A shameless plug today for one of my favorite publications: eSchoolNews. I know I mentioned them before when I told you about free subscriptions I get, but I want to highlight this publication again.
I received an email from Robert Morrow, the CEO of eSchoolNews.
Yes, I know it is a mass mailing, but he addressed it specifically to me, and I know about mailmerge and all those good things, but has he ever sent you an email? Did not think so. So pay attention to the rest of this posting!
I am copying some of what he said in the email to you:
Do you know one or more colleagues or staff members who would enjoy a FREE subscription to eSchool News? If you do, please forward this message to those fellow educators who would truly enjoy and benefit from a subscription to eSchool News.
Tell them to click this secure subscription link for a free eSchool News subscription: https://www.eschoolnews.com/freesub/refer.cfm
And don’t forget our website: Educators who register online also have free access to all our great news content online.
eSchool News Online is the most visited ed-tech publication website in the world. We invite you and your colleagues to explore our online site for high-quality news and analysis updated 24/7, including:
· Insightful, in-depth coverage of the biggest stories, updated daily with comments from your fellow educators. To see today’s most important breaking news, go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/
· Educator’s Resource Centers assembled by the editors of eSchool News on the hottest topics in education technology. The resource centers deliver a one-stop collection of news and information aimed at helping you sort through the complex challenges you face every day. Go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/
· Powerful research tools inside our brand-new Buyer’s Center including over 10,000 company profiles – plus the Technology Solution Center Buyer’s Guide, a comprehensive AV Buyer’s Guide and the mission-critical Security Buyer’s Guide. Go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/tech-solutions/
· The latest Grants and Funding news – here’s the lowdown on grant opportunities, deadlines, and awards -- including our up-to-the-minute e-Rate Survival Guide. Go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/funding/
With your online registration, you also can join our growing list of eMail newsletter subscribers. Join the nearly 200,000 educators who have registered for free online access. Discover the rich array of the resources designed specifically for key school leaders! Just go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/ and look for the registration quick link!
This is one publication I read from top to bottom, front to back every time I receive one. They come in newspaper form in the mail and in digital form by email - two for the price of one. So please subscribe. It's free.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Moodle
I promised that I would tell you more about Moodle. To begin with, I quote from the Moodle Website:
Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. You can download and use it on any computer you have handy (including webhosts), yet it can scale from a single-teacher site to a University with 200,000 students.
The Moodle Website was created using Moodle, so exploring the site will give you a good idea of what you can do with it. Moodle can be downloaded for free from their website.
Now for the exciting stuff! Moodle is a software package that you can use to construct a class website or to manage distance learning features. It is designed in modules, giving you great freedom and flexibility to add content. You can access some demonstration courses in several languages on the Moodle website by clicking here.
You do need a server that would be accessible to your students. You cannot for example, house the course on your laptop - the students would not be able to access the course. Your school or district is bound to have a server, and if you are allowed (or encouraged) to have a class website, investigate the possibility of using Moodle for that purpose.
If you cannot use a server dedicated to your school or district, look into GlobalClassroom, a website that offers free hosting to over 2200 teachers and professors who wish to offer online components to their teaching.
Please watch this excellent video on which middle school teacher Molly Tipton explains how she uses Moodle in her social studies classroom.
Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities. You can download and use it on any computer you have handy (including webhosts), yet it can scale from a single-teacher site to a University with 200,000 students.
The Moodle Website was created using Moodle, so exploring the site will give you a good idea of what you can do with it. Moodle can be downloaded for free from their website.
Now for the exciting stuff! Moodle is a software package that you can use to construct a class website or to manage distance learning features. It is designed in modules, giving you great freedom and flexibility to add content. You can access some demonstration courses in several languages on the Moodle website by clicking here.
You do need a server that would be accessible to your students. You cannot for example, house the course on your laptop - the students would not be able to access the course. Your school or district is bound to have a server, and if you are allowed (or encouraged) to have a class website, investigate the possibility of using Moodle for that purpose.
If you cannot use a server dedicated to your school or district, look into GlobalClassroom, a website that offers free hosting to over 2200 teachers and professors who wish to offer online components to their teaching.
Please watch this excellent video on which middle school teacher Molly Tipton explains how she uses Moodle in her social studies classroom.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Check out my guest post
I was recently invited to write a guest post at Schaefersblog entitled 10 ways to develop your creativity. You can read the whole post at http://www.schaefersblog.com/10-ways-to-develop-your-creativity/.
An excerpt: The right attitude for developing a creative lifestyle is a willingness to take risks, a willingness to fail, a willingness to be different, a willingness to stand out, a willingness to question, a willingness to laugh at one self.
An excerpt: The right attitude for developing a creative lifestyle is a willingness to take risks, a willingness to fail, a willingness to be different, a willingness to stand out, a willingness to question, a willingness to laugh at one self.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Trying out web 2.0 technologies
There are a great many new technologies available of the "web 2.0" variety. These include blogs, wikis, social networking, social bookmarking, and sharing of photos, documents, and applications.
A recent survey conducted among American teens found that 59% of them believe that their schools are not preparing them adequately for a career in technology or engineering. For more about this survey, see the 2008 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index .
I believe a big part of this is the inability of teachers to get their heads and hands around the new technologies. We don't know how to use these things, and consequently we cannot teach sdstudents how to use them effectively. Note that students learn how to use the new technologies on their own by playing with them and figuring out how to use them for their own purposes. But effective use for work related purposes is another story.
To help you with your explorations into the new technologies, I recommend two websites: 1) Common Craft is a creative commons website that posts highly creative short videos explaining some of these technologies - In Plain English. You can find them at:
http://www.commoncraft.com/show.
As an example, I give you: Blogs in Plain English from the common craft website:
2) Atomic Learning is a website that offers short Quicktime training videos on a vast range of software applications for both Windows platform and Mac. Some videos are free, and others are available through a purchased membership. The basics of most applications are free. Find them at http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/home
At the moment you can do the complete workshop on blogging for free at:
http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/blogging
Why don't you explore some of these resources? Next time I will tell you about Moodle - an open source course management application with some easy to use features that can help you set up distance learning portions of your classroom teaching.
A recent survey conducted among American teens found that 59% of them believe that their schools are not preparing them adequately for a career in technology or engineering. For more about this survey, see the 2008 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index .
I believe a big part of this is the inability of teachers to get their heads and hands around the new technologies. We don't know how to use these things, and consequently we cannot teach sdstudents how to use them effectively. Note that students learn how to use the new technologies on their own by playing with them and figuring out how to use them for their own purposes. But effective use for work related purposes is another story.
To help you with your explorations into the new technologies, I recommend two websites: 1) Common Craft is a creative commons website that posts highly creative short videos explaining some of these technologies - In Plain English. You can find them at:
http://www.commoncraft.com/show.
As an example, I give you: Blogs in Plain English from the common craft website:
2) Atomic Learning is a website that offers short Quicktime training videos on a vast range of software applications for both Windows platform and Mac. Some videos are free, and others are available through a purchased membership. The basics of most applications are free. Find them at http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/home
At the moment you can do the complete workshop on blogging for free at:
http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/blogging
Why don't you explore some of these resources? Next time I will tell you about Moodle - an open source course management application with some easy to use features that can help you set up distance learning portions of your classroom teaching.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Third lesson we can learn form sports: Ability counts!
In this posting, I will explore what we in gifted education can learn from the following two principles of training in sports:
(4) Training occurs in stages beginning with basic skills, to specific competition skills, to expert performance skills.
(10) Skill levels, interest, and task commitment become more important as athletes get older and develop into expert or elite athletes.
How feasible do you think is the notion of a heterogeneous varsity basketball team based on age or a competitive marching band consisting of any interested musician, regardless of ability level?
How to group students to best effect for instructional purposes is the topic of continuing debate in the United States. This debate started when the first decision was made to move the responsibility for educating children from the home to the community and the formation of schools.
In most schools today, children are grouped into grades on the basis of age. This decision had its foundation in early psychology – remember Binet and his inquiry into what average children of a certain age was to be able to do? It was also a response to mandatory education laws that dramatically increased the enrollment in schools. It seemed to be the most efficient and cost effective way of grouping children for instruction.
When it became evident that this form of arranging students in schools had inherent flaws in that students showed different abilities, instead of rethinking the issue and starting over with a better plan, education administrators tinkered with the flawed plan (somewhat like Microsoft kept "improving" the original dos-based Windows operating system by building more and more on the original platform) and instituted tracking, where students were grouped within the original grade levels, but in ability-leveled tracks (usually based on IQ scores). In essence, they were just making more categories based on the original organizational chart.
Before the 18th century, this focus on age-based grades and set curriculum was not so distinct. In Ancient China the custom was to instruct interested students in particular knowledge and skills based on their ability, not their age. They advanced through the hierarchy based on test scores. Those who continued to achieve highly was able to move up and those who achieved well only at a certain level, found occupation at that level, with no disrespect for not reaching the highest levels. In Ancient Japan, students received instruction based on their birth status (one type of education for Samurai children and another for commoners). This instruction (especially for the Samurai) was not geared towards age-based grades, but depended on ability. In Renaissance Europe, education happened by taking children into apprenticeship for specific trades. They progressed from novice to master through ability. Those who did not show the skill or did not have the knowledge remained novices or beginners without ever rising in the hierarchy of expertise.
In modern times with the spread of universal education, the major philosophical issue affecting the decisions on how to structure education and group children for instruction is whether education should be aimed at elevating the masses (universal education) or at nurturing those who show evidence of the greatest potential. This issue is often posed as a dichotomy between elitism and democratic equality – the equal treatment of all.
However, Dr. Dun Yat-sen, a Chinese scholar, has said that the democratic practice of educating equally individuals of unequal intelligence (having the same expectations and standards for the bright and the not so bright) is a false conception of equality that leads to mediocrity and wasted talent. True equality consists rather in providing each individual an “equal opportunity to profit by education according to his intelligence, says Dr. Dun Yat-sen.
Grouping students by age into grades where specific curriculum is prescribed, brings with it some concern about those students who cannot achieve well in age-in-grade instruction. In US schools, there is a growing concern about the “achievement gap,” the gap between those students who are achieving at grade level and those who cannot reach that achievement level. Much research is being done on teaching strategies and curriculum that close the achievement gap. In other words, instruction that will help low achieving students “catch up” to those other students who are achieving on grade level. Very little attention is given to the other group of students whose needs are not met in such age-in-grade grouping – the high ability, high performing, gifted students. Most school reformers focus on the disadvantages that low performing students suffer in school, whether due to disabilities, low socio-economic status, ethnic and linguistic diversity, and other issues.
Few crusaders for better educational opportunities for disadvantaged students consider the fact that gifted children also suffer disadvantages when being grouped with students who evidence lower and slower cognitive abilities, or those students who have already mastered the curriculum designed for their age peers. Administrators now have to continually move the parameters:
- They have added Kindergarten before grade 1, primarily to prepare children for the curriculum covered in grade 1. Early Start programs and pre-school have to prepare students for what they will be learning in Kindergarten. The children left out in the cold, are the ones in Kindergarten who can already do everything the Kindergarteners (or even first graders) have to learn, but is stuck in Kindergarten because they are "the right age."
- They have to make exceptions to the plan: Early entrance to school, subject acceleration, grade skipping, special services for gifted students, etc. Administrators do not like making exceptions – it disrupts the even flow of students through the system, causes scheduling headaches, and costs money for extra personnel and materials.
We know that these high performing students come in many different forms: Some are high performing across the curriculum and in all domains; others are high performing in one or two domains. It seems sensible to group students by ability rather than age and grade, with others of similar ability and achievement, regardless of age and grade. This is a controversial subject however, deeply rooted in the belief that all students should receive the same education. The debate on equality vs equity continues to rage in the media, in professional journals, and in schools.
I believe that this logic is based on a faulty premise – that “same” means “equal.” Therefore the conclusion that grouping gifted students with peers of similar ability is discriminating against their age peers of different ability is falacious. However, this debate continues and educators concerned about gifted students have to seriously consider the grouping options available in their current teaching situations for their students that will afford them the best opportunities to develop their talents and improve their expertise.
So, here follows Rule #2 in Catharine de Wet's School of Dreams: Children will NOT be grouped by age. They will be grouped by ABILITY. They will be able to receive instruction on their ability level and they will be able to progress through curriculum that will not be set for coverage in a specified period of time.
Impossible you say? I don't agree. It happens in more places than you might know. The advent of the internet makes individualized schooling much more accessible to able students than when they depended on adults to dispense training and knowledge. You can read more about this at: http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/Virtual_Schools.pdf in a report by Bill Tucker on Laboratories of Reform: Virtual High Schools and Innovation in Public Education.
It will however, require that parents, teachers, and administrators rethink the purpose of education. It's for the children, you see, not for teachers and administrators. And it is for developing talent and expertise, not for providing work for adults.
(4) Training occurs in stages beginning with basic skills, to specific competition skills, to expert performance skills.
(10) Skill levels, interest, and task commitment become more important as athletes get older and develop into expert or elite athletes.
How feasible do you think is the notion of a heterogeneous varsity basketball team based on age or a competitive marching band consisting of any interested musician, regardless of ability level?
How to group students to best effect for instructional purposes is the topic of continuing debate in the United States. This debate started when the first decision was made to move the responsibility for educating children from the home to the community and the formation of schools.
