teaching for high potential thp thp/thp 2014 spring.pdfand role playing, guides the reader through a...

Spring 2014

Art instruction and education has been generally considered an activity-based subject that caters to those who are talented and passionate in the area. It is also viewed as being focused on art

production skills and techniques. However, there is more to the art classroom than creating visual artworks. A study by Sabol (2006) examined the differences among the crite-ria used by art teachers, art students, and artists to assess and evaluate works of art. Both students and teachers listed skills-focused criteria such as Elements of Art, Principles of Design, and Technical Skills, the usual curricular plan, for

evaluating artworks. The artists, however, were more con-cerned about the conceptual and cognitive aspects of art such as the originality of their works, demonstration of their development and growth, overall creativity, and how the finished work reflected the original idea. The results pres-ent a clear case for why familiar curricular instruction, in-fused with creative-thinking skills development, should be the route taken by educators if they are to ensure lasting knowledge that carries over into other fields. Art educators, or those that use art instruction in their classes, must seek ways to adapt curriculum to include key thinking skills. One

possible approach is to draw both teachers’ and students’ attention to the cognitive activi-ties (thinking, questioning, etc.) that are taking place within the art classroom. For this, I looked to the Talents Unlimited Model, which presents classroom-based practices that mirror the artistic creative processes, and a differentiation strategy known as tiered assignments.

Thinking Skills: The Talents Unlimited Model

The Talents Unlimited Mod-

continued on page 16

Quality Classroom Practicefor High-Abillity Students

Teaching for High PotentialTHPInfusing Thinking Skills into VisualArts Instruction

inSide ThiS iSSUeFrom the Editor ................................2School Spotlight ..............................3A Secondary Look ...........................4Happily Ever After ............................5iMathination .....................................7Special Populations .........................11Technology Untangled .....................12View From the National Office .........14

Smart Cookies 18feaTUre arTicleSCover: Infusing Thinking Skills into Visual Arts Instruction

Drawing teachers’ and students’ attention to the cognitiveactivities that take place within the art classroom.

Moving Beyond Traditional Investigations and Role Playing

Utilizing digitaltablets to re-enact a historicaldramatic trial. 8

Juliana TayPurdue University

Juliana Tay is a doctoral student in Gifted, Cre-ative, and Talented Studies at Purdue Univer-sity. Before coming to Purdue, she was an art teacher and program coordinator in Singapore for 10 years.

figure 1. Examples of student work be-fore and after incorporating Talents Unlim-ited Model.

2 Teaching for High Potential | Spring 2014

from the EDITOR

I have always been fond of spring. As each winter sea-son is ushered out and the weather begins to turn, I usually can be found embracing the evening glow of the sunset, walking through a dense wood as buds

emerge from their hibernation, or staring out into a clear night sky. The days are longer, the nights warmer, and na-ture’s resources are collected, shared, consumed, and en-joyed. Bearing witness to this seasonal awakening carries over into everyday activities and thoughts, including in the classroom, where educators and students alike are sur-rounded by growth, development, and most importantly, new and exciting resources.

To continue the springtime of growth metaphor, let us “dig in” to some new resources. In Infusing Thinking Skills into Vi-sual Arts Instruction, Juliana Tay extends the idea that think-ing-skill instruction can be part of the process of creating art. Sara Newell’s article, Moving Beyond Traditional Investigations and Role Playing, guides the reader through a detailed pro-cess of using 21st century technology to improve a curriculum experience for her 5th-grade students. The idea can be easily adapted for other classrooms.

A SECONDary Look asks us to consider the educational importance of integrity and judgment, and offers a great les-

son for introducing these concepts. iMathination presents a mind-boggling activity that dates to 16th century calcu-lations in understanding multiplication. The idea of con-structionism, where making dictates learning, is presented in Technology Untangled. Bob Schultz, author of Happily Ever After, jumps back into his time machine once again and visits with Virgil Ward, who laid out the first principles of a differentiated curriculum, for a conversation somewhere in time. Special Populations updates us on the issue of diver-sity in the gifted classroom and how equity can be achieved through collaboration. From the National Office focuses on the success and importance of recent media coverage about gifted and talented learners and the release of new resources, which both informs and inspires. Finally, School Spotlight showcases an educational community unafraid to take risks and utilize new and emerging resources in order to ensure educational success.

It is time to discover or re-discover new and existing re-sources for use in educational environments. Throw open the metaphorical doors and gather up as much as possible. Be sure to visit the THP homepage on the NAGC website and access past issues. Collect them, share them, consume them, and enjoy them. Try something innovative and make it yours. Sometimes these efforts extend our understandings and while challenging, can open up new avenues of instructional tech-nique. Be the awakening for your colleagues and students. We hope that you find inspiration within these pages, not only for your situation, but for others’ too.

As always, I welcome your comments, suggestions, opin-ions, and ideas.

Awaiting the Change

ediTorial adviSory BoardRichard Cash, ChairJill AdelsonAlicia CotabishSteve CoxonJanine FirmenderTamara FisherM. Gail HickeyMarcia ImbeauLori MabryJamie MacDougallMegan Foley NicponMegan Parker PetersConnie Phelps

Susan RakowJennifer RobinsMary Grace StewartSherri Wynn

ediTor-in-chiefJeffrey Danielian

aSSociaTe ediTor Elizabeth Fogarty

Teaching for High Potential (THP)is published as a membership benefit of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), 1331 H Street, N.W.,

Suite 1001, Washington, DC, 20005; (202) 785-4268; [email protected]. Article submission and editorial inquiries can be made to JeffDanielian at [email protected].

For THP advertising information, contact Meg Szulinski at [email protected].

The content found in THP articlesfollows the NAGC Pre-K-Grade 12 Gifted Programming Standards and the NAGC-CEC Teacher Preparation Standards. Visit the THP webpage

for more details.

