As you enter, please place one sticky dot on each chart paper representing your personal experiences with and attitudes about working with gifted students

 Karen Rumley › HS Gifted Intervention Specialist › District Gifted Coordinator  Kathryn Craig › MS Gifted Intervention Specialist  Overview YOUR experiences??

 Work together to better understand the special learning, social, and emotional needs of our Gifted students  Work together to create Gifted- friendly school experiences for them

 Screening › 2 nd Grade › Recommend at any grade  Formal Assessment  Once Identified – Always identified  Identification mandated, Service is not (so far)  SUPERIOR COGNITIVE › Score 130+  SPECIFIC ACADEMIC › 95 %ile › Reading › Math › Science › Social Studies  VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS

 Gifted and talented mean the same thing  All children are gifted in something Almost all children have talents and skills to nourish and pursue; NOT all children have an exceptional innate capacity for a particular intellectual or physical endeavor

“If by the phrase “all children are gifted” it is meant that all children are of value, all can do more if encouraged, and all have untapped potential, I am in your camp. But if the phrase means that all kids can do calculus in sixth grade, all students can achieve a composite score of 32 on the ACT, all kids can score 78- on the SAT-M, that all students can be piano virtuosi, or play professional baseball, then I am gone from the group.” Nicholas Colangelo

 Seek first to understand  What ARE their strengths? Weaknesses?  How are they (and their needs) different from their classmates?

Love school Enthusiastic learners Compliant and polite Enhance every classroom & home High –achievers Well-organized Naturally Creative Self-Directed Seem to do well at everything Complete all assignments Regular & appropriate participants Gifted students are easy to identify

 Lazy  Elitist  Know-it alls  Refuse to work with others  Unusual behavior- ‘nerdy’  Obsessive and Introverted  Live in fantasy-world  Monopolize classroom activities  Demanding of special treatment  Challenge teacher on content  Gifted students are easy to identify

 Seek first to understand  What ARE their strengths? Weaknesses?  How are they (and their needs) different from their classmates?

 Gifted students are so smart they do fine with or without special programs/ services – if they are really gifted, they can manage on their own.

“The future of a gifted student is assured: a world of opportunities lies before the student – they can accomplish anything they put their minds to if they apply themselves.”  Gifted students, like all students, are entitled to learn new things  They often need guidance or encouragement to stretch themselves

 Gifted Students are not born with academic KNOWLEDGE or the SKILLS to succeed – they must be learned! › Organization › Time-management & priority setting › Analytical writing › Note-taking and Study skills › How to “practice” › Communication/ interpersonal skills

 Pre-assess knowledge and skills, interests  Assist students in developing deficient skills and knowledge  Include enrichment in differentiation strategies  Ensure that “stretching” is safe and inviting

 Gifted Students should not be treated differently from their classmates

CONCERN CONSIDER  If Gifted students can’t complete their classroom projects, they should not be allowed to participate in a gifted pullout program  WHY aren’t they finishing their work? › Compact it? › Skip it? › Replace it?  The VALUE of the pull-out to the gifted kids › Being with peers › Advanced/ enhanced learning

CONCERN CONSIDER  Gifted students do not know they’re “different” unless someone tells them  They often know that they are not quite like their age peers  People like to be with those who “get their jokes”  Do consider activities that allow students to embrace differences AND similarities  Ensure a safe and friendly environment

CONCERN CONSIDER  Gifted students need to go to school/ learn with their age mates, because skipping grades usually harms a child emotionally  Data SUPPORTS acceleration when handled carefully  Many types of acceleration: › Curriculum compacting › Subject acceleration › Whole-grade acceleration  Playing with age mates ≠ learning with them

CONCERN CONSIDER  Gifted students like being leaders in cooperative learning groups or tutor students who are having difficulty mastering a subject  Gifted students are as diverse in their personalities as any other student group  Relying on heterogeneous groups can stagnate advanced learners  Flexible grouping – occasionally homogeneous

CONCERN CONSIDER  When gifted students are grouped together they deprive others of their insights and develop superiority complexes  Flexible Grouping  Working with intellectual peers can produce greater outcomes than heterogeneous groups

CONCERN CONSIDER  Gifted students must do the same work as everyone else in the class or it would not be fair to other students  Equal ≠ Fair  Fair = educating children from where they are to another level  Differentiated activities allow everyone this growth experience!

 On the Basis of › Content Mastery › Skill Mastery › Interest › Learning Styles  Add › Depth › Breadth  Eliminate › Repetition › Already-learned information › Already-mastered skills  Tiered Assignments/ Assessments  Choices  Flexible Grouping  Learning Centers  Curriculum Compacting › Content › Skills  Contracts/ Independent Study