Teaching Exceptionally Able and Dual Exceptional Pupils ...



Teaching Exceptionally Able and Dual Exceptional Pupils Inclusively:

An Introduction for Primary Schools

A Two-hour Course

Presenters’ Handbook

Sept. 2013

Teaching Exceptionally Able and Dual Exceptional Pupils Inclusively:

An Introduction for Primary Schools

COURSE SUMMARY

This is a two-hour seminar for Primary Schools. It has been adapted from the 5-hour primary seminar – please see notes on the main changes below.

Seminar Aim:

To provide primary teachers with an introduction to the topic of Exceptional Ability and Dual Exceptionality in primary schools.

Expected Outcomes:

Teachers will:

1. Have a knowledge and understanding of the concept of Exceptional Ability and Dual Exceptionality (EA/DE)[1]

2. Be aware of the role of assessment in identifying exceptionally able and dual exceptional pupils and their unique learning needs

3. Have an understanding of the particular social and emotional needs of pupils with EA/DE and an overview of strategies to support them

4. Understand the policy framework that underpins the inclusive education of pupils with EA/DE in Ireland

5. Receive an introduction to the concept of metacognition and metacognitive strategies

6. Have a range of differentiation teaching strategies and resources for the teaching of EA/DE pupils

7. Participate in the planning of appropriate instruction for EA/DE pupils.

Content:

The seminar has three main sections which address three key questions for teachers:

Section 1: ‘What are we talking about?’ - What do we mean by ‘Exceptionally Able’ and ‘Dual Exceptional’?

Section 2: ‘How do we find out who they are and what are their needs?’ - Assessment, Identification and Needs

Section 3: ‘How do we teach them’ - Teaching the Exceptionally Able and Dual Exceptional

Section 1 Overview

What do we mean by ‘Exceptionally Able’ and ‘Dual Exceptional’? (‘What are we talking about?’).

A relatively large proportion of the course is devoted to this topic, given the range of misconceptions that exist about concepts such as: ‘exceptional ability’; ‘giftedness’; ‘gifted and talented’; ‘dual exceptional’; etc. This section initially challenges participants to examine their own understanding of the concept, along with popular caricatures stereotypes, and points out the range of interpretations that exist. It then goes on to provide a clearer outline of the concept within a Special Educational Needs understanding.

The Key Messages in this section are:

• There are a range of ‘common’ understandings of the concepts such as ‘exceptional ability’, ‘giftedness’, ‘gifted and talented’, etc, and these may not be well understood sometimes.

• There are various professional interpretations of these concepts, each of which is useful in its own way.

• There are guidelines available which can help schools in formulating their own understanding and policy with regard to pupils with exceptional ability and dual exceptionality.

• Pupils within this category will need adapted and differentiated teaching and learning strategies that go beyond that needed for the general cohort of pupils.

Section 2 Overview

Assessment, Identification and Needs (‘How do we find out who they are?’)

The second section focuses on the use of suitable assessment processes to identify pupils who might be exceptionally able or dual exceptional and their particular needs. The range of needs of differing profiles of EA/DE pupils is outlined, along with the particular social and emotional needs of this cohort.

The Key Messages in this section are:

• Pupils with exceptional ability may not be easily identifiable.

• Contrary to popular misconception, a large proportion of pupils with exceptional ability will have unique needs that need differentiated teaching approaches.

• It is important to understand and make accommodation for the social and emotional needs of some EA/DE pupils.

• Many pupils with exceptional ability, and particularly those with dual exceptionality, will be at risk of not being identified without teacher knowledge and awareness, and robust whole-school assessment procedures

Section 3 Overview

Teaching the Exceptionally Able and Dual Exceptional (‘How do we teach them’)

From this section teachers will understand that many of the needs of EA/DE pupils will be met by including higher-order learning and teaching tasks in day-to-day classroom activities. Particular differentiation strategies suitable for EA/DE pupils will be provided, along with resources. Metacognition will be briefly mentioned.

The Key Messages in this section are:

• Our national policy states that exceptionally able pupils should be taught inclusively and it provides a clear framework for doing so

• A rang of appropriate differentiation strategies and supports can be applied.

Note on main changes from 5-hour seminar: The original five-hour seminar materials have been edited to suit delivery of an in-school two-hour seminar. The assessment, metacognition and social and emotional sections have been shortened but the key messages and slides have been retained. The first handout / activity has been removed – ‘who are the students with exceptional ability’? Guidelines for ‘ice-breaking’ introduced: introduce yourself; ask how many are mainstream/LS, what they are looking for, etc.

The ‘Workshop’ has been deleted and a very brief introduction to ‘Metacognition’ is included. If requested SESS Presenters could facilitate the ‘Workshop’ in the school at a later date (see handout 4).

Notes on Presentation Approach and Style of Presentation

Presenters should model some of the strategies outlined in the presentation and, as suggested in the course in relation to teaching, make these strategies explicit (e.g. see notes on Part 2 - Strategies for Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom).

For example, some slides in this presentation have multiple bullet-points which are not shown at first so that the introduction can be made without the distraction of the text. Then, on ‘click’, all of the points are introduced together. At this point some ‘wait time’ should then be allowed for the audience to scan and process the text – do not be intimidated by silence (e.g. see notes on 2: Differentiation / Extension by Dialogue).

Similarly, all of the text on some slides is not meant to be read by the presenter – it is there as notes for the participants – and just some of the points need to be elaborated on: e.g. “Here are some of the points that you might consider (in relation to the topic) … for example …..(and elaborate on just two or three from the list) ….”.

In some cases it will be appropriate to allow ‘wait time’ when you ask a question, and further time when it is answered for the audience to consider it.

When discussing teaching strategies, make your own techniques explicit as an example and refer back to this when discussing the metacognition section.