The statements and opinionsexpressed in the articles and columns appearing in THP are those of the authors and columnists and do not nec-essarily reflect the views of the associa-tion. NAGC disclaims any responsibility or liability for such material. © 2014

ISSN 2333-5076

Write for THPDo you have practical classroom applications of currentresearch, theory, and best practices in the field of gifted education? Are you proud of the innovative way you address the needs of gifted students in your school or classroom? Have you created a successful lesson or unit plan that aligns with the revised NAGC Pre-K-Grade 12 Gifted Programming Standards? If so, we want to hear from you! Send manuscripts to: Jeff Danielian, Editor, THP at [email protected].

Jeff Danielian, [email protected]

Spring 2014 | Teaching for High Potential 3www.nagc.org

When schools have budget cuts, services for gifted students are often one of the first things to go. Bay Trail Middle School’s Gifted Educa-tion and Enrichment Program is an example of

fortitude through the tough decisions about school district priorities. Penfield PACE (Parents Advocating for Challenge in Education) President, Dee Langsenkamp said that unlike other gifted program supporters who advocated only for identified students, the PACE group embarked on a cam-paign to shed light on how widespread the benefits of gifted education-trained specialists and gifted education peda-gogy are to all students. Their message —that Enrichment Specialists are not only indispensable to supporting highly able learners, but they also contribute to their learning of nearly every student, either directly or by supporting class-room teachers—was well received. PACE parents recog-nized the benefits of extending the expertise of Enrichment Specialists to support regular classroom teachers and their students, without neglecting the needs of gifted and highly able students. The result? A thriving school environment.

Bay Trail Middle School has a continuum of services that most school districts would envy. Enrichment Specialist Kerry Young ex-plains that Bay Trail is a large school with an enroll-ment of over 1,100 students in grades 6-8. Students benefit from a “House System” within the school that allows for a smaller, friendly environ-ment. There are three “houses” within each grade at Bay Trail offering the opportunity for smaller groupings of stu-dents. Each is assigned an Enrichment Specialist. Students benefit from the school’s learner-centered focus that seeks to help all students reach their academic potential through differentiated instruction. Young feels most proud of Bay Trail’s schoolwide program and the instructional strategies and materials used in every class. During curriculum-related enrichment, educators utilize shared inquiry, inquiry-based instruction, concept-based instruction, and a host of dif-ferentiation strategies. In this way, the students identified as gifted and talented receive the advanced level services they require, while those traditionally placed in a “regular” classroom benefit from the discussions, activities, and col-laboration taking place. For example, students who have mastered the essential elements of a unit are offered col-laboration with content area teachers to compact out of unit material, “stretch” lesson objectives, or complete indepen-

dent projects. Advanced students also have the opportunity to take accelerated math and science classes at Bay Trail.

Extended enrichment activities and offerings include book bunch reading groups, field trip offerings, and independent projects. Many students spoke enthusiastically of Lunch Bunch groups, and Enrichment HOME Base, two experiences providing gifted students time during the school week for crit-ical and creative thinking while meeting their affective needs. In addition to a wide variety of academic-based programs,

students are offered numer-ous possibili-ties in the arts, athletics, and extracurricu-lar activities. Students also participate in Lego Robotic, Science Olym-piad, and Od-yssey of the Mind activities.

One parent excitedly de-scribed a time when her son, not an identified gifted student, was invited to par-ticipate in an in-class inde-

pendent study as an extension of the social studies class-room. She feels that as a result of having his curriculum compacted, allowing for time to do an interest-based inde-pendent research project, his academic trajectory changed direction and took off. He began to see himself as an in-volved learner. Now as a high school senior, he is taking many AP, honors and college credit courses. This success story, echoed in many others, demonstrates the widespread benefits of the Gifted Education and Enrichment Program at Bay Trail.

Kerry Young believes in the importance of taking risks by trying new and emerging approaches to teaching and learning. Instead of self-contained classrooms and exclu-sive programs specifically for identified students, Bay Trail’s schoolwide enrichment approach doesn’t exclude anyone. The combination of supportive administrators and parents, dedicated teachers and enrichment specialists, and moti-vated students is the reason why Bay Trail’s Gifted Educa-tion and Enrichment Program has found success, one that has made all the difference. THP

scHOOl sPOTlIgHT on high potentialJennifer Selting TroesterO’Neill (NE) High [email protected]

The Trail Less Traveled:Enrichment Services for All

Bay Trail Middle SchoolPenfield, NYwww.penfield.edu/departments.cfm?subpage=44482

Principal: Mr. Winton Buddington


I read a blog posting early this year that raised several interesting questions, one of which is listed above. All four of the highlighted capabilities are essential for productive lives for our students. Here, we’ll look at

integrity as explored through reflective judgments. Integ-rity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. It guides students as they approach all situa-tions, helping them make wise decisions as they reflect on choices in school and later in their chosen vocations. Gifted students need to evaluate whether their actions are ethical; reflective judgment can help them make that determination. King and Kitchener (1993) state that one of the most important responsibilities educators have is helping students learn to make defensible judgments about vexing problems. The real challenge for students and teachers alike is empowering individuals to know that the world is more complex than it first appears and that they must make interpretive arguments and judg-ments that entail real consequences for which they must take responsibility. King and Kitchener propose a system of reflective judgment that helps students consider the integrity of situations while helping the educator to fo-cus on and refine student thinking. Reflective judgment is similar to the Hegelian Process (i.e., thesis, antithesis, synthesis) that I have advocated as appropriate for gifted adolescents as they critically think through dimensions of situations (Dixon, 2006).

Consider the following moral dilemma developed as students were considering the events in The Hunger Games, a dystopian trilogy that focuses on the ills of so-ciety. This type of dilemma could apply to several other novels, including The Giver, 1984, Matched, Divergent, and others.

The dilemma reads as follows:Some think that a society must have a strong set of rules to govern the behaviors of its citizens. With-out strong rules to provide guidance, a society falls

apart because people are unsure how to behave. Others think that people should act on their own vo-lition. Rules are not important. People must reason through each situation and arrive at a viable way to act according to how each situation is presented.

In order to use this dilemma in class, the teacher begins by posing some introductory questions. What challenges does this dilemma present? How would individual lives or groups be affected by either position? What is your feel-ing about rules? Are they important? If so, why? If not, who decides what standards we live by? Students are required to write down responses to these in addition to any other thoughts they have on the issue.

