CDE Overview: Project Take Five: Unfolding Gifted Programming is a three year effort designed to advance programming and to better prepare educators for working with gifted students. One goal of the project is to increase the ability of schools to meet the special educational needs of gifted and talented students. The project will provide resources to impact the ability of educators to understand giftedness, instructional strategies and/or curriculum that meets the educational needs of gifted students. It will implement a series of eight professional development modules addressing Colorado s standards for highly qualified gifted educators and promoting leadership for supporting gifted programming. These modules are designed to: Facilitate change of teacher practice in supporting the educational needs of gifted students. Increase gifted achievement as a result of implementing innovations of practice or curriculum Modules created during Year 1 of the grant: Differentiating for Gifted Learners Guidance: Addressing the Social-Emotional Needs of Gifted Students
Target Audience: Classroom teachers, GT teachers, any educators interested in learning more about meeting the needs of Gifted and Talented students. (Participants will need access to GT students to complete assignments.) Course Outline All Adams State College course requests must include the following information, in detail: 1. Course Title: Differentiating Instruction for Gifted Learners 2. Course Prefix and Number Assigned by ASC Extended Studies 3. Course Description This class assumes that participants 1.) currently utilize some differentiated instruction in their regular classroom practice 2.) have an understanding of the need for differentiation for gifted learners. This course will provide the learner with resources and strategies supported by research that have been shown to be most effective for gifted learners. It will provide the interactive structure supported by a facilitator for participants to both practice and reflect upon implementation in an on-going manner. This on-line course will walk you through a single case study and will model the creation of a differentiated lesson using the concept of ascending intellectual demand for gifted students. A running commentary from a teacher will lead your group through the planning, decision making, professional reflection and implementation of appropriate methods. Participants may select to follow either an elementary student and their teacher or a secondary student and their teacher. This course is not about differentiation for ALL students nor a beginner s course on how to differentiate. This course IS about utilizing the principles of differentiated instruction and how to ensure that lessons are appropriate for gifted learners. 4. Course Outline/Content Learning Goals: Participants in this course will be able to: Accelerate instructional pace as appropriate for gifted learners Provide daily, consistent challenge in talent area(s) of gifted learners by adding depth, complexity and novelty Establish a culture that supports a seamless continuum of learning Increase student achievement as a result of implementing course strategies Grading: Pass/Fail : 80% to pass (176 pts out of 220 points possible) Participant Assignments include: Participant Pre-Assessment (5 points) Learner Profile (20 points)
Journal Reflection on Profile (10 points) Lesson plan- 1 st part completed (20 points) Pre-assessment data completed and put onto lesson plan (15 points) Ascending Intellectual Demand reflection (10 points) Litmus Test reflection (10 points) Completed lesson plan (40 points) Student achievement goal (10 points) Implement lesson (making notes, etc.)/ collect student materials for course sharing (25 points) Student feedback sheet (10 points) Sharing: Evidence of Student Learning- implementation (e.g. student work samples) (20 points) Course Post Assessment and reflection on personal growth (25 points) Content Learning environment Student profiles Pre-assessments Formative assessment RtI Colorado School-wide Model for Student Success (2 pages) Ascending Intellectual Demand Depth/complexity/novelty Litmus test for ratcheting up lessons Achievement goals Tiered assignments/tiered learning centers Curriculum compacting HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) Questioning Lesson planning 5. Dates and Hours of Instruction This course will be open for a period of time in which a facilitator is available to guide students. We would like to offer it at various times throughout the year and would reapply with those date windows each time. The first one will run from Oct. 17-Dec. 12. This is a self-paced course with accountability assignments that must be turned in along the route. 6. Semester Credit Hours 7. Textbooks One hour of graduate credit. There will be no required textbook for this particular module however we have provided a large bibliography below along with electronic links to reading materials. 8. Library Resources and Lab Facilities
