Welcome!Enrichment & Differentiation

For Gifted & Advanced Students

October 13, 2014Patricia Bower & Amy Neylon

Gifted Support Teachers

On your index card write an example of how you have differentiated for your advanced and/or gifted learners. Then put your card in the toolbox!!

All children are gifted..

RealityOn a normal bell curve only 2.5%

of the population will have a gifted IQ of 130 or higher

Approx. 3-5% of the population is gifted

Myth #1

Gifted Education = Special Ed. For Gifted Students

• Students with a 130 IQ are as far from the “average” of 100 as are students with and IQ of 70

• We accommodate struggling students when the pace is too fast or when key concepts are missed..

• We need to accommodate gifted students who already know the material or learn at a faster rate

Myth #2

Gifted students don’t need help….they’ll do just fine

on their own….

Reality

Just as good athletes need a coach or trainer to help them

develop their skills, academically gifted students need well trained teachers

and a challenging curriculum to develop their academic

talent.

Fast FactThe National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) found that many gifted elem. students already know between 40% and 50 % of the school curriculum to be covered in class before the school year begins.

http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/reiswest.html

Myth #3

Teachers challenge all students, so gifted

kids will be fine in the regular classroom….

Reality

Many teachers are frequently unfamiliar

with the needs of gifted children.

Fast Fact• According to an NRC/GT study, 61%

of classroom teachers did not receive any training in meeting the needs of gifted and talented students

http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=538• According to the NRC/GT, most

gifted and talented students spend at least 80% of their time in a regular education classroom

Let’s not forget..

• Speaking of the “dark side”—with abilities may come burdens..they

may be “At Risk” for..• Anxiety disorders, eating disorders,

bullying and other harassment, loneliness, exclusion and self-consciousness associated with “being different”..and they can be cursed with debilitating perfectionism..

Myth #4

Gifted students make everyone else in the

class smarter by providing a role

model or a challenge….

RealityAverage or below-average

students do not look to the gifted students in the class as role models

They are more likely to model their behavior on other students with similar capabilities

Gifted students benefit from interactions with peers at similar performance levels

Fast Fact

• Grouping gifted and talented students for

instruction improves their achievement.

• Full-time ability grouping produces substantial

academic gains in these students.

Myth #5

Acceleration options, such as early

entrance, grade skipping, or early exit

can be socially harmful for gifted

students….

Reality

High ability students often gravitate towards older

students who share their interests and

who are more similar as intellectual peers

Fast Fact• In a study of high ability

children who had been accelerated, 71% reported satisfaction with their acceleration experience• The majority of those who

reported they were unsatisfied…wanted more acceleration.

Acceleration• Acceleration is not Enrichment..• Acceleration =move through the

curriculum faster• Enrichment=add breadth and

depth• Faster pace, fewer repetitions• Subject acceleration

Myth #6

Gifted education programs are

elitist….

Gifted education is elitist..NOT if it’s done right…

Good gifted education meets the academic, &

social/emotional needs of the gifted, and it’s

something that the rest of the kids don’t want!!”

Carolyn K.Hoagies Gifted Education Page

Gifted Education: What Works

• Acceleration• Grouping by ability• Curriculum Compacting• Advanced Placement• Pull-Out Programs• Teacher Training

http://www.nagc.org

“Not every child has an equal talent or an equal

ability or an equal motivation..but children have the equal right to

develop their talent, their ability, and their

motivation.”

John F. Kennedy

Myth #7

That student can’t be gifted..he’s receiving poor

grades….

Reality• Gifted students aren’t always

motivated to get good grades

• They resist homework that seems…meaningless and repetitive

• Underachievement in the gifted is a very real and persistent problem

Developing specially designed instruction for

gifted students is the responsibility of the

school district’s administration,

gifted support staff, AND regular education

teachers.It should not be a one-size-fits-all program

Elementary Gifted K-6

• Focus for this school year:• TDA (text dependent analysis) will look at Jacob’s

Ladder resource• DOK question stems to use with small group reading

(teacher may use this but will need assistance)• R.A.C.E• Pre-test creating for EDM• Mini enrichment units for advanced students • Acting as a resource for teachers

Enrichment Toolbox for Teachers

How can I provide enrichment within the classroom to students who are ready to think more deeply about content?

• Everyday Math Enrichment • Enrichment & Differentiation Resources for Advanced and Gifted Learnershttp://www.wasd.org/Page/6459

"The surest path to high self-esteem is to be successful at something you perceived to be difficult.  Unless kids are consistently engaged in challenging work, they will

lose the motivation to work  hard."  ~ Dr. Sylvia Rimm, Psychologist and Author on Gifted

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