DIFFERENTIATING UP

When we saw Richard M. Cash, Ed.D., present at the National Association for Gifted Children in 2022, we knew we wanted him to work with faculty at SCDS. Dr. Cash, who received the National Association for Gifted Children’s Early Leader Award, has more bona fides than we can relay in a short introduction. He’s also a riveting instructor. “Dr. Cash is always on the move, making everyone feel included,” says Cyndi Herron, SCDS’s director of teaching and learning and interim Middle School head. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation with Dr. Cash.

What is differentiation in the classroom? It’s about creating opportunities for kids to have different experiences on the way to a learning goal; it’s a more flexible classroom. Imagine learning about cell systems. I might give kids who are hypercreative some pipe cleaners and Styrofoam balls and have them create a model, while the more linear kids might enjoy drawing or creating a cause-and-effect diagram. They’re all getting to the same destination.

Can you talk about concrete and abstract learning? Conceptual learning comes in stages. So, if I ask a young child for an example of a cycle, they might say “bicycle,” a very concrete answer. A few years later, they might say “life cycle” or “water cycle,” a more abstract concept. As they get older, they may answer “the economic cycle,” a very abstract concept.

Are gifted children better at abstraction? Gifted kids possess neural efficiency. They pick up factual knowledge and procedural (howto) knowledge quickly. Abstracting information and making crosscurricular connections is much easier for them. On average, everyone arrives at metaphysical cognition — thinking theoretically, philosophically, theologically — around 28 or after. Gifted children get there at a much younger age; their brains make more connections more readily, and they think more globally.

What are universal concepts, and how can teachers use them?

Universal concepts are big and overarching and allow kids to make connections. Take “change,” for example. I could talk about changing my clothes or the changes in a piece of music. When teachers present students with an abstract question around a universal concept like change, children can organize their memories and knowledge and start making cross-curricular connections. They can problem-solve and think more critically and creatively. When done correctly, this type of inquiry is a sophisticated part of differentiation.

Explain magnifying glasses, teddy bears, slinkies, and paperclips?

These are four learning types or preferences. While everyone is a composite of all four, the preferences can be a useful lens for teachers in setting up environments that capitalize on student strengths. Magnifying glasses love debate and analysis, while teddy bears focus on feelings and behaviors. Slinkies are creatives who enjoy doing projects their own way, while paperclips are linear and orderly.

You’ve developed four pillars of instruction for gifted students?

Yes. There’s accelerated pacing, depth of content, sophisticated levels of advanced thinking, and unique products with value beyond the classroom. Additionally, teachers must help gifted children to ask good questions. Some gifted students think that asking questions makes them seem unintelligent. Students also need a rubric for achievement, but one without a ceiling. This is hard for gifted kids, because they’ve learned they only need to reach a certain level to succeed. When we take the ceiling away, who knows where they can go?

What are your hopes for gifted students? Are schools torturing their kids by making them sit at a desk 6.5 hours a day, or are they giving them rich life experiences that foster engagement, creativity, and happiness? That’s what I love seeing about programs for gifted kids. They have intellectual peers, they have people who challenge them, and they learn the value of working hard.

What did teachers think about the Differentiating Up sessions? Here are a few takeaways.

Learning is cyclical. “Dr. Cash inspired us to rethink our curricular approach — to think of curriculum as intertwined and cyclical, rather than linear. We discussed how to make it more authentic and inspiring to students. This concept resonated strongly with our team, and we are excited about the possibilities it affords!” —Mary Lee Dula, Grade 2

Essential questions = essential tools. “It can be easy to fall back on making unit-focused questions instead of essential questions. Talking to Dr. Cash and using his book has been helpful for me in developing essential questions to guide student learning.”

—Lexi Garrity, Social Studies, Grades 4–5

Different approaches. “In homerooms, we discussed the four categories [learning types] of paperclip, teddy bear, etc. Students self-identified, and it was useful for them to realize that different students come at work, problems, and conversations in different ways.”

—Chris Haren, Math, Grades 4–5

Going deep. “When I try to design a unit now, I think about the deeper concepts first. What’s race, what’s culture, what’s ethnicity, what’s country? Then I can either develop very simple language to talk about a topic for beginning students — like, do we know how many ethnic groups there are in China? — or have advanced-level students do a research project on ethnicity.” —Xiaoling Mo, Mandarin, Grades 2–8