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Suzanne Palmer

Grouping the gifted and talented: Questions and answers - 7 views

www.davidsongifted.org/...Articles_id_10173.aspx

shared by Suzanne Palmer on 13 Apr 10 - Cached
  • September 1993
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 13 Apr 10
       
      I am concerned with the date of this article. Are her points still relevant?
    • Suzanne Palmer
      Suzanne Palmer on 20 Apr 10
       
      I absolutely believe they are. I have read many more recent articles and journals that continue to support Rogers findings. I think that the organization of the article is reader-friendly addressing the different types of groupings as well as the social and emotional impact on students.
    • Eric Calvert
      Eric Calvert on 22 Apr 10
       
      In 2002, Rogers published a book (Re-Forming Gifted Education) covering similar territory but incorporating data from students between 1993 and 2002. Her conclusions in the more recent work were pretty consistent with the article from 93. The College of William and Mary also did an independent survey of the literature just a few years ago for the State of Ohio comparing pros and cons of different gifted service delivery models. In a nutshell, their summary was that models that include grouping elements, provide access to advanced content at a faster than typical pace, and are focused on a specific content area (vs., say, a general purpose pull-out "enrichment" program) tend to produce the biggest learning gains and are among the least costly models to implement. (Thus, I would wager that the reconfiguration of the middle school programs you all started this year will ultimately pay big dividends for kids down the road if you keep working together on differentiating curriculum and gradually articulating the program down to lower grade levels.)
  • have used one of the latter two approaches to research.
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 13 Apr 10
       
      I was pleased to see they used the approaches that can be quantified.
  • Gifted educators are now confronted with shoring up the erosion of years of effort:
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 14 Apr 10
       
      This statement seems to show some bias on the part of the author.
    • Suzanne Palmer
      Suzanne Palmer on 20 Apr 10
       
      I think that we all know how hard it is to get something back that has been cut from budget. Gifted programming of any kind is often one of the first things cut from a budget when there needs to be cuts. Gifted can be an easy target in Ohio because gifted programming is currently not mandated and often times the test scores of our identified students show they are doing "OK".
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • from the minority who have been chronically underserved
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      I might argue that the "middle" would be the most chronically underserved group.
    • Suzanne Palmer
      Suzanne Palmer on 20 Apr 10
       
      I would be interested in more detail on this.
  • in which the top 5-8 gifted learners at a grade level
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      Is she saying here that only the top 5-8 students per grade level would be served using this model? If not, it would seem that each building would need almost all teachers to be a trained teacher of the gifted in order to be able to service all students with a gifted ID.
    • Suzanne Palmer
      Suzanne Palmer on 20 Apr 10
       
      Yes, I believe that is what she is saying. In most of the research I have done in clustering, it is recommended to have 5-7 in an identified area together. We began clustering in reading and math in our 4th and 5th grade classes this year throughout the district. We found that the majority of the buildings had enough students to support a cluster either in reading and/or math and the training of that teacher. In 2 of our larger buildings, they actually had enough where they could have a couple of math and reading classes with a cluster of math or reading identified students.
  • substantial academic gains for elementary learners at all ability levels in mathematics,
  • substantial academic gains in reading and some evidence of similar gains in mathematics for students of all ability levels.
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      I find it interesting that cross grade grouping seems to be most affective for reading and the within-class grouping seems to be most affective in mathematics. I do not see this as reflective as what is currently happening in Westerville.
    • Suzanne Palmer
      Suzanne Palmer on 20 Apr 10
       
      Please expand.
  • a small decline in self-esteem for subject acceleration,
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      Teachers of 6th grade Pre Algebra have been concerned with some of the stress-levels exhibited by students - such as pulling out eyelashes and the inability to cope with not understanding a specific concept.
    • Suzanne Palmer
      Suzanne Palmer on 20 Apr 10
       
      Interesting, there are a couple of things to consider with the behaviors exhibited by these gifted students. For some of our brightest students, it can be difficult for them when they are faced with something that is a challenge for them for the first time. Many of our gifted learners exhibit characteristics of perfectionism as well. I hope that these teachers are working with our middle school coordinators to address some of these social and emotional concerns. If not, that is something that I would strongly recommend.
  • She found greater numbers of ethnic minorities and the economically disadvantaged in the lower track classes.
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      This would be my concern with ability grouping at all levels. While it may be appropriate for gifted learners, I do think the lower track can give students all the opportunities that should be afforded them.
    • Suzanne Palmer
      Suzanne Palmer on 20 Apr 10
       
      I agree. That is a nice benefit of clustering. I recently read The Cluster Grouping Handbook which talks about the appropriate way to cluster students and I think the way Susan Winebrenner has done it really makes sense to help raise the bar for all students.
  • It is important that we change this situation, seek to understand its causes, while at the same time we continue to provide appropriate ability grouping options to our identified gifted and talented.
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      I agree!
  • appreciate the diversity in their society
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      I will say that my daughters who attended WNHS greatly benefited from both the diversity of the school and the diversity of their classes. When they left for college and entered the world of work, they had a nice glimpse into the "real world" and I think are better adjusted for it.
  • It is important to note that the coverage vs. mastery dilemma exists in all whole-class group-paced instruction
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      I think the points made in the Differentiation article would dispute this.
  • This in turn may lead to an even more precipitous decline in national test scores than we have already been witnessing since the 1960s.
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      Is this the case? What has happened in the 17 years since this article was written?
  • Just as we readily acknowledge the complexity of the learning process, we must acknowledge that no simple solution
    • Laura Hance
      Laura Hance on 15 Apr 10
       
