Kelly Nelson SPED 5030 Fall 2011 Choice Module. Professional Development: Gifted and Talented Programs and Supports

Kelly Nelson

SPED 5030 Fall 2011Choice Module

*Gifted and Talented Programs and Supports

Professional Development: Gifted and Talented Programs and Supports

*Newlon Elementary School

*DO NOWOn your note-catcher answer the following

questions:

1. What is your definition of a ‘gifted and talented’ student?

2. Based on this definition, which students in your classroom are gifted?

3. What are you currently doing to support your gifted students?

Antwan Jefferson

This slide, the Do Now steps, make me curious about how you'll recognize any possible tensions that arise from having teachers define gifted and talented students and identify those students. How will you gather and inform flawed definitions? I'm reading along to see how you address this.

*AGENDA:1. Definition of Gifted and Talented

2. Key ideas/concepts surround Gifted and Talented Programs

3. Connections to Newlon Elementary

4. Specific Actions for our teaching to support Gifted Students

Antwan Jefferson

This slide makes it clear to me that you understand the big ideas of this assignment. I'm looking forward to your treatment of them.

*OBJECTIVES:• Teachers will acquire a common

definition of a ‘Gifted and Talented’ student and learn the latest research

on GT programs and supports

• Teachers will receive resources to find more information on GT programs and

supports

• Teachers will develop action steps to support the Gifted and Talented

students in their classrooms

*AGENDA:1. Definition of Gifted and

Talented 2. Key ideas/concepts surround Gifted

and Talented Programs



What G/T IS

NOT:*A classification for white,

middle/upper class males

*A classification used to exclusively refer to children with high IQs

*Does not include students with disabilities

*A label we can give to all students

What G/T IS:*Not dependent on ethnicity;

equally found in both males and females; from all socioeconomic levels

* Students who are highly capable in one of more areas. Students classified as GT may have more than one area of giftedness

* Called “twice exceptional” for students with disabilities

* A label for students who possess an advanced capacity to learn and require modifications to the regular curriculum Debunking the

myths…

*Definition of Gifted and Talented

* "Gifted and talented children" means those persons between the ages of five and twenty-one whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Children under five who are gifted may also be provided with early childhood special educational services. Gifted students include gifted students with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional) and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic and ethnic, cultural populations. Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these areas of giftedness:

-General or specific intellectual ability.

-Specific academic aptitude.

-Creative or productive thinking.

-Leadership abilities.

-Visual arts, performing arts, musical or psychomotor abilities.

-Mission and Vision

Taken from Colorado Department of Education Website: http://www.cde.state.co.us/gt/

Antwan Jefferson

Because you've developed a slide show, it may be helpful to alter the format of this slide. It contains more content than may be accessible/viewable to your audience. Similar concern with slide 12.

*Definition of Gifted and Talented

THE BOTTOM LINE:*A student’s area of giftedness comes from strengths

that makes the student exceptional when compared with her/his peers

*It is important to be specific about a student’s area of giftedness as to best serve that student’s exceptional needs

*Areas of giftedness can be intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership capacity, or specific academic fields

*Instruction to Gifted Students is first and foremost about giving students the unique, individualized instruction they need and deserve to help them succeed.

Antwan Jefferson

Your last slide makes me curious about the broader context in which this presentation is situated. Is your thinking that your colleagues have adequate understanding of differentiation to see bullet 4 (Instruction to Gifted Students is...) as important for all students?





Identification of G/T Students*Collect all information about about abilities of student

ASAP: IQ tests, Grades, Achievement Tests

*View the following video on the identification of GT students:

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=145411&title=Gifted_and_Talented

*Key Concepts

MORE ON…Identification of G/T Students*This quote taken from Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska (College

of William and Mary) demonstrates the approach we should take on identifying GT students:

*Key Concepts Reactions to Dr. VanTassel-Baska’s ideas??

Assessment *School screening is low-funded and often administered in

large group

* Individual testing centers are available where students receive a professional evaluation

*There are testing centers here in Denver such as the Gifted Development Center run by Dr. Linda Silverman (see more information on Resources slide)

BOTTOM LINE:Look beyond simple IQ tests and consider the whole child, with specific regards to creativity and multiple intelligences.

