Comprehension Essentials for Gifted Readers

Is he comprehending?

How advanced is his comprehension? Moby Dick

Intellectual Needs of Gifted 1.Pace of learning 2.Complexity of material 3.Being with other bright learners 4.Higher levels of thinking

NOVEL TO ROUTINE From infancy on, high IQ individuals are attracted to novelty habituate rapidly return to novelty seeking Results in large foundation of factual knowledge

NOVEL TO ROUTINE Sousa, 2003

THINKING SKILLS Gifted kids have same range of strategies as others. Choose more sophisticated strategy or more complex version of strategy only in the face of significant challenge. Skill develops only when the challenge is present.

PROBLEM SOLVING Gifted kids are… more aware of problem solving strategies more likely to switch strategies likely to invent a strategy when the going gets tough

Reading Is… …a process (tool) to help kids comprehend content. (content literacy) …an amalgam of thinking skills. …a portal to new knowledge and deeper understanding. …a brain-changing experience!

What does a gifted reader look like?

An Advanced Reader… Understands the nuances of language Uses multiple strategies to create meaning May focus on a single strategy Reads beyond their chronological age Enjoys reading a wide variety of material Is voracious Looks at books to solve problems Wants to choose books Has a wonderful vocabulary Reads quickly Relates literature to their own lives May be an insightful reader Richards, 2007

Language Related Abilities The ability to retain a large quantity of information. Advanced comprehension. Varied interest and curiosity. High levels of language development. High levels of verbal ability. Unusual capacity to process information. Process thoughts at an accelerated pace. The ability to synthesize ideas in a comprehensive way. Ability to see unusual relationships and integrate ideas (p. 57) Clark, 2002

Gifted Kids Struggle With… …sameness …repetitive content and practice …boredom --RtI for the Gifted Student by Celia Boswell and Vowery Carlile H.O.T.S. not M.O.T.S!

The Trouble with Basals Baskin, 1998

Explicit Instruction “We do it.” “I do it.” “You do it together.” “You do it alone.” Focus Lesson (Modeling) Guided Instruction Collaborative Independent TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY

General Instructional Principle Instruction needs to be at the student’s knowledge/skill level Needs Complete, Explicit, Systematic Can Profit from Implicit, Less Structured Lower Prior Knowledge Higher Prior Knowledge Reschly, 2008

Phases of Learning Acquisition Fluency Generalization Adaptation Explicit Facilitated Rahn-Blakeslee 2010

Intensity is… “of an extreme kind” (dictionary.com)

The Big Five 1. More Explicit 2. More Modeling 3. More Systematic 4. More Opportunities to Respond 5. More Review Intensifying Instruction

The Big Five 1. More challenging & complex text 2. More homogeneous grouping 3. More choice & control 4. More higher-order questions/tasks 5. More non-fiction & informational text Intensifying Instruction for Gifted

Ascending Levels of Intellectual Demand Vary the depth Adjust the abstraction Change the complexity Make contexts and examples more or less novel or familiar Adjust the pace Use more/less advanced materials and text Provide more/less scaffolding Provide frequent/intermittent feedback Provide/let students infer related strategies Infer concepts from applications and problem solving Provide more/fewer examples Be more/less explicit/inductive Provide simpler/more complex problems and applications Vary the sophistication level Provide lengthier/briefer texts Provide more/less text support Require more/less independence or collaboration Require more/less evidence Ask for/provide analogies Teach to concepts before/after examples Teach principles before/after examples or concepts From The Parallel Curriculum. Tomlinson, et. al Corwin Press

Ask Yourself… Why am I asking students to read this? 1.For the content 1.To teach a specific reading skill 1.To illuminate a larger concept

Questions About Content What is worth thinking about for an extended period of time? Is there personal meaningfulness for readers in the text? Is the subject robust and does it have societal significance? Is the language of the selection rich, varied, accurate, precise, complex, and exciting? Is the content complex, ambiguous, provocative, and/or personally or emotionally challenging?

Grouping “…ability grouping has minimal effects, either positive or negative, on the achievement of average or below-average students. Substantial evidence shows, however, that ability grouping has a positive effect on the achievement of gifted students.” --Kerr, 1991

Comprehension Successful ReadersStruggling Readers Continuously monitor reading for understanding. Fail to use meta-cognitive strategies as they read. May not be aware when understanding breaks down. Link content with their prior knowledge.May lack subject-specific prior knowledge. Do not readily make connections between what they are learning and what they already know. Use a variety of effective reading strategies before, during, and after reading. Have limited knowledge and use of strategies for gaining information from text. Set a purpose for reading and adjust their rate and strategy use depending on the text and content. Often do not enjoy reading and lack understanding of the utility of reading. (Boardman et al., Adapted from Denton et al., 2007; Pressley, 2006.)

Comprehension Gifted ReadersSuccessful Readers Use metacognitive strategies when text is sufficiently challenging to require them to slow down their thinking. Continuously monitor reading for understanding. Link content with their prior knowledge and make connections across disciplines. Link content with their prior knowledge. Apply effective strategies unconsciously on unchallenging text. Adjust strategies or invent new ones when challenge is present. Use a variety of effective reading strategies before, during, and after reading. Purpose & goals for reading are more sophisticated when content & ideas are challenging. Set a purpose for reading and adjust their rate and strategy use depending on the text and content.

Research Says… Fehrenbach, 1991 Effective StrategiesG/TAve. Rereading11861 Inferring 9237 Analyzing Structure 4210 Predicting 3710 Evaluating 28 8 Connecting to Content 27 1

Metacognition Gifted kids aren’t consistently better at metacognition Simple content doesn’t require planning, monitoring, or evaluating thought processes (fix- up strategies) Challenging content necessitates practicing metacognitive skills Metacognition predicts school success better than IQ

Instructional Practice #4: Increase Collaboration During Reading (Guthrie & Humenick, 2004) Collaboration increases the number of opportunities struggling readers have to respond.

Instructional Practice #4: Increase Collaboration During Reading Collaboration with those of like ability stimulates gifted readers to create more sophisticated connections and engage in more complex processes and higher-order thinking.

The Strategic Spirit The tendency to invent and use thinking strategies in response to challenging situations.

So what should we do? Determine instructional level Be clear on reasons for reading Adjust groupings Provide alternative texts at higher levels of challenge and sophistication Let student interests guide choices Consider characteristics and needscharacteristics and needs

Mary Schmidt Gifted Education Consultant Heartland Area Education Agency ext ext