Next, students are paired to discuss the dilemma and their responses to the questions posed. It is important for them to work out differences of opinion on their own. As the students continue their discussions, the teacher should be listening in on the conversations, considering the following. How are the students thinking through the dilemma? What considerations are they raising? Are they respecting each others’ opinions?

After they have conversed about their viewpoints, stu-dents are directed to arrive at a solution, or in the case of opposing viewpoints, a compromise. This is usually completed by stating it in a short paragraph, but could be easily assigned as a more involved creative project (poster, artwork, editorial cartoon, newscast) to be turned in at a later date.

Although this is only a short exercise, students benefit from the depth of the dilemma and the considerations they make regarding statements made. Examinations such as this can be found in every discipline. Because re-flective judgments remain open to further scrutiny, evalu-ation, and reformulation, the students recognize that their opinions may change, and that they may need to con-

Using Reflective Judgment to Explore Moral Dilemmas

“is it possible that a curriculum could outline critical raw capabilities—grit, empathy, integrity and team spirit, for example—and find a way to map and develop them…?”

— Deards & Coulianos, 2014

a secoNdarY lookFelicia A. DixonBall State [email protected]

continued on page 6


Somewhere in Time…A True Educational Giant: Virgil S. Ward

I have an interest in philosophy and I have a concern that our field lacks a coherent philosophy of gifted educa-tion. With this in mind, it seemed to me that a discussion about the qualities needed in teachers of gifted students

with one of gifted education’s premiere (yet woefully under-recognized) philosophers was in order. Let me introduce you to my guest, Dr. Virgil S. Ward.

Dr. Ward taught at the University of Virginia from 1956-1986 (and passed away in February 2003). I consider him a major philosopher/theorist of gifted education.

Dr. Ward trained Joe Renzulli, William Purkey, Jim Mehort-er, and several other scholars in and out of the field of gifted education. He was an advocate for curricular change on a large scale to align teaching to children’s needs. And, he ad-vocated strongly for awareness training for all teachers who presumed to work with any gifted and talented child.

Q Dr. Ward, many people have struggled trying to advo-cate for special training and/or recognition that teach-

ers of the gifted should have special tendencies. What are your thoughts on the matter?

a “Teachers of gifted children should be deviant with re- spect to those qualities common to the gifted group.”

Q That is a clear and strong statement. But, some of our readers might not understand what this deviance or

these qualities are. Can you expand that answer a bit?

a “It is important that the teacher be able to reckon with the fuller expression of mind at higher mental pro-

cess levels. Yet brilliant reasoning in students may have aspects of immaturity which can be seasoned by careful guidance. The teacher of bright children will sometimes find himself unequal to some of his students in reasoning potential. Should there be a too great discrepancy, the fre-quency with which the teacher is compelled to admit er-ror or inadequacy is likely to result in a loss of prestige…It is further apparent from experience with intellectually su-

perior students that something of a ‘philosoph-ical’ disposition on the part of the teacher is a necessary per-sonal charac-teristic.”

Q This defi-nitely isn’t a major component of general teacher edu-

cation. What outcomes of this philosophical disposition would we look for as evidence of successfully prepared teachers?

a “That future scientists or scholars in the humanities may possess the insights essential to citizenship at

higher levels demands that their thinking be constructive-ly guided in those areas in which they are not most adept. Only the teacher who has traveled over such intellectual horizons as those represented by philosophy, theoretical science, and religion; the political and economic ways of man; the manners of his aesthetic expression; and vary-ing value systems as products of cultural growth can pos-sess an adequate perspective upon the total enterprises of man and be able to induce a reasoned and balanced view within the gifted child upon his field of major capac-ity and interest.”

Q It seems to me that this disposition would not be for everyone interested in teaching. What would we look

for in order to encourage some teacher candidates to pur-sue preparation specific to the needs of gifted and talented learners?

a “Among the men and women who choose teaching as a profession there are those to whom the ideals of

continued growth and of increasing perspective appeal and who are capable of such increasing stature. Perhaps if their professional training encouraged deeper and broader pur-suits, more teachers in this vein would be available.”

Q I have one last “wishful” question for you. Your axiom-atic approach to educating the gifted was not under-

haPPilY ever afterBob SchultzUniversity of [email protected]

author note: The quoted excerpts are direct phrases from Dr. Ward’s seminal work. Poetic license was taken by the author in formulating post-hoc questions, but Dr. Ward’s responses are his own words. I can only hope to have minimally done justice to this great man’s legacy.


stood well or used in classrooms. Is there anything about your approach that you wished you could have done differ-ently or would have shared that could have helped promote your approach?

a “The author acknowledges that small number of exceptional students who have helped through their love of learn-

ing to keep his own alive. The small-group experiences of gifted children and youth should occur in company with like-minded peers. Groups of bright youngsters can sense immediately how the probing, questioning, hypothesizing which characterizes their free behavior in the classroom can be turned toward in-quires into the nature of behavior that reflects character.

An organizational structure for education, even a life-span conception, is only part of the need. What is learned, why it is deemed worthy of being learned, and to what ends the products of learning lend themselves—these are the truly important questions…the critical mental processes in use are not the simple recall and application of learned fact but thought processes such as judgment, inference, and rea-soning. THP

referenceWard, V. S. (1961). Educating the gifted: An axiomatic approach. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill.

sider multiple points of view in order to truly understand the dimensions of the dilemma.

Gifted adolescents need rigorous content that is rich in opportunities to think critically and creatively. Dilem-mas, and open discussions about them, are a good fit. They provide situations that are complex, presenting a context for debating multiple viewpoints. As teachers of gifted adolescents strive to create a rigorous classroom focused on integrity, reflective judgment can be a valu-able strategy to integrate into the curriculum or class-room discussions. We will continue this discussion in the next column, where the focus will be on empathy. THP

referencesDeards, P., & Coulianos, C. W. (January 3, 2014). The sky is not the limit: Girding the gifted for what lies ahead. Retrieved from http:// www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-deards/the-sky-is-not-the-limit- girding-the-gifted_b_4538317.html?1388782808Dixon, F. A. (2006). Critical thinking: A foundation for challenging content. In F. Dixon & S. Moon (Eds.), Handbook of secondary gifted education (pp. 323-341). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.King, P. M., & Kitchener, K. S. (1993). Developing reflective judgment. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

a SECONDARY lookcontinued from page 4


Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a group of young adults to explore the history of mathematics. One of the participants became intrigued with the concept of multiplication and we spent many after-

noons discussing how the Egyptians, Babylonians, Mayans, Romans, and other civilizations might have approached that operation. Along the way we explored place value and differ-ent number systems. As a future math teacher interested in working with special-needs children she was seeking a deep understanding of the concepts of multiplication rather than just procedural knowledge.

