (PCC) Dept.

Please pick one up as you leave this evening if you are coming to IRHS from out of the catchment area, from a private school, different board or out of province, etc.

Registering at IRHS

Differentiated curriculum Greater depth, breadth and a faster pace.

Evaluated on the same scale as Academic classes

Enrichment opportunities – often a field trip, guest speaker, special lab, choice projects

What happens in a Clustered Enriched class?

Has input into Differentiated program Monitors student progress through

academic requirements of the course. Develops “Alternative” learning

content, processes and/or products to meet student needs (different – not more!)

Plans instruction, assesses and evaluates the student’s achievement of expectations based upon Provincial Curriculum

The Classroom Teacher

Supports classroom teachers and students by generating ideas, providing resources and collaborative time to discuss curriculum development

Meets with IEP students to monitor their progress and update the IEP as needed

Develops transition planning for students Creates monthly Enrichment newsletters Manages Leadership/Enrichment

activities outside of the classroom

The Special Education Resource Teacher

Learning Profiles (knowing the student)

DifferentiationEnrichmentCHOICE!

Key Approaches forClustered Classes

Includes Learning Style, Interests and Readiness.

How we learn is as important as what we learn (online assessment)

Visual, Auditory and Tactile/Kinesthetic Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner) Creative, Analytical, Practical

(Sternberg)

Learning Profiles

Kinesthetic Naturalist Logical/Mathematical Musical/Rhythmic Verbal/Linguistic Visual/Spatial Interpersonal Intrapersonal Existential

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Knowing the learners in order to adapt the content, and/or adjust the process by which a student learns and/or redesign the product expectations to maximize learner capacity and growth.

Defining “Differentiation”

Gifted and Highly Able students learn fast and forever & may already know material through prior reading/learning of their own..

Research states that most learners take 9 repetitions to learn something, most gifted learners take 3 or less and highly able students take approximately 5-6 repetitions.

Process is “sense-making”

Let’s Talk About Process

ChallengeMotivate

Use a “Strategy”

How to alter program for Gifted & Highly Able Students…

Compacting & ExtensionIndependent projects/contracts

Interest groups/groupingMentorships/Apprenticeships

Strategies for Differentiated Classrooms

Focus on Critical and Creative ThinkingHigh Level QuestioningTiered assignmentsRAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic)Think TacToe

Strategies for Differentiated Classrooms

Students are offered some choice to meet their Learning profile needs.

Sometimes students are challenged to work outside of their areas of strength to precipitate personal growth

Always, students are encouraged to challenge themselves to learn

CHOICE!

“Fair = Equity of Opportunity to Grow and Succeed.”

- Carol Ann Tomlinson

“Start Where they Are”- Karen Hume

Challenging Work = Growth

“[Students] understand that if they strive to be [enriched] learners, they will go further in their learning than if they settle for ‘getting by’.”

- Carol Ann Tomlinson

Challenging Work = Growth

“A great classroom conveys to all students ‘This is hard, but you can do hard things, and I am not willing to let you settle for less’”

- Carol Ann Tomlinson

“Failure is not an option” - Apollo 13

Challenging Work = Growth

Advanced Placement Exam Opportunity

Write 1st year University exam for Credit/Placement

The College Board (SAT)

ENRICHMENTAP Exams

Cost $89.00 US per exam5 or more exams=Scholarship

Individual study groupsStaff CoachingSupervised by IRHS staffWritten in May each year

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

Information at http://apcanada.collegeboard.org/

IRHS AP Coordinator is Kathryn Patterson

2014 – we have many different exams being written!

Students in grades 9 through 12 may try these exams.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

Advanced Placement E=mc2 (Queens) Encounters with Canada SHAD Valley Rotary Camp Enterprise Ontario Student Leadership Conference Duke of Edinburgh Waterloo Unlimited Police Ethnic & Cultural Ed. Youth Advisory Councils

Enrichment Opportunities

Student Senate Government Page programs Essay contests COLs leadership MEI, Blyth, Exchanges Skule Sisters/DEEP UofT/Harvard programs Go Eng Girl Math Contests Brain Bee

Enrichment Opportunities

Monthly Enrichment Newsletter

Go to www.irhs.caFeel free to contact me at any

timeKathryn PattersonE-mail: pattersonka@hdsb.ca

Blog: http://enrichridge.blogspot.com/

Phone: (905) 845-0012 x240

Gifted Education Office: Room 214

Further Information