Course Resource Documents

• All documents for presenters are available from sess.ie/exceptionally-able-team

• Supporting resources and documents related to the course are on the SESS website and can be viewed and downloaded by participants if they wish from the course description

Evening 1: Sections 1 and 2

|INTRODUCTION |

|1. Welcome and personal introduction, ask how many are mainstream/LS, what they are looking for, etc. |

|2. The Role of the SESS |

|Outline the role of the SESS. |

|SESS provides professional development and support for teachers working with students with special educational needs in mainstream classes, |

|primary and post-primary, special schools and special classes – that is, over 4000 schools and over 55,000 teachers. |

|3. About SESS - Models of Support |

|The SESS tries to support teachers and schools in as flexible a way as possible – these are some of the forms of support. |

|There is no need to read through the list – it will be developed in the next slide. |

|4. SESS Resources |

|These are just some examples of resources provided by SESS from time to time. |

|Encourage participants to visit the website as a first point of reference – it has many features including fact sheets on categories of special |

|educational need, teacher resources, official documents from the DES, and a Contact Us section for any specific queries. |

|There are also links to the eLearning options and the book-borrowing library |

|The Supports Scheme should be of particular interest as it enables schools and / or individual teachers to identify their own professional |

|development needs in relation to special education and apply to SESS for support. Support sought may be financial, professional and / or |

|advisory in nature. |

|COURSE INTRODUCTION |

|5. Content of Course |

|Here we outline what the content of the seminar is going to be. Basically, we examine three key questions which teachers will have. |

|‘What are we talking about?’ - What do we mean by ‘Exceptionally Able’ and ‘Dual Exceptional’? |

|‘How do we find out who they are?’ –Assessment: identifying pupils with Exceptional Ability and Dual Exceptionality and their individual |

|characteristics. |

|‘How do we teach them’ – Strategies for teaching EA/DE* pupils in an inclusive manner. |

| |

|(*Note to Presenters: the expression EA and EA/DE is used just for expediency in this text – we do not wish to introduce it as another acronym |

|into the professional parlance! Use the full words when presenting.) |

|SECTION 1: ‘Exceptionally Able’ (‘What are we talking about?’) |

|6. Section 1: What are we talking about? |

|The first half of this section is to examine the CONCEPT of exceptional ability (as opposed to Characteristics). |

|The opening part of this section/topic is meant to challenge participants’ pre-conceptions of what the concept of ‘exceptionality’ means, and to|

|break down stereotypical concepts which may not be consistent with the SESS understanding of EA/DE within an SEN conceptualisation. |

|This section is also used as an ‘ice-breaker’ with the audience (the second part of the section/topic will begin to re-build participant’s |

|understanding of the concept) |

|Therefore, begin with two or three question like: |

|“When we mention the expression ‘Exceptional Ability’, what kind of pupil springs to mind – what are the characteristics of that pupil in |

|class?” |

|‘what is your understanding of the term’? |

|‘do you know any genius’’ |

|‘do you know anyone who is gifted’? |

|‘do you know anyone who is exceptionally able’? |

|‘has anyone ever taught an exceptionally able child – how exceptional, what were the characteristics, challenges, etc’? |

|Take two or three answers to represent a range of views and pick key words from each answer – typically, they will be words like ‘intelligent’, |

|‘clever’, etc. Try to select and point out a key word or trait from each response. There is no need to get into discussion on them. We do not |

|wish to dwell too long on this. |

| |

|Next, ask the following question by a show of hands: “How many of you think that intelligence is fixed – i.e. that they come into school with ‘a|

|certain amount of it’ – and how many of you think that it is malleable – i.e. that it can be developed”? |

|Just make a general comment on the outcome – most tend to think it malleable – we will refer to this again. |

|This may be the participants’ first time hearing the expression of ‘Dual Exceptional’, so briefly explain the concept: e.g. – “We will be |

|talking further about the ‘dual exceptional’ children, but the term basically refers to a pupil who may have exceptional ability along with some|

|other form of special educational need, such as dyslexia. In other words, they are exceptional in two different ways and are often not |

|recognised as being exceptionally able. For example, the Dyslexia may mask the exceptional ability.” |

|7. Differing Concepts of Exceptionality / Giftedness |

|This is a continuation from the previous exercise and six terms are initially put to the audience. Some will correspond with answers provided |

|previously. Ask them: |

|“Which of these terms would best describe the child whom you would consider to have exceptional ability?” |

|Allow ‘thinking time’ – wait before taking an answer and take only two or three answers without getting into discussion. Alternatively, if you |

|feel comfortable, you could take a quick show of hands as to how many have a preference for each term. |

|Next introduce the four characters and invite the audience as follows: “Here are four characters – would you match any of the particular |

|characters with any of the particular terms?” |

|Remember, the purpose of this is to begin to make the participants aware of the complexity of the concept of exceptionality – there are no |

|‘right answers’. |

|Briefly introduce the characters and their fields (please note that the characters are intended to match the Multiple Intelligence spectrum – we|

|shall return to this): |

|Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy – social action and social innovation |

|W. B. Yeats – literature |

|Stephen Hawkins – physical sciences |

|Roy Keane – sport |

|Ask the questions: |

|‘Can you match each of these characters with one of the terms’? |

|‘Do all of these characters fit your idea of Exceptional Ability’? (don’t get into discussion on any living character). |

|Take one or two answers. |

|Conclude this exercise fairly quickly, ending with the observation that different people have different ideas about what Exceptional Ability |

|means and that there are different ways of ‘looking at it’. |

|The following two slides quickly enforce this point – these should be dealt with quickly. |

|8. Perspective 1: Intelligence Quotient (IQ) |

|The Intelligenz-Quotient or IQ is a frequently used indicator of Exceptional Ability (note: this is the origin of the expression of ‘superior’ |

|used on an early slide – it refers to a superior score as opposed to a values connotation) |

|Some people find difficulty, however, with IQ type tests – they might be culturally biased for example, or might not give accurate scores for |

|people with specific learning disabilities. They also measure ‘ability’ within a narrow cognitive sense – e.g. they do not measure creativity. |

|Here, refer briefly to the four characters we showed in an earlier slide – e.g. |

|“How many of the characters we showed in the earlier slide would have a ‘superior’ score in an IQ-type test?” |

|“Would both Yeats and Hawkins have scored similarly in an IQ-type test”? |

|This is the type of test that psychologists will use in formal assessment of exceptional ability and is a very useful indicator. |

|Here ask the question: “how many of you think this is a good indicator of intelligence?” |

|In some cases, a large proportion of the audience may have indicated earlier that intelligence is malleable, but also indicate that IQ is a good|