Historically, mathematics was typically taught as a set of rules and procedures. Robert Recorde wrote, The Grounde of Arts: Teaching the Worke and Practise of Arithemticke, Both in Whole Numbers and Fractions in 1543, which is one of the first books on mathematics printed in English. At the time, counting boards were used for computing products. Recorde felt that the products of the small digits (under 5) were simple and easy to find but offered an alternative method for the greater digits (those above 5). Eagle provides a copy of Recorde’s work and the following example to find the product of 8 and 7. It might take you a few times to work through and get adjusted to the format, but I promise you the effort will be worth it.

Write the digits in a column and draw a cross. Then look at how each digit differs from 10 and write those values to the right of each number (here the differences are 2 and 3). Find

the product of the differences (both small digits) and record it under the differences. To fin-ish the problem

Recorde writes “then I must take one of the differences…from the other digit (not from his own) as the lines of the cross warn me and this which is left must I write under the digits.” The product of 8 x 7 is 56.

Recorde goes on to say this process will work for any digit greater than 5 so I shared this process with a few elemen-tary students and we soon ran into problems with the process. What happens when the product of the two differences is greater than 10? In the example we had the product of differ-ences (2 and 3) was a single digit but when we tried 6 x 7 our differences were 4 and 3 yielding the two digit product 12. Our first attempt at using Recorde’s approach yielded answer of 312 which the students recognized as an unreasonable an-swer but not having access to the full text we had to “fix” the process on our own.

Our question was why does the process work for 8 and 7

but not 6 and 7? It took some time to explore that question. Algebraically we could have approached the product of 8 and 7 by writing 8 as 10-2 and 7 as 10-3: (10-2) x (10-3) = 100 – 20 – 20 + 6 = 56 but it is unlikely most of Recorde’s readers in the 1500’s had that background. So the challenge became to cre-

ate a process that works for all dig-its greater than 5. Recognizing the place value is-sues and that the 5 in the example represented 50,

the students arrived at this modification of Recorde’s ap-proach. The students had found success.

Time spent exploring long-abandoned methods of multipli-cation can provide the opportunity for rich discussions on the concepts involved along with the opportunity for students to see mathematics as a continually evolving field. Try this idea and others like it with your students, who will value their efforts more than simply solving problems with “the answers in the back of the book.” THP

resourcesVisit: http://www.maa.org/publications/periodicals/convergence/ counting-boards-a-counting-board-in-a-strasbourg-museum Eagle, M. R. (1995). Exploring mathematics through history. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Learning Outside the Rules:Lessons from the Past

Eric L. MannHope [email protected]

imathiNatioN

mVltiPlicatioN“For the fmal digettes

under 5, it were but follyto teach any rule, feyngthei are fo easy, yt every

child can doo it.”— r. recorde


New and emerging technolo-gies have changed the way educators think about in-struction and classroom ac-

tivity. The old-fashioned methods of student research, collaboration, par-ticipation, and delivery of work have been replaced by digital tablets, cloud computing, and near-instantaneous access to resources and materials. Just as the typewriter gave high-abili-ty writers a venue for exciting change and speed at which to create, the dig-ital tablet has done the same for the gifted historical researcher and role-player. Speed, interactive interface, a variety of formats and relevant (dare I say “entertaining”) applications are all a part of the tablet user experience. As all of these techno-tools come avail-able, my challenge as a classroom teacher in a center for highly gifted stu-dents is to ensure that I maintain strict standards for rigorous instruction and depth of knowledge while keeping my students’ attention. My fifth graders

are accustomed to having the latest technological devices at home and expect a similar level of engagement at school. My role is to merge the uni-

versal appeal of new devices with the high level of instructional quality that gifted students need and deserve. I found a way to get the best of both by using digital tablets to re-enact the dramatic trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. It is a lesson I had done for years as a debate, but is now transformed into a challenging 21st century simulation.

from Traditional approach toSomething new

The infamous trial of Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti was one of the key events of the 1920s and is an important part of our fifth-grade social studies curriculum. The questionable conviction and execution of the men is symbolic of the issues of class struggle, the Red Scare, ethnic tensions, and social injustice that soci-ety faced in both the U.S. and abroad. For years, I led students through inves-tigations of the key players and debates over the guilt or innocence of the men charged with robbery and murder. Stu-

dents enjoyed the debates, but I always felt that the standard curricular materi-als and writing prompts, along with a limited number of print-based materials

and access to resources left my gifted students wanting more depth and un-derstanding. It is as if they were missing the evidence and detail needed to truly evaluate the fairness of what occurred in that Massachusetts courtroom. Their high levels of questioning and involve-ment demanded more than an oversim-plified debate about the issues.

This year, the availability of new tab-lets for instructional use completely changed how I approach this unit. We now use the tablets and Moodle (an online, secure course management system) to analyze primary sources such as complete court transcripts and documents to re-enact portions of the trial in detail. The students are able to get out of their seats and “become” the key players in the case--experiencing the true complexity of the contradicting testimony, sympathetic characters, red herrings, and outside influences affect-ing the controversial conviction. Where before they had written or typed tran-scripts, pieced together in a notebook or simple word processing program, they now have online collaboration tools to complete the effort and hand-held access to the script. Work with the tablets also allowed for a discussion of online etiquette and behavior.