In most schools today, children are grouped into grades on the basis of age. This decision had its foundation in early psychology – remember Binet and his inquiry into what average children of a certain age was to be able to do? It was also a response to mandatory education laws that dramatically increased the enrollment in schools. It seemed to be the most efficient and cost effective way of grouping children for instruction.
When it became evident that this form of arranging students in schools had inherent flaws in that students showed different abilities, instead of rethinking the issue and starting over with a better plan, education administrators tinkered with the flawed plan (somewhat like Microsoft kept "improving" the original dos-based Windows operating system by building more and more on the original platform) and instituted tracking, where students were grouped within the original grade levels, but in ability-leveled tracks (usually based on IQ scores). In essence, they were just making more categories based on the original organizational chart.
Before the 18th century, this focus on age-based grades and set curriculum was not so distinct. In Ancient China the custom was to instruct interested students in particular knowledge and skills based on their ability, not their age. They advanced through the hierarchy based on test scores. Those who continued to achieve highly was able to move up and those who achieved well only at a certain level, found occupation at that level, with no disrespect for not reaching the highest levels. In Ancient Japan, students received instruction based on their birth status (one type of education for Samurai children and another for commoners). This instruction (especially for the Samurai) was not geared towards age-based grades, but depended on ability. In Renaissance Europe, education happened by taking children into apprenticeship for specific trades. They progressed from novice to master through ability. Those who did not show the skill or did not have the knowledge remained novices or beginners without ever rising in the hierarchy of expertise.
In modern times with the spread of universal education, the major philosophical issue affecting the decisions on how to structure education and group children for instruction is whether education should be aimed at elevating the masses (universal education) or at nurturing those who show evidence of the greatest potential. This issue is often posed as a dichotomy between elitism and democratic equality – the equal treatment of all.
However, Dr. Dun Yat-sen, a Chinese scholar, has said that the democratic practice of educating equally individuals of unequal intelligence (having the same expectations and standards for the bright and the not so bright) is a false conception of equality that leads to mediocrity and wasted talent. True equality consists rather in providing each individual an “equal opportunity to profit by education according to his intelligence, says Dr. Dun Yat-sen.
Grouping students by age into grades where specific curriculum is prescribed, brings with it some concern about those students who cannot achieve well in age-in-grade instruction. In US schools, there is a growing concern about the “achievement gap,” the gap between those students who are achieving at grade level and those who cannot reach that achievement level. Much research is being done on teaching strategies and curriculum that close the achievement gap. In other words, instruction that will help low achieving students “catch up” to those other students who are achieving on grade level. Very little attention is given to the other group of students whose needs are not met in such age-in-grade grouping – the high ability, high performing, gifted students. Most school reformers focus on the disadvantages that low performing students suffer in school, whether due to disabilities, low socio-economic status, ethnic and linguistic diversity, and other issues.
Few crusaders for better educational opportunities for disadvantaged students consider the fact that gifted children also suffer disadvantages when being grouped with students who evidence lower and slower cognitive abilities, or those students who have already mastered the curriculum designed for their age peers. Administrators now have to continually move the parameters:
- They have added Kindergarten before grade 1, primarily to prepare children for the curriculum covered in grade 1. Early Start programs and pre-school have to prepare students for what they will be learning in Kindergarten. The children left out in the cold, are the ones in Kindergarten who can already do everything the Kindergarteners (or even first graders) have to learn, but is stuck in Kindergarten because they are "the right age."
- They have to make exceptions to the plan: Early entrance to school, subject acceleration, grade skipping, special services for gifted students, etc. Administrators do not like making exceptions – it disrupts the even flow of students through the system, causes scheduling headaches, and costs money for extra personnel and materials.
We know that these high performing students come in many different forms: Some are high performing across the curriculum and in all domains; others are high performing in one or two domains. It seems sensible to group students by ability rather than age and grade, with others of similar ability and achievement, regardless of age and grade. This is a controversial subject however, deeply rooted in the belief that all students should receive the same education. The debate on equality vs equity continues to rage in the media, in professional journals, and in schools.
I believe that this logic is based on a faulty premise – that “same” means “equal.” Therefore the conclusion that grouping gifted students with peers of similar ability is discriminating against their age peers of different ability is falacious. However, this debate continues and educators concerned about gifted students have to seriously consider the grouping options available in their current teaching situations for their students that will afford them the best opportunities to develop their talents and improve their expertise.
So, here follows Rule #2 in Catharine de Wet's School of Dreams: Children will NOT be grouped by age. They will be grouped by ABILITY. They will be able to receive instruction on their ability level and they will be able to progress through curriculum that will not be set for coverage in a specified period of time.
Impossible you say? I don't agree. It happens in more places than you might know. The advent of the internet makes individualized schooling much more accessible to able students than when they depended on adults to dispense training and knowledge. You can read more about this at: http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/Virtual_Schools.pdf in a report by Bill Tucker on Laboratories of Reform: Virtual High Schools and Innovation in Public Education.
It will however, require that parents, teachers, and administrators rethink the purpose of education. It's for the children, you see, not for teachers and administrators. And it is for developing talent and expertise, not for providing work for adults.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Second lesson we can learn from sports: Training and developing skills,
The first part of this series developed ideas around starting early and broadly in sports training. The second part deals with training and skills acquisition, and the development of expertise. From the ten rules we initially set, the ones we will address in this post are:
(1) A strategy of training as many students as possible in basic skills of the sport.
(4) Training occurs in stages beginning with basic skills, to specific competition skills, to expert performance skills.
(5) No one is excluded in early stages through aptitude or skills tests, but everyone has the opportunity to learn basic skills.
(6) Training is not limited to sport specific skills, but also includes character and psychological training.
(10) Skill levels, interest, and task commitment become more important as athletes get older and develop into expert or elite athletes.
One model that discusses the acquisition of skills under direction of an instructor, is the Dreyfus and Dreyfus Five Stage Model of Skill Acquisition. Dreyfus and Dreyfus published their book describing this model in 1980: A Five-stage Model of the Mental Activities Involved in Directed Skill Acquisition. http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA084551&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf.
The five stages are: novice, advanced beginner, competence, proficiency, expert. In very short, what distinguish these stages are two things: how a person interacts with the rules of the task, and the volume of task features a person can handle.
A novice has to have the task broken into small, context-free features by the instructor and can recognize these features, because the instructor describes them (even demonstrates). For example, a child learning to play basketball, has to learn ball handling skills out of the context of the game itself. Also, the novice needs to have the instructor make the rules of the task explicit and judges his own performance by his adherence to the rules.
An advance beginner learns more features and examples of those features, and are able to recognize features not given by the instructor but that fits with the experience. This person knows performance rules, knows non-situational features, and recognizes situational aspects. He still judges his performance by edherence to rules. Performance is slow, uncoordinated, and laborious. In our basketball example: the young player can start to learn certain moves and features of the game, can run some drills, but still cannot play a game.
In competence, the features and aspects of the task become overwhelming. The learner starts creating hierarchical organizing categories to make decisions. The decisions have to do with reaching goals - the learner selects a plan, perspective, or goal and then selects features and
aspects most important to that goal, perspective, or plan. Choices between many options becomes important and creates uncertainty and necessity. Where Novice and Advanced Beginners are not concerned with results, just rule adherence, the competent performer is concerned with results – there is an emotional connection and responsibility for results. With experience competent performers start distinguishing between features and aspects that works in a given situation, and remembers the senses of opportunity, risk, expectations, threat. These memories (based in experience) become basis for proficiency. Our young basketball player can play games now, but still need a lot of coaching and makes many mistakes.
In proficiency the learner recognizes a situation as similar or different from previously experienced situations and can come up with an appropriate plan without conscious planning. The proficient learner sometimes experiences breakdowns in “seeing” due to in sufficient experience that lessens as experience and situational understanding increase. Our basketball player can now play games and only occasionally will make a mistake.
The expert understands, acts, and learns from results without any conscious awareness of the process because his database of classes of similar situations that require similar actions becomes immense. What is important about an expert is that her actions and choices relevant to the tasks happen with no conscious thought and no reference to the original rules - it is entirely internalized.
It seems to me that young sportsmen and women learn skills in their chosen sport in much the same way. The crucial understanding for us is that at any point along the acquisition of skills, a person may decide to participate at that skill level and progress no further. Progress along the continuum of skill acquisition occurs entirely voluntarily and due to effort and application and time spent in pursuing proficiency. As acquisition progresses, the effort required increases and task commitment becomes more and more important. It also seems to me that fewer and fewer people gain the higher levels of skill acquisition.
In the next post we will relate this information to learning in school.
I welcome comments to this blog. To make a comment, click on the envelope below marked "Comments."
(1) A strategy of training as many students as possible in basic skills of the sport.
(4) Training occurs in stages beginning with basic skills, to specific competition skills, to expert performance skills.
(5) No one is excluded in early stages through aptitude or skills tests, but everyone has the opportunity to learn basic skills.
(6) Training is not limited to sport specific skills, but also includes character and psychological training.
(10) Skill levels, interest, and task commitment become more important as athletes get older and develop into expert or elite athletes.
One model that discusses the acquisition of skills under direction of an instructor, is the Dreyfus and Dreyfus Five Stage Model of Skill Acquisition. Dreyfus and Dreyfus published their book describing this model in 1980: A Five-stage Model of the Mental Activities Involved in Directed Skill Acquisition. http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA084551&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf.
The five stages are: novice, advanced beginner, competence, proficiency, expert. In very short, what distinguish these stages are two things: how a person interacts with the rules of the task, and the volume of task features a person can handle.
A novice has to have the task broken into small, context-free features by the instructor and can recognize these features, because the instructor describes them (even demonstrates). For example, a child learning to play basketball, has to learn ball handling skills out of the context of the game itself. Also, the novice needs to have the instructor make the rules of the task explicit and judges his own performance by his adherence to the rules.
An advance beginner learns more features and examples of those features, and are able to recognize features not given by the instructor but that fits with the experience. This person knows performance rules, knows non-situational features, and recognizes situational aspects. He still judges his performance by edherence to rules. Performance is slow, uncoordinated, and laborious. In our basketball example: the young player can start to learn certain moves and features of the game, can run some drills, but still cannot play a game.
In competence, the features and aspects of the task become overwhelming. The learner starts creating hierarchical organizing categories to make decisions. The decisions have to do with reaching goals - the learner selects a plan, perspective, or goal and then selects features and
aspects most important to that goal, perspective, or plan. Choices between many options becomes important and creates uncertainty and necessity. Where Novice and Advanced Beginners are not concerned with results, just rule adherence, the competent performer is concerned with results – there is an emotional connection and responsibility for results. With experience competent performers start distinguishing between features and aspects that works in a given situation, and remembers the senses of opportunity, risk, expectations, threat. These memories (based in experience) become basis for proficiency. Our young basketball player can play games now, but still need a lot of coaching and makes many mistakes.
In proficiency the learner recognizes a situation as similar or different from previously experienced situations and can come up with an appropriate plan without conscious planning. The proficient learner sometimes experiences breakdowns in “seeing” due to in sufficient experience that lessens as experience and situational understanding increase. Our basketball player can now play games and only occasionally will make a mistake.
The expert understands, acts, and learns from results without any conscious awareness of the process because his database of classes of similar situations that require similar actions becomes immense. What is important about an expert is that her actions and choices relevant to the tasks happen with no conscious thought and no reference to the original rules - it is entirely internalized.
It seems to me that young sportsmen and women learn skills in their chosen sport in much the same way. The crucial understanding for us is that at any point along the acquisition of skills, a person may decide to participate at that skill level and progress no further. Progress along the continuum of skill acquisition occurs entirely voluntarily and due to effort and application and time spent in pursuing proficiency. As acquisition progresses, the effort required increases and task commitment becomes more and more important. It also seems to me that fewer and fewer people gain the higher levels of skill acquisition.
In the next post we will relate this information to learning in school.
I welcome comments to this blog. To make a comment, click on the envelope below marked "Comments."
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
First lesson in talent development from sports: Start young with everyone
This first discussion combines several of the ten strategies listed in the previous blog posting:
(1) A strategy of training as many students as possible in basic skills of the sport.
(2) Start young with opportunities to learn the sport and participate.
(3) Access to sports is open to everyone who may wish to participate.
(5) No one is excluded in early stages through aptitude or skills tests, but everyone has the opportunity to learn basic skills.
(7) In early stages no one is excluded if they do not display the predispositional characteristics, so that they have the opportunity to possibly develop those characteristics.
These 5 strategies have one common philosophical basis: make opportunity available to as broad a population as possible and give everyone who shows interest basic training. Then see what pops up.
Dr. Ralph Richards of the Western Australia Institute for Sports delivered a paper at a convention in 1999 in which he outlined the identification and talent development of swimming athletes (www.wasa.asn.au/html/coaching/rtf/tid-ascta.rtf). “The best form of Talent Identification and Development,” says Richards, “is mass participation. The best way to identify talent is to have large numbers of young children exposed to quality learn-to-swim programs and then to keep them in the sport during the age-group years.”
This happens in most all sports. Opportunities to participate is open to all who wish to participate, and everyone gets quality instruction in the rules and philosophy of the game, as well as opportunity to practice and play. My brother Ben lives in South Africa and used to coach boys' rugby at his son's school. I watched him once working with a team of 6-7 year olds in a game. He was on the field with his boys, directing them, giving them guidance and advice as they played their little hearts out. Once he had to physically turn a little boy around who was well on his way to the opposing team's end zone. I watched him pat the little guy on the backside and say - Go the other way, tiger! The other team's coach was doing the same things. At that stage it wasn't so much about winning, as about learning and enjoying!