|measurement. This would appear to be a confusion and it may be worth pointing this out if it occurs in order to raise awareness. |

|(Intelligenz-Quotient, William Stern, 1912) |

|9. Perspective 2: Multiple Intelligence |

|Most participants will be familiar with the concept of Multiple Intelligences. |

|Within this concept, exceptionality is not a ‘global’ trait - pupils may have Exceptional Ability in particular ‘intelligences’. |

|Note here that what is normally considered ‘academic’ intelligence in schools is primarily in the Logical/Mathematical and Linguistic areas. |

|However, even within these, there are differences between Yeats’ and Hawkins’ intelligences. |

|Here, refer back characters in the first slides – in which intelligence were each most prominent? |

|Then ‘click’ to offer this distribution: |

|Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy – Intrapersonal and Interpersonal? |

|W. B. Yeats – Linguistic? |

|Stephen Hawkins – Logical mathematical? |

|Roy Keane – body kinaesthetic? |

|(Howard Gardner; Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence, 1983). |

|10. Perspective 3: Renzulli’s link between Ability and Achievement |

|Begin with a brief discussion on difficulties arising from the popular concept of the expressions ‘Gifted’ and ‘Genius’. Caricatures of these |

|have popularly developed and this leads to a popular impression of effortlessness and ease: (e.g. the ‘eureka moment’: that Newton got the idea |

|of gravity from seeing an apple falling; that Watt got the idea of steam power for seeing the kettle boil, etc). |

|Renzulli equated ‘Giftedness’ with ‘Achievement’, and this, he said, required three prime components. |

|High Ability (in the particular domain/intelligence) |

|Creativity is a key component according to Renzulli. This creates a special challenge for teachers of exceptionally able students as education |

|systems are sometimes criticised for stifling creativity rather than promoting it. For example, ask the question: |

|Question – ‘Do you mark your pupils down if they explore a different way of doing something but don’t get it quite right the first time. If they|

|do get marked down in such cases, what is the inevitable outcome? ‘Do you mark your very able pupils 10/10 regularly – what might the effects of|

|that be?’ |

|When we discuss social and emotional issues later and we will see that this is an important issue. “Being creative normally involved |

|exploration, and exploration sometimes inevitably leads to – what? – failure”. Therefore, do we sometimes ‘mark down’ pupils for being |

|creative”? |

|Task Commitment: contrary to the common caricature of ‘genius’, almost all high-level accomplishment has involved a decade of enormous hard work|

|and the overcoming of severe obstacles. A minimum of a decade is generally required for a major achievement in any domain. If you wish to |

|support this by verse, you might quote Longfellow: |

|The heights by great men reached and kept, |

|were not obtained by sudden flight. |

|But they, while their companions slept, |

|were toiling upward in the night. |

|Here introduce the concept of ‘resilience’ – it is important to promote and support ‘resilience’ in pupils who are exceptionally able and |

|especially dual exceptional – indeed, with all pupils with SEN. |

|Renzulli’s model is useful as it suggests that schools must support pupils in these three areas. |

|In relation to assessment, it is worth noting that IQ-type tests will measure just one aspect of this, and within limited parameters. |

|…………………………… |

|(Here briefly introduce the concept of ‘Attainment’ Vs ‘Achievement’, as it will arise later also. |

|Attainment is how well a student does in comparison with others (norms based). |

|Achievement is how well a student does in relation to their own ability (achievement Vs potential). |

|............................................ |

|Note to presenters: The SERC Report seems to have, in part, drawn strongly from this particular concept, but also seems to favour IQ as an |

|indicator: “While exceptional ability and talent are seen as an interaction between three basic human traits — above-average general abilities, |

|high levels of task commitment and high levels of creativity — a high score on an intelligence test remains the single most favoured criterion |

|where such pupils are formally identified.” |

| |

|11. Perspective 4: Higher Order Thinking (‘HOT’) |

|Introduce the acronym of ‘HOT’ – Higher Order Thinking. |

|This is a very useful perspective and we will rely on it a lot when looking at teaching strategies. Basically, in order to provide stimulation |

|and challenge to pupils with exceptional ability, and to ensure their learning progression, we must ensure that they are working at the ‘higher |

|order’ cognitive level and engaged in higher order learning tasks as much as possible. |

|The practice of teaching has been regularly criticised for concentrating too much on the lower levels of the taxonomy – e.g. memorization and |

|rote learning – and some grading in schools is based on this level of operation. |

|Discuss how good memory can sometimes be confused with higher levels of cognitive functioning. E.G. give a scenario such as: “A 12-year old can |

|‘do’ Pythagoras’ theorem – which level is he/she operating on?” It could be at any level, as basic as memory – he/she could have memorised it |

|without having any understanding of the higher-order concepts involved. Remembering dates of battles isn’t the same as being able to analyse and|

|evaluate historical events. |

|This is a good point to briefly introduce the concept and an example of dual-exceptionality – e.g. while discussing ‘memory’: |

|“While good memory may be an indicator of exceptional ability, lack of good memory does not discount exceptional ability, particularly where |

|there may be some element of a specific special educational need. Poor working memory is a common trait in some such specific learning |

|disabilities – e.g. in dyslexia – and it is common for teachers to under-estimate ability because of the pupils’ difficulties with memorising |

|facts. We will be returning to this.” |

|Point out that the emphasis on higher-order tasks is not to under-estimate the importance of the lower-levels on this scale – e.g. the role of |

|memory in learning and as a basis for understanding. We will be returning to Bloom’s taxonomy when discussing teaching. |

|…………………………………………………….. |

|Notes for Presenter: a key point here is that many teachers spend too much time at lower-order activities and need to create a higher-order |

|learning culture in the classroom. If they do, many of the needs of the exceptionally able student will be met within Stage One of the ‘staged |

|approach’. We will return to this when looking at strategies. |

|Background Note on ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy’ |

|Bloom's Taxonomy is a classification of learning objectives produced in 1956 by a committee of educators chaired by Benjamin Bloom who edited |

|the first volume of (Bloom’s) Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals. It proposed three domains: |

|Cognitive [knowing/head] |

|Affective Domain (emphasizing feeling and emotion) [feeling/heart] |

|Psychomotor Domain (concerned with motor skills) [doing/hands] |

|It is also interesting to note that when presenting Bloom’s Taxonomy vis-à-vis Exceptional Ability and teaching in general, only the Cognitive |