The Sacco and vanzetti lesson Students begin by reading a one-

page summary of the case and ask to be part of either the prosecution or defense team. They then locate the actual transcript from the trial (avail-able on several sites online) and cut his/her section down to a maximum of two pages in length. The entire trial could be acted out, but our allot-

Moving BeyondTraditionalInvestigations and Role Playing

Sara newellcharles Townes center at Sterling School

Sara Newell is a teacher of gifted students at the Charles Townes Center at Sterling School in Greenville, SC. She is also a gifted education instructor at Furman University. Ms. Newell has a B.A. in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Gifted Education.

“incorporating the latest digital technology into well-written and implemented

curriculum is essential if we are to instill 21st century skills in our students.”


ted time limited the reenactment to 2 class periods. Next, the “attorneys” organize a forum thread on Moodle for each argument, prepare the text for rehearsal of testimony with wit-nesses, and of course, prepare for the closing statements. The end result of this “copy and paste” is a complete, student-edited transcript that will be analyzed, rehearsed, and performed.

Once the script is created, students begin a series of tasks related to anal-ysis and evaluation. This demands the type of higher-order thinking skills and lines of questioning expected from gifted students. Initially, students must analyze key questions such as, Why is the lawyer asking this question? Why is “my” character answering this way? What are the motives at play here? Then they evaluate: Is this crucial evi-dence in the case? Is this an example of bias on the part of the attorney or witness? The in-depth discussions the students have while working through this process are extremely valuable to their understanding of the motivation of each of the main players, provid-ing them with a real-world application of critical-thinking skills. Additionally,

the reading and cutting of the tran-scripts requires students to evalu-ate text for a number of criteria: bias, purpose, motive, and connection to the “plot” or sequence of events. As students continue to read through the transcripts, it is fascinating to wit-ness the results of their evaluation of the court documents and the detail to which they “become” their charac-ter. I have observed students explain to their attorney how the prosecutor bullied them or how they were at-tacked on the street and dragged to the police station to be interrogated. They quickly switch from saying, “my character” to “I.” It is a transformative process, made even more real as they now have digital access to enough detail to make emotional connections to the case.

As students complete their tran-scripts, they utilize the tablets to edit and post their pieces on the forum thread on Moodle in the order in which the original witnesses testified. This means that the whole thread will repre-sent the edited script of the entire trial, which usually takes two, one-hour class periods to act out. At this point in the

project, we take time to discuss online etiquette. The positive and polite man-ner in which students conduct them-selves with others is just as important in a virtual environment as it is when speaking face to face. In addition, stu-dents need to understand that there are deadlines to meet and if not, oth-ers’ work, which is dependent on their own, may suffer. Next, an entire class is dedicated to rehearsal, allowing the students to get into character, using what they learned about each person involved in the trial. (And yes, costumes are allowed and encouraged— Sacco’s cap is a must-have piece of evidence.) Presiding as Judge Thayer, the teacher can help with organizing, troubleshoot-ing, and occasionally directing. Then, it is time for the trial.

This is when the simplicity and size of the tablets really make a difference. While the research and preparation could have been done on laptops or desktop computers, use of the tablets streamlines the re-enactment. They also add a bit of technological excite-ment that helps motivate the students. The judge, the defense team, the pros-ecution, and the witness on the stand


all used the tablets, following along us-ing the same “live” script in the Moodle forum thread. Attorneys “object” and the judge “rules” using the exact words from the actual trial without anyone having to memorize pages of testimony. The students were even quick to hand off the tablets when a new witness took the stand. The process is virtually seam-less and the dramatic quality created by students able to “live” their research as historical figures are brought to life as the trial moves along.

Upon the conclusion of the trial, stu-dents were asked to reflect and write about the verdict—Was it fair? Was the defendants’ immigrant status an is-sue? What about their political views and activities? Rather than general-izations and unfounded opinions, the gifted students cited evidence and supported their responses by pointing out actual events and quoting specific characters, participating in the type of high-level discussions one comes to expect when working with this popu-lation. Even though I have had similar

student experiences with the previous method of presenting this lesson, the addition of the tablets has incorporat-ed a new, often crucial technological aspect into the mix.

extending the ideaThis process can be easily applied to

re-enacting other trials, both historical and literary. Thurgood Marshall’s vic-tory in Brown vs. the Board of Educa-tion would make a dramatic impact pre-sented using this method. Gifted middle or high school students could write and perform a trial of Boo Radley for the mur-der of Bob Ewell as an extension of their study of To Kill a Mockingbird. I plan to apply tablet-facilitated analysis of pri-mary source documents in additional units. For instance, utilizing the Draw-cast app (www.drawcast.com) provides the perfect method for creating blackout poetry (www.newspaperblackout.com) with original newspaper articles found on the National Archives website (www.archives.gov/education). There are myr-iad possibilities; however, I am careful

to remember that rigorous, meaningful content and a clear, relevant purpose must always provide the foundation for gifted classroom instruction, no matter the technology available. Incorporating the latest digital technology into well-written and implemented curriculum is essential if we are to instill 21st century skills in our students. The use of digital tablets provides just one of many pos-sibilities. THP

for a classroom example of the trial, please visit: http://prezi.com/5jhlsryphzdr/using- ipads-to-reenact-the-sacco-and-van zetti-trial/?auth_key=23d6faa09d14ebfd 4943b974f9330191fe7653bf

resources:D’Attilio, R. (2007). Sacco-Vanzetti case. Re- trieved from http://www.writing.upenn. edu/~afilreis/88/sacvan.html Linder, D. (2000). The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. Retrieved from http://law2. umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Sac coV/SaccoV.htm


sPecial populationsJoy Lawson DavisVirginia Union [email protected]

Diversity at a Tipping Point: Gifted Education Responding as a Field

A “tipping point” is defined as a state of “disambigua-tion.” This occurs when a group—or a large number of group members—rapidly and dramatically chang-es its behavior by widely adopting a previously rare

practice (Wikipedia). The phrase is adopted from the field of physics. In laymen’s terms—a tipping point happens when a small amount of weight is added to a balanced object slowly until the additional weight causes the object to suddenly and completely topple or tip over.

