1. Gifted and Talented Academy Year 2
HAEAnet-public
Password: education0309
Gifted and Talented Academy Year 2
Curriculum and Instruction
Session 2

2. Agenda Welcome/Check In Sharing quality practices
Content/Standards Focus
Curriculum Documents
Team Planning
Closure

3. Sign In To… Google docs Pbworks Your team Wiki aea11gt Wiki
aeapdonline Moodle site

4. Sharing and Collaborating
Quality practices
Groups of 5-6 (by grade span)
Mixed-district
3-5 minutes/person
Large group share
Form groups based on colored slips of paper. No two same-colored squares in the same group.

5. Processing Home Play Discuss with your team/table group
Your goals
Accomplishments
Questions and needs
Large group share

6. Rationale for a Standards Focus
Standards will…
…ensure students learn what they need to know for success in the 21st century
…ensure educational quality
…provide guideposts
…provide a curriculum template
VanTassel-Baska, p. 37-9

7. Rationale for Standards
Review the benefits of standards to education (p. 37-9)
Discuss how each of these applies to Iowa Core, Characteristics of Effective Instruction, and the Universal Constructs
Add links to IC, CEI (moodle), and UC

8. Standards as Core Curriculum
Basic content areas are the organizational framework for schools
Content-based instruction provides natural context for curriculum planning
Gifted spend majority of time in traditional subject-matter disciplines
Giftedness is often conceptualized as domain-specific
Applying higher-level skills to content enhances transfer
--VanTassel-Baska, p

9. Problems with Standards
Teachers don’t perceive standards as helpful in differentiation for most able students.
Standards are perceived as low-level.
Perception that standards are content-based and, therefore, inappropriate for gifted.
Assessments have been found to be narrow, less demanding, and tied to factual material.
Effectively implementing strong standards-based education benefits students but requires stronger teacher planning.
Review p and discuss whether these concerns seem to be present in your setting; and, if so, identify some of the ways your district/building addresses these concerns.

10. Curriculum for the Gifted
Acceleration
Complexity
Depth
Challenge
Creativity
Five Key Features
Curriculum for the gifted should include these elements.
Individual standard may contain only one.
Total curriculum should address entire list.
Checklist is a way to quickly assess standards to ascertain how much modification may be necessary.
Can facilitate translation of standards into archetypal (framework) activities.
Visit the Iowa Core web site and select either literacy or math at a grade span that matches your primary assignment. Apply the checklist to the standards. What do you find?

11. Adapting Standards for Gifted
Many are already high-level, so tasks for gifted can be developed directly from the standard
Unpack the standards to determine scope and intent
Use essence of the standard as rubric for assessment
Organize by HOTS across subject areas
Accelerate within standard after pretesting
Select materials that address the intent – not just content – of the standard
Consider again the IC literacy or math standards you just examined. Discuss them again in terms of these strategies for adapting standards.

12. This requires… …the use of effective teaching and learning models
e.g., Richard Paul’s Reasoning Model
…flexible grouping practices

13. Using the Reasoning Model
Triads (mixed district)
Apply Paul’s Reasoning Model to the issue/problem of quality curriculum for the gifted.

14. Quality curriculum for gifted learners Why are we reasoning about it?
What is the issue?
Quality curriculum for gifted learners
Why are we reasoning about it?
(purpose/goal)
What are the points of view?
What are the assumptions people make?
What are the important concepts?
What evidence supports the point of view?
What inferences can we make?
What would be the consequences of different actions?
--based on Paul (1992)
Center for Gifted Education
The College of William and Mary

15. Gifted educators will be able to defend their practice only when they thoughtfully implement a standards-based curriculum that is adapted and modified for gifted learners. When such action is taken, gifted education becomes a part of general education reform rather than an endeavor separate from it.
--VanTassel-Baska, p. 51
Discuss this quote with your table group. How will this thinking guide your efforts?