|element is usually presented – you should be aware of the other elements – Affective and Psychomotor. |

|The taxonomy was revised in 2000 and we are using the ‘revised taxonomy’. |

|Remembering: Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long-term memory. |

|Understanding: Constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages through interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, |

|inferring, comparing, and explaining. |

|Applying: Carrying out or using a procedure through executing, or implementing. |

|Analyzing: Breaking material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose |

|through differentiating, organizing, and attributing. |

|Evaluating: Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and critiquing. |

|Creating: Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through |

|generating, planning, or producing. |

|(Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001, pp. 67-68) |

|12. Perspectives 5: Stretch Zone’ [‘Zone of Challenge’] |

|Strictly speaking, this is not a perspective on exceptional ability, but is useful to teachers in looking at Exceptionality Ability as just |

|another element of cognitive diversity in the classroom which needs to be addressed through differentiated approaches. |

|It draws on Vygotsky’s learning theory on ‘the zone of proximal development’. |

|The key message here is that, normally, pupils with exceptional ability spend too much time in the ‘comfort zone’ and, through higher order |

|learning tasks need to be in the ‘stretch zone’ as much as possible. Similarly, pupils with other forms of SEN may be operating in a class where|

|the levels are beyond their learning zone. This can be used to point out the need for differentiation ‘across the full spectrum’ in as much as |

|is possible. |

|[L.S. Vygotsky (1978): Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes.] |

|13. Definition: NCCA Guidelines |

|Here introduce the NCCA ‘Guidelines’ – these were sent to all schools and are available on the website. |

|The first quote from the document is useful because it refers to students who need accommodations “that go beyond those provided for the general|

|cohort of students” and we therefore begin to see it from a ‘Special Needs’ perspective. |

|This might be a useful clause for schools to consider when looking at their policy development on exceptional ability. |

|This also introduces concepts of general good teaching: differentiation, extension and enrichment, and the idea of general good practice – as we|

|will see. |

|The Guidelines are available as Course Support Documents on the website |

|14. Definition: NCCA Guidelines (2) |

|However, while providing a general definition as outlined in the previous slide, the NCCA also uses ‘IQ’ as a guideline. They also offer an |

|indication of percentages and this is sometimes a useful tool to question schools about their assessment strategies – e.g. “How many pupil are |

|in your school? Going by these percentages, how many on average would be classified as exceptionally able and how many as profoundly able? Do |

|you know who they are?” (this flags up the ‘assessement’ section of the course). |

|Explain that IQ is just one means of assessing ability and it is a mechanism not without its critics. It will never give a full picture of the |

|range of characteristics of a person, but it can be a useful indicator for assessing at what level a person may be performing in comparison to |

|the general population. Examples of IQ tests are WISC-III and Stanford-Binet (4th edition) |

|The Bell Curve is useful because it gives the range at a glance. |

|Refer to weakness of testing in relation to some children, especially ‘dual exceptional’. |

|……………………………… |

| |

|Notes for Presenters: |

|1) The relevant SERC Report extract is on the SESS website: |

|It initially provides a broad range of abilities: “Pupils who are exceptionally able or talented are those who have demonstrated their capacity |

|to achieve high performance in one or more of the following areas: |

|General intellectual ability |

|Specific academic aptitude |

|Creative or productive thinking |

|Leadership ability |

|Visual and performing arts |

|Mechanical aptitude |

|Psychomotor ability: e.g. in athletics or gymnastics” |

|However, it then goes on to ‘suggest’ intelligence tests as the most favoured criterion for identification, with a score of over 130 used as an |

|indicator. It provides a caveat with this about precise cut-off points: “ … a high score on an intelligence test remains the single most |

|favoured criterion where such pupils are formally identified” (p. 162). |

|“…… Insofar as a score or an intelligence test can be regarded as an indicator, we suggest that the description of ‘exceptionally able’ be used |

|to denote pupils with an IQ score in the range of 130 and above.” |

|“…It is our opinion, however, that adopting a precise cut-off point can have little practical application.” |

|[Department of Education. Report of the Special Education Review Committee, (SERC) Stationery Office, Dublin, 1993] |

|15. Why Special? |

|Why are Pupils who are Exceptional Ability categorised as ‘Special’. |

|As mentioned earlier, it refers the need for provision that goes “beyond those provided for the general cohort of students”. |

|These following factors can be considered in addition: |

|Dispel the myths – e.g. |

|‘Exceptionally able learners will always do well whatever the circumstances’ |

|‘The cream always rises to the top’ |

|‘Exceptionally able learners are so clever that do well with or without special education provision’ |

|Realise potential – we want all pupils to ‘achieve’ their unique potentials – not just to ‘attain’ to a norms-based level (stress again when we |

|come to ‘The Successfuls’) |

|Avoid under-identification [common, as we will see in ‘profiles’] |

|Avoid under-achievement [common, as we will see in ‘profiles’] |

|Entitlement to an appropriate education (there is a strong legislative imperative in Ireland - e.g. 1998 Education Act and EPSEN Act 2004) |

|Unique social and emotional needs – we will examine this later, but you may use this quote from the Irish Association for Gifted Children to |

|flag it up: |

|“Children who are intellectually advanced for their age may find themselves out of step with their contemporaries. Some find themselves socially|

|isolated, rejected by their peers and unable to communicate because of their unusual interests and adult language level…” ()] |

|16. Introduction to the Concept of Dual Exceptionality |

|We have to be very aware that children with some forms of special educational need may also have exceptional abilities. |

|This leads to the concept of Dual Exceptionality – different terms are sometimes used – e.g. ‘Double Labelled’; ‘Twice Exceptional’; ‘2X’, etc. |

|This refers to children who may be exceptionally able but also have some other element of a special educational need. |

|A quick example are those who have spina bifida – the same proportion as the general population may have exceptional ability but the same |

|proportion will not be identified because their disability may mask their ability (and research has told us that teachers’ expectations are |

|lower). Outline the two types in the slide. |

|Under-identification will be common in schools in the case of pupils with specific learning disabilities, such as those with traits of dyslexia.|

