Opportunity. For Life. Solving the CRISIS: Designing Real-World Gifted Programming Through Partnership with Content Specialists Melissa A. Rains, M.Ed. Assistant Director for Elementary Programs Duke University Talent Identification Program

Opportunity. For Life. TIP is a self-supporting, nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to the identification and support of academically gifted students. Arm-in-arm with schools and families, Duke TIP identifies talented young people and provides them with a wide array of fulfilling educational opportunities from fourth grade through twelfth. Founded in 1980, more than 2.5 million students have participated in the Duke TIP talent searches. What is Duke TIP?

Opportunity. For Life. A one-week summer residential program for fifth and sixth graders in the 4th–6th Grade Talent Search. Allows students to explore fields to discover who they are and what they want to be. Students assume the role of a professional and work on teams to solve a community crisis. Utilizes problem-based learning and content specialist models. What is CRISIS?

Opportunity. For Life. Past CRISIS programs Earthquake Business & Government Communications & Media Health & Medicine Structural Engineering Wildlife Sciences Hurricane Business & the Private Sector Civil Engineering Communications & Media Government & Public Policy Medicine & Public Health Meteorological Sciences Wildlife & Environmental Sciences

Opportunity. For Life. The Content Specialist Model A partnership between experts in a specialized field and experts in the classroom. Broadens and enriches experiences offered to students.

Opportunity. For Life. The Curriculum Should: Provide mastery of the structure of knowledge in the discipline; Deliver an understanding of the basic concepts, themes and principles within; and, Engage students in problem-solving, creativity, data collection/analysis, and research skills.

Opportunity. For Life. The Challenge of Curriculum Development To design and develop such curriculum, the K-12 teacher requires an impressive variety of skills and knowledge. The range of knowledge and skills that address sophisticated content in a variety of areas will rarely be found in a single human being.

Opportunity. For Life. To address this problem, James Gallagher implemented the Content Specialist model in developing curriculum, based on the idea that... The sophisticated knowledge of the content areas is in the possession of scholars and academicians who are often found in university settings… A Solution to the Challenge

Opportunity. For Life. “…whereas the special knowledge of how to design experiences and programs for specific gifted youngsters is most likely in the possession of experienced and capable special [gifted] education teachers. The physical and psychological distance between persons with these attributes has been inhibiting sophisticated program development during the past several decades.” A Solution to the Challenge

Opportunity. For Life. Combining problem-based learning with the content specialist model: Helps students make connections between classroom learning and the real world; Fosters an inventive spirit in students so they recognize the world’s problems and needs and think of how to design, test, redesign, and implement practical solutions; Provides high level content specific knowledge of a field for the rigor gifted students require; and, Allows educators to focus on the development of the problem-based, interdisciplinary project.

Opportunity. For Life. Why should I want to learn more about this? Grant Opportunities Interdisciplinary team of teachers After school projects Quarter long projects

Opportunity. For Life. Roadmap to CRISIS Identify the learning project. Identify potential partnerships. What to ask your partners to develop. Taking what they develop and turning it into meaningful and usable lesson plans.

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project Identify content needs Identify potential content specialists Develop criteria and timelines Find content specialists Receive agreed upon products Design your curriculum Ask for feedback & review GO! GO! GO!

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project Identify content needs

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project Identify content needs Identify potential content specialists

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project Identify content needs Identify potential content specialists Develop criteria and timelines

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project Identify content needs Identify potential content specialists Develop criteria and timelines Find content specialists

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project Identify content needs Identify potential content specialists Develop criteria and timelines Find content specialists Receive agreed upon products

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project Identify content needs Identify potential content specialists Develop criteria and timelines Find content specialists Receive agreed upon products Design your curriculum

Opportunity. For Life. Identify the project Identify content needs Identify potential content specialists Develop criteria and timelines Find content specialists Receive agreed upon products Design your curriculum Ask for feedback & review

Opportunity. For Life. GO! GO! GO!

Opportunity. For Life. Evaluation Methods Rubrics Presentations Debates Journals Discussion Groups Show and Tell

Opportunity. For Life. Coming to a program site near you! Influenza Pandemic Biomedical Engineering Business and the Private Sector Finance and the Global Economy Government and Public Policy Journalism and Media Technology Medical Facilities and Acute Care Management Pharmacology and Immunology

Opportunity. For Life. QUESTIONS?

Opportunity. For Life. Contact Information Melissa Rains