Many of those little boys continued playing rugby for their elementary school, and some played for their secondary school. One or two even went on to play for their university or town rugby club. They all love rugby, though, and are informed (and very vocal) fans and spectators.
What is striking is that none of those little guys are told - you can't play because you are not good enough. How ludicrous would that be? How do we know which ones are going to develop into fine players and which ones will drop out of the team after one season?
Contrast this with talent development in schools. We don't give any particular attention to the bright kids until second grade (and then only in those states that identify gifted kids at that age). Then we test them for intellectual ability, and we set an arbitrary cutoff score and the ones who make it are crowned as "gifted" and the ones who don't make the cut, very often never again have the opportunity to try out for the "gifted team."
No wonder we miss a lot of talented students who could have gained immensely from enriched curriculum and instruction! No wonder the dropout rate amongst high ability high schoolers is increasing steadily - kids are bored with school and take their GED and go on to college.
So Rule #1 in Catharine de Wet's School of Dreams: Every single child in my School of Dreams gets enriched curriculum and instruction. Any child who shows interest in a topic can pursue that topic. We won't ever use test scores to admit a child or exclude a child from any subject or course we teach. Their performance, and continued interest, will determine whether they go on to more advanced courses in that subject or domain.
Impossible to do, you say? Only if we continue to organize schools based on age and lockstep curriculum. Who says all 6 year olds have to enter school and learn to count and learn their letters and their colors? Who says a 6 year old who already knows those things should not be in a different class with kids who have commensurate abilities? Who says we cannot schedule classes in different subject at the same time for all grades so that a third grader can attend a reading class with fifth graders who read at the same level? Or a fourth grader who struggles with mathematical concepts can attend a math class with third graders? Who says?
You may answer, "Everybody!"
WHY?
(1) A strategy of training as many students as possible in basic skills of the sport.
(2) Start young with opportunities to learn the sport and participate.
(3) Access to sports is open to everyone who may wish to participate.
(5) No one is excluded in early stages through aptitude or skills tests, but everyone has the opportunity to learn basic skills.
(7) In early stages no one is excluded if they do not display the predispositional characteristics, so that they have the opportunity to possibly develop those characteristics.
These 5 strategies have one common philosophical basis: make opportunity available to as broad a population as possible and give everyone who shows interest basic training. Then see what pops up.
Dr. Ralph Richards of the Western Australia Institute for Sports delivered a paper at a convention in 1999 in which he outlined the identification and talent development of swimming athletes (www.wasa.asn.au/html/coaching/rtf/tid-ascta.rtf). “The best form of Talent Identification and Development,” says Richards, “is mass participation. The best way to identify talent is to have large numbers of young children exposed to quality learn-to-swim programs and then to keep them in the sport during the age-group years.”
This happens in most all sports. Opportunities to participate is open to all who wish to participate, and everyone gets quality instruction in the rules and philosophy of the game, as well as opportunity to practice and play. My brother Ben lives in South Africa and used to coach boys' rugby at his son's school. I watched him once working with a team of 6-7 year olds in a game. He was on the field with his boys, directing them, giving them guidance and advice as they played their little hearts out. Once he had to physically turn a little boy around who was well on his way to the opposing team's end zone. I watched him pat the little guy on the backside and say - Go the other way, tiger! The other team's coach was doing the same things. At that stage it wasn't so much about winning, as about learning and enjoying!
Many of those little boys continued playing rugby for their elementary school, and some played for their secondary school. One or two even went on to play for their university or town rugby club. They all love rugby, though, and are informed (and very vocal) fans and spectators.
What is striking is that none of those little guys are told - you can't play because you are not good enough. How ludicrous would that be? How do we know which ones are going to develop into fine players and which ones will drop out of the team after one season?
Contrast this with talent development in schools. We don't give any particular attention to the bright kids until second grade (and then only in those states that identify gifted kids at that age). Then we test them for intellectual ability, and we set an arbitrary cutoff score and the ones who make it are crowned as "gifted" and the ones who don't make the cut, very often never again have the opportunity to try out for the "gifted team."
No wonder we miss a lot of talented students who could have gained immensely from enriched curriculum and instruction! No wonder the dropout rate amongst high ability high schoolers is increasing steadily - kids are bored with school and take their GED and go on to college.
So Rule #1 in Catharine de Wet's School of Dreams: Every single child in my School of Dreams gets enriched curriculum and instruction. Any child who shows interest in a topic can pursue that topic. We won't ever use test scores to admit a child or exclude a child from any subject or course we teach. Their performance, and continued interest, will determine whether they go on to more advanced courses in that subject or domain.
Impossible to do, you say? Only if we continue to organize schools based on age and lockstep curriculum. Who says all 6 year olds have to enter school and learn to count and learn their letters and their colors? Who says a 6 year old who already knows those things should not be in a different class with kids who have commensurate abilities? Who says we cannot schedule classes in different subject at the same time for all grades so that a third grader can attend a reading class with fifth graders who read at the same level? Or a fourth grader who struggles with mathematical concepts can attend a math class with third graders? Who says?
You may answer, "Everybody!"
WHY?
Monday, January 07, 2008
Lessons for Gifted Education Learned from Sports
Living in Alabama, and working across the street from the Bryant-Denny Football Stadium in Tuscaloosa has had its inevitable effect on me. I have developed a deep interest in college football courtesy of Paul Finebaum (local sports radio host) and Coach Saban, and not excluding the fine young gentlemen who actually do the work on the field.
This has made me reflect on how differently sports coaches approach talent development from gifted educators. For the next several weeks I will be discussing this issue, since I sincerely believe we can learn valuable lessons from sports.
In short, we can learn the following 10 strategies from sports;
(1) A strategy of training as many students as possible in basic skills of the sport.
(2) Start young with opportunities to learn the sport and participate.
(3) Access to sports is open to everyone who may wish to participate.
(4) Training occurs in stages beginning with basic skills, to specific competition skills, to expert performance skills.
(5) No one is excluded in early stages through aptitude or skills tests, but everyone has the opportunity to learn basic skills.
(6) Training is not limited to sport specific skills, but also includes character and psychological training.
(7) In early stages no one is excluded if they do not display the predispositional characteristics, so that they have the opportunity to possibly develop those characteristics.
(8) There are opportunities to be involved in a sport beyond active athletic performance.
(9) There are opportunities to be involved in a sport socially or recreationally.
(10) Skill levels, interest, and task commitment become more important as athletes get older and develop into expert or elite athletes.
If you stick with me through the next few weeks, we will discuss one or two of each of these strategies each time.
This has made me reflect on how differently sports coaches approach talent development from gifted educators. For the next several weeks I will be discussing this issue, since I sincerely believe we can learn valuable lessons from sports.
In short, we can learn the following 10 strategies from sports;
(1) A strategy of training as many students as possible in basic skills of the sport.
(2) Start young with opportunities to learn the sport and participate.
(3) Access to sports is open to everyone who may wish to participate.
(4) Training occurs in stages beginning with basic skills, to specific competition skills, to expert performance skills.
(5) No one is excluded in early stages through aptitude or skills tests, but everyone has the opportunity to learn basic skills.
(6) Training is not limited to sport specific skills, but also includes character and psychological training.
(7) In early stages no one is excluded if they do not display the predispositional characteristics, so that they have the opportunity to possibly develop those characteristics.
(8) There are opportunities to be involved in a sport beyond active athletic performance.
(9) There are opportunities to be involved in a sport socially or recreationally.
(10) Skill levels, interest, and task commitment become more important as athletes get older and develop into expert or elite athletes.
If you stick with me through the next few weeks, we will discuss one or two of each of these strategies each time.
Monday, December 31, 2007
The Joys of Mindmapping
One of the best thinking tools I have discovered is called by different names by different people - concept webbing or mindmapping. Basically, it is a way of thinking throught the related ideas and issues to a specific concept, and showing relationships.
It can be used to take notes, to study, to solve problems, and many other uses. It is particularly useful for visual learners. For me the benefit of using concept webs or mind maps over using bullet points or traditional note taking methods, is that it is easier to show relationships that are not linear. The way we as educators often present information through powerpoints and outlines, creates the illusion in students that the world is linear and all information occurs in a linear fashion. We know that it is not true. The world of knowlegde consists of many interrelated topics and concepts, and mind mapping allows us to show the non linear nature of information.
Mind mapping was popularized by Tony Buzan. You can see a 5 minute videoclip of Mr. Buzan talking about his process here:
You can see more of Mr. Buzan's process on his website: http://www.imindmap.com/.
There are other options available. Wikipedia has a very good description of the concept at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map, and a list of software at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mind_Mapping_software
Teachers are probably familiar with Inspiration and Kidspiration software (http://www.inspiration.com/)
A mind mapping tool I really like to use, is cmap developed by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). It is available for free download to people who work in educational institutions from http://cmap.ihmc.us/.
Try using this method of thinking through topics and issues.
It can be used to take notes, to study, to solve problems, and many other uses. It is particularly useful for visual learners. For me the benefit of using concept webs or mind maps over using bullet points or traditional note taking methods, is that it is easier to show relationships that are not linear. The way we as educators often present information through powerpoints and outlines, creates the illusion in students that the world is linear and all information occurs in a linear fashion. We know that it is not true. The world of knowlegde consists of many interrelated topics and concepts, and mind mapping allows us to show the non linear nature of information.
Mind mapping was popularized by Tony Buzan. You can see a 5 minute videoclip of Mr. Buzan talking about his process here:
You can see more of Mr. Buzan's process on his website: http://www.imindmap.com/.
There are other options available. Wikipedia has a very good description of the concept at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map, and a list of software at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mind_Mapping_software
Teachers are probably familiar with Inspiration and Kidspiration software (http://www.inspiration.com/)
A mind mapping tool I really like to use, is cmap developed by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). It is available for free download to people who work in educational institutions from http://cmap.ihmc.us/.
Try using this method of thinking through topics and issues.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Technology Resources
Three great new technology resources you can use:
1. Open Educational Resources Commons
Their blurb says: "OERs are teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for use by everyone, including instructors, students, or self-learners. The site's mission is to provide a single point of access through which educators, students, and all other types of learners can search for, browse, evaluate, and discuss these resources."
Look at the resources at: http://www.oercommons.org/
On the site, you can search bycategories or collections, subject area or grade level. You can create your personal portfolio where you can easily access materials you specify.
2. School Web Lockers are web-based storage “lockers” for users to store school related files that can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection. Each student is given 100MB of storage while teachers and administrators get 1GB. Many schools are now finding these lockers an excellent solution. Students are constantly struggling with a place to store file for a length of time. A teacher can simply upload one document and post it in every student’s locker instead of making some 30 copies of the same assignment. In turn, students can complete the assignment on the computer and upload the document into the homework due folder, which is then sent directly to the teacher. Files never override each other, so if 20 students turn in an assignment called homework1, all 20 files will appear in the teacher’s locker as homework1. Each document has the user’s name next to it and the date it was uploaded. It’s a paperless work of art.
http://www.schoolweblockers.com/
3. Curriculum Wikipedia - Curriki
Another open curriculum resource. Teachers from all over the world is using it to post curriculum units. It takes time to delve through, and sometimes the lessons are not appropriate for US students if itis written in other countries, but grear source of ideas.
http://www.curriki.org/
1. Open Educational Resources Commons
Their blurb says: "OERs are teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for use by everyone, including instructors, students, or self-learners. The site's mission is to provide a single point of access through which educators, students, and all other types of learners can search for, browse, evaluate, and discuss these resources."
Look at the resources at: http://www.oercommons.org/
On the site, you can search bycategories or collections, subject area or grade level. You can create your personal portfolio where you can easily access materials you specify.
2. School Web Lockers are web-based storage “lockers” for users to store school related files that can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection. Each student is given 100MB of storage while teachers and administrators get 1GB. Many schools are now finding these lockers an excellent solution. Students are constantly struggling with a place to store file for a length of time. A teacher can simply upload one document and post it in every student’s locker instead of making some 30 copies of the same assignment. In turn, students can complete the assignment on the computer and upload the document into the homework due folder, which is then sent directly to the teacher. Files never override each other, so if 20 students turn in an assignment called homework1, all 20 files will appear in the teacher’s locker as homework1. Each document has the user’s name next to it and the date it was uploaded. It’s a paperless work of art.
http://www.schoolweblockers.com/
3. Curriculum Wikipedia - Curriki
Another open curriculum resource. Teachers from all over the world is using it to post curriculum units. It takes time to delve through, and sometimes the lessons are not appropriate for US students if itis written in other countries, but grear source of ideas.
http://www.curriki.org/
Friday, November 30, 2007
Question for my students
Today I am posting a question for my students in SPE 581:
How are you using technology in your classroom? For the purpose of this blog, technology means specialty software, machines, digital and electronic tools, computers, internet, and so on.
Share with us what you do, so we can learn from it.
To post your part, add a comment.
How are you using technology in your classroom? For the purpose of this blog, technology means specialty software, machines, digital and electronic tools, computers, internet, and so on.
Share with us what you do, so we can learn from it.
