Gifted 201

1. Gifted 201 Sarah Kasprowicz President, Wisconsin Association for the Talented and Gifted kasprowiczs@merton.k12.wi.us watgpresident@gmail.com 2010-2011 DPI Gifted and Talented Grant

2. Topics • Roadblocks to differentiation • Training students to operate efficiently in a differentiated classroom • Management Strategies • Grading Issues • Working with colleagues and district staff • Communicating with parents

3. Road Blocks • Teacher Training • Fear of chaos • Time to work with multiple groups • Student behavior • Grading practices • Others…?

4. Bill of Rights Do gifted children have a right to learn something new at school every day? Won’t they be “just fine” no matter what…?

5. Gifted Students: Sharing Myths

6. 6 Profiles (Betts and Neihart, 1988) The Successful The Drop Out The Underground The Autonomous Learner The Double-Labeled The Non-Conformist

7. Intensity Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities and Theory of Positive Disintegration • Psychomotor • Sensual • Intellectual • Imaginational • Emotional

8. “Mellow Out” • Written by Michael Piechowski, Ph. D. • “Mellow out,” they say, to which I can only respond, “If only I could.” At birth I was crucified with this mind that has caused me considerable pain, and frustration with teachers, coaches, peers, my family, but most of all with myself. ~Carol, cover illustrator

9. Accommodations for Intensity • Classroom teachers differentiate for disposition • Help students with stress management. • Time management: extended deadlines and one on one help with task analysis • Assistance with transitions • Suggest involvement in Tae Kwon Do • Discussions with student about triggers • Counseling about intensity • Do not attempt to “fix” the intensity. • Students and parents need to accept intensity and develop strategies to accommodate for themselves.

10. Teacher Training • Classes about meeting the needs of gifted students are not required to earn a teaching license. • The vast majority of classroom teachers were not taught how to differentiate for gifted students in their university education courses. • Chapter 35: Special Ed class

11. Wisconsin Gifted License • University of Wisconsin-Whitewater • University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

12. Benefit of the Doubt • Teachers want to help the children in their classroom. • Teachers were taught in college how to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities and why it is important. • Given the benefit of the doubt…teachers will do the same for gifted students when they are informed about gifted education. • “I Am Gifted”

13. Training My Students Responding to Roadblocks: • Fear of chaos • Time to work with all students • Student behavior. I include differentiation as a classroom expectation on the first day of school in fifth grade.

14. Hooray for Miss Bonkers! • Read Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by Dr.Seuss and Jack Prelutsky • Discuss the differences between Diffendoofer School and Flobbertown

15. Points for Discussion • Differentiation is: • Fair • Appropriate • Up to the students to “handle” it and do their job • More interesting than Flobbertown • “Class, everyone turn to page 14 number 3…” • Everyone on the same page, all of the time • No choice

16. Points for Discussion • Differentiation looks like: • At any one time there could be students working in any of the following situations: • Whole class • Alone at a desk • In the library with a partner or small group • At a classroom computer ALL COMBINATIONS ARE RESPECTFUL TO EACH OTHER AND THE CLASSROOM CULTURE OF DIFFERENTIATION

17. Management Strategies • Expectation of Differentiated Curriculum • Fair • Normal • Makes sense • If a student abuses the situation or can not adjust to working in an alternate setting they can be returned to the regular class and make up what they missed.

18. Management Strategies • Teach students to recognize signals and transitions • Time Management • Calendars • Work / Project logs • Classroom Management • Alternate project documents and work logs are stapled to the wall or posted on my website for easy viewing and management • Students need to be respectful and not disrupt the teacher or other students

19. Handle It!(Ultimate Strategy) • Each student knows that the class needs to be able to handle the differentiation in order for us to continue with multiple activities at once. • Students help each other and police each other to make sure no one is disruptive or causing a breakdown in the system. • If a student can’t handle it, then they return to the regular class for the current project and are given another chance to work on an alternate project next time.

20. Reasons for “System Breakdown” • The project was not a good match for the student. • The student needs more background knowledge on study skills and self-monitoring. • The partner or small group dynamics of the alternate project could not work independently. Next time the students are either placed with other partners, or the group is given more instruction on group dynamics and responsibility before proceeding with a new topic.

21. My Classroom • Merton Community School District (Waukesha County) • 5th and 6th Grade ~ Looping • 26 students • 11 students on our district’s Strengths List • 1 student with an IEP for a language-based learning disability • I teach all subjects except social studies ~ I switch with another teacher for science and social studies.

22. Example • 6th Grade Reading / Language Arts • Taylor: Working on her R-Word website and pledge campaign • Henry: Working on his video blog about skateboarding • Gabby and Jorja are working on their blogs and news articles for our district website. • 21 students having literature circle meetings with Mrs. K circulating and listening • 1 student working with our LD teacher on language arts

23. Flexible Grouping • Interest (Taylor and Henry) • Past performance on reading assessments (Jorja and Gabby) • Students are allowed to sometimes “pass” on alternate projects

24. Modify Our Grading Practices Responding to Roadblocks: • Grading • Fear of chaos • Time to work with all students • Time to do anything…anything at all! 

25. Grading Issues Release Yourself! Teachers don’t need to: • Fill in each space in our grade book • Assign practice that some students don’t need • Manage every detail • Create every project • Write every rubric • Collaborate with your students, another teacher or find a rubric online to use or modify to fit your purpose.