Just a few weeks ago, I shared a USA Today article with my diversity education students. The article provided an overview of the results of the last national census report. According to the article, the nation’s population is changing dramatically and in ways that many institutions may not be fully prepared for. In addition to the new family types (i.e., more multigenerational, single parent headed households, single sex households), there is also an increasing number of bi-racial families: non-white citizens including those from Hispanic backgrounds, Asian backgrounds, and other eth-nic groups; and many who are now among the nation’s grow-ing population of first genera-tion immigrants. As a matter of fact, the subtitle of the ar-ticle noted that “diversity has reached a tipping point.”

In the past few years, gifted education as a field has experi-enced a slow, but noticeable increase in the amount of dialogue and attention to the issue of diversity in gifted education. Concern and attention to absolute equity in gifted education and advanced learner programs is no longer a rarity. Tipping the scales to ensure fair and equitable services to gifted learners across cultures, eth-nic groups, income, and those from other disenfranchised groups would mark success of great magnitude for our field.

Most recently, we have witnessed a surge in scholarly work, national reports, news briefs, book releases, and in-creased dialogue via social media regarding equity in gifted and advanced learner programs. Slowly, but surely, advo-cates across related fields are beginning to take notice of the need for our schools to eradicate discriminatory prac-tices in gifted and advanced learner education and serve ALL high ability and gifted students in a more equitable way. This is an exciting time for gifted education. As a die-hard advocate for educational equity, I am always excited when

I come across new groups and individuals who believe like I do that we can’t win this fight for SOME gifted students unless we fight for ALL gifted students.

A tipping point also signals a change that is about to hap-pen. I am confident that parents and scholars who are advo-cating for equity in our schools will not allow students of color, those who are poor, and even those who are twice exceptional to continue to be overlooked, misunderstood, and under-served in our schools. To participate in this change process, I encour-age all teachers, counselors, and school administrators to make every effort to build stronger and more equitable programs that not only identify giftedness across cultural groups but also are culturally responsive enough to maintain students in program services throughout their K-12 schooling experience. Includ-ed among the supports necessary is the active engagement of communities and families of these learners who know their

strengths and needs best. Tipping the scales towards

equity may appear slow to some, but the scales are tip-ping, nonetheless. From where I sit, we are closer now than we’ve ever been to achieving equity and access in gifted and advanced learner educa-tion in the 60-year history of the field. We’re not there yet. However, working together in a range of important ways will

yield a stronger voice, and an increase in services and collab-orative efforts and that will build stronger programs driven by a passionate belief in justice and equity for all. THP

recommended reading: Davis, J. L. (2013). Dr. Martin D. Jenkins: A voice to be heard. In A. Robinson & J. Jolly (Eds.), A century of contributions to gifted education: Illuminating lives (pp. 130-144). New York, NY: Routledge.Ford, D. Y. (2013). Recruiting and retaining culturally different students in gifted education. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. Grantham, T., Trotman, M. F., & Harmon, D. (2013). The young, triumphant, and black: Overcoming the tyranny of segregat- ed minds in desegregated schools. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.Matthews, M., & Castellano, J. (2013). Talent development for English language learners: Identifying and developing potential. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

“We can’t win this fightfor some gifted studentsunless we fight for all

gifted students.”


From Consumer to Producer: DIY and the Maker Movement

One might argue that the field of gifted education has been built firmly upon the foundation of Construc-tivism. The ideas of Dewey, Vygotsky, and Bruner seem to be alive and well in gifted education in the

form of hands-on, project-based, and problem-based learn-ing. I think few would argue that learning by doing is not a noble goal for most gifted learners. However, learning by do-ing is not in and of itself the means to an end. If we look at this through the lens of Renzulli’s Enrichment Triad Model, what we desire is for students to move towards self-selected inde-pendent or small-group investigations of real-world problems. This idea is echoed in Betts’ Autonomous Learner Model and many other models of gifted education. Yet, there is another idea building on the principles of conSTrUcT-iviSM and gifted pedagogy that I would like to bring to your attention: conSTrUcTion-iSM.

Instead of having students learn by doing, construction-ism focuses on learning by making. Constructionism is an idea inspired by constructiv-ism and is typically attributed to Seymour Pappert who also happens to be one of the cre-ators of LOGO, a computer programming language for kids designed in the 1960s that utilized a “turtle” to create line graphics. Constructionism posits that learning can happen most effectively when stu-dents are involved in the process of constructing tangible ob-jects in the real world. The principles of constructionism have been actualized in what is commonly referred to as the “maker movement,” a subculture of individuals fueled by imagination and innovation that typically involves new and unique appli-cations of existing or new technologies. Many associate the maker movement with the origination of MAKE magazine, which was first published in 2005 and the blog Boing Boing (www.boingboing.net). Not content to construct for the sake of constructing, “makers” seem to be in constant search of audi-ences with which to share their creations. In 2006, this need gave rise to Maker Faires, which have become regular events held around the world. The 2012 Maker Faire in San Mateo, California, was visited by over 120,000 people interested in learning first-hand more about robots, 3D printing, and other do-it-yourself creations.

As I look at the Maker Movement, I see a subculture of in-novative grown up gifted kids and continuing to explore their creative sides. I imagine that as you think about the gifted stu-dents with whom you currently work that there are several who immediately come to mind and fit the profile of a maker.

One of the most fascinating web resources that I have en-countered is DIY (www.diy.org) because it embraces the maker movement and provides a venue for kids to explore a variety of interests and develop talents in a wide range of areas. Accord-ing to the website, “DIY is a place for kids to share what they do, meet others who love the same skills, and be awesome.” DIY is a community of creators designed for kids to develop skills through completing a series of challenges. Skills range from animator to zoologist in over 100 different areas. Each

skill area is made up of a series of challenges. For example, geologist has 11 challenges and includes activities such as making a seismometer, con-ducting a soil test, and mak-ing a glacial simulation. Inter-estingly, specific instructions are not provided as to how to complete the challenges. Instead, each individual is left to decide how to complete the challenge. Proof of completion is documented through photos and videos that are uploaded either online or with the free

app for iOS devices (www.bit.ly/DIY-IOS). Once three projects are completed in a skill area, a patch is earned and is displayed on the users profile page. If six activities are completed, then the user is considered to have mastered the skill. While the patches exist online, DIY has begun selling actual patches for $5 each. As of now, this is the only cost that is associated with this online community.

