1. GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION:
An overview with classroom implications and application
Terri Verhaegen
AP/AVID/GATE Program Specialist
SAUSD

2. Overview: Who are your GATE students?
Characteristics
Referral
Assessment Process

3. Characteristics
Differences commonly found between most gifted learners and their age peers:
Advanced comprehension and a faster pace of learning (2-8 years ahead of the regular age-graded class)
Need for complexity and intensity
Desire for depth (ability to make connections, find unusual relationships and move from facts to principles theories and generalizations)
Crave Novelty or alternative and varied input and processes

4. Intellectual vs. High Achiever
Intellectually gifted children can usually generalize, work with abstract ideas and synthesize diverse relationships
Whereas:
High achievers generally function better with knowledge and comprehension level learning than with abstract and open-ended material
Refer to handouts: Bright child vs. gifted learner; Characteristics that screen gifted out; Who Are the Gifted in My Classoom? Go over them.
Also, it is not to say that some high achievers need only increased oportunity to develop giftedness. A tell tale sign, though is is frustration with complex challenges.
In SAUSD—we identify BOTH as GATE, but the characteristics are not the same

5. High Achiever Intellectual
Knows the answers.
Asks the questions.
Is interested.
Is highly curious.
Is attentive.
Is mentally and physically involved.
Has good ideas.
Has wild, silly ideas.
Works hard.
Plays around, yet tests well.
Answers the questions.
Discusses in detail, elaborates.
Top group.
Beyond the group.
Listens with interest.
Shows strong feelings and opinions.
Learns with ease.
Already knows.
6-8 repetitions for mastery.
1-2 repetitions for mastery.
Understands ideas.
Constructs abstractions.
Enjoys peers.
Prefers adults.
Grasps the meaning.
Draws inferences.
Completes assignments.
Initiates projects.
Is receptive.
Is intense.
Copies accurately.
Creates a new design.
Enjoys school.
Enjoys learning.
Absorbs information.
Manipulates information.
Technician.
Inventor.
Good memorizer.
Good guesser.
Enjoys straightforward, sequential presentation.
Thrives on complexity.
Is alert.
Is keenly observant.
Is pleased with own learning.
Is highly self-critical.
83% of SAUSD identified as High Achievement
4% of SAUSD identified
In SPECIFIC ACADEMIC AREA
13% of SAUSD identified as Intellectual

6. (Mis)Perceptions of Gifted Students
Gifted students may be perceived as:
Possible Reasons:
Bored with routine tasks, or rote work, does not complete rote work
May have mastered facts and rote skills
Difficult to get him/her to move onto another topic
Pursues interest in depth
Self critical, impatient with failures
Sustained goal-oriented behavior, Evaluates situations
Critical about the teacher or others
Logical and analytical, expresses criticism
Argumentative, disagrees vocally with the teacher or others
Expresses opinions freely, skeptical, expresses criticism
Not serious, making jokes or puns at inappropriate times
Gives clever, witty responses, shows humor
Emotionally sensitive – may over react, angers or cries easily if things go wrong
Sees relationships and connections, sensitivity, need for support
Not interested in details; hands in messy work
Needs minimal instruction/ practice on routine tasks, applies info. with ease
Refusing to accept authority; nonconforming, stubborn
Goal-directed behavior, expresses criticism, skeptical, focused on details
Dominating others
Goal directed behavior, organizes tasks and people, serves as a leader
Withdrawn or a loner among peers
May have difficulty communicating with peers, intense attention on tasks
Involved in others problems
Problem solver, interest in cause and effect relationships, inquisitive

7. Referral Assessment Measures:
Most gifted students are identified in elementary years. In SAUSD,
every 2nd grader is tested
grades 3-11 are tested upon referral.
a student can apply for GATE assessment in elementary or secondary
Assessment Measures:
Collection of screening data can include:
Academic Achievement Scores (e.g. Benchmarks, CST’s/CMA’s, Writing Proficiency)
Standardized ability tests (e.g. NNAT2)
Standardized Intelligence tests (e.g. WISC, CogAt, Olsat, Leiter—limited use in SAUSD
Observation/Anecdotal Parent/Teacher checklists
Grades
Rapid acquisition of English for EL students (CELDT)
Students are missed because they have developed underachievement by 3rd grade if not challenged; they learn to “blend”in with others

8. SAUSD Program Design
In both elementary and secondary, SAUSD utilizes the “cluster” design.
“Clusters” of 5 or more students are placed in a regular classroom.
In secondary (grades 6-12) these clusters are usually in “honors” or AP level classes.

9. GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION:
What does this mean for your classroom?

10. Implications for Curriculum and Instruction
Connection to CCSS
Types of Differentiation
Acceleration
Novelty
Depth
Complexity

11. What CCSS documents say regarding “Advanced Learners”?
3. The Standards do not define the nature of advanced work for students who meet the Standards prior to the end of high school. For those students, advanced work in such areas as literature, composition, language, and journalism should be available. This work should provide the next logical step up from the college and career readiness baseline established here.
4. The Standards set grade-specific standards but do not define the intervention methods or materials necessary to support students who are well below or well above grade-level expectations. No set of grade-specific standards can fully reflect the great variety in abilities, needs, learning rates, and achievement levels of students in any given classroom. However, the Standards do provide clear signposts along the way to the goal of college and career readiness for all students.
---CCSS page vii (underline added for emphasis)

12. What CCSS documents say regarding “ELA Habits of Mind”?
The descriptions that follow are not standards themselves but instead offer a portrait of students who meet the standards set out in this document. They demonstrate independence. They build strong content knowledge. They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They comprehend as well as critique. They value evidence. They use technology and digital media strategically and capably. They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.

13. What CCSS documents say regarding “Math Practices”?
The Standards for Mathematical Practice describe varieties of expertise that mathematics educators at all levels should seek to develop in their students. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. Model with mathematics. Use appropriate tools strategically. Attend to precision. Look for and make use of structure. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

14. Curriculum and Instruction
Advancing the concept of differentiation to a new level to both reinforce and extend teaching and learning…
taking the “core” curriculum adding depth, complexity, novelty and acceleration.
Modifying what students will know (content), how students will think (critical creative and problem-solving skills), how students will access and use resources (research skills), and how student will summarize and share their learning (product).

15. Depth Novelty Acceleration Complexity What is DIFFERENTIATION?
Creative Thinking
Critical Thinking
Introduction to the Disciplines
Problem Solving
What is
DIFFERENTIATION?
Resilient
Universal Concepts
Logic
Novelty
Acceleration
Self-Accountability
Thinking Like a Disciplinarian
Task Commitment
Group Skills
Art of Argumentation
Intellectualism
Art of Appreciation
Define one’s self and potential
Understanding of giftedness
Expertise
Questioning
Participation Skills
Complexity

16. Connections between GATE and CCSS
GATE Standards
Acceleration
Depth
Complexity
Novelty
CCSS Anchor Standards
R2. Determine central ideas or themes…
L6. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain specific words…
R1. Cite specific textual evidence…
R7. Delineate and evaluate the argument…
R6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content…
R7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats…
W3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences…
R1. Read closely to…make logical inferences…

17. Acceleration of Content
Use universal concepts like “conflict”, “change” or “relativity”.
Build and bridge concepts (possibly by compacting the curriculum to streamline the curriculum or challenge the level)
Develop the art of appreciation and the art of argumentation
Dig deeper into content through questioning skills or “Thinking like a Disciplinarian”.

18. Questioning Strategies = Collaborative Academic Conversations and Socratic Seminars
Methods used by teachers and students to ask questions that require the respondent to use high-level, critical, and/or creative thinking skills when processing information or responding to the question.
Read slide.

19. Why use Questioning Strategies?
Questioning strategies are essential to the growth of critical, creative, and higher level thinking skills. (Shaunessy, 2005)
When teachers regularly model questioning strategies and expect student questions, students learn to formulate questions that will improve their learning. (Fisher, 2007)
Read title.
Carefully crafted questions can lead students to more critical, creative, and higher level thinking skills: depth and complexity.
And by providing higher level questions for students, they learn to formulate their own high level questions.

20. Good questions help to accelerate learning:
What is meant by ______?
How do you know?
How could we prove or confirm that?
If ____happened, what would be the result? Support your conclusion
What might be other points of view?
How could you say that another way?
Why do you believe that?
How can we bring this all together?
Elaborate and Clarify
Support with Examples
Build on or Challenge another’s ideas
Paraphrase
Synthesize
Note to presenter: Read bullets one at a time. As you read each bullet on left hand column, click enter to show corresponding example(s).
Hand-out: Effective Questioning techniques- page 9 & 10.
Active participation: Look at Roman numeral V (p. 10): QUESTIONS to Increase Understanding. Circle the bullets of those questions you feel you already have strongly in place. Indicate the ones you want to further develop. ***Notice that the questions are listed according to categories of Bloom’s levels of thinking.
Turn and talk: In this discussion, we are modeling with you how to use the Talking Chip Protocol (p.11). Each group member will have only 2 talking chips to indicate that they will have only 2 times to talk. Once the chips are used, they can no longer give input to the discussion.
Share out any insights/thoughts.