|17. Dual Exceptionality – Strengths and Challenges |

|Dual Exceptional Pupils have particular strengths and challenges that need to be taken into account. |

|No need to read through these – allow audience a little tome to scan. Mention one or two. |

|Make the comment that these variables make the assessment and planning process more significant. We will be discussing this later. |

|Ask for an example of one strength or challenge from the list which members of the audience have encountered. |

|SECTION 2: Assessment (‘Who are they are, and what are their needs’? ) |

|18. Assessment? (Why do we assess?) |

|…………………………………………. |

|Notes for Presenters: |

|we are not providing in-serve here on ‘assessment’ per se – it is a summary of the key points on assessment in order to provide a framework for |

|the assessment of EA/DE pupils. Therefore, do not dwell too long on sections relating to the overarching principles of assessment. |

|we wish to develop the professional language and conceptualisation of what ‘assessment’ means – i.e. that it goes beyond ‘testing’ etc. |

|Therefore, keep this in mind at all times when discussing ‘assessment’. |

|………………………………………………………. |

|Assessment involves the systematic gathering of information to make appropriate educational decisions for a pupil. Essentially, assessment |

|allows us to get a holistic view – to build a complete picture. |

|Stress the basic point outlined in the slide – each will be developed further as we go through the assessment section of presentation. We give a|

|jigsaw image here, suggesting that good assessment practices involved bringing varuous components of assessment together to build a picture of |

|the child. |

|Assessment should facilitate greater understanding and yield further information as to the needs of the student. |

|In relation to assessment of the student with exceptional ability, “The purpose … is to improve provision by creating a more informed picture of|

|pupil’s abilities and talents. No school-based identification system is likely to be perfect.” (Eyre, p. 15) |

|Using a variety of tools of assessment (informal and formal) allows teachers to build on the students identified needs and to plan for each |

|students learning and teaching – i.e. where the student is going and how he is going to get there. Each of these little chunks form ‘the big |

|picture’ |

|Assessment provides the answers to questions, such as: |

|Where is the student now in his / her learning? |

|Where is the student going in his / her learning? |

|How will the student get to the next point in his / her learning? |

|We need all the pieces of the jigsaw to maintain that holistic picture of the student and to plan for the needs of that student. |

|19. A Continuum of Assessment Methods |

|Make the point here again that we are not ‘going into assessment processes in schools in any detail’. |

|Assessment is a ‘continuum’ as suggested by the NCCA (Assessment in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for Schools – available as Course |

|Support Material) and assessment for EA/DE can conform with this. |

|This outlines a variety of assessment methods. A combination or all of these methods are very useful in helping us to gather valuable |

|information about students – enabling us to establish a baseline, identify needs, plan, track and monitor progress. |

|Outline that the left-hand side is pupil orientated and the right-hand side is teacher orientated. Elaborate on one from each side only to |

|illustrate – notes below. We will be looking at some aspects of it (but not all) in more detail – ‘In the next few slides we will look at some |

|examples of the assessment methods as outlined on this slide.’ |

|………………………………………………………… |

|Further information for Presenters: |

|Further information regarding the continuum of assessment methods with lots of practical examples is available in Assessment in the Primary |

|School Curriculum: Guidelines for Schools – available as Course Support Material |

|Self Assessment |

|Students are involved in self-assessment when they look at their own work in a reflective way, identify aspects of it that are good and that |

|could be improved, and then set personal learning targets for themselves. |

|Conferencing |

|Conferencing in the context of assessment means that those concerned with the student’s learning share their knowledge and understanding of the |

|student’s work, its processes and outcomes during a planned or intuitive meeting. Conferencing provides an opportunity to share information in |

|order to increase understanding about the student’s learning. |

|Portfolio Assessment |

|Creating a portfolio is a useful way to self-assessment skills. A portfolio is a collection of the student’s work, reflecting his/her learning |

|and development over a period of time. |

|Concept Mapping |

|Concept mapping (also known as semantic networking) is a process used to make spatial representations of ideas and the relationships between |

|these ideas. The purpose of the maps is to help the student show what and how he/she thinks about an idea. The maps are graphic organisers or |

|picture summaries of the student’s understanding of ideas and the relationships between ideas. |

|Teacher questioning |

|Questioning underpins all classroom assessment methods. Part of the teacher’s work in using questioning as an assessment method is to model good|

|questioning. |

|Teacher Observation |

|Teacher observation, spontaneous or planned, can happen any time a teacher and student interact. Observations made by the teacher in the |

|classroom provide some of the most immediate and accurate information about a student’s learning. When teacher observation is compiled as a |

|written record it allows the teacher to describe a student’s learning in context. These records can make the planning of further work for an |

|individual, group or whole class more focused and systematic. |

|Teacher-designed tasks and tests |

|Tasks and tests can take the form of written or oral assessments or practical assignments developed by the teacher to assess student’s learning.|

|They can be used throughout the school year as a basis for continuous assessment (AfL). Tasks and tests can also be used at the end of an |

|academic year or at the end of a period of learning about a certain topic for the purpose of AoL. |

|Standardised testing |

|Standardised tests are used to measure a student’s reading and mathematical skills, and to determine progress in those areas. A number of |

|standardised tests available to Irish schools have been normed on the Irish primary school population – i.e.the tests allow the teacher to |

|compare a student’s performance on the test with the performance of students of that class level or age in Irish primary schools. (Micra-T; |

|Sigma-T; Drumcondra Tests) |

|20. The Planning Cycle |

|Planning for the student with EA / DE is an ongoing process. It has four main stages and assessment is a key element of the planning process. |

|Review this slide relatively quickly – we are not providing in-service on planning per se, but illustrating the key role of assessment. |

|………………………………………………………. |

|Gathering Information: |

|The first step in this process is to gather information from sources available to us: e.g. previous teachers, parents, the student, and from a |

|variety of assessment tools. |

|The key to assessment and intervention is the selection of initial assessment and intervention methods that are dictated by the needs of the |

|student, rather than a perfunctory battery of tests that is applied in the same manner to all individuals. Continual progress monitoring and the|

|revision of interventions, regardless of the assessment methodology employed, is also imperative. |

|Consultation / Interpretation |

|The information that is gathered has to be interpreted to see what it means vis-à-vis the pupil’s characteristics and needs. Who will do this, |