16. Curriculum as Profound Engagement with the World
Read segments of the article.
Identify
3 phrases that express connections to what you’ve learned about curriculum for the gifted
3 key phrases that capture important ideas
3 outcomes for gifted learners to be achieved through these ideas
Write each idea on a sticky note
Form triads
Share your 9 things
Choose three of each from your group and put on nine sticky notes. Lay out in tic tac toe format. Feel free to play with the arrangement.
Create three true statements about curriculum for the gifted
Share with large group

17. Processing Form triads Share your 9 things
Choose three of each from your group. Lay out in tic tac toe format. Feel free to play with the arrangement.
Create three true statements about curriculum for the gifted
Share with large group

18. Curriculum Assumptions
General school curricula are inappropriate for gifted learners
Appropriate differentiation of the curriculum in one area and at one grade level affects all areas and levels. It is a long-term process.
A curriculum plan for the gifted must be written down and communicated appropriately within a school district.
VanTassel-Baska, p. 53-4
Talk in your team about these assumptions and identify the extent to which they are held and addressed in your setting.

19. Curriculum Assumptions
One group member click on the link below to access the Google doc
Under the file menu, click on “make a copy” (make sure you’re signed in to Google docs)
Rename the document
Share with team members and me
All team members access the document
Complete according to directions
Talk in your team about these assumptions. Use the Gathering Grid to identify questions, explore meaning

20. Curriculum Framework A strategic plan for curriculum
Overall goals and outcomes across all areas and grade levels
Links goals and outcomes to strategies for accomplishing them
Assessment approaches that measure outcomes
This is essentially a set of student goals/outcomes for gifted learners. Consider whether you already have something that would serve as a starting point.

21. Curriculum Framework Purposes/Benefits
Creates consensus on what a gifted curriculum is supposed to be
Provides a specific tangible product that answers the question of what a district’s curriculum for the gifted is
Brings teachers and administrators into curriculum planning in a meaningful way
Represents a communication tool
Captures distinctive features and reveals balance.
From VanTassel-Baska book, p. 55-6
Curriculum framework checklist

22. Curriculum Framework
Review Fairfax County Curriculum Framework (Ch. 4, p )
What do you notice about this document?
What are its essential features?
What purposes might it fulfill?
Review p
See “Student Goals and Outcomes” found on the Wiki.
How would turning this into a curriculum framework document make it more meaningful and useful?

23. Thoughts on a Curriculum Framework Document
Outlines what students will gain from gifted programming and services
Integrates gifted into general education
Applicable to all content areas
Your thoughts?
See p

24. Scope and Sequence
Scope – expansiveness and comprehensiveness of a curriculum Sequence – organizing and ordering of curriculum experiences to maximize learner effects In what ways – if at all – might scope and sequence for gifted learners be different from that for typical learners?
Gary, Indiana scope and sequence p. 72

25. Scope at the Course Level
7th Grade
8th Grade
Typical Learners
Pre-Algebra
Algebra I
Gifted Learners
Pre-Algebra/Algebra I
Algebra II
College Algebra or other advanced topic
Gary, Indiana scope and sequence p. 72
Comprehensive Curriculum for Gifted Learners, p. 47

26. Sequence Considerations
Issues
Questions
Differentiation for gifted learners
Could all learners do this task at the cited stage of development, or is the task demand more advanced, complex, or conceptual?
Progressive development of learning
How are the objectives more sophisticated as they move through the grades? Can you track such progression?
Scope
Are the objectives sufficiently broad-based and inclusive of underlying knowledge and skills necessary to address the goal?
Logical ordering
Is there a logical sequencing of knowledge and skills necessary to attain the goal?
Developmental appropriateness
Are the objectives developmentally appropriate for gifted learners? Do they account for the readiness of gifted learners for advanced content earlier?
Gary, Indiana scope and sequence p. 72
Review sample outline for curriculum unit found on wiki.
Comprehensive Curriculum for Gifted Learners, p. 49

27. Designing Curriculum Starting From the Big Idea
What are the principles or concepts we can explore?
What are the essential questions that can be asked about these concepts?
What content would best illustrate these concepts?
Which processes should be taught or applied?

28. What types of skills will students need to be able to demonstrate?
What instructional products might be used to demonstrate understandings?
What activities will help the students uncover the big idea?

29. Team Planning
Develop student outcomes and curriculum framework document
Begin curriculum development. Keep connections to Iowa Core in mind.
Identify actions to be accomplished by session 3

30. Home Play
Share action steps with administrative/advisory team and content teachers where appropriate. And then start doing.
Continue curriculum development work
Read Chapters 7, 8, & 9 in Curriculum Planning & Instructional Design for Gifted Learners
Invite classroom teacher(s) to attend the next Academy session. Meet with them prior to the session to share key learning about curriculum for gifted and goals for the work.

31. Could, Should, Would
Could all kids do this? Should all kids do this? Would all kids want to?