      The other article we were asked to read is a PDF, which does not support Diigo. However, I fully agree with the points made regarding differentiation. Done appropriately, I think this is the best model to benefit ALL students.
Eric Calvert

NMSA - NAGC Position Statement: Meeting the Needs of High Ability Learners in the Middl... - 1 views

www.nagc.org/index.aspx

NAGC NMSA Position Statement policy middle school wcsgifted high ability

shared by Eric Calvert on 21 Oct 09 - Cached
  • MEETING THE NEEDS OF HIGH ABILITY AND HIGH POTENTIAL LEARNERS IN THE MIDDLE GRADES A JOINT POSITION STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL MIDDLE SCHOOL ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR GIFTED CHILDREN
  • The National Association for Gifted Children and the National Middle School Association share a commitment to developing schools and classrooms in which both equity and excellence are persistent goals for each learner. Equity refers to the opportunity of every learner to have supported access to the highest possible quality education. Excellence refers to the need of every learner for opportunities and adult support necessary to maximize his or her learning potential.
  • In light of the inevitable variance in middle school populations, it is critical that middle school educators develop increasing awareness of and skill necessary to address the full range of learner needs—including needs of those who already demonstrate advanced academic abilities and those who have the potential to work at advanced levels.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • IDENTIFICATION All middle school learners need educators who consistently use both formal and informal means of recognizing their particular strengths and needs. In regard to advanced learners, identification requires specific plans to seek out students with advanced abilities or advanced potential in order to provide appropriate educational experiences during the transition into adolescence.
  • ASSESSMENT Ongoing assessment is critical to informing classroom practice. Preassessment, in-process assessments, and post assessments should give learners consistent opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, and skill related to topics of study. Assessments related to student readiness, interests, perspectives, and learning preferences provide educators with a consistently emerging understanding of each learner’s needs in the classroom. Middle level educators should use data from such assessments to modify teaching and learning plans to ensure that each student—including those who already perform well beyond expectations—have consistent opportunities to extend their abilities.
  • CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
  • Advanced middle grade learners thus require consistent opportunities to work at degrees of challenge somewhat beyond their particular readiness levels, with support necessary to achieve at the new levels of proficiency. In addition, educators should address student interests and preferred modes of learning in planning curriculum and instruction that is appropriately challenging for individual learners. Educational resources should be of a sufficient range of complexity to ensure challenge for advanced learners. Flexible pacing and flexible grouping arrangements are important instructional adjustments for many highly able middle level learners.
  • AFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT
  • Students benefit greatly from learning environments that reinforce their worth as individuals and simultaneously support them in becoming more powerful and productive. For advanced learners, this may require helping students affirm both their abilities and their need to belong to a peer group. Middle level educators need to understand and address the unique dynamics that high-ability and high-potential young adolescents may experience as they seek to define themselves and their roles among peers.
  • EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS Building a middle school culture that supports equity and excellence for each learner requires sustained attention to partnerships among all adults key to the student’s development. This includes partnerships between home and school, specialists and generalists, and teachers and administrators. Middle level schools should assist parents in recognizing, understanding, and nurturing advanced abilities and potential in young adolescents. Partnerships among team members and between classroom teachers and gifted education specialists should ensure appropriate challenge for advanced learners and appropriate attention to the particular talents of advanced learners. Administrator/teacher partnerships should define what it means to accommodate the individual needs of learners and develop conditions that lead to such accommodations for all middle level learners—including those who demonstrate advanced performance or potential.
  • PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE STAFF DEVELOPMENT
  • Teachers with training in gifted education are more likely to foster high-level thinking, allow for greater student expression, consider individual variance in their teaching, and understand how to provide high-end challenge. Appropriate staff development for middle level teachers will continually focus on high-quality curriculum, understanding and teaching in response to individual as well as group needs, and developing a repertoire of instructional strategies that support and manage flexible classrooms. Central to the success of these endeavors is shared responsibility for meeting the needs of each learner, evidenced in systematic and consistent planning, carrying out of plans, and evaluation of effectiveness of plans in terms of individual learners and small groups of learners as well as the class as a whole.
  • Teachers, Gifted Education Specialists, and Support Personnel Should: 1. Be knowledgeable about students with advanced academic abilities and those who have the potential to work at advanced levels. 2. Meet regularly to discuss the needs of all students, including those with high ability. 3. Provide curriculum, instruction, and other opportunities to meet the needs of students with high ability. 4. Use a variety of developmentally appropriate instructional practices to enable each student to experience a high degree of personal excellence. 5. Collaborate with colleagues at elementary and high school levels to ensure a smooth transition as students progress throughout the grades. 6. Keep parents informed about their children’s growth and invite parent participation in educational planning for their children.
Eric Calvert

Lessons Learned About Educating the Gifted and Talented: A Synthesis of the Research on... - 0 views

gcq.sagepub.com/...382

gifted grouping acceleration Rogers service models meta-analysis wcsgifted

shared by Eric Calvert on 16 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Eric Calvert on 16 Nov 09
     
    This article discussed five lessons the research on the education of the gifted and talented suggests. Although several of the considerations derive from traditional practice in the field, some reconsideration is warranted because of more currently researched differences in how the gifted learner intellectually functions. It is argued that thinking of the gifted learner as idiosyncratic, not necessarily one of many classified as "the gifted," requries a reconceptionalization of how to appropriately and fully serve this unique learner.
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