|and how will the outcomes of this be disseminated to the relevant teacher, the parents and the pupil? |

|Plan / Intervention |

|From the information that has been gathered, and from the interpretation of what it means, decisions have to be made about suitable adaptations |

|to the child’s instruction, and these have to be implemented. |

|Review |

|It is a ‘process’ rather than a once-off event – there should be on-going review |

|21. Risk of Under-identification |

|There is a risk of under-identification of certain categories of EA pupils and good assessment practices will help aleviate this risk. |

|There is a particurlar Risk of Under-identification from the following: |

|We have already discussed dual exceptionality and the risk of under-identification here is fairly obvious. |

|There is a similar risk for pupils from marginalised or socially-disadvantaged backgrounds. E.G. – you might as: “What proportion of Traveller |

|pupils are identified as being exceptionally able”? |

|There is a similar, fairly obvious, risk for EA pupils for whom English is not the first language. |

|As we will see shortly, not all children who are exceptionally able fit the common perception. Children who don’t match the commonly-presumed |

|profile are also at risk of under-identification. |

|Summarise the key point here: A robust Assessment system in schools, combined with knowledge, will minimise these risks of under-identification.|

| 22. What does Assessment Tell Us |

| |

|These points will be self-explanatory to teachers. Allow time for them to peruse them and give one or two example. Again, highlight the |

|importance of assessment in the overall planning process. |

|……………………………………………… |

|Student’s Development |

|Assessment results should specify the nature and degree of the student’s strengths and needs. Assessment information facilitates us in the |

|selection of appropriate resources and the development of appropriate programmes of intervention. |

|Sharing information |

|It is important that the information gathered from assessment is shared with all those involved with the student. Meaningful and effective |

|planning calls for collaboration. Parents should be informed of and involved in the assessment process. |

|Matching student’s learning to the Curriculum |

|Information from assessment about the student’s ability to perform specific, observable, measurable behaviours make an important contribution to|

|programme planning for the student with exceptional ability. Detailed information gathered about a student’s precise functioning in specific |

|skill areas will aid the teacher in drawing up appropriate educational plans. This information is also essential if teaching is to be pitched |

|at the correct level. Ongoing monitoring of progress and achievement is an essential element of the teaching/learning cycle. |

|The Effectiveness of the Teaching Programme |

|Gathering detailed baseline data, prior to a new skill being taught, is a necessary element in evaluating the effectiveness of programmes, |

|strategies and interventions. In looking at assessment results we should consider the whole area of teaching styles versus learning styles. We |

|need to consider that if we teach in the same way to all our classes. It is safe to assume that two-thirds of the students are working outside |

|of their preferred learning style. This mismatch can cause: demotivation, misbehaviour and underachievement. |

|As teachers we look at what we offer and how we offer it. Do we take student needs and learning styles into account for example? |

|It is not a case of fitting a square peg into a round hole! Differentiated instruction allows us to reach more learners and provide them with |

|opportunities to use their preferred learning styles. |

|Progress / Achievement |

|Assessment provides significant information about the progress the student is making, the appropriateness of the education programme being |

|implemented and the identification of ongoing resources required. Monitoring progress is important. |

|The single most important outcome of assessment is that it adds to the information we already have about the student. |

|23. Testing (Formal Assessment) |

|Again, we are not providing details information on tests or the process of testing. Some of the participants will be familiar with this material|

|– others, less so. |

|Elicit examples from the participants regarding the formal assessment tools used in their schools. Allow some time for discussion. There will be|

|a range of experience in this regard. Do not answer question on particurlar kinds of tests unless you are very sure of the topic. Be cautious |

|about too much time being spent on discussion on the merits or otherwise of particurlar tests. |

|…………………………………………………………………………………………….. |

|Testing, as part of the assessment process, will facilitate the identification of an accurate baseline and is essential to develop realistic |

|targets.. |

|Choosing a more formal assessment tool can be a challenge – a little like looking at an empty row of chairs – which one will I choose? Which one|

|fits best? |

|There is a wide variety of tests available. The single most important consideration in choosing any assessment test is…….the student. |

|There are a variety of formal assessment tests in schools. These generally include (summarise briefly): |

|Standardised Norm Referenced Tests |

|Criterion Referenced Test |

|Diagnostic Testing |

|Refer participants to SESS website. Under the Resources tab they will find a section on Assessment. In this section there is a Glossary of Terms|

|used in Assessment. There are also lists of assessment Tests under various headings – Reading, Language, Spelling, Auditory Perception and |

|Maths. |

| |

|1) Standardised Norm Referenced Tests |

|A test in which the pupil’s performance is compared with the performance of a specified group e.g. Irish children of his/her age. Some examples |

|are the Micra-T, Sigma-T and Drumcondra Primary Reading / Maths |

|Standardised tests also have limitations. Among those frequently cited are that they: |

|do not provide sufficient information |

|provide only a snapshot of a student’s functioning at a particular moment in time |

|may have little relationship to what has been taught in school |

|measure a narrow range of skills |

|provide infrequent information about the student’s development |

|For any of these reasons the student’s performance on a standardised measure may not be a true reflection of their ability. Where programmes are|

|based on the results alone, this can result in programmes that are either too difficult or not sufficiently demanding. This again points to the |

|importance of using a variety of assessment tools, both informal and formal in order to gain a holistic view of the student’s strengths and |

|learning needs. |

|Interpreting Scores |

|Refer to the table on the slide briefly. |

|It is important not to focus totally on the composite score but to look at sub-test scores. |

|This student, for example has a high level of skill in word attack (decoding) but appears to have difficulty in the area of comprehension. In |

|this case looking at total reading score may give us an inaccurate picture of the student’s performance – need to look at sub scores. |

|2. Criterion Referenced Test |

|The student’s performance is not compared with that of others but with a pre-specified standard or criterion. |

|An example is Sound Linkage – a criterion referenced test of phonological ability |

|3. Diagnostic Testing |

|An instrument such as a test or an observation schedule which is designed to yield evidence on the particular aspects of learning in which the |

|pupil is having difficulty. Diagnostic assessments provide in-depth analysis of the process employed by the student when engaged in specific |