*Key Concepts





*School Connections: Programs

*Advanced Learning Plans (ALP):Every student who is currently identified has an ALP to ensure that their unique learning needs are being met. These are creating together with the students, parents, teachers, and GT teacher. Together they identify the students areas of strengths and set goals for the student for that school year.

*G/T Teacher Erin Cranmer: Our 0.75 GT Specialist works with our currently identified students in their area of talent to do pull out programming in her classroom. She is also very helpful at working with teachers to create enrichment activities and help facilitate alternative projects that students can complete in the classroom.

Antwan Jefferson

You do a nice job of integrating school-level understanding throughout this presentation instead of compiling it into a single slide.

*School Connections: Supports for

Families

*Advanced Learning Plans: These unique plans with students need to be communicated and understood by families.

*Create unique learning projects that students can work on at home with families. This work can be done with Erin Cranmer.

*Parents know their children best. Parents can be excellent resources for helping us identify G/T students.

*Refer parents to testing centers or our school GT Teacher to get more information on assessment

Antwan Jefferson

I wonder if it would be helpful to your colleagues to have direct connections made to the RtI framework as well. This is an important connection that can help ground your colleagues and prevent Gifted and Talented education from becoming some separate, unrelated task.





*ACTION PLAN…

*Nobody believes in action anymore, so words have become a substitute for action, all the way to the top, a substitute for the truth nobody wants to hear because they can’t change it, or they’ll lose their jobs if they change it, or maybe they simply don’t know how to change it.

---John Le Carré, The Russia House

*What you can do…

*Become a member of a GT society to show your support for GT programs:

-National Society for Gifted and Talented

-National Association for Gifted Children

-Colorado Association for Gifted Children

*Attend a professional development on GT support:

-Beyond Giftedness XIX Conference, February 24, 2012 in Arvada

*Talk with Erin Cranmer if you think you may have a G/T Student that is not identified

*Differentiate your curriculum to create unique learning experiences for your students: enrichment, independent studies, alternative assignments. (Don’t reinvent the wheel! There are strategies where you teach students the same standards in unique and enriching ways!)

*Resources available to you…

* National Organizations:

National Association for Gifted Children-

www.nagc.org

National Society for the Gifted and Talented-

www.nsgt.org

* Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented:

www.coloradogifted.org

* Gifted Development Center: A Service of the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development 1452 Marion Street Denver, Colorado 80218

(http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/)

http://www.nagc.org/

http://www.nsgt.org/

http://www.coloradogifted.org/

http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/

http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/

*EXIT SLIPOn your note-catcher answer the following

questions:

1. How has your definition of a ‘gifted and talented’ student changed over the last

hour?

2. What action step will you take in your classroom to support your GT students?

3. What is one resource you will look into further to develop your practice?

Antwan Jefferson

I still am unresolved about the extent to which your capacity to hear from teachers about their perspectives have changed allows you to respond. This seems to be something that your presentation overlooks.

*References

• Colorado Department of Education: Gifted and Talented Education. (http://www.cde.state.co.us/gt/)

• Gargiulo, R. (2012). Special Education in Contemporary Society. Los Angeles, CA: Sage. – Pages 538-547 - selected chapter on

gifted & talented

• Silverman, L. (2007). What is giftedness? The Boulder Parent, p. 50.

• Teacher tube video on identification of students who are gifted &

talented (http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=145411&title=Gifted_and_Talented)

• VanTassel-Baska, J. (2000). The on-going dilemma of effective identification process in gifted education. In The Communicator

vol. 31.

http://www.cde.state.co.us/gt/



http://www1.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=145411&title=Gifted_and_Talented









Antwan Jefferson

One other source of information that doesn't seem to emerge in this presentation is indication of your practices in working with gifted students. I encourage you to consider this, as it seems to be missing from your presentation.

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Kelly Nelson SPED 5030 Fall 2011 Choice Module. Professional Development: Gifted and Talented Programs and Supports