26. Recording Grades • GT students will have fewer grades. • GT students are excused from daily work grades. • GT students will have scores for: • Pretests • Post-tests • Alternate projects

27. Grade Book Tips • Leave the excused boxes BLANK. • Use different colors of ink to code tiered assignments and projects. • Use Webgrader features to assign students to assignments and excuse students from daily work. • Keep a separate class list in your grade book to keep track of alternate project grades

28. Appropriate Grading • Pretest • Schedule pretests with enough time for students to preview material. • Set a percentage needed to “test out” such as 90% or higher. • Require students to do learn concepts missed on the pretest and demonstrate acquired knowledge. • Select alternate project in accordance with interest, theme or portfolio requirements.

29. Insert Rigor and Depth • GT Students are used to minimal struggle. • The classroom teacher can require rigor and depth to be part of each alternate project. • Include rigor in rubric design • Higher level subtopics are required • Higher level subtopics are weighted twice • Include multiple higher level subtopics based on student readiness • Inquiry Topics Chart

30. Higher Level Subtopics • Based on the research of Diane Heacox • Sample topic: The Rainforest • What is still unknown about the rainforest? • Describe a current controversy connected to the rainforest • How has the rainforest changed over the last 200 years? • What are current theories connected to the rainforest?

31. More Subtopic Ideas • What are common assumptions about the rainforest? • Analyze connections between research in the rainforest to other scientific fields. • Identify important cause and effect relationships connected to the rainforest. • Defend a prediction you have about the future of rainforest destruction.

32. Colleagues and District Staff • Communicate classroom needs to: • Librarian and library staff • Technology department • Principal • Gifted and Talented Coordinator • Curriculum Coordinator • Team members: There are possible partners for your students in other homerooms • Parents

33. Communicating With Parents • Parent / Teacher Conferences • Feedback from parents on possible interests and strengths of their child • Webnotes • Email • Ask parents to sign proposed alternate project descriptions, calendar, rubrics before students participate • Ask parent volunteers to work with small groups in the library or computer lab

34. Response to Intervention (RtI) • Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction includes “gifted” needs in their RtI Model • http://dpi.wi.gov/cal/gifted.html

35. RTI GT In Addition Instead District Curriculum Tier I and Level 1 “All” students experience differentiated lessons Tier 2 Level 2 Tier 3 Level 3 Tier 2 IEP DEP Universal Screening Robinson and Kueht 2008

36. Ascending Intellectual Demand • Parallel Curriculum Model • NAGC Power Point from 2009

37. Supported Independent Reading(S. P. R. I. T. E.) • Based on the research of Sally Reis • Elements of Differentiation • Higher level questioning • Choice • Flexible grouping • Tiered assignments • Mentors (guest readers) SEM-R Bookmarks

38. Sprite links • 5-10 points • The questions match any book. SEM-R Bookmarks

39. Sample questions • Describe a very important event that happened in today’s reading. • Name an adult that you know that would like this book. Explain why they would like this book. • What is the best thing the author has done so far in this book? (plot, perspective, description, conflict, setting?) Explain why you think so. • Which character in your book is the easiest to trick? Why? • Write three predictions you have for the rest of the book.

40. Sample questions • Who, in your book, would you least like to sit next to in our new seating chart today? Why? • Who, in your book, would you want to be your Face Book friend? Why? • Who, in your book, do you trust the least? Why? • You have to buy a pet for the main character. What pet would you buy them and why? • Explain one way you would change the setting if you were the author. • Name one thing you thought would happen in the book that did not happen. • Who is the least important character in the book? Why? • What is one event that was unnecessary in this book? Why?

41. Which character do you trust the least? • Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Craig because he does odd things. • Penny from Heaven: Uncle Angelo because he is getting drunk all the time and keeps losing his job. • The Incredible Journey: The cat because he can take stuff away from the dogs. Also he always sneaks around. • Peak: I trust Josh the least because he was climbing a mountain and got a call that his son was born. Zopa kept bugging Josh saying that it’s not good for a father to neglect his son.

42. GT Advocate Activities • Press Room website • Meet with teachers during their prep • Meet with students during the day to design alternate projects • Communicate needs to our GT Coordinator • Monitor Strengths List and match opportunities to students • Publish GT Advocate Updates

43. Ideas for Advocates • Send links • Offer to collaborate on project/rubric design • E-mails asking if teachers are concerned about students • Offer to attend parent/teacher conferences • E-mail students directly • Edmodo Groups • Share differentiated units/curriculum you are using and offer to help modify for different grade levels

44. Ideas for Advocates • Be available before or after school to share information, resources, handouts from conferences • Ask your principal to cover your class while you meet with staff or students • Teach a class in your district • Create an online class and share access with your teachers • Hire subs for collaborative planning time

45. Staff Development • A paradigm shift is needed from “pull out” to “classroom based” approach. This can take years. • University Courses • District initiative • CESA • Conferences • Consultants • Twitter • Skype

46. Friday Projects Responding to Roadblocks: • Fear of chaos • Time to work with all students • Advantage • Solves the problem of “I’m done. What do I do now?” Resources Located: http://www.merton.k12.wi.us/faculty/KasprowiczS/fridayprojects.cfm

47. Project – Based Learning (PBL) • Leadership in the 21st Century (Power Point) • Merton Parent Night 2010-2011 Presentation • My home page with PBL Documents and links • Vertical Team Exploration of PBL

48. Web 2.0 Collaboration & Expression • Google Sites • Voice Thread • Skype • Forums • Wikis • Classroom Blogs

49. Setting the Stage in the Community The Press Room The Merton Community School District Press Room is a district-wide opportunity to integrate all subject areas and involve students K-8 in promoting and publishing the work of Merton students. Press Room Website

50. Websites and Organizations • Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted(WATG) • National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) • Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) • Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page