|tasks such as reading. Some examples include Quest Diagnostic Test, Diagnostic Reading Ability, MALT – Mathematics Assessment for Learning and |

|Teaching, York Assessment of Reading Comprehension (YARC) |

|24. Attainment |

|Provide these only as examples of attainment-type tests. You need not elaborate on these, other than to say that their interpretation will |

|require some specialist knowledge and this has to be factored into the assessment process. |

|Summarise briefly from content below. |

|………………………………………………… |

|Wide Range Achievement Test 4th Edition (WRAT-4) |

|Measures the basic academic skills of reading, maths computation and spelling in four key areas:  |

|Word reading – measures letter and word decoding through letter identification and word recognition. |

|Sentence Comprehension – measures ability to gain meaning of words and comprehend ideas and information contained in sentences. |

|Spelling – measures ability to encode sounds into written form through dictated spelling format contain letters and words. |

|Maths Computation – measures ability to perform basic math computations through counting, identifying numbers, solving simple oral problems and |

|calculating written maths problems. |

|Age Range: 5 to 94 years            |

|Administration Time: Individual or Group 15 to 35 minutes       |

| |

|Cognitive Abilities Test - 3rd ed., 2003 (CAT3) |

|Measures three principal areas of reasoning – verbal, non-verbal and numerical – as well as an element of spatial ability. Irish norms |

|downloadable. |

| |

|WRIT Wide Range Intelligence Test |

|Purpose: Examines a child’s level of cognitive ability by assessing both verbal and non-verbal abilities by means of verbal and visual scales |

|Age: 4 through to 36 yrs Admin:  Individual   Time:  20-30 minutes |

| The Wide Range Intelligence Test is a highly reliable individually administered battery of four sub-tests of cognitive abilities and its use is|

|not restricted to qualified psychologists. It assesses both verbal and non-verbal abilities by means of Verbal and Visual Scales. Each scale |

|consists of two sub-tests each addressing a group of specific abilities of school relevance. |

|Verbal items are all oral with no reading or writing involved. Verbal IQ measures the functioning of the left hemisphere of the brain which is |

|the hemisphere usually responsible for speech and language whilst the Performance IQ measures the functioning of the right hemisphere which is |

|usually responsible for practical, creative, artistic and visual thinking skills. |

|WIAT-II |

|The WIAT-IIUK-T assesses three key areas of reading: |

|untimed single word accuracy |

|reading comprehension |

|reading speed |

|It provides the following: |

|Single Word Reading - includes letter identification, phonological awareness, letter-sound awareness, accuracy and automaticity of word |

|recognition |

|Reading Comprehension - stories and sentences include literal, inferential and lexical comprehension, oral reading accuracy and fluency and word|

|recognition in context |

|Reading Speed - for 6 to 16 years 11 months. Words per minute (WPM) can also be recorded for the full age range |

|Reading Rate - this is calculated from the Reading Comprehension subtest. The quartile scores identify the slow and accurate, slow and |

|inaccurate, fast and accurate and fast and inaccurate reader  |

|Single Word Spelling - includes letter-sound correspondence for vowels, consonants and consonant blends, regular and irregular words, |

|contradictions and high-frequency homonyms. |

|Note to Presenter: WIAT-11 is from Pearson Assessment psychcorp.co.uk |

|The WISC-1V is a restricted test and may only be administered by a psychologist. |

|25. Teacher Observation – Indicators |

|Distribute Handout 1: Teacher Observation - Indicators |

|A Key Point here is to get across to teachers the importance of their role in the assessment and identification process and of the significance |

|of their professional judgement. |

|Distribute the handout and allow a little time for teachers to peruse it. Then ask for an example of a teachers ‘suspecting’ that a child may |

|have exceptional ability – what are the ‘clues’? Are any of these ‘negative’ traints – you can refer back to the first handout.? |

|Regarding observation: There is a need for schools include this in a system of assessment. Indicators lists can help to guide our thinking and |

|help teachers to articulate observations. They do not constitute a formal assessment procedure but will often point the way to the next step in |

|the assessment process. |

|However, there is a caveat about teacher obsrvation in relation to identification: “Teachers will frequently nominate the hardest working bright|

|child rather than the gifted pupil – we have an expectation that giftedness equates with perfect performance” (Profexcel). Effectiveness of |

|observation improves with knowledge, experience, and good communication and procedures: “Some teachers have too elevated an idea of what |

|constitutes exceptional ability – some very thoughtful and observant teachers nominate students who may have great weakness in some areas” |

|(Schull Community College). |

|There is no need to read through the list on slide. Teacher observation will be greatly helped if they have an overall knowledge of some of the |

|varying profiles of pupils with EA/DE. We will now look at these. |

|………………………………………………………………………. |

|Shows superior reasoning powers (ability to handle ideas; to see subtle relationships) |

|Persistent intellectual curiosity (asks searching questions; shows exceptional interest) |

|In-depth interests (often of an intellectual kind; develops interests to considerable depth) |

|Markedly superior in written and/or spoken vocabulary (interested in the subtleties of words and their uses) |

|Reads avidly (absorbs books well beyond his or her years) |

|Learns quickly and retains easily (recalls important details, concepts and principles) |

|Shows insight into arithmetical problems (grasps mathematical concepts readily and applies reasoning) |

|Shows creativity or imaginative expression (music, art, dance, drama; sensitivity and finesse in rhythm and movement) |

|Demonstrates responsibility and independence (may be a ‘natural leader’) |

|Sets high standards (self-critical in evaluating and correcting own efforts) |

|Initiative and originality in intellectual work (flexibility in thinking and considers problems from different viewpoints) |

|Has social poise (ability to communicate with adults in a mature way) |

|Appear easily bored, arrogant or socially inept, and not liked by other – may not ‘fit in’ |

|26. Teacher Observation – Perceptions and Profiles (Introduction to ‘Profiles’) |

|Distribute Handout 2 –Profiles of the Gifted and Talented by Betts and Nehiart |

|Betts and Neihart identified six ‘types’ of exceptionally able students. As pointed, these are not intended to describe any ‘typical’ student, |

|but are useful in helping to understand the range of profiles of exceptional ability which may present in schools. |

|At this stage, briefly introduce the handout ‘Profiles of the Gifted and Talented’. |

