Developing Comprehensive Gifted Programming Session 4 May 9, 2016 http://aea11gt.pbworks.com

Agenda Day 4 Welcome/Warm Up Lessons Learned Advocacy Inservice Design Work Time Closure

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. --Confucius

Welcome Back! Where we’ve been Vision/Mission/Beliefs/Commitments to Action Target population Identification Program goals Comprehensive/differentiated programming

Objectives To deepen understanding of the components of comprehensive gifted and talented programming To examine system-level factors affecting comprehensive programming Advocacy & Leadership To identify areas of professional growth necessary to effectively implement programming In-service Design

Warm Up Individually In your team/at your table Identify three ways you’ve grown in your thinking about g/t programming since session 1 (1/sticky note) In your team/at your table Share ideas (3-5 minutes) Pair up w/someone not at your table Share 1 idea Repeat twice Return to table Share one thing you heard

Lessons Learned Form mixed-district groups of five Number off by 5’s Jigsaw “Lessons Learned” article Discuss connections to learning in this course Large group share

Barriers or Bridges Four lunch bags Bag 1 Nest w/bag 2 Build wall One side – barrier to accomplishing the recommendations from “Lessons Learned” Other side – bridge to accomplishing Nest w/bag 2 Build wall What two barriers can you identify with? What bridges do you need to build? Discuss with your team “What’s our plan?”

Advocacy: What is it? Why is it necessary? On what levels does it occur? What resources are available? Where do we need to focus our advocacy efforts? Do we need a plan?

--NAGC, 2000 as cited in Purcell & Eckert, 2006 Advocacy: What is It? “…the act of arguing in favor of something – an idea, cause, or policy” --NAGC, 2000 as cited in Purcell & Eckert, 2006 …getting decision makers at the school, school district, state, and national levels to support strategies, services, and policies to initiate, implement, and support gifted education. --Purcell & Eckert, 2006

Why Advocate? Raise awareness Show positive impact Influence change --Purcell & Eckert, p. 240 Review Guiding Principles – p. 241

Levels of Advocacy National State District School

Levels of Advocacy Find a partner and discuss… …how you have been involved in gifted advocacy at any of these levels. …the extent to which advocacy is or should be part of your job. …the effectiveness of your individual and collective advocacy efforts. …ways to increase the effectiveness of your efforts.

Advocacy Resources http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=36 http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/advocacy.htm Purcell & Eckert, Chapter 18 (p. 239-248)

Advocacy Plan Traits Clarity – the plan has a clear message Inclusiveness – the plan involves interested parties Support Information – the plan includes support information Specificity – the plan provides specifics for implementation --Purcell & Eckert, p. 242

Advocacy Focus Barriers and Bridges Think back to the barriers and bridges you identified. Discuss the ways in which advocacy could make a difference. Do you need to develop an advocacy plan? (See p. 243, Purcell & Eckert)

In-service Design …whatever teachers become professionally, the process is not finished when they complete their teacher education program at age 21. Learning to teach well is a lifetime endeavor. The growth of understanding and skill in teaching terminates only when we do. --Eisner, 2002 Discuss how this applies to your school/district and the teachers in it. Do you and they, on the whole, approach professional learning in this way or is it seen as a necessary evil? Some teachers very much live out this quote; they are eager to learn new things and improve their professional practices. There are also those are the antithesis of this way of thinking; they are the 25 year veterans who have taught the same year 25 times and swear there is absolutely no benefit to them from any professional development activity. Create a continuum of behaviors – things you would see and hear – that might illuminate where on this spectrum teachers might fall.

In-service Design for Gifted What does it currently look like in your district? Format Time Participants What does the word “design” imply? In what ways might an effective in-service design align with and support all other plan components?

Inservice Design What do the results of this SA/RT section reveal to you? What is revealed by your work so far in this Academy? What professional learning do you need and/or want, and how will that contribute to program growth and success? What professional learning do others in your district require to fully participate in comprehensive programming and services?

Learning Designs Think beyond “Death by PowerPoint” http://www.learningforward.org Hover over “standards” and click on Learning Designs.

Those seeking credit… Refer to the NWAEA Course Rubric found on the wiki for the required submissions. All required assignments, including a copy of your new/revised written gifted and talented plan, are due May 20. Share with me via Google Drive/docs at mschmidt@heartlandaea.org or email in Word format to the same address

Required Sections Vision/mission/beliefs/commitments to action Identification (include target population) Program Goals Differentiated Program Staff Qualification/Allocation In-service Design

Processing Time Individually identify Discuss with your team/table One area of team growth this year One area of personal growth One team goal for next year One personal goal for next year Discuss with your team/table Develop one team goal for future work and share.

CELEBRATE! Thanks for your hard work, flexibility, and dedication this year. I look forward to seeing you next year in Gifted Academy II.

Work Time Work with your team to further develop and/or refine your written gifted and talented plan.