21. Novelty
Students expressing knowledge in their own words and ways. Includes elements of…
Creative thinking
Intellectualism
Critical thinking
Self-defining
Problem solving
Develop expertise
Logic
Understanding giftedness
Self-accountability
Resilient
Task commitment
Participation skills
Group skills

22. Apply what you’ve learned
How do acceleration and novelty already have a place within classrooms implementing Common Core State Standards?
Turn and share ideas with your elbow partner

23. Power of Depth and Complexity Icons… Provide structure and support for taking a deeper and more complex look at any topic
Quick Easy Application to any Material
For Visual learners--A picture is worth a thousand words
Provide scaffolding to do higher level thinking for second language students and students with learning disabilities
Develop “Habits of Mind” that become ingrained
Advanced learners are asked to reach into the upper ranges of their ZPD
Increase student enthusiasm and motivation

24. But remember,
we are not teaching the icons, we are teaching concepts to new levels of depth and complexity using pictures to stand for the thinking strategies.
Think PROMPTS.

25. Concrete Entry Points Brainstorm Common Everyday Icons
Use the Detail Icon as way for students to talk about themselves (Seen and Unseen Details)
Read a story like the Butter Battle Book by
Dr. Seuss to introduce several icons
Use Multiple Perspectives for conflict resolution
Use the Rules icon for class rules on first day
Use the Big Idea for writing a paragraph

26. Use the Icons Within Your Classroom and Lessons
Post the icons in your classroom
“Look for (appropriate icon) in our lesson today on (content area).”
Use the Big Idea to summarize or end lessons.
Label your daily agenda and lesson plans with the icons.
Have students label all work with the appropriate icons.
Label all classroom work and charts with the icons.

27. Depth
Refers to approaching or studying something from the concrete to the abstract, from the known to the unknown.
Requires students to examine topics by determining the facts, concepts, generalization, principles and theories related to them.
Necessitates uncovering more details and new knowledge related to a topic of study.
Encourages students to adopt perspectives and to see patterns in connections.

28. Depth has the following major dimensions:
Language of the Disciplines: Specialized vocabulary, names of skills or tasks, tools used
Ethics: Points of View, different opinions
Big Idea: Generalization, principle, theory
Details: Attributes, parts, factors, variables
Unanswered Questions: Discrepancies, missing parts, unclear ideas, incomplete ideas
Patterns: Repetition, predictability
Impact: Cause and effect, influence
Trends: Forces, direction, ongoing
Process: sequence, procedures
Rules: Structure, order, hierarchy, explanation
Motive: reasons, causes, purpose
Proof: evidence, validation

29. Complexity
Includes making relationships, connecting other concepts, and layering.
Why/how approach that connects and bridges to other disciplines to enhance the meaning of a unit of study. Relate concepts and ideas at a more sophisticated level
Encourages students to see associations among diverse subjects, topics or levels and find multiple solutions from multiple points of view

30. Complexity has these major elements:
Over Time: Between the past, present and future, and within a time period
Context: environment shapes or affects outcome
Translate: multiple and varied meanings of language, various interpretations
Points of View: Multiple Perspectives, opposing viewpoints, differing roles and knowledge
Original: new, unique, what makes it new
Interdisciplinary: With, between and across the disciplines
Judgment: factors that influence decisions

31. Practice Time #1 Nursery Rhyme
Read the text provided to your group.
Develop a question and possible response based on your given prompt.
Share and discuss with your small group.

32. Practice Time #2 Exemplar Text from CCSS Appendix B
Read the text provided to your group.
Develop a question and possible response based on your given prompt.
Share and discuss with your small group.

33. How can we use this with what we already do?
Use Thinking Maps with Depth and Complexity icons
Frame of reference
Tree map headers
Develop Text-Dependent questions
Socratic Seminar and Collaborative Academic Conversations

34. Tree Map
Holiday Gatherings

35. Double Bubble
Ice Cream
Pizza

36. Intellectual Pathway
For each student or group, create an individual Intellectual Pathway to a product.
Student A:
Student B:
Student C:

37. Use Depth and Complexity concepts to elaborate any topic or unit.
Give of
Look for
Use to shed light on
Pull apart the you encounter.
Discover if are due to insufficient ,
unknown , or issues.

38. Now on your own
Utilizing a text your brought, rework a current assignment to include elements of depth and complexity (you may also include novelty and acceleration).
Be ready to share in 10 minutes.
Should be on this slide with 30 minutes left to present…10 minutes to create and 20 minutes to share and discuss

39. Depth Novelty Acceleration Complexity DIFFERENTIATION
Creative Thinking
Critical Thinking
Introduction to the Disciplines
Problem Solving
DIFFERENTIATION
in your classroom
Resilient
Universal Concepts
Logic
Novelty
Acceleration
Self-Accountability
Thinking Like a Disciplinarian
Task Commitment
Group Skills
Art of Argumentation
Intellectualism
Art of Appreciation
Define one’s self and potential
Understanding of giftedness
Expertise
Questioning
Participation Skills
Complexity