See attached bibliography 9. Attendance Policy There are no face-to-face sessions in this course. Participants will participate by completing the readings, and submitting work and final assessment within the course window. 10. Student Course Evaluations Provisions will be made to use the Adams State College written course evaluation to evaluate this course, along with program evaluation requirements for the Federal grant. Differentiation sources/resources: Baum, Reis, Maxfield (1998). Nurturing the Gifts and Talents of Primary Grade Students. ISBN#0-936386-71-1. Benjamin, A. (2002). Differentiated Instruction: A Guide for Middle and High School Teachers ISBN#1-930556-39-X. Chapman & King (2005).. Differentiated Assessment Strategies: One Tool Doesn t Fit All ISBN#0-7619-3827-3 Clark & Zimmerman (2004). Teaching Talented Art Students: Principles and Practices. ISBN#0-8077-4445-X Forsten, Grant, Hollas. Differentiating Textbooks: Strategies to Improve Student Comprehension & Motivation. Crystal Springs Books #1-884548-48-2 Ginsberg & Wlodkowski. Creating Highly Motivating Classrooms for All Students. Jossey-Bass #9-780787-943301. Gregory, G. (2003). Differentiated Instructional Strategies in Practice: Training, Implementation, and Supervision. ISBN#0-7619-3827-3 Gregory & Kuzmich (2004). Data-Driven Differentiation In the Standards-Based Classroom. ISBN #0-7619-3158-9. Gregory & Chapman (2002). Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size Doesn t Fit All. Corwin Press #0-7619-4551-2. Heacox, D. (2002). Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom ISBN#1-57542- 105-4. Kingore, B (2001). The Kingore Observation Inventory. ISBN#0-9657911-8-1. Kingore, B. (2004). 3-3 Differentiation: Simplified, Realistic, and Effective ISBN#0-9716233- Northey, S.S. (2005). Handbook for Differentiated Instruction for Middle and High Schools ISBN#1-930556-93-4
Nottage & Morse (2002). Independent Investigation Method. Active Learning Systems. Phone: 800-644-5059 Reis, Renzulli, Burns (1992). Curriculum Compacting. Creative Learning Press #0-936386-63-0. Rogers, K. Re-Forming Gifted Education (2001). ISBN#0-910707-46-4. Ryser & McConnell (2003). Practical Ideas That Really Work for Students Who Are Gifted. ISBN#0-89079-958-X. Smutny, Walker, Meckstroth (1997). Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom. ISBN#1-57542-017-1. Sousa, D. (2003). How the Gifted Brain Learns ISBN#0-7619-3829-X. Strip & J Hirsch (2000). Helping Gifted Children Soar. ISBN#0-910707-41-3. Templeton National Report on Acceleration (2004). A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America s Brightest Students. (www.education.uiowa.edu/belinblank) Tomlinson, C.A. (2003). Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom ISBN#0-87120-812-1 Tomlinson, C.A. (1999). The Differentiated Classroom, Responding to the Needs of All Learners, ASCD #0-87120-342-1. Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms. ISBN#0-87120-512-2. Tomlinson & Allan. (2000). Leadership for Differentiating Schools and Classrooms ISBN#0-87120-520-5 Tomlinson & Eidson. (2003) Differentiation in Practice: K-5. ISBN#0-87120-655-2 Tomlinson & Eidson (2003).. Differentiation in Practice: Grades 5-9. ISBN#0-87120-655-2 Tomlinson & McTighe (2006). Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding by Design. ISBN#1-4166-0284-4. Tomlinson & Strickland (2005). Differentiation in Practice: Grades 9-12. ISBN#1-4166- 0050-7 \Tomlinson, Kaplan, Renzulli, Purcell, Leppien, Burns (2002). The Parallel Curriculum: A Design to Develop High Potential and Challenge High-Ability Learners. ISBN#0-7619- 4559-8. Tomlinson, Kaplan, Purcell, Leppien, Burns, Strickland (2006). The Parallel Curriculum in the Classroom: Book 2. ISBN#1-4129-2528-2 Winebrenner, S. (2001). Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. ISBN#1-57542- 089-9
Other materials: Educational Leadership: Volume 58, No. 1, Sept 2000. "How to Differentiate Instruction" "Thinking Questions" card. Kagan Publications: 800-933-2667. Makes Sense Strategies (software, graphic organizers). 205-339-8704 (www.graphicorganizers.com) Exemplars: Problem-Solving software (Math K-12 & Science K-8).