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by NASP research summary
Sep 12, 2010
From the National Association of School Psychologists:
Flexible grouping can also be a positive learning strategy, when it is not over used. Homogeneous grouping by skill level has been demonstrated to be effective for instruction in the areas of mathematics and reading (Marzano, Pickering , & Pollack, 2001). Three keys to flexible gr...See MoreFrom the National Association of School Psychologists:
Flexible grouping can also be a positive learning strategy, when it is not over used. Homogeneous grouping by skill level has been demonstrated to be effective for instruction in the areas of mathematics and reading (Marzano, Pickering , & Pollack, 2001). Three keys to flexible grouping are using it sparingly, monitoring student progress closely, and allowing for the continual remixing of assigned groups. This allows students to move between smaller homogenous skill- based groups and then back to larger heterogeneous groups for creative and problem solving activities. Flexible grouping surrounding student skills and across age grouping allows students performing at various levels to share their combined areas of knowledge and strength (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). If utilized effectively and in a sensitive manner, the method of flexible grouping does not have to carry a negative stigma for the learner (Tieso, 2003).
I have been tasked with looking at our Gifted Art Curriculum. I am not an Art person, so this is not easy for me. Does anyone have links to some examples of gifted art curriculum for elementary and middle school? Thanks.
I could use some words of advice, encouragement, etc. I am in my 3rd year of teaching gifted pull-out and I'm almost ready to go back to the regular classroom.
I teach 2nd-8th graders, a total of 46 students. I have 23 at the elementary and I'm doing fine with them. They are divided into three groups--10 2nd/3rd graders, 6 4th graders, an...See MoreI could use some words of advice, encouragement, etc. I am in my 3rd year of teaching gifted pull-out and I'm almost ready to go back to the regular classroom.
I teach 2nd-8th graders, a total of 46 students. I have 23 at the elementary and I'm doing fine with them. They are divided into three groups--10 2nd/3rd graders, 6 4th graders, and 7 5th graders. I can give them challenging assignments and they jump at them. Right now my older students are writing speeches. You would think they would be whining (b/c they hate to write) but they aren't. They are doing an amazing job.
My biggest problem is the middle school and I'm not sure how to turn it around anymore. There are two periods with 12 in first and 11 in 2nd. They are mixed 6th, 7th, and 8th graders which is awful. Until middle school, they are mostly in their own grade level and but then at 6th grade, they are not only split apart but they are mixed in with older students.
My oldest group has only had me at the middle school level and they are very negative and complain about everything we do. I have tried time and again to get them on a more positive note. I have encouraged them to submit ideas to make it more interesting. It doesn't matter what we do, they complain. They would be happiest sitting around, talking all the time, not doing anything. Or playing games every day. I actually had one suggest (joking I hope) that if we can't play games everyday, then let them play them 4 days and do the reading stuff on Fridays.
One of the things they don't like is that when I came on board, they changed the rules for our class and began insisting we cover reading in addition to our gifted objectives, since they are taking gifted in place of reading at the 7th and 8th grade level but are still being tested on it.
So now I have to teach reading concepts which they balk at. But they don't want to leave gifted because then they'd have to take it all the time. It's like "I'll take gifted so I don't have to take reading, but that's the only reason I'm taking it." I've tried talking to them in a professional way, encouraging them, etc., NOTHING WORKS.
What's worse, the bad attitude trickles to the next grade level and then the next. My 6th graders have only been there a month and they are already full-on negative.
I can't seem to gain a foothold. I have tried making units that are interesting but challenging. I try to come up with new and innovative things for them. Today I thought I had a great idea with them playing the Stock Market Game. Nope, they hated the idea.
I just don't know what to do. I feel frustrated all the time with the whining and negativity and the fact that they never like anything we do. The most successful thing we've done was a hands-on project called Mission Eggcellence where they design a car. I like it too but it's hard to make every single unit hands-on. And there's learning that has to be done before they can experiment, build, etc.
Any advice? Thanks
Hello all! I was wondering if you could tell me what kinds of high quality online PD you, as educators of the G/T, would be interested in?
Thanks!
My 8th grade daughter is highly gifted. My school doesn't have a gifted teacher so I can't ask her.
Last year, DD and her science teacher didn't really mesh. DD would always read in class but when I mentioned at P/T confernces that then don't allow her to have a book, the teacher mentioned that she needed something to do since she always g...See MoreMy 8th grade daughter is highly gifted. My school doesn't have a gifted teacher so I can't ask her.
Last year, DD and her science teacher didn't really mesh. DD would always read in class but when I mentioned at P/T confernces that then don't allow her to have a book, the teacher mentioned that she needed something to do since she always got done so quickly and her sitting quietly reading was a good buffer between a few other students.
DD was doing B-C work untill last semester when she forgot one major assingment and purposely didn't do the disection. She was given an incomplete. She wasn't able to go in on the makeup day to take care of the incomplete because of a funeral so she was assigned to do it at summer school.
Me, who was not happy with DD for putting herself in this situation said she had to do all of summer school. Principal and counselor were fine with this, so she was placed in the science summer school class. This was a work at your own speed class, and DD loved it. She flew through the material and her and the teacher made a really good connection. She ate up the material and even brought stuff home and did hours of "homework" for summer school.
Fast forward to this school year. DD walked into 8th grade science and found the same curriculum that she had during summer school. Needless to say she is bored. She also found out that the science teacher she liked so much is teaching 9th grade science (7-12 in same building).
She asked me this morning if I could possible talk the school into allowing her to skip up from 8th grade science to 9th grade science. She thought about just asking the 9th grade teacher for the book so she could self teach her self, but then realized she would then have the same problem next year.
She has already been placed in not just 9th grade math, but the accelerated 9th grade math class. BUt this has been standard practice in the past to allow a handful of the brighter students to do this. It hasn't been standard practice to do this in science.
Suggestions, how should I tackle this? As a parent I want to feed the need so to speak. In the past she has often tried to hide the fact that she was gifted and fake it by purposelly getting low scores. It wasn't until 6th grade that it started to be OK. 7th grade she did accelerated work in Math and English, but did then because the decision was made for her. She liked them, but didn't make the decision herself. So for her to be actively seeking out harder more complex material is of real imortance and I am taking her request seriously.
Please any suggestions, thoughts or ideas. All would be appreciated.
(Ps when she was tested she scored about 4-5 years above grade level and has already been skipped one year, which she requested back in first grade. She was skipped another grade, which again was partially self-initiated in 4th grade. When we went back to public school, they refused to recognize the second skip and placed her back in 4th, which was when we really started having problems.)
I see *that* you must be in the top ten percent on ability, according to all the going thought, to be considered for grade skipping, but I don't know *why.* If a child has mastered 85% of the skills to be taught in a grade, why isn't that enough? Achievement should count for more. Why can't an above average IQ person, say, 65th percentile, be consi...See MoreI see *that* you must be in the top ten percent on ability, according to all the going thought, to be considered for grade skipping, but I don't know *why.* If a child has mastered 85% of the skills to be taught in a grade, why isn't that enough? Achievement should count for more. Why can't an above average IQ person, say, 65th percentile, be considered? I don't see the rationale for top ten percent and skipping. It's like saying only the very smartest kids in the population can succeed at being away from their age-mates. Is there data anywhere that supports this?
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On 8/28/10, cavey wrote: > Congratulations Bill! You are absolutely not elitist. All > children need to be taught in an environment where they can > thrive, ...See More