Midterm Exam Sped 5076.. 1.Action Plan For The Unit (25

As I have grown as a professional particularly over the past four years working with gifted learners, I recognize many lessons learned to improve my practice. My approach is less teacher directed and more student led blocks. I start with a brief mini-lesson for the topic of the day giving a few tips (as you can see in my whole group video clip). There is a short session of guided practice during this acquiring knowledge portion of the lesson. The bulk of the time then is given to investigations where I facilitate meaning making. Providing challenging tasks that I do not solve for or with them has given new excitement to my classroom. The level of engagement has skyrocketed. Conversations among students has given opportunity to build deep understanding on pre-algebra content. I have no students in academic support and none have failed their end-of-the year testing which is amazing given the complexity of our curriculum. Across the state, the 8th grade math assessment is one of the lowest performing end of the year tests. I am confident my experiences in the reflective cohort, balanced assessment committee, and gifted course work/Praxis time investments leading to endorsements had an impact on student learning.

What is actually being valued to our students’? Dweck points out, “In our society, we seem to worship talent- and we often portray it as a gift”. (Pg.15) This is an absolute prime example why students’ tend to get defensive of each other's intelligence. For instance, students’ presume that the gifted get to attend class, sit there and become successful. In this case, that statement is incorrect, you have to work for the success you crave, creates problems within the students’. Not only teachers, but parents need to realize that praising children is the inaccurate approach to do, and it will later benefit them in doing

A Gifted and talented (G/T) student” is “one who . . . exhibits high performance capability in an intellectual, creative, or artistic area, possesses an unusual capacity for leadership, or excels in a specific academic field” (Aldine ISD Board Policy Manual, 2014). The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides a state plan, which outlines the standards for Texas schools to be in compliance. It also offers the educational opportunities these students should receive. In fact, there are performance measures for five aspects of G/T programs including student assessment, service design, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and family and community involvement. The plan assists districts in delivering these comprehensive services to

I will assess the students understanding of the task during the conclusion, where we will more speaking and writing practice (Swinburne 2016). I will try to give students lots of fun such coloring and creative thinking practice, this activity to learn in lesson and discussion or reviews of the content (Swinburne 2016).

You might think twice before sending a tennis coach to baseball’s spring training season; although there would be overlap in general kinesthetic and sports psychology knowledge, the nuances of the two sports are very different and require disparate sets of coaching skills. Just as a baseball team needs a coach who understands baseball, gifted students need guidance from well-trained, challenging teachers who understand their educational needs. Teacher training requirements for working with gifted students are determined at the state and local levels. Although gifted and talented students are in every school and classroom, few districts require that all classroom teachers receive training to address the educational needs of advanced learners.

2 & 3. Use the most current versions of standardized tests that are going to be used to make a decision about admission into a gifted program and that norms are up-to-date and a good representation of

Motivating gifted students can present a challenge for any teacher. Many children are coming to school with very little enthusiasm to learn, especially the gifted child. Although

13) while promoting independence in learning and group-work (Taber, 2007a, pp. 16-17). This approach is in accord with the Maker Model (1982) which incorporates strategies for modifying curriculums for gifted students in the four key areas of content (what is taught), process (how content is taught), product (how students demonstrate their learning) and the learning

Typically gifted and talented programs are intended to challenge fast pace learners and recognize their special abilities, however the innocuous separation between peers can prevent other students’ talents from being acknowledged and advanced. While the gifted and talented students are applauded for their intellectual capabilities and natural talents, other students are labeled as average or less skilled. Placement into these programs are rooted from the results of standardized testing, which students and teachers spend a great amount of time preparing for. Preparation for these exams alter the curriculum and objective for learning all together. Some education systems seem to focus more on teaching to test rather than teaching to educate. In Cathy Davidson essay, “Project Classroom Makeover,” she explores how there should be more emphases on the relevance, relationship and rigor in the classroom and how this can teach students more efficiently and improve our school. Within the past 15 years, advancements in technology alone theoretically have created new prospective ways of learning, therefore standardized testing may be an inadequate method of testing students’ talents and abilities. Because each student’s future is so heavily weighted on their performance throughout grade school, education systems should have a well-rounded system in place that allows students to support and learn from each other rather than creating a divide between the strong versus the poor test

I chose to spend my field experience in the Summer Scholar’s Institute at the Gainesville Campus of the University of North Georgia. As I reflected back on my time working with this program, I realized the group of students I worked with had a great impact on my life and reminded me why I want to become an educator. Not only did I connect with my students emotionally, but I was also able to reach them on an academic level because I was a placed in the gifted program during my public school career as well. Throughout the two weeks I was able to work with the group of teenagers, I was able to see how many of them possessed extraordinary intrinsic motivation for their age as well as how extrinsic motivation can be used as a tool in lessons. I also noticed how the diversity within the group brought a unique dynamic to the group and allowed the discussion of controversial topics to be both insightful and realistic.

Innovation is turning an idea into a solution that adds value from a customer’s perspective. This means that a gifted persons ability to tell the difference between the goals,assignment and & mission is crucial to innovation because they can focus on each aspect of innovation (Hoeller). They can also make fabulous leaders because they can identify habits,traditions, and social pressure (“Hoeller”). However the people with these habits and traditions might hate the gifted leader. Furthermore creative thinking is second nature for the gifted especially for innovation where you need creative ideas. Another contribution they make is being versatile they can switch their jobs if they need to and not just have one or two skills (Hoeller). The gifted may also have high passion and commitment to a project or work (Hoeller). Lastly gifted people make their own solutions to a problem and a higher authority’s opinions doesn’t matter to them. That is what a gifted contributes to innovation in the

Using teachers to screen for potential gifted students gives a basis for more formal testing of the students. However, the district must first define their own requirements for a gifted program. Primarily, a higher than average IQ score, general good grades, leadership abilities, and creative abilities should be considered when looking to identify gifted students. While all of these characteristics are important, it is also important to note that students may not possess all of them, and may only have a gifted talent in one specific area of study. When a teacher suspects giftedness, they should refer the student to the guidance counselor or school psychologist, who can then set up a formal assessment to determine if the student has enough of the characteristics to qualify as gifted by the state. After students have been identified, it is then important to secure a GIEP (Gifted Individual Education Plan) and make greater opportunities available. However, as mentioned above, the first step is to use the tools described above to identify students in need of the gifted

Principle 1: High-Quality Curriculum for Gifted Learners Uses a Conceptual Approach to Organize or Explore Content that is Discipline Based and Integrative

As professionals in the field of gifted education, it is our responsibility to educate the whole child in a balanced and appropriate manner so that our students are able not only to identify their unique gifts and talents but also to utilize them to reach their full potential without losing themselves in the

How to Incorporate Technology in the Gifted Classroom to Differentiate and Teach Creativity to Gifted Students