To post your part, add a comment.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thanksgiving: Family, football, and learning new skills
Thanksgiving in Tuscaloosa is about family and football.Football was undeniably a disaster, since the Alabama football team lost to Auburn for the sixth time running - the longest losing streak in our history. What amazes me is the frenzied reaction to inevitable disappointment after insanely unrealistic expectations. Quite a list of superlatives.
Bama fans started the year with a mild expectation that our new football coach would do something (anything!) to improve the football program. The University pays him an enormous amount of money for which he is expected to bring in even more enormous amounts of money and excellent football players. People were saying then a 7-5 season would be wonderful! After some improvement early on, expectations changed and now this season is being described as one of the worst in the history of the football program. It wasn't great, but we beat Arkansas and Tennessee! (I was there for that one). We also lost to Georgia (ouch), LSU (double ouch) and LA Monroe (words cannot describe that one!)
It made me think of how often we have unrealistic expectations and a desire for immediate graitification of those expectations. We forget that anything worthwhile takes effort, and effort takes time and practice to become automatic.
Any parent knows and any sports coach knows that learning the basic skills of life and the game takes time. It takes modeling from a person who are reasonbaly proficient, and patient instruction until the student gets the idea. Then there has to be ample opportunity for practice before we try out our new skill in public. We forget that when we teach children, they need modeling, and time to practice, and the opportunity to try out their new knowledge and skills in a safe place. There is such a rush to cover whatever the state and the district tells us to cover that we do not have time to allow practice and learning. Even gifted kids need time to practice and apply skills. They don't know everything. People sometimes expect the so-called gifted kids to know everything. They may have the ability to learn more quickly, but they must still learn. If we have unrealistic expectations, we shortchange them.
If you teach high ability kids, don't expect them to know everything. They need instruction. To see a taxonomy of skills you can teach those kids, go to http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/sem/typeiips.html
Monday, November 12, 2007
NAGC national convention 2007
I have just returned from Minneapolis where I attended the annual national convention of the National Association for Gifted Children (www.nagc.org). I want to encourage anyone interested in gifted education to check out their website, and consider joining the organization. It can provide a lot of information and is the premier advocacy organization for gifted children.
The president of the organization is my friend and one of my mentors, Dr. Del Siegle of the University of Connecticut (http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/). Do look at the website of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented at www.gifted.uconn.edu for a lot of information about gifted children and gifted education.
This year the conference had in excess of 3,300 attendees from all over the country and overseas. This includes teachers, parents, and university faculty of all sorts and persuasions. The keynote speakers were Dean Simonton (genius and eminence), Robert Sternberg (Project Rainbow), and the inimitable Garrison Keeler (Prairie Home Companion).
My favorite sessions were:
"Standing on the shoulders of giants" moderated by Joe Renzulli - a session with GT greats like Jim Gallagher and Sandra Kaplan talking about the great people and issues in the field of gifted education.
"Myths is gifted education" moderated by Del Siegle. The participants were well known folks in the field and they addressed what they considered to be erroneous beliefs held by people in gifted education.
Since Minnesota was the place where Dr. E. Paul Torrance started his research on creativity, there was also a large session devoted to his memory that included many of the teachers and students who participated in those first research studies.
Next year's convention is going to be in Florida. Do make an effort to go. It is worth every penny and every hour of sleep lost.
The president of the organization is my friend and one of my mentors, Dr. Del Siegle of the University of Connecticut (http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/). Do look at the website of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented at www.gifted.uconn.edu for a lot of information about gifted children and gifted education.
This year the conference had in excess of 3,300 attendees from all over the country and overseas. This includes teachers, parents, and university faculty of all sorts and persuasions. The keynote speakers were Dean Simonton (genius and eminence), Robert Sternberg (Project Rainbow), and the inimitable Garrison Keeler (Prairie Home Companion).
My favorite sessions were:
"Standing on the shoulders of giants" moderated by Joe Renzulli - a session with GT greats like Jim Gallagher and Sandra Kaplan talking about the great people and issues in the field of gifted education.
"Myths is gifted education" moderated by Del Siegle. The participants were well known folks in the field and they addressed what they considered to be erroneous beliefs held by people in gifted education.
Since Minnesota was the place where Dr. E. Paul Torrance started his research on creativity, there was also a large session devoted to his memory that included many of the teachers and students who participated in those first research studies.
Next year's convention is going to be in Florida. Do make an effort to go. It is worth every penny and every hour of sleep lost.
Friday, December 08, 2006
A Short Treatise on Academic Writing
Any student in education is required to do some academic writing in your student career. Any academic writing starts with a strong literature review, whether you are working on a position paper, an editorial, a conference presentation, or a grant proposal.
I was recently asked the questions: What is the difference between an editorial, a position paper, and a literature review. Well here are some internet resources to help you make sense of this:
Editorial:
http://www.snn-rdr.ca/snn/nr_reporterstoolbox/writingeditorials.html
Position Papers:
http://homepages.uhwo.hawaii.edu/~writing/position.htm
http://www.ceu.hu/writing/position.htm
http://www.tcc.edu/students/resources/writcent/HANDOUTS/writing/pospaper.htm
Literature Reviews:
http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html
As I said - any academic writing has to come from a base of kowledge, and you gain this knowledge by doing a literature review. The way I approach a new subject I want to know or write about is:
1. I do a search in the article database through the University website, and google scholar. many research articles are now available online in fulltext.
2. I find an article by a person whose name I recognize as an expert in the field.
If I don’t know who the expert is, I try to find the person who has the most articles written about the topic or I look for a person who has written a book about the topic. Usually, that way you can get a fair start.
4. I scan the article, and I pay particular attention to the headings, so that I can see what issues are discussed around the topic.
5. I make a note of those issues and sub-topics.
6. Then (and this is very important), I look at the reference list at the end of the article. This way I can find other authors and other issues related to the topic.
7. I find some of those articles, and repeat steps 4 - 6 with them.
In this way, I start to build up a database of authors and important issues around the topic. In fact, I make a folder on my computer and download the pdfs or doc files of the articles into that folder. If there are enough articles about specific sub-topics, I make sub folders. You could of course make actual paper folders if you prefer to work that way, but I find the electronic stuff easier. Before you know it, you have the basis for a good lit review.
Just remember to back up your hard drive regularly. You don't want to lose all that research!
You really cannot do much writing before you have done this. When you have a grasp of the issues, you can build your outline, whether you are planning to write a complete lit review, an editorial, an article, a research proposal, or whatever else you want to write.
Happy researching!
I was recently asked the questions: What is the difference between an editorial, a position paper, and a literature review. Well here are some internet resources to help you make sense of this:
Editorial:
http://www.snn-rdr.ca/snn/nr_reporterstoolbox/writingeditorials.html
Position Papers:
http://homepages.uhwo.hawaii.edu/~writing/position.htm
http://www.ceu.hu/writing/position.htm
http://www.tcc.edu/students/resources/writcent/HANDOUTS/writing/pospaper.htm
Literature Reviews:
http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html
http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html
As I said - any academic writing has to come from a base of kowledge, and you gain this knowledge by doing a literature review. The way I approach a new subject I want to know or write about is:
1. I do a search in the article database through the University website, and google scholar. many research articles are now available online in fulltext.
2. I find an article by a person whose name I recognize as an expert in the field.
If I don’t know who the expert is, I try to find the person who has the most articles written about the topic or I look for a person who has written a book about the topic. Usually, that way you can get a fair start.
4. I scan the article, and I pay particular attention to the headings, so that I can see what issues are discussed around the topic.
5. I make a note of those issues and sub-topics.
6. Then (and this is very important), I look at the reference list at the end of the article. This way I can find other authors and other issues related to the topic.
7. I find some of those articles, and repeat steps 4 - 6 with them.
In this way, I start to build up a database of authors and important issues around the topic. In fact, I make a folder on my computer and download the pdfs or doc files of the articles into that folder. If there are enough articles about specific sub-topics, I make sub folders. You could of course make actual paper folders if you prefer to work that way, but I find the electronic stuff easier. Before you know it, you have the basis for a good lit review.
Just remember to back up your hard drive regularly. You don't want to lose all that research!
You really cannot do much writing before you have done this. When you have a grasp of the issues, you can build your outline, whether you are planning to write a complete lit review, an editorial, an article, a research proposal, or whatever else you want to write.
Happy researching!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
NAGC Handouts
Folks
I promised participants in my sessions at the NAGC Convention that I would post my handouts. Following is the handout from the researach session on Teachers' Beliefs about Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse Gifted Students.
Teachers’ Beliefs About Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse Gifted Students
Catharina F. de Wet
University of Connecticut, 2006
The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ beliefs about culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) gifted students. There is no baseline information about what teachers believe about CLED students’ potential. Given the importance of teachers in identifying and serving gifted students, it is important to investigate what beliefs teachers hold about CLED students that would impact their inclusion in gifted programs.
Although there is a body of research about teachers’ beliefs concerning various groups of students, there has been no study of what teachers believe about the abilities and potentials of CLED gifted students. The nature and influences related to teachers’ beliefs about CLED students is not known.
According to the study on assumptions underlying the identification of gifted students (Brown et al., 2005, GCQ), most teachers do support a broadened definition of gifted students. Additionally, “[t]hey favor the use of individual expression criteria, ongoing assessment, multiple criteria for identification, and consideration of contextual factors” (p. 68). However, there are several questions that need to be addressed: Why have identification procedures not significantly changed? Why are there so few CLED students included in gifted programs? Do teachers believe that CLED students have the ability to perform at high academic achievement levels? Should identification procedures change to include more CLED gifted students? Should gifted programs change to accommodate the strengths and needs of CLED gifted students? To answer these questions, this study was designed to provide baseline data on a national scale that directly address these questions about what teachers believe about the potential of CLED gifted students and their involvement in gifted programs. These questions were operationalized for this study into the following four research questions:
Research Question 1: What are teachers’ core beliefs about culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) gifted students regarding their abilities, perspectives involving CLED students in gifted programs, and the benefits of including CLED students in gifted programs?
Research Question 2: Are the population means the same or different for the scores on the dependent variables with respect to the heterogeneity of the school population in which responding teachers serve (White or CLED), training teachers have had (general classroom, bilingual, and/or gifted education), and existence of a mandate for gifted education (with or without)?
Research Question 3: What influences the formation of teachers’ beliefs about CLED gifted students?
Research Question 4: What barriers do teachers perceive to the identification and full participation of CLED students in gifted programs?
Methodology
The newly developed Teachers’ Beliefs About Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse Gifted Students Survey (De Wet, 2005) was administered to a stratified, random sample of 4,000 teachers. The survey consists of 21 demographic questions relating to gender, ethnicity, and age information as well as the experience and training of participants, followed by a 30-item, 5-point Likert scale survey, asking participants to respond on a scale of 1(Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). In Section 3, two open-ended questions probe the influences that formed teachers’ beliefs about CLED students, and perceived barriers to the inclusion of CLED students in gifted programs. The last part of the instrument includes a request for permission to interview participants by phone or in person.
Teachers surveyed came from 8 states, 4 with (FL, GA, TX and VA) and 4 without mandates for gifted education (CA, CO, IL, MA). Five hundred teachers (grades 3-5) were selected from each of the 8 states. A disappointing 308 surveys were returned representing a low 7.7% response rate.
Results
Respondents believed that it would benefit gifted programs if CLED students are included, above average abilities are found in all economic strata and cultural groups, and IQ and standardized tests do not accurately reflect CLED students’ abilities. Analysis of demographic information was based on N = 308. An overwhelming number of respondents were White (83.8%) and female (90.3%). These percentages agree with National Center for Education Statistics (2005) data about the national teacher workforce. Teachers who responded to this survey were mostly older with the largest percentage (32.5%) in the age group between 51 and 60, with more than a third having over 20 years of teaching experience, and more than 50% holding a master’s degree. Teachers who responded to the survey were working in 3rd grade (20%), 4th grade (23%), 5th grade (31%), as gifted specialists (28%), and as bilingual education specialists (17%). There were a number of teachers with no specialized training. Fifty five (17.9%) teachers indicated that they had no gifted education training, and 76 (24.7%) said that they had no bilingual education training, while 5% of teachers had neither gifted nor bilingual training. There were 80 teachers certified as bilingual teachers and the same number was certified in gifted education, while 12 teachers, or 4 % held certification as both gifted and bilingual education teachers.
Three factors resulted from factor analysis of the survey, explaining 37% of the variance: Benefits of Including CLED Students in Gifted Programs (n = 10, α = .876), Universality of Abilities (n = 6, α = .734), and Assessment of Abilities (n = 6, α = .717). One-way MANOVAs did not yield significant group differences between mean scale scores on the factors for heterogeneity of schools where respondents worked (White or diverse) or type of training respondents had (no specialized training, bilingual only, gifted only, and bilingual and gifted training). Significant group differences were found on three factors as a result of whether respondents worked in a state with a mandate for gifted education or not.
Teachers believed that formation of their epistemological beliefs about CLED students were influenced by personal experiences with diverse populations or specific students. Teachers ascribed their experience to five categories of sources: (a) general and/or specific teaching experience; (b) specific students who influenced them, often accompanied by a personal story; (c) general life experience with children or minority populations; (d) family relationship with a CLED student or personal experience as a CLED student; and (e) training. Personal experiences colored the perceptions of all the respondents.
Respondents also believed that barriers exist to the inclusion of CLED students in gifted programs. Teachers responded with five categories of perceived barriers: (1) No barriers; (2) Systemic barriers; (3) Student limitations; (4) Teacher issues; and (5) Family issues. The most often mentioned barriers were ineffective and inappropriate identification procedures, the language barrier, and the need for teacher training.