While DIY began as an online community the site has be-gun promoting the idea of groups coming together to form DIY Clubs in your neighborhood or sharing skills in your classroom (www.diy.org/guides). This seems like a perfect way to con-struct a series of enrichment clusters or even an after-school club focusing on individual interests. As the founders of DIY state on the About Us page, “The big idea is that anyone can become anything just by trying—we all learn by doing.” By de-veloping skills and interests of their own choosing, gifted kids can work to construct their own world. THP

techNologY untangledBrian C. HousandEast Carolina [email protected]


Newly released data collected from the 2012-2013 State of the States report clearly presents the lack of a coherent national strategy to “light the fire” for the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, peacemakers, artists, and engineers.

NAGC and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted present the only national report on gifted education in the U.S.—a biannual snapshot of how states regulate and sup-port programs and services for gifted students. Visit the State of the nation webpage for links to a summary of state poli-cies and practices in gifted education and a snapshot of state-by-state data.

For more detailed state-by-state information, the full 2012-2013 State of the States report is available on flashdrive through the NAGC bookstore, also linked from the page. It is an excellent resource for gifted education advo-cates working to affect positive public policy change.

www.nagc.org/stateofthenation.aspx

The State of the nation in Gifted education

techNologY untangledBrian C. HousandEast Carolina [email protected] online Box


Rising Media Tide Builds Support

As I write this, those of us who care about media attention focused on the needs of gifted learn-ers are basking in the glow of several strong ar-ticles featured in national publications in recent

months. These editorials have made the case that sup-porting gifted education is a national priority, for appro-priately challenging gifted learners has a direct impact on our nation’s ability to compete around the world. Without support, the sustainability of America’s success and well-being will surely be compromised. What’s more, the rec-ommendations in some of these pieces have been well-informed and specific.

For a good example, let’s review an excerpt from “Even Gifted Students Can’t Keep Up,” published in the Decem-ber 14, 2013, Sunday edition of the New York Times:

Federal and state governments should support ed-

ucation of the gifted more aggressively. The federal government should require schools to monitor and improve the performance of their gifted students, backed up with financial incentives. Only eight states track the academic performance of gifted students as a separate group. More money could help create a corps of teachers trained in identifying and teaching highly talented students. Currently, only three states require their general education teachers to have some type of training in gifted education and only 17 states require teachers in programs for the gifted and tal-ented to have a credential for gifted education.

Not only do these observations—lifted directly from the pages of the most prominent national newspaper in the country—support the cause of gifted learners, they do so using some of the bleak statistics that showcase the of-

view from the NatioNal oFFiceNancy Green, Executive DirectorNational Association for Gifted [email protected]


Nancy Green, Executive DirectorNational Association for Gifted [email protected]

ten weak and uneven support for services found across the country. What’s more, these data points published by the Times did not appear by chance. In fact, the editorial writer did his research, uncovering information needed to build a strong case.

Where did he get it? One of his sources was NAGC, of course! This reporter, who contacted NAGC staff on several occasions as he prepared to write the piece, tapped into a great advocacy re-source, The State of the States in Gifted Education report, a biannu-al survey produced by NAGC and the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted. See this issue’s online box for more infor-mation and a link to the website. With advocacy and public aware-ness in mind, NAGC and the Council realized the value of setting benchmarks for measuring policy and funding. Like a national report card of sorts, these data points weave to-gether the story of a “patchwork quilt” of services around the country. They demonstrate what happens in the absence of a national strategy and culture that emphasizes and celebrates achievement.

While the New York Times piece is a pinnacle example be-

cause of its reach, so many practical ideas for how to use this data can be found on NAGC’s website. Using the templates provided in the advocacy toolbox found online, state lead-ers have been able to share the strengths and weaknesses of their own state’s efforts as compared to their neighbors.

Numerous press releases and editorial pieces have attracted the attention of state legislators and policy makers, who now have accurate funding and pro-gram comparisons on which to base their own proposals. If you have not yet accessed the State of the Nation report, which pro-vides an overview of The State of the States report, on NAGC’s website, don’t remain in the dark! You’ll find a great tool that helps you tell the story of services, poli-

cies, funding, and accountability—whether you want to shout proudly from the rooftops, or point fingers at state regulations or policies that fall short.

When we all pitch in to help the mainstream media pub-lish substantive stories about the state of gifted education, the impact can ripple through our field and through school classrooms, making a meaningful difference for educators and the students they serve. THP


el (TU) by Carol Schlichter (1986), based on the work of Calvin W. Tay-lor, was designed to engage students in thinking and questioning during their learning process to generate new knowledge. Schlichter listed five components of TU, which can serve as the foundation for think-ing during art instruction: productive thinking, decision-making, planning, forecasting, and communication (see Table 1).

My experience during my training as an art teacher was focused on the dif-ferent types of craft for art production, art history, and art critique. This focus was similar to that of the teachers in the Sabol study (2006). Thinking skills were implied throughout the modules

but they were not taught explicitly nor did the lecturers make any direct con-nections between thinking skills and the art activities. Although I felt that I was challenging my students and found success in my lesson plans, which in-cluded suggested conceptual reflec-tion and a push for originality, it was not until I was introduced to TU that I began to see the similarities between the theory’s framework and the artistic processes in which my students were

engaged as they created. I was now able to use and apply various forms of higher-order thinking skills intended for this purpose.

differentiating within the Model:Using Tiered instruction

Tiered instruction, or the process by which teachers accommodate the learning differences of the students by assessing their ability and craft-ing assignments with ascending lev-els of demand, fits quite well with the TU model. In my case, tiered assign-ments provided students with the ap-propriate challenge for the task, while TU was able to provide the structure required by the students to help them develop their thinking skills. The con-

cepts of TU, coupled with differen-tiation strategies, such as tiered as-signments, can be used in the art classroom to teach students a set of skills that allow them to take control of the art making process, regardless of the level of mastery with which they begin. Let’s look at a classroom example.

a Printmaking classIn a printmaking class, my 8th-

Infusing Thinking Skills into Visual Arts Instructioncontinued from page 1

note. Adapted from Schlichter (1986), p. 120.

