Welcoming Gifted and Talented

About Mr. Messier HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY Elementary Ed/Psychology Masters Degree in MST (STEM) Science, Tech, Engineering, Math Educational Leadership Administration Certification Part of Stratford Family for 16 years Mathlete’s Coordinator

Goals/Objectives of QUEST GOALS The students will expand thinking capacities: creative, critical, logical reasoning, meta cognitive, conceptual. Provide for the cognitive and academic development through challenging, inquiry based learning experience. The students are empowered to perform a high level of achievement and to develop their individual, exceptional abilities.

Goals/Objectives of QUEST Objectives The students will develop an understanding of their own needs and talents in order to select and to apply learning to new situations, to pace learning experiences, to evaluate their progress, and to show growth in individual responsibility, self management, and social ability. The students will show ability in logical reasoning and in the critical thinking skills of observing, inferring, collecting data, classifying, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and problem solving. The students will show creativity in their capacities for fluency, flexibility, originality, elaboration, and transformation. The students will demonstrate understanding of the various types of research and knowledge of the skills and products appropriate for each type.

What can we do to meet their needs?

Gifted Truth or Consequences! Gifted students are social isolates by nature and prefer to be alone. You can tell a gifted student by the grades and classroom performance. Gifted students are at risk of underachievement. Gifted students will make it on their own. Perfectionism is the result of a pushy parent. Accelerating students causes social problems. Gifted kids are all egotistical and elitist. FALSE TRUE FALSE

Higher Order Thinking

What is Inquiry-Based Learning Cohesiveness in STEM education (meta-disciplinary) 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering). 2. Developing and using models. 3. Planning and carrying our investigations. 4. Analyzing and interpreting data. 5. Using mathematical and computational thinking. 6. Constructing explanations and designing solutions 7. Engaging in argument from evidence. 8. Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information.

What Is STEM Education? Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education often has been called a meta- discipline, the “creation of a discipline based on the integration of other disciplinary knowledge into a new ‘whole’. This interdisciplinary bridging among discrete disciplines is now treated as an entity, known as STEM (Morrison, 2006). ” STEM education offers students one of the best opportunities to make sense of the world holistically, rather than in bits and pieces. STEM education removes the traditional barriers erected between the four disciplines, by integrating them into one cohesive teaching and learning paradigm. Morrison and others have referred to STEM as being an interdisciplinary approach. “STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real- world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy (Tsupros, 2009).” Through a series on inquiry-based project modules, QUEST students will have opportunities for exploration, individual creativity, deduction, group decision making and research science. Using various instructional technologies, students will investigate, explore and design their own research. Each module varies in time, however the framework for the modules is approximately 6-7 weeks. At the conclusion of each project, students will develop a presentation of their research, designs and/or findings. Parents will be invited to these presentations and will be informed of the date in advance.

WHY STEM? Global Leadership If the United States is to maintain its global leadership and competitive position, then we just have to motivate our most promising students into the STEM fields. Science has been identified as a national priority, but science teachers can’t do it all on their own. Parents have to become more interested and knowledgeable. A 2008 survey by USA Today showed that only 26% of those surveyed believe that they have a good understanding of science. Forty-four percent could not identify a living scientist. Our students are not stacking up with other developed countries. In calling for common standards as early as 2009, Representative George Miller of California, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, made this statement during a hearing “We all know the statistics—we’ve fallen to 21st in math achievement, 25th in science, and 24th in problem solving. We used to be No. 1 in college completion. Now we are 18th.”

THANK YOU! Please check out website for more information and updates on Modules and Projects