Respondents to this study recognized two conflicting realities: the need to identify students who can perform in existing gifted programs and the need to include more CLED students in gifted programs. On the one hand, some respondents believed that students who do not qualify for gifted programs in the “standard fashion” cannot be successful in gifted programs. There was a recognition that CLED students have limitations that hinder their successful inclusion in gifted programs: limited English proficiency, “holes” in background knowledge, limited knowledge of “White,” American experiences, the things “that can be considered normal.” On the other hand, they recognized that CLED students have strengths and abilities that are not identified by existing identification procedures: culturally biased tests, the use of English language tests with students who are not proficient in English, the use of English language-rich performance measures like writing samples limit the inclusion of CLED students in gifted programs. Respondents wanted identification procedures to change to accommodate larger numbers of CLED students, but their perceptions of the characteristics of gifted students and gifted programs indicated that they equated giftedness with high academic achievement. One teacher summarized this conundrum: “They often have trouble keeping up with rigorous academic standards. The teacher’s dilemma – do I lower the standards?”
A few respondents seemed to understand that there is a solution to the dilemma - changing gifted programs to capitalize on CLED students’ strengths, and to support their limitations, or at least adding options to the services offered that would suit the strengths and limitations of CLED gifted students. Some suggestions of respondents to this study were:
· Try new, innovative techniques
· Adjust the pace of instruction to accommodate for their language differences
· Create gifted programs taught in foreign languages
· Adjusting curriculum to fit the diverse and multicultural nature of CLED students
· Give CLED students opportunities to gain the cultural and academic background knowledge they lack
· Bilingual gifted education teachers, or at the very least teachers who have been trained to work with English language learners.
This study is significant because it provides baseline information about teachers’ beliefs, gives insight into why CLED students are still under identified, and a reliable instrument was developed to assess teachers’ beliefs about gifted CLED students.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Curricular and Instructional Strategies for Diverse Gifted Students
1. Principles of Effective Curriculum
Student learning based on
Characteristics of the learner;
Time devoted to learning an objective;
Quality of instruction
This presentation: Quality of Instruction mediated by characteristics of learners
Effective, challenging curriculum
Targeted and deliberate instruction
2. Characteristics of learners
Capacity to learn at faster rates
Capacity to find, solve, and act on problems more readily
Capacity to manipulate abstract ideas and make connections more easily (VanTassel- Baska & Stambaugh, 2006)
Also variations in:
Strengths, Scope of abilities, Interests, Style preferences, Opportunities,
Background or prior knowledge, Approaches to learning
3. Effective Curriculum
Help students along continuum of expertise (National Research Council, 2000)
Built on fundamental nature of discipline/subject (Renzulli, 2005)
Create independent learners – responsible for own learning
Enhance student motivation, curiosity, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-knowledge
Learning result of thinking – all students able
Learning should include deep understanding:
Flexible, active use of knowledge (Perkins, Project Zero)
4. Three Kinds of Knowledge
To-be-presented knowledge
Just-in-time knowledge (Renzulli)
Throw-away knowledge (Glasser)
5. Hallmarks of Effective Curriculum
Teaching for understanding
Usefulness of knowledge
Learning skills and strategies
Inquiry- or problem-based curriculum
Product Focus
Big Ideas
Escalating intellectual engagement with materials
Culturally responsive
6. Teaching for understanding
Knowledge
Knowing the facts
Knowing a body of coherent facts
Verifiable claims
Knowing something is right or wrong
Responding on cue
Understanding
Knowing meaning of facts
Knowing the theory that provides coherence
Fallible and in-process theories
Matter of degree and sophistication
Judging when to respond and with what
7. Usefulness of knowledge
Usefulness in real world
Focused on useful skills
Students can show haw what they have learned can be used (Glasser)
Relevance to life experiences
Creative productive work (Renzulli)
Authentic language and methodology
Authentic products
Authentic audiences
8. Learning skills and strategies
Learning skills and strategies more than facts
Higher order thinking skills – creative, analytical, critical thinking
How-to skills (Type II – Renzulli)
Conspicuous and explicit teaching of strategies
9. Thinking Skills
Trends
Setting goals
Developing hypothesis
Testing generalizations
Inductive and deductive reasoning
Fantasy/reality
Fact/opinion
Advantages/disadvantages
Identifying point of view
Examining viewpoints
Determining bias
Judging accuracy
Determining relevance
Credibility of sources
Recognizing assumptions/fallacies
Drawing conclusions
Identifying attributes
Compare/contrast
Classify
Setting criteria
Sequencing
Relationships
Patterns
Predicting
Cause/effect
Analogies/metaphors
Formulating
Summarizing
Infering
10. Inquiry- or Problem-Based Learning
Occurrence, object, issue
Involves doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty
Ask students to identify own questions and find own solutions
Explicit attention to
authentic problem solving,
hands-on learning
self-directed inquiry
Outcome: creation of a product
11. Product Focus
Tangible evidence of learning (Maker & Nielsen)
Products may be
Written
Visual
Performance
Oral
Multicategorical
Service
12. Big Ideas
Are timeless
Are universal
Are abstract
Are broad
Examples:
Patterns Change
Systems Conflict
Structure Power
Relationships Adaptation
13. Escalating Intellectual Engagement
Acceleration
Complexity
Depth
Challenge
Creativity
Abstractness
Acceleration
Increase pace of learning
Cover objectives faster
Assign fewer tasks to master objectives
Compacting
Standards-based skills assessed earlier or before teaching
Teach only what needs to be learned
Complexity
Use multiple higher-level skills
Add more variables to study
Require multiple resources
Link study across disciplines
Changes over time
Different points of view
Depth
Study a concept in multiple applications
Conduct original research
Develop a product
Use language of the discipline
Details of concept, theory, principle, or fact
Patterns – recurring events represented by details
Trends – factors influencing events
Unanswered questions
Rules – structure or order of things, n atural or man-made
Ethics – dilemmas or controversial issues
Big ideas – generalizations and principles
Challenge
Advanced resources
Sophisticated content stimuli
Origins – catalysts, roots, causes, beginnings
Contributions – achievements, consequenses, effects
Parallels – comparable, similar, analogous relationships
Paradoxes – fallacies or incongruities
Convergence – meeting points
Cross-disciplinary applications
Explicit reasoning
Creativity
Creative problem solving
Fluency, originality, flexibility
Design a model based on principles or criteria
Provide alternatives for tasks, products, and assessments
Emphasize oral and written communication to authentic audience
Abstractness
Use macroconcepts for connections across disciplines
Use macroconcepts for connections within topic
Determine own generalization for concepts
Culturally Responsive
Rooted in understanding of culture
Integrates diverse ways of knowing, understanding, representing information
Multicultural viewpoints
Relevance to students’ experiences
Safe environment to explore and express cultural differences and viewpoints
14. Hallmarks of Effective Instruction
Provide transitional curriculum
Curriculum that balances basic and higher-order skills
Explicit teaching of strategies and skills
Use native language and culture as instructional aid and processing medium
Instruction that enhances understanding:
Teaching metacognitive strategies
Using routines
Making instruction comprehensible
Adjust vocabulary and level of English
Teach required "prior" knowledge if necessary
Give opportunities for practice
Provide transitional curriculum
Teach required "prior" knowledge when necessary
Explicitly teach "lingo," knowledge necessary to navigate system
Explicitly make connections between students’ lives and school
Use many and varied exploratory, exposing activities (Renzulli’s Type I enrichment)
Balance basic and higher order skills
Use hands-on learning experiences
Use concrete experiences to connect to the abstract
Use visual aids
Pictures
Graphic organizers
Manipulatives
Use mentors
Start with student strengths
Native language
Native language support
Academic language scaffolding
Cooperative learning – opportunities for students to discuss process with each other
Opportunities to practice discourse
Dialogue journaling
Instruction to enhance understanding
Teach metacognitive strategies
Use routines
Make instruction comprehensible
Adjust vocabulary and level of English
Explain and demonstrate what students will be doing
Teach required "prior" knowledge if necessary
Opportunities for practice
Opportunities for self-directed activities
15. Internet Resources
Renzulli Learning Systems (www.renzullilearning.com)
Webquests (www.webquest.org)
Filamentality (www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/)
Wiseman Tech (www.wisemantech.com)
Dr. Hotlist (www.districtadnministration.com)
My blog (http://oneviewgt.blogspot.com)
References
Erickson, E. L. (2002). Concept-based curriculum and instruction: Teaching beyond the facts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Kaplan, S. (2005). Layering differentiated curricula for the gifted and talented. In F. A. Karnes, & S. M. Bean (Eds), Methods and materials for teaching the gifted (2nd ed). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Karnes, F. A., & Bean, S. M. (Eds.). (2005). Methods and materials for teaching the gifted (2nd ed). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. (ISBN: 1-59363-022-0)
Renzulli, J. S. (2005). Equity, excellence, and economy in a system for identifying students in gifted education programs: A guidebook (RM05208). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2005). Quality curriculum and instruction for highly able students. Theory into Practice, 44(2), 160-166.
VanTassel-Baska, J., & Stambaugh, T. (2006). Comprehensive curriculum for gifted learners (3rd Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson
Wiggins, G. P. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding By Design, Expanded 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Renzulli, J. S., Leppien, J. H., & Hays, T. S. (2000). The Multiple Menu Model: A Practical Guide for Developing Differentiated Curriculum. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
I promised participants in my sessions at the NAGC Convention that I would post my handouts. Following is the handout from the researach session on Teachers' Beliefs about Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse Gifted Students.
Teachers’ Beliefs About Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse Gifted Students
Catharina F. de Wet
University of Connecticut, 2006
The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ beliefs about culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) gifted students. There is no baseline information about what teachers believe about CLED students’ potential. Given the importance of teachers in identifying and serving gifted students, it is important to investigate what beliefs teachers hold about CLED students that would impact their inclusion in gifted programs.
Although there is a body of research about teachers’ beliefs concerning various groups of students, there has been no study of what teachers believe about the abilities and potentials of CLED gifted students. The nature and influences related to teachers’ beliefs about CLED students is not known.
According to the study on assumptions underlying the identification of gifted students (Brown et al., 2005, GCQ), most teachers do support a broadened definition of gifted students. Additionally, “[t]hey favor the use of individual expression criteria, ongoing assessment, multiple criteria for identification, and consideration of contextual factors” (p. 68). However, there are several questions that need to be addressed: Why have identification procedures not significantly changed? Why are there so few CLED students included in gifted programs? Do teachers believe that CLED students have the ability to perform at high academic achievement levels? Should identification procedures change to include more CLED gifted students? Should gifted programs change to accommodate the strengths and needs of CLED gifted students? To answer these questions, this study was designed to provide baseline data on a national scale that directly address these questions about what teachers believe about the potential of CLED gifted students and their involvement in gifted programs. These questions were operationalized for this study into the following four research questions:
Research Question 1: What are teachers’ core beliefs about culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) gifted students regarding their abilities, perspectives involving CLED students in gifted programs, and the benefits of including CLED students in gifted programs?
Research Question 2: Are the population means the same or different for the scores on the dependent variables with respect to the heterogeneity of the school population in which responding teachers serve (White or CLED), training teachers have had (general classroom, bilingual, and/or gifted education), and existence of a mandate for gifted education (with or without)?
Research Question 3: What influences the formation of teachers’ beliefs about CLED gifted students?
Research Question 4: What barriers do teachers perceive to the identification and full participation of CLED students in gifted programs?
Methodology
The newly developed Teachers’ Beliefs About Culturally, Linguistically, and Economically Diverse Gifted Students Survey (De Wet, 2005) was administered to a stratified, random sample of 4,000 teachers. The survey consists of 21 demographic questions relating to gender, ethnicity, and age information as well as the experience and training of participants, followed by a 30-item, 5-point Likert scale survey, asking participants to respond on a scale of 1(Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). In Section 3, two open-ended questions probe the influences that formed teachers’ beliefs about CLED students, and perceived barriers to the inclusion of CLED students in gifted programs. The last part of the instrument includes a request for permission to interview participants by phone or in person.
Teachers surveyed came from 8 states, 4 with (FL, GA, TX and VA) and 4 without mandates for gifted education (CA, CO, IL, MA). Five hundred teachers (grades 3-5) were selected from each of the 8 states. A disappointing 308 surveys were returned representing a low 7.7% response rate.
Results
Respondents believed that it would benefit gifted programs if CLED students are included, above average abilities are found in all economic strata and cultural groups, and IQ and standardized tests do not accurately reflect CLED students’ abilities. Analysis of demographic information was based on N = 308. An overwhelming number of respondents were White (83.8%) and female (90.3%). These percentages agree with National Center for Education Statistics (2005) data about the national teacher workforce. Teachers who responded to this survey were mostly older with the largest percentage (32.5%) in the age group between 51 and 60, with more than a third having over 20 years of teaching experience, and more than 50% holding a master’s degree. Teachers who responded to the survey were working in 3rd grade (20%), 4th grade (23%), 5th grade (31%), as gifted specialists (28%), and as bilingual education specialists (17%). There were a number of teachers with no specialized training. Fifty five (17.9%) teachers indicated that they had no gifted education training, and 76 (24.7%) said that they had no bilingual education training, while 5% of teachers had neither gifted nor bilingual training. There were 80 teachers certified as bilingual teachers and the same number was certified in gifted education, while 12 teachers, or 4 % held certification as both gifted and bilingual education teachers.