Table 1. Components of the Talents Unlimited Model

Talent areas Definition

Productive Thinking generate varied and unusual ideas or solutions and to add interesting and value-added details

Decision Making outline, weigh, make final judgments; defend a decision on the many alternatives to a problem

Planning design a means for implementing an idea by describing what needs to be done, identifying the resources needed, outlining a sequence of steps to take, and pinpointing possible problems in the plan

Forecasting make a variety of predictions about possible causes and/ or effects of various phenomena

Communication use and interpret both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication to express ideas, feelings, and needs to others


grade students were to create self-portraits and the activity began with a short presentation on the visual arts task and included some examples of self-portraits in various media cre-ated by different artists. Schlichter (1986) referred to productive thinking as a way “to generate many, varied and unusual ideas” (p. 120), which is an important step at the beginning of most creative assignments, so I began with idea generation. The stu-dents then began by brainstorming the concept of self-portraits: what the words meant to them and what forms a portrait can take. By engag-ing in this type of productive think-ing, the students generated ideas as a class, questioning and challenging the notion of self-portraits. Students having more experience with or ex-posure to the medium linked the idea of the portrait to the concept of self-identity and began questioning the various ways self-portraits were ap-proached by the masters. Students less familiar with the medium ben-efited from the discussions as they listened, sought clarification, and questioned the various ideas gen-erated through the interactions. By allowing the class to work together in the beginning, the students were able to reflect and build upon each other’s artistic insights and to ques-tion and interpret the theme to the best of their abilities.

Once the students were satis-fied with the range of ideas gener-ated, they moved on to the decision making, planning, and forecasting

phases of TU. This involved consid-ering the different options available for materials, space, and design, deciding upon the focus and theme they would take, planning out the work ahead of them while consid-ering possible issues or problems, and seeking to understand how their work might be critiqued to include originality and creativity. The stu-dents had to ensure that the designs for their self-portraits communicat-ed their individual ideas and inten-

tions. It is important to note that the TU model does not present a linear process, as students often move be-tween phases, reflecting and revis-ing their ideas, and thinking about what they wanted their works to communicate.

Table 2 illustrates the difference between the characteristics of stu-dents and the activities they took part in and were evaluated on. Stu-dents who needed the most help were given more direct questions

to encourage them to think about themselves and their preferences. Those who needed less direct instruction were tasked to think about their roles in society and re-late them to their sense of identity.

For example, students in Tier 1, those who lacked drive and focus or had below aver-age success, were given ex-amples of icons and motifs to start them thinking on what the patterns could symbolize, while students in Tier 3, those who had shown strong mas-tery of printmaking techniques

Table 2. Characteristics of students and activities used in printmaking tier assignment

Tier Talent areas Definition

1 Below average success ~ Focus on one printmaking technique - or students lacking drive lino-printing and focus in their work ~ Given a variety of symbols and icons as examples, which they will be able to choose and modify to suit their creative expressions (a starting point in order not to overwhelm them with a blank slate)

2 Average students who ~ Choice of which printmaking technique have shown some mastery they want to employ of printmaking techniques ~ Given a set of questions to guide them and understanding of self in their thinking and development of work

3 Advanced students who ~ Must make use of more than one have shown mastery of printmaking techniques to create their most printmaking work techniques and self- ~ Independent research on the ideas awareness that they want to express for their self-portrait

figure 2. Examples of student work be-fore and after incorporating Talents Unlim-ited Model.


and good sense of self-awareness, were given only the theme to work with; they also received the addition-al challenge of incorporating more than one printmaking technique in their final product. In this manner, the students were engaged in the pro-cesses of decision making, planning, and forecasting at a level appropriate for their ability.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate two ex-amples of student work and how they differed after the TU model was in-troduced. Although art is subjective in nature, and each of the examples are fine pieces, it is clear that after the introduction of TU, there was in-creased depth, intricacy, and origi-nality exhibited in the product.

Combining tiered instruction with TU allows the teaching of various thinking skills to be directed at the appropriate level for each group of students. This combination, TU with

a differentiation strategy, can be use-ful in helping both teachers and stu-dents to change their perceptions of what art is within the classroom and make the thinking processes more ex-plicit. Once your students are familiar with the processes such as produc-tive thinking, decision-making, and planning, they will be more likely to use them during their art making pro-cess. This will help the students gain a stronger sense of self-autonomy and the ability to take charge in their creative works.

Encouraged by the components of TU to think about and question their work, students will be able to explore a larger context of this field of study and carry the lessons learned to oth-ers that they may be exposed to. Edu-cators can assist in laying the founda-tion for the importance of thinking and questioning during any learning pro-cess. It will set students on a path to

discover how they will approach other learning experiences, and possibly to a greater perspective of themselves as learners. THP

referencesHausman, J., Ploof, J., Duignan, J., Brown, W. K., & Hostert, N. (2010). The condition of art education. Studies in Art Educa- tion: A Journal of Issues and Research, 51(4), 368-174.Sabol, F. R. (2004). The assessment context: Part two. Arts Education Policy Re- view, 105(4), 3-7.Sabol, F. R. (2006). Identifying exemplary criteria to evaluate studio products in art education. Art Education, 59(6), 6-11.Schlichter, C. L. (1986). Talents Unlimited: An inservice education model for teaching thinking skills. Gifted Child Quarterly, 30, 119-123.

smart cookies Bess Wilson

There is perhaps no bet-ter way to express the feeling and emotions of issues relating to gift-

ed education than a cartoon. Many conference presenters, parents, educators, and advo-cates use this medium to ex-plain thoughts and ideas to a wide audience. Plus, who can resist a good laugh?

Thanks to the talents of Teaching for High Potential’s car-toonists Bess Wilson & Jim Wilson, we are proud to offer the ongoing series of Smart Cookies available on the web. Feel free to download and use them to get your message across.

The cartoon to the right was the first to be published in Teach-ing for High Potential back in 2006. See www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=4692

Celebrating the Lighter Side

teaching for high potential thp thp/thp 2014 spring.pdfand role playing, guides the reader through a...

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