Differentiating Instruction for the Gifted Student in a Mixed-Ability Classroom
Kathryn Shaw Instructional Coach Rincon High School
Objectives Participants will have an opportunity to: CONTENT: • Identify needs and challenges of teaching Gifted and Talented Students • Match specific needs with specific strategies and techniques. • Create a lesson within your content using one of the strategies LANGUAGE: read an article about one teacher’s experience with teaching GATE students in a mixed-ability classroom • discuss with peers how to apply specific strategies to specific learner needs
Round the Clock Learning Partners Sign your name on the top of your paper. Avoid people seated at your table. Find a different partner for: 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 & 12:00 Trade signatures. Sit down as soon as you have all signatures. You have 2 minutes 14 seconds.
PRE-ASSESSMENT • 4 Mat Brainstorm Activity What is Differentiated Instruction? What questions do you have?
Who are the Gifted? Gifted students range from the highly gifted to the cooperative “teacher’s pet”, and from the artist to the rebellious underachiever. Federal law (PL 91-230) defines gifted and talented children in fives categories: General Intellectual Ability Specific Academic Aptitude Creative or Productive Thinking Leadership Ability Visual/Performing Arts
Needs of Gifted Students • Gifted and talented elementary school students have mastered from 35 to 50 percent of the curriculum offered in five basic subjects before they begin the school year. • Most regular classroom teachers make few, if any, provisions for gifted and talented children. • Most of the highest achieving students in the nation included in Who’s Who Among American High School Students reported that they studied less that 1 hour a day. – It’s easy to see why so many gifted students say they are bored in school. – From National Excellence: A Case for Developing America’s Talent (1993)
How We Teach Makes A Difference!
High performance is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, careful planning, and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. Adapted from Willa A. Foster
Learning Cycle and Decision Factors Used in Planning and Implementing Differentiated Instruction
Specific Concerns when Teaching Gifted Students • Students could become interested in topic, but the teaching style doesn’t match the learning style. • Student already knows the skill or concept that is being taught. • Student will learn the information, skills and/or concepts faster than most others in the class. • Student does not feel academically or intellectually challenged. • Student has given up on school, is unmotivated, wants to be entertained rather than work.
• Student could become interested in the topic, but learning style does not match teaching style. Remember most of us teach the way we learn. Individual lesson plans (ILPs) based on Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligences, and/or interests.
So…What to do? First-Get to Know Your Students Learning styles Multiple Intelligences Interests
What’s Your Learning Style? Puppy Beach Ball (concrete random)
(abstract random)
Clipboard Microscope
(concrete sequential)
(abstract sequential) Gregory & Chapman
Which Intelligence is your Strength/Weakness? 3 Main Categories of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
I. Language Related
II. Object Related
Verbal/Linguistic Musical/Rhythmic
Logical/Mathematical Intrapersonal Visual Spatial Interpersonal Bodily/Kinesthetic Naturalist
III. Personal Related
How are you Smart?
Think-Pair-Share • Find your 6:00 partner • Get together and discuss the implications for your teaching in knowing your students’ learning styles and multiple intelligences .
ALWAYS PRE-ASSESS • To find out…. – What the student already knows about the unit being planned. – What misconceptions the student might have – What further instruction and opportunities for mastery are needed – What requires re-teaching or enhancement – What areas of interests and feelings are in the different areas of study – How to set up flexible groups: T-total, Aalone,P-partner, S-small group
Pre-assessment Strategies Anticipation guide
W or d
sp la sh
Journals
Pla ce
ar u q S
ma t br ain st
f f O ing Wr itte
np
Boxing orm
4 Corners
ret
est
When the student already knows the skill or concept that is being taught use: • Flexible Grouping skill/readiness level interests multiple intelligences learning styles
• Curriculum Compacting • Learning Contract
CURRICULUM COMPACTING Phase 1 Exploratory Phase
Phase 2
Phase 3
Analyze Data Advanced Level Challenge
Pre-Assessment: Test Conference Portfolio conference To find out what the learner Knows Needs to know Wants to know
Mastery: skills, concepts What have they mastered Needs to Master: What else do they need to know? How will they learn it? Gain with whole class Independent study Homework Mentor/buddy in or out of school On-line learning
Investigation Problem-based learning Service Learning Project Contract Opportunities for Successful Intelligence (Sternberg, 1996) Analytical Practical Creative Assessment
When the student will learn the information, skills, and/or concepts faster than most others in the class:
• Independent study • Student becomes a resident expert on some facet of the topic • Thematic Units • Learning Contract
When the student does not feel academically or intellectually challenged: • Questivities • ILPs at the higher level of Bloom’s • Enrichment activities that involve real life problem solving • Tiered Lessons/Units
Using Tomlinson’s Equalizer to Chart Complexity Foundational
Information, Ideas, Materials, Applications
Transformational
Concrete
Representations, Ideas, Applications, Materials
Abstract
Simple
Resources, Research, Issues, Problems, Skills, Goals
Complex
Few Facets
Disciplinary Connections, Directions, Stages of Development
Many Facets
Smaller Leap
Applications, Insight, Transfer
Greater Leap
More Structured
Solutions, Decisions, Approaches
Less Structured (experts, GATE)
Clearly defined Problems
Process, Research, Products
Fuzzy Problems
Less Independence Planning, Design, Monitoring Slower
Pace of study, Pace of Thought
More Independence
Quicker
When a student is unmotivated, wants to be entertained rather than work: • • • •
Provide choice Pursuit of special interest area Personal goal setting Develop leadership skills to promote selfconfidence.
Pair-Share-Squared • Find your 9:00 partner; grab another pair of partners • Look over the examples of Flexible Grouping, Curriculum Compacting, Learning Contracts, Questivities, Tiered Lessons, and ILPs? • How do you see yourself utilizing these strategies in your classroom?
Baby Steps: A Beginner’s Guide Find your 12:00 partner. Using the Say Something Paired Reading Strategy, read and discuss the article.
It’s Your Turn • Find someone else in your content area. • Choose one strategy from those we discussed today. (Learning Contract, tic-tactoe board, ILP based on Learning Styles, Bloom’s or Multiple Intelligences, Tiering a Lesson or Questivities)
• Create a plan
FINAL COUNTDOWN One Question you still have Two New Ideas
Three strategies to use with Gifted Students
Bibliography •
Coil, Carolyn. Teaching Tools for the 21st Century. Pieces of Learning, 2005
•
Gregory, Gayle; Chapman, Carolyn. Differentiated Instructional Strategies. Corwin Press, Inc; Sage Publications,2002
•
Gregory, Gayle, Kuzmich, Lin. Differentiated Literacy Strategies. Corwin Press, Inc: Sage Publications, 2005
•
Wormelli, Rick. Fair Isn’t Always Equal. Stenhouse Publishers, Portland, Maine, 2006
Shaw, K. (2007). Differentiating Instruction for the Gifted Student in a Mixed-Ability Classroom. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved on November 25th, 2011 from MyEportePortfolio website: http://www.uhseport.net/published/k/sh/kshaw/collection/1/