Three factors resulted from factor analysis of the survey, explaining 37% of the variance: Benefits of Including CLED Students in Gifted Programs (n = 10, α = .876), Universality of Abilities (n = 6, α = .734), and Assessment of Abilities (n = 6, α = .717). One-way MANOVAs did not yield significant group differences between mean scale scores on the factors for heterogeneity of schools where respondents worked (White or diverse) or type of training respondents had (no specialized training, bilingual only, gifted only, and bilingual and gifted training). Significant group differences were found on three factors as a result of whether respondents worked in a state with a mandate for gifted education or not.
Teachers believed that formation of their epistemological beliefs about CLED students were influenced by personal experiences with diverse populations or specific students. Teachers ascribed their experience to five categories of sources: (a) general and/or specific teaching experience; (b) specific students who influenced them, often accompanied by a personal story; (c) general life experience with children or minority populations; (d) family relationship with a CLED student or personal experience as a CLED student; and (e) training. Personal experiences colored the perceptions of all the respondents.
Respondents also believed that barriers exist to the inclusion of CLED students in gifted programs. Teachers responded with five categories of perceived barriers: (1) No barriers; (2) Systemic barriers; (3) Student limitations; (4) Teacher issues; and (5) Family issues. The most often mentioned barriers were ineffective and inappropriate identification procedures, the language barrier, and the need for teacher training.
Respondents to this study recognized two conflicting realities: the need to identify students who can perform in existing gifted programs and the need to include more CLED students in gifted programs. On the one hand, some respondents believed that students who do not qualify for gifted programs in the “standard fashion” cannot be successful in gifted programs. There was a recognition that CLED students have limitations that hinder their successful inclusion in gifted programs: limited English proficiency, “holes” in background knowledge, limited knowledge of “White,” American experiences, the things “that can be considered normal.” On the other hand, they recognized that CLED students have strengths and abilities that are not identified by existing identification procedures: culturally biased tests, the use of English language tests with students who are not proficient in English, the use of English language-rich performance measures like writing samples limit the inclusion of CLED students in gifted programs. Respondents wanted identification procedures to change to accommodate larger numbers of CLED students, but their perceptions of the characteristics of gifted students and gifted programs indicated that they equated giftedness with high academic achievement. One teacher summarized this conundrum: “They often have trouble keeping up with rigorous academic standards. The teacher’s dilemma – do I lower the standards?”
A few respondents seemed to understand that there is a solution to the dilemma - changing gifted programs to capitalize on CLED students’ strengths, and to support their limitations, or at least adding options to the services offered that would suit the strengths and limitations of CLED gifted students. Some suggestions of respondents to this study were:
· Try new, innovative techniques
· Adjust the pace of instruction to accommodate for their language differences
· Create gifted programs taught in foreign languages
· Adjusting curriculum to fit the diverse and multicultural nature of CLED students
· Give CLED students opportunities to gain the cultural and academic background knowledge they lack
· Bilingual gifted education teachers, or at the very least teachers who have been trained to work with English language learners.
This study is significant because it provides baseline information about teachers’ beliefs, gives insight into why CLED students are still under identified, and a reliable instrument was developed to assess teachers’ beliefs about gifted CLED students.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Curricular and Instructional Strategies for Diverse Gifted Students
1. Principles of Effective Curriculum
Student learning based on
Characteristics of the learner;
Time devoted to learning an objective;
Quality of instruction
This presentation: Quality of Instruction mediated by characteristics of learners
Effective, challenging curriculum
Targeted and deliberate instruction
2. Characteristics of learners
Capacity to learn at faster rates
Capacity to find, solve, and act on problems more readily
Capacity to manipulate abstract ideas and make connections more easily (VanTassel- Baska & Stambaugh, 2006)
Also variations in:
Strengths, Scope of abilities, Interests, Style preferences, Opportunities,
Background or prior knowledge, Approaches to learning
3. Effective Curriculum
Help students along continuum of expertise (National Research Council, 2000)
Built on fundamental nature of discipline/subject (Renzulli, 2005)
Create independent learners – responsible for own learning
Enhance student motivation, curiosity, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-knowledge
Learning result of thinking – all students able
Learning should include deep understanding:
Flexible, active use of knowledge (Perkins, Project Zero)
4. Three Kinds of Knowledge
To-be-presented knowledge
Just-in-time knowledge (Renzulli)
Throw-away knowledge (Glasser)
5. Hallmarks of Effective Curriculum
Teaching for understanding
Usefulness of knowledge
Learning skills and strategies
Inquiry- or problem-based curriculum
Product Focus
Big Ideas
Escalating intellectual engagement with materials
Culturally responsive
6. Teaching for understanding
Knowledge
Knowing the facts
Knowing a body of coherent facts
Verifiable claims
Knowing something is right or wrong
Responding on cue
Understanding
Knowing meaning of facts
Knowing the theory that provides coherence
Fallible and in-process theories
Matter of degree and sophistication
Judging when to respond and with what
7. Usefulness of knowledge
Usefulness in real world
Focused on useful skills
Students can show haw what they have learned can be used (Glasser)
Relevance to life experiences
Creative productive work (Renzulli)
Authentic language and methodology
Authentic products
Authentic audiences
8. Learning skills and strategies
Learning skills and strategies more than facts
Higher order thinking skills – creative, analytical, critical thinking
How-to skills (Type II – Renzulli)
Conspicuous and explicit teaching of strategies
9. Thinking Skills
Trends
Setting goals
Developing hypothesis
Testing generalizations
Inductive and deductive reasoning
Fantasy/reality
Fact/opinion
Advantages/disadvantages
Identifying point of view
Examining viewpoints
Determining bias
Judging accuracy
Determining relevance
Credibility of sources
Recognizing assumptions/fallacies
Drawing conclusions
Identifying attributes
Compare/contrast
Classify
Setting criteria
Sequencing
Relationships
Patterns
Predicting
Cause/effect
Analogies/metaphors
Formulating
Summarizing
Infering
10. Inquiry- or Problem-Based Learning
Occurrence, object, issue
Involves doubt, uncertainty, or difficulty
Ask students to identify own questions and find own solutions
Explicit attention to
authentic problem solving,
hands-on learning
self-directed inquiry
Outcome: creation of a product
11. Product Focus
Tangible evidence of learning (Maker & Nielsen)
Products may be
Written
Visual
Performance
Oral
Multicategorical
Service
12. Big Ideas
Are timeless
Are universal
Are abstract
Are broad
Examples:
Patterns Change
Systems Conflict
Structure Power
Relationships Adaptation
13. Escalating Intellectual Engagement
Acceleration
Complexity
Depth
Challenge
Creativity
Abstractness
Acceleration
Increase pace of learning
Cover objectives faster
Assign fewer tasks to master objectives
Compacting
Standards-based skills assessed earlier or before teaching
Teach only what needs to be learned
Complexity
Use multiple higher-level skills
Add more variables to study
Require multiple resources
Link study across disciplines
Changes over time
Different points of view
Depth
Study a concept in multiple applications
Conduct original research
Develop a product
Use language of the discipline
Details of concept, theory, principle, or fact
Patterns – recurring events represented by details
Trends – factors influencing events
Unanswered questions
Rules – structure or order of things, n atural or man-made
Ethics – dilemmas or controversial issues
Big ideas – generalizations and principles
Challenge
Advanced resources
Sophisticated content stimuli
Origins – catalysts, roots, causes, beginnings
Contributions – achievements, consequenses, effects
Parallels – comparable, similar, analogous relationships
Paradoxes – fallacies or incongruities
Convergence – meeting points
Cross-disciplinary applications
Explicit reasoning
Creativity
Creative problem solving
Fluency, originality, flexibility
Design a model based on principles or criteria
Provide alternatives for tasks, products, and assessments
Emphasize oral and written communication to authentic audience
Abstractness
Use macroconcepts for connections across disciplines
Use macroconcepts for connections within topic
Determine own generalization for concepts
Culturally Responsive
Rooted in understanding of culture
Integrates diverse ways of knowing, understanding, representing information
Multicultural viewpoints
Relevance to students’ experiences
Safe environment to explore and express cultural differences and viewpoints
14. Hallmarks of Effective Instruction
Provide transitional curriculum
Curriculum that balances basic and higher-order skills
Explicit teaching of strategies and skills
Use native language and culture as instructional aid and processing medium
Instruction that enhances understanding:
Teaching metacognitive strategies
Using routines
Making instruction comprehensible
Adjust vocabulary and level of English
Teach required "prior" knowledge if necessary
Give opportunities for practice
Provide transitional curriculum
Teach required "prior" knowledge when necessary
Explicitly teach "lingo," knowledge necessary to navigate system
Explicitly make connections between students’ lives and school
Use many and varied exploratory, exposing activities (Renzulli’s Type I enrichment)
Balance basic and higher order skills
Use hands-on learning experiences
Use concrete experiences to connect to the abstract
Use visual aids
Pictures
Graphic organizers
Manipulatives
Use mentors
Start with student strengths
Native language
Native language support
Academic language scaffolding
Cooperative learning – opportunities for students to discuss process with each other
Opportunities to practice discourse
Dialogue journaling
Instruction to enhance understanding
Teach metacognitive strategies
Use routines
Make instruction comprehensible
Adjust vocabulary and level of English
Explain and demonstrate what students will be doing
Teach required "prior" knowledge if necessary
Opportunities for practice
Opportunities for self-directed activities
15. Internet Resources
Renzulli Learning Systems (www.renzullilearning.com)
Webquests (www.webquest.org)
Filamentality (www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/)
Wiseman Tech (www.wisemantech.com)
Dr. Hotlist (www.districtadnministration.com)
My blog (http://oneviewgt.blogspot.com)
References
Erickson, E. L. (2002). Concept-based curriculum and instruction: Teaching beyond the facts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Kaplan, S. (2005). Layering differentiated curricula for the gifted and talented. In F. A. Karnes, & S. M. Bean (Eds), Methods and materials for teaching the gifted (2nd ed). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Karnes, F. A., & Bean, S. M. (Eds.). (2005). Methods and materials for teaching the gifted (2nd ed). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. (ISBN: 1-59363-022-0)
Renzulli, J. S. (2005). Equity, excellence, and economy in a system for identifying students in gifted education programs: A guidebook (RM05208). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2005). Quality curriculum and instruction for highly able students. Theory into Practice, 44(2), 160-166.
VanTassel-Baska, J., & Stambaugh, T. (2006). Comprehensive curriculum for gifted learners (3rd Edition). Boston, MA: Pearson
Wiggins, G. P. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding By Design, Expanded 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Renzulli, J. S., Leppien, J. H., & Hays, T. S. (2000). The Multiple Menu Model: A Practical Guide for Developing Differentiated Curriculum. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Traveling Trunks
Are you looking for resources to put some zing (short for hands on, primary documents, artifacts based learning experiences) in your teaching? Explore the world of traveling trunks.
Traveling trunks are offered by many non-profit organizations, commercial companies, and other entities who like to share their resources. Traveling trunks give the busy teacher the opportunity to access resources that might be too expensive to obtain otherwise. Usually these trunks come with lesson plan ideas to make your job even easier.
Today, I am sharing with you some of these resources. I have many more up my sleeve, so if you do not see something you might like to use, leave a message, and I might just have what you are looking for.
1. The National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/learn/trunks.htm)
The National Park Service has a variety of traveling trunks available for teachers. They require in most cases a refundable security deposit. Trunks pertaining to resources for each park are available from specific parks. Trunks include:
* Ellis Island: Five different "Park in a pack" trunks.
* Aztec Ruins National Parks: Different trunks containing numerous replica artifacts, the Hisatsinom video, and a teacher's guide. The teacher's guide includes background readings, lessons, and field trip advice.
* Geology or Archeology traveling trunks from the Delaware Water Gap
* Jefferson National Park Expansion Memorial in Missouri (10 different trunks available)
Investigate the website for more information. There are also other teacher resources on the "Parks in the Curriculum" page.
2. Civil War: Life of a Civil War Soldier
Friends of the National Park at Gettysburg will send you this trunk for a suggested donation. COntact them at tel. 717-334-0772 x 222, or email at
taltland@friendsofgettysburg.org.
You can find a lesson plan to use for this trunk online at http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/publichistory/sanders.html
3. Home for History Traveling Trunk
http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/preservation-services/youth-education/#trunk
This trunk is for 2nd through 6th grade and teaches about architecture and historical preservation. Contact them at tel. (501) 324-9880, email at
info@arkansaspreservation.org
4. Center For Diversity Education (CDE)
http://eduweb.unca.edu/diversityed/
This education center offers several trunks:
*An Unmarked Trail (Stories of African Americans in Bumcombe County 1850- 1900)
*Choosing to Remember from the Shoah to the Mountains (Shoah is Hebrew for catastrophe)
*Coming to the Mountains (Immigration and Western North Carolina)
* It’s Only a Game? (portrayal of Native Americans in sports)
* Lest We Forget (WW II)
* The Power of Words
*Treasure of Diversity
Florida Holocaust Museum
http://www.floridaholocaustmuseum.org/Trunks/trunks2.cfm
Contact them at tel: (727) 820-0100 ext 221 or email at:
trunks@flholocaustmuseum.org
They have 10 trunks available for 1st grade through 12th grade levels
A variety of topics related to the holocaust, human rights, tolerance, etc.
*Different and Same (for 1st-2nd grade)
*Creating Community (3rd-4th grade)
*Beginning Holocaust Studies (5th grade)
*Investigating Human Behavior (middle school)
*Historical Perspective of the Holocaust (high school)
*Arts Trunk (either elementary or secondary)
*Human Rights and Genocide (middle and high school)
Holocaust Museum of Houston (http://www.hmh.org/ed_cur_trunk.asp)
Contact them at tel: 713-942-8000
*Elementary School
*Middle School
*High School Social Studies
*High School Language Arts
*Advanced Placement High School Language Arts
6. Lewis and Clarke: Montana Lewis & Clark Bicentenial http://www.montanalewisandclark.org/resources/travelingtrunks.htm
Contact them at tel: 406) 443-2109 or email at rcortright@mt.gov
*The Expedition
*Natural History
*Montana’s First People
There are many regional centers who also offer trunks. Contact your local natural history museum or the art museum to see what they have available. Since I live in Alabama, here are some Alabama resources also.
7. Mobile Museum of fine arts (http://www.mobilemuseumofart.com/)
Contact them at tel: (334) 343-2667
They have: * An African Trunk
*A Native American Trunk
*A Preschool trunk
8. Alabama Power Science Suitcases (http://www.southerncompany.com/alpower/community/sciencesuitcases.asp?mnuOpco=apc&mnuType=sub&mnuItem=oc)
They have many resources for teachers, including over 300 suitcases:
Nutshells - Grades 2 - 6
Delta Science Corners - Grades 2 - 6
Delta Science Modules
Delta FOSS (Full Option Science System) Modules Cuisenaire-->
Carolina Biological
Insights (Kendall/Hunt) Kits
Wabash Instrument Corporation
Water Assessment Kits
Enviroscape - Grades 3 - 8
9. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/architrunk.html
Contact them at tel: (334) 242-4435
ArchiTrunk: Alabama History Teaching Kit. This kit is aligned with fourth grade Alabama teaching standards and contain Artifact reproductions, Books, Videos, Maps, Lesson Plans, and Activity Sheets. Costs only shipping.
10. Burritt on the Mountain (www.burrittmuseum.com/pages/education_programs_out.htm)
Contact them at tel: (256) 512-0146
They offer: *Grandmother’s trunk (TN Valley)
*Gifts from the earth (Native Americans and early Europeans of Southeast)
*Animals (skulls, pelts, etc)
*School Days (school items from 1800s)
My thanks to Debbie Carden for help with the research on this topic.
Does this not excite you? If students can touch and see, they will enjoy learning much more, they will remember much more, and you might just inspire a budding scholar to investigate further. Apart from the benefits to students, changing the everyday into a special day will help you enjoy your work more!
Have fun!
Traveling trunks are offered by many non-profit organizations, commercial companies, and other entities who like to share their resources. Traveling trunks give the busy teacher the opportunity to access resources that might be too expensive to obtain otherwise. Usually these trunks come with lesson plan ideas to make your job even easier.
Today, I am sharing with you some of these resources. I have many more up my sleeve, so if you do not see something you might like to use, leave a message, and I might just have what you are looking for.
1. The National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov/learn/trunks.htm)
The National Park Service has a variety of traveling trunks available for teachers. They require in most cases a refundable security deposit. Trunks pertaining to resources for each park are available from specific parks. Trunks include:
* Ellis Island: Five different "Park in a pack" trunks.
* Aztec Ruins National Parks: Different trunks containing numerous replica artifacts, the Hisatsinom video, and a teacher's guide. The teacher's guide includes background readings, lessons, and field trip advice.
* Geology or Archeology traveling trunks from the Delaware Water Gap
* Jefferson National Park Expansion Memorial in Missouri (10 different trunks available)
Investigate the website for more information. There are also other teacher resources on the "Parks in the Curriculum" page.
2. Civil War: Life of a Civil War Soldier
Friends of the National Park at Gettysburg will send you this trunk for a suggested donation. COntact them at tel. 717-334-0772 x 222, or email at
taltland@friendsofgettysburg.org.
You can find a lesson plan to use for this trunk online at http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/publichistory/sanders.html
3. Home for History Traveling Trunk
http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/preservation-services/youth-education/#trunk
This trunk is for 2nd through 6th grade and teaches about architecture and historical preservation. Contact them at tel. (501) 324-9880, email at
info@arkansaspreservation.org
4. Center For Diversity Education (CDE)
http://eduweb.unca.edu/diversityed/
This education center offers several trunks:
*An Unmarked Trail (Stories of African Americans in Bumcombe County 1850- 1900)
*Choosing to Remember from the Shoah to the Mountains (Shoah is Hebrew for catastrophe)
*Coming to the Mountains (Immigration and Western North Carolina)
* It’s Only a Game? (portrayal of Native Americans in sports)
* Lest We Forget (WW II)
* The Power of Words
*Treasure of Diversity
Contact them at tel: (828) 232-5024
5. Holocaust Information:Florida Holocaust Museum
http://www.floridaholocaustmuseum.org/Trunks/trunks2.cfm
Contact them at tel: (727) 820-0100 ext 221 or email at:
trunks@flholocaustmuseum.org
They have 10 trunks available for 1st grade through 12th grade levels
A variety of topics related to the holocaust, human rights, tolerance, etc.
*Different and Same (for 1st-2nd grade)
*Creating Community (3rd-4th grade)
*Beginning Holocaust Studies (5th grade)
*Investigating Human Behavior (middle school)
*Historical Perspective of the Holocaust (high school)
*Arts Trunk (either elementary or secondary)
*Human Rights and Genocide (middle and high school)
Holocaust Museum of Houston (http://www.hmh.org/ed_cur_trunk.asp)
Contact them at tel: 713-942-8000
*Elementary School
*Middle School
*High School Social Studies
*High School Language Arts
*Advanced Placement High School Language Arts
6. Lewis and Clarke: Montana Lewis & Clark Bicentenial http://www.montanalewisandclark.org/resources/travelingtrunks.htm
Contact them at tel: 406) 443-2109 or email at rcortright@mt.gov
*The Expedition
*Natural History
*Montana’s First People
There are many regional centers who also offer trunks. Contact your local natural history museum or the art museum to see what they have available. Since I live in Alabama, here are some Alabama resources also.
7. Mobile Museum of fine arts (http://www.mobilemuseumofart.com/)
Contact them at tel: (334) 343-2667
They have: * An African Trunk
*A Native American Trunk
*A Preschool trunk
8. Alabama Power Science Suitcases (http://www.southerncompany.com/alpower/community/sciencesuitcases.asp?mnuOpco=apc&mnuType=sub&mnuItem=oc)
They have many resources for teachers, including over 300 suitcases:
Nutshells - Grades 2 - 6
Delta Science Corners - Grades 2 - 6
Delta Science Modules
Delta FOSS (Full Option Science System) Modules Cuisenaire-->
Carolina Biological
Insights (Kendall/Hunt) Kits
Wabash Instrument Corporation
Water Assessment Kits
Enviroscape - Grades 3 - 8
9. Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/architrunk.html
Contact them at tel: (334) 242-4435
ArchiTrunk: Alabama History Teaching Kit. This kit is aligned with fourth grade Alabama teaching standards and contain Artifact reproductions, Books, Videos, Maps, Lesson Plans, and Activity Sheets. Costs only shipping.
10. Burritt on the Mountain (www.burrittmuseum.com/pages/education_programs_out.htm)
Contact them at tel: (256) 512-0146
They offer: *Grandmother’s trunk (TN Valley)
*Gifts from the earth (Native Americans and early Europeans of Southeast)
*Animals (skulls, pelts, etc)
*School Days (school items from 1800s)
My thanks to Debbie Carden for help with the research on this topic.
Does this not excite you? If students can touch and see, they will enjoy learning much more, they will remember much more, and you might just inspire a budding scholar to investigate further. Apart from the benefits to students, changing the everyday into a special day will help you enjoy your work more!
Have fun!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Taming the Beast (in other words, How to navigate internet resources)
The internet contains a wealth of information and very usable tools. The problem is finding those tools and that information in a timely manner, and keeping track of them so that you don't have to find the same things over and over again.
So, you say, that is what BOOKMARKS or FAVORITES are for. Yes, that's true. But what if you have more than one computer? The bookmarks and favorites are stored on your computer, not the email account (unless you have an internet-based account). That means if you save a bookmark on one computer, it will not be on the other, and so forth. I have a solution further down.
The other great help in finding good websites, is to find a good HOTLIST. Today I share some of my own favorite hotlists with you.
1. Backflip (http://www.backflip.com/login.ihtml)
Backflip is an internet-based bookmarking site. Membership is free and once you are registered, you can add your bookmarks or favorites from your computer, and add a toolbar button to "Backflip" any site you wish to add to your favorites list. Your bookmarks can be organized in categories, and it even has a "daily routine" section for websites you access everyday. It is easy to use, and it keeps your bookmarks/favorites organized and accessible even on someone else's computer. There are also public folders, where other people post useful links. I love this tool and use it every day.
I learned of this tool from Ken Wiseman.
2. Wiseman Tech (http://www.wisemantech.com)
One of the most useful educational technology sites I've come across. Mr. Wiseman has beginner level, and more advanced tutorials on digital photo, digital video, web collaboration, searching the internet effectively and efficiently, and even a wonderful resource on Guidance, put together by Mrs. Wiseman. Don't take my word for it. If you want to know how to do anything related to technology, try Wiseman Tech first.
3. District Administration Journal's Dr. Hotlist (http://www.districtadministration.com). Scroll down and you'll find the Dr. Hotlist icon on the left.
This hotlist of education websites is managed by Gil Dyrli, retired but very active professor of education from the University of Connecticut. Look for the Online Resources button. Explore the
Curriculum Hotspots, Professional Resources, Emerging Technologies, and Dr. Dyrli's technology column, The online Edge.
4. Filamentality (http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/)
Do you want ready made differentiation material? Looking for tiered assignments on anything?The Filamentality website offers thousands (77142 at last count) of mini-webquests on any subject you can imagine, created by teachers for their students.
Search Filamentality for "Ancient Greece," and you find 2943 different files created by teachers. Some are hotlists of student safe websites, some are webquests. A great resource if you need information on a subject quickly. I have not searched on any subject without finding some good resources.
Be prepared to plow through the filamentalities to find one that suits your students' age and ability. Usually it is worth the effort.
5. Webquests (http://bestwebquests.com)
As far as I can figure, the first webquest was written by Tom March (1995) at the San Diego State University, co-teaching with Bernie Dodge. The "Best Webquests" website is administered by Tom March, and on his site, he gives the following webquest resources:
Portals:
Tom March.com The central location for all Tom's "Bright Ideas for Education"
BestWebQuests Celebrating the Best in WebQuests
WebQuests for Learning WebQuests and materials created by Tom March
The WebQuest Portal Interactive WebQuest Community from Bernie Dodge
Online WebQuest Makers, of which Filamentality is one; WebQuest Design Guides; and Articles about Webquests.
Happy hunting. Next time, I plan to talk about trunks and suitcases offered by museums, non-profits, and organizations for checkout by teachers.
So, you say, that is what BOOKMARKS or FAVORITES are for. Yes, that's true. But what if you have more than one computer? The bookmarks and favorites are stored on your computer, not the email account (unless you have an internet-based account). That means if you save a bookmark on one computer, it will not be on the other, and so forth. I have a solution further down.
The other great help in finding good websites, is to find a good HOTLIST. Today I share some of my own favorite hotlists with you.
1. Backflip (http://www.backflip.com/login.ihtml)
Backflip is an internet-based bookmarking site. Membership is free and once you are registered, you can add your bookmarks or favorites from your computer, and add a toolbar button to "Backflip" any site you wish to add to your favorites list. Your bookmarks can be organized in categories, and it even has a "daily routine" section for websites you access everyday. It is easy to use, and it keeps your bookmarks/favorites organized and accessible even on someone else's computer. There are also public folders, where other people post useful links. I love this tool and use it every day.
I learned of this tool from Ken Wiseman.
2. Wiseman Tech (http://www.wisemantech.com)
One of the most useful educational technology sites I've come across. Mr. Wiseman has beginner level, and more advanced tutorials on digital photo, digital video, web collaboration, searching the internet effectively and efficiently, and even a wonderful resource on Guidance, put together by Mrs. Wiseman. Don't take my word for it. If you want to know how to do anything related to technology, try Wiseman Tech first.
3. District Administration Journal's Dr. Hotlist (http://www.districtadministration.com). Scroll down and you'll find the Dr. Hotlist icon on the left.
This hotlist of education websites is managed by Gil Dyrli, retired but very active professor of education from the University of Connecticut. Look for the Online Resources button. Explore the
Curriculum Hotspots, Professional Resources, Emerging Technologies, and Dr. Dyrli's technology column, The online Edge.
4. Filamentality (http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/)
Do you want ready made differentiation material? Looking for tiered assignments on anything?The Filamentality website offers thousands (77142 at last count) of mini-webquests on any subject you can imagine, created by teachers for their students.
Search Filamentality for "Ancient Greece," and you find 2943 different files created by teachers. Some are hotlists of student safe websites, some are webquests. A great resource if you need information on a subject quickly. I have not searched on any subject without finding some good resources.
Be prepared to plow through the filamentalities to find one that suits your students' age and ability. Usually it is worth the effort.
5. Webquests (http://bestwebquests.com)
As far as I can figure, the first webquest was written by Tom March (1995) at the San Diego State University, co-teaching with Bernie Dodge. The "Best Webquests" website is administered by Tom March, and on his site, he gives the following webquest resources:
Portals:
Tom March.com The central location for all Tom's "Bright Ideas for Education"
BestWebQuests Celebrating the Best in WebQuests
WebQuests for Learning WebQuests and materials created by Tom March
The WebQuest Portal Interactive WebQuest Community from Bernie Dodge
Online WebQuest Makers, of which Filamentality is one; WebQuest Design Guides; and Articles about Webquests.
Happy hunting. Next time, I plan to talk about trunks and suitcases offered by museums, non-profits, and organizations for checkout by teachers.
Taming the Beast (in other words, How to navigate internet resources)
The internet contains a wealth of information and very usable tools. The problem is finding those tools and that information in a timely manner, and keeping track of them so that you don't have to find the same things over and over again.
So, you say, that is what BOOKMARKS or FAVORITES are for. Yes, that's true. But what if you have more than one computer? The bookmarks and favorites are stored on your computer, not the email account (unless you have an internet-based account). That means if you save a bookmark on one computer, it will not be on the other, and so forth. I have a solution further down.
The other great help in finding good websites, is to find a good HOTLIST. Today I share some of my own favorite hotlists with you.
1. Backflip (http://www.backflip.com/login.ihtml)
Backflip is an internet-based bookmarking site. Membership is free and once you are registered, you can add your bookmarks or favorites from your computer, and add a toolbar button to "Backflip" any site you wish to add to your favorites list. Your bookmarks can be organized in categories, and it even has a "daily routine" section for websites you access everyday. It is easy to use, and it keeps your bookmarks/favorites organized and accessible even on someone else's computer. There are also public folders, where other people post useful links. I love this tool and use it every day.
I learned of this tool from Ken Wiseman.
2. Wiseman Tech (http://www.wisemantech.com)
One of the most useful educational technology sites I've come across. Mr. Wiseman has beginner level, and more advanced tutorials on digital photo, digital video, web collaboration, searching the internet effectively and efficiently, and even a wonderful resource on Guidance, put together by Mrs. Wiseman. Don't take my word for it. If you want to know how to do anything related to technology, try Wiseman Tech first.
3. District Administration Journal's Dr. Hotlist (http://www.districtadministration.com). Scroll down and you'll find the Dr. Hotlist icon on the left.
This hotlist of education websites is managed by Gil Dyrli, retired but very active professor of education from the University of Connecticut. Look for the Online Resources button. Explore the
Curriculum Hotspots, Professional Resources, Emerging Technologies, and Dr. Dyrli's technology column, The online Edge.
4. Filamentality (http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/)
Do you want ready made differentiation material? Looking for tiered assignments on anything?The Filamentality website offers thousands (77142 at last count) of mini-webquests on any subject you can imagine, created by teachers for their students.
Search Filamentality for "Ancient Greece," and you find 2943 different files created by teachers. Some are hotlists of student safe websites, some are webquests. A great resource if you need information on a subject quickly. I have not searched on any subject without finding some good resources.
Be prepared to plow through the filamentalities to find one that suits your students' age and ability. Usually it is worth the effort.
5. Webquests (http://bestwebquests.com)
As far as I can figure, the first webquest was written by Tom March (1995) at the San Diego State University, co-teaching with Bernie Dodge. The "Best Webquests" website is administered by Tom March, and on his site, he gives the following webquest resources:
Portals:
Tom March.com The central location for all Tom's "Bright Ideas for Education"
BestWebQuests Celebrating the Best in WebQuests
WebQuests for Learning WebQuests and materials created by Tom March
The WebQuest Portal Interactive WebQuest Community from Bernie Dodge
Online WebQuest Makers, of which Filamentality is one; WebQuest Design Guides; and Articles about Webquests.
Happy hunting. Next time, I plan to talk about trunks and suitcases offered by museums, non-profits, and organizations for checkout by teachers.
So, you say, that is what BOOKMARKS or FAVORITES are for. Yes, that's true. But what if you have more than one computer? The bookmarks and favorites are stored on your computer, not the email account (unless you have an internet-based account). That means if you save a bookmark on one computer, it will not be on the other, and so forth. I have a solution further down.
The other great help in finding good websites, is to find a good HOTLIST. Today I share some of my own favorite hotlists with you.
1. Backflip (http://www.backflip.com/login.ihtml)
Backflip is an internet-based bookmarking site. Membership is free and once you are registered, you can add your bookmarks or favorites from your computer, and add a toolbar button to "Backflip" any site you wish to add to your favorites list. Your bookmarks can be organized in categories, and it even has a "daily routine" section for websites you access everyday. It is easy to use, and it keeps your bookmarks/favorites organized and accessible even on someone else's computer. There are also public folders, where other people post useful links. I love this tool and use it every day.
I learned of this tool from Ken Wiseman.
2. Wiseman Tech (http://www.wisemantech.com)
One of the most useful educational technology sites I've come across. Mr. Wiseman has beginner level, and more advanced tutorials on digital photo, digital video, web collaboration, searching the internet effectively and efficiently, and even a wonderful resource on Guidance, put together by Mrs. Wiseman. Don't take my word for it. If you want to know how to do anything related to technology, try Wiseman Tech first.
3. District Administration Journal's Dr. Hotlist (http://www.districtadministration.com). Scroll down and you'll find the Dr. Hotlist icon on the left.
This hotlist of education websites is managed by Gil Dyrli, retired but very active professor of education from the University of Connecticut. Look for the Online Resources button. Explore the
Curriculum Hotspots, Professional Resources, Emerging Technologies, and Dr. Dyrli's technology column, The online Edge.
4. Filamentality (http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/)
Do you want ready made differentiation material? Looking for tiered assignments on anything?The Filamentality website offers thousands (77142 at last count) of mini-webquests on any subject you can imagine, created by teachers for their students.
Search Filamentality for "Ancient Greece," and you find 2943 different files created by teachers. Some are hotlists of student safe websites, some are webquests. A great resource if you need information on a subject quickly. I have not searched on any subject without finding some good resources.
Be prepared to plow through the filamentalities to find one that suits your students' age and ability. Usually it is worth the effort.
5. Webquests (http://bestwebquests.com)
As far as I can figure, the first webquest was written by Tom March (1995) at the San Diego State University, co-teaching with Bernie Dodge. The "Best Webquests" website is administered by Tom March, and on his site, he gives the following webquest resources:
Portals:
Tom March.com The central location for all Tom's "Bright Ideas for Education"
BestWebQuests Celebrating the Best in WebQuests
WebQuests for Learning WebQuests and materials created by Tom March
The WebQuest Portal Interactive WebQuest Community from Bernie Dodge
Online WebQuest Makers, of which Filamentality is one; WebQuest Design Guides; and Articles about Webquests.
Happy hunting. Next time, I plan to talk about trunks and suitcases offered by museums, non-profits, and organizations for checkout by teachers.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
The Wonderful World of Newsletters
I have discovered that some people spend a lot of time gathering information and publishing it in the form of newsletters. If you search long enough, you can probably find a newsletter on just about any subject. Often, a newsletter will be a collection of news articles on a particular subject. I use those to scan through a large amount of information quickly. Usually, these newsletters have the title and an introductory paragraph for a number of news articles. If you want to read the full article, the newsletter gives a link for you to click on and voila! Sometimes, a newsletter on a particular topic gives helpful hints. Other newsletters, often for commercial ventures such as bookstores, give new release information and special offers.
Today, I give you links to my favorite newsletters.
1. ASCD Smartbrief (http://www.smartbrief.com/ascd/)
This newsletter contains "E-Mail news for the K-12 education profession." It is one of those collections of news articles pertinent to K-12 education. It keeps you up to date on trends and issues in education. You can choose to follow a particular news story, and the Smartbrief will give you alerts when more about a particular topic is published. They also periodically give links to special reports on specific topics. There is always information about new publications for educators, and they have a "Who's Hiring" feature advertising available jobs.
Subscription is free.
2. CEC Smartbrief (http://www.smartbrief.com/cec/)
Same format, often some of the same content, but content is specific to matters of interest to members of the Council on Exceptional Children - special education issues. It includes gifted education issues.
Subscription is free.
3. eSchool News (http://www.eschoolnews.com)
Newsletter covering issues with technology in schools. Currently, they are running a report on technology and its impact on Formative Assessment (http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/formative_assessment/index.cfm), as well as a resource center on Multimedia Instructional Tools http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/Multimedia_Instructional/index.cfm
If you are interested in technology, try this newsletter. It's free.
4. Dave Paradi - Thinking Outside The Slide
(http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/newsletter.htm )
Each Dave Paradi newsletter contains a great Powerpoint Tip. He has written a book on the effective use of MS Powerpoint and offers online conferencing training sessions on specific Powerpoint skills. I have attended one of those and it was practical and helpful and worth every penny I paid. The training sessions are not free, although he will throw in a free ebook, and his free newletter is chockfull of practical hints. It is worth your time to read this!
Free subscription.
5. Gifted Child Education Newsletter (http://www.prufrock.com/)
Published by Prufrock Press, this newsletter has little articles, news items, and of course, special promotions from Prufrock on their new releases. While you are about it, look at their catalogue - special internet deals. They have a few interesting teacher resource books available for as little as $2.95. They also have 2 blogs: a Gifted Education blog, and a Gifted Child Info blog.
Free subscription.
6. The Annenberg Media Newsletters (http://www.learner.org/mailman/listinfo/updates
This organization has an excellent educational resource website (http://www.learner.org) with videos and a TV broadcasting schedule of educational programs. You can choose from a total of 37 discussion lists. Examples include: TEACHING GEOGRAPHY, ARTS IN EVERY CLASSROOM, LEARNING SCIENCE THROUGH INQUIRY, and PRIMARY SOURCES.
Free subscription.
If you can contribute more helpful newsletter ideas for those interested in education and specifically gifted education, let us know.
Today, I give you links to my favorite newsletters.
1. ASCD Smartbrief (http://www.smartbrief.com/ascd/)
This newsletter contains "E-Mail news for the K-12 education profession." It is one of those collections of news articles pertinent to K-12 education. It keeps you up to date on trends and issues in education. You can choose to follow a particular news story, and the Smartbrief will give you alerts when more about a particular topic is published. They also periodically give links to special reports on specific topics. There is always information about new publications for educators, and they have a "Who's Hiring" feature advertising available jobs.
Subscription is free.
2. CEC Smartbrief (http://www.smartbrief.com/cec/)
Same format, often some of the same content, but content is specific to matters of interest to members of the Council on Exceptional Children - special education issues. It includes gifted education issues.
Subscription is free.
3. eSchool News (http://www.eschoolnews.com)
Newsletter covering issues with technology in schools. Currently, they are running a report on technology and its impact on Formative Assessment (http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/formative_assessment/index.cfm), as well as a resource center on Multimedia Instructional Tools http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/Multimedia_Instructional/index.cfm
If you are interested in technology, try this newsletter. It's free.
4. Dave Paradi - Thinking Outside The Slide
(http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/newsletter.htm )
Each Dave Paradi newsletter contains a great Powerpoint Tip. He has written a book on the effective use of MS Powerpoint and offers online conferencing training sessions on specific Powerpoint skills. I have attended one of those and it was practical and helpful and worth every penny I paid. The training sessions are not free, although he will throw in a free ebook, and his free newletter is chockfull of practical hints. It is worth your time to read this!
Free subscription.
5. Gifted Child Education Newsletter (http://www.prufrock.com/)
Published by Prufrock Press, this newsletter has little articles, news items, and of course, special promotions from Prufrock on their new releases. While you are about it, look at their catalogue - special internet deals. They have a few interesting teacher resource books available for as little as $2.95. They also have 2 blogs: a Gifted Education blog, and a Gifted Child Info blog.
Free subscription.
6. The Annenberg Media Newsletters (http://www.learner.org/mailman/listinfo/updates
This organization has an excellent educational resource website (http://www.learner.org) with videos and a TV broadcasting schedule of educational programs. You can choose from a total of 37 discussion lists. Examples include: TEACHING GEOGRAPHY, ARTS IN EVERY CLASSROOM, LEARNING SCIENCE THROUGH INQUIRY, and PRIMARY SOURCES.
Free subscription.
If you can contribute more helpful newsletter ideas for those interested in education and specifically gifted education, let us know.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Hello (in other words, Introduction)
Today, I am starting on a new adventure - my own blog. I hope you will join this journey and enjoy the ride. Who knows where it will go and where we will end. It will be interesting.
I am doing this primarily to create a space where I can share ideas, resources, and questions about the world of gifted education. I trust this will be a helpful space. Remember though, this is a personal view of my world. This blog is designed for the exchange of ideas. Some of these ideas may be grounded in theory and research. Others may very well be wild and woolly.
I invite you to respond. Agree with me if you can. Set me straight if you think you need to.
Welcome!
I am doing this primarily to create a space where I can share ideas, resources, and questions about the world of gifted education. I trust this will be a helpful space. Remember though, this is a personal view of my world. This blog is designed for the exchange of ideas. Some of these ideas may be grounded in theory and research. Others may very well be wild and woolly.
I invite you to respond. Agree with me if you can. Set me straight if you think you need to.
Welcome!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