|When you are working through each profile, and as you come to the end of the description, invite the participants to describe a pupil whom they |

|think might fit that profile – here you refer back to the questionnaire / survey the completed at the outset of the course. |

|27. The following are summaries of Betts and Neihart’s descriptors – fuller text is available on the handout. |

|We do not wish to present these profiles exhaustively – treat as follows: |

|Outline the profile, using little more than the information shown on the slide and any other point you find interesting from their development |

|below. |

|Ask for an example from the audience – a teacher who had taught a child with this typ of profile. |

|Then, when the example is presented, use the matrix on pages 3 and 4 of the handouts to illustrate how that pupil might be identified, |

|supported, etc. In this way we hope to illustrate how a more precise understanding of the nature of the EA pupil will help to frame a more |

|appropriate response. |

|Point out that a more elaborate description of the profiles is availabel in the handout ………………………………………………. |

|The Successfuls |

|Perhaps as many as 90% of identified gifted students are from this type, with under-identification being common in many of the other profiles. |

|These are the children teachers ‘like’. The have ‘learned the system’ and, after discovering what "sells“, they begin to display appropriate |

|behavior. They rarely exhibit behavior problems because they are eager for approval from teachers, parents and other adults. |

|These are the children many believe will "make it on their own." However, they often become bored with school and learn to use the system in |

|order to get by with as little effort as possible. Rather than pursue their own interests and goals in school, they tend to go through the |

|motions of schooling, seeking structure and direction from instructors. They fail to learn skills and attitudes for autonomy, but they do |

|achieve. Overall, these children may appear to have positive self-concepts because they have been affirmed for their achievements. They are |

|liked by peers and are included in social groups. They may become competent but unimaginative adults who do not fully develop their gifts and |

|talents. Gifted young adults who may underachieve in college and later adulthood come from this group. They do not possess the necessary skills,|

|concepts, and attitudes necessary for life-long learning. They are well adjusted to society but are not well prepared for the ever-changing |

|challenges of life. |

|The Challengings |

|Many schools fail to identify them unless very substantial inservicing has been done with teachers, for up to five years. They typically possess|

|a high degree of creativity and may appear to be obstinate, tactless, or sarcastic. They often question authority and may challenge the teacher |

|in front of the class. They do not conform to the system, and they have not learned to use it to their advantage. They receive little |

|recognition and few rewards or honors. Their interactions at school and at home often involve conflict. |

|They feel frustrated because the school system has not affirmed their talents and abilities and may have poor self-esteem. Some also challenge |

|their peers and often possess negative self-concepts. |

|The Challenging may be "at risk" as eventual dropouts for drug addiction or delinquent behavior if appropriate interventions are not made by |

|junior high. |

|They will rarely be nominated by teachers as being exceptionally able. |

|The Undergrounds |

|Generally, these are post-primary females although males may also want to hide their giftedness. In general, they begin to deny their talent in |

|order to feel more included with a non-exceptional peer group. They may undergo an apparently sudden radical transformation, losing all interest|

|in previous passions, and this will be in conflict with the expectations of teachers and parents. All too often, adults react to them in ways |

|that only increase their resistance and denial. There is a tendency to push these children, to insist that they continue with their educational |

|program no matter how they feel. |

|28. Betts and Neihart’s descriptors (Continued) |

|Treat as previous |

|…………………………………………… |

|The Dropouts |

|These will typically emerge at post-primary level. These are angry, both with adults and themselves because the system is not meeting their |

|needs and they feel rejected. They may express this anger by acting depressed and withdrawn or by acting out and responding defensively. They |

|may have intense interests in topics outside of school but are not encouraged or supported in pursuing these. Their self-esteem is very low, and|

|they require a close working relationship with an adult they can trust. |

|The Double-Labeled / Dual Exceptional |

|Pupils with high ability, with disability that effects some aspects of learning – this has been discussed above. The majority are not identified|

|– they do not typically exhibit behaviours that teachers expect of exceptionally able students. They may feel discouraged, frustrated, rejected,|

|helpless, or isolated. Traditionally, these students are either ignored because they are perceived as average or referred for remedial |

|assistance. School systems tend to focus on their weaknesses and fail to nurture their strengths or talents. |

|The Autonomous Learner |

|Few children demonstrate this style at a very early age although parents may see evidence of the style at home. They are independent and |

|self-directed. They feel secure designing their own educational and personal goals. These students have learned to work effectively in the |

|school system. However, unlike The Successfuls who may strive to just get by, these have learned to use the system to create new opportunities |

|for themselves. They do not work for the system; they make the system work for them. They have strong, positive self-concepts because their |

|needs are being met. They are successful, well respected by adults and peers and frequently serve in some leadership capacity within their |

|school or community. They are able to express their feelings, goals, and needs freely and appropriately. |

|29. Other Indicators- as on the slide |

|30. Introduction to ‘Social and Emotional Needs’ |

|…………………………………………. |

|Note to Presenters: |

|This section of the Course is about pupils’ ‘needs’ withing the context of ‘assessment’. Social and emotional needs are a significant issue in |

|many EA/DE cases. |

|We are not tryint to ‘cover’ social and emotional issues – we are providing an overview and raising awareness of it as an issue. |

|…………………………………………………………………….. |

|These are some of the issues presented by teachers at an earlier SESS primary schools seminar on Exceptional Ability. They demonstrate some of |

|the common ‘social and emotional’ issues that present in class. They also highlight, perhaps, some of the negative indicators of EA. There is no|

|need to read or elaborate – let the audinece peruse it. |

|Ask teachers if they have encountered and similar issues – take one or two examples. |

|31. Introduction to ‘Social and Emotional Issues’ |

|Initially stress that this section is just an introduction to the topic in order to highlight and raise awareness of the area. Before beginning,|

|mention that there is a perception that exceptionally able pupils have little difficulty in school. Invite one or two examples from the |

|participants of children with exceptional ability who have displayed particular social and emotional needs. |

|Comment that teachers who contact SESS for support normally have concerns about the ‘social and emotional issues’ relating to their pupils – it |

|is a significant issue |

|Then introduce these points which will be looked at separately in the following slides. |

|……………………………………………………. |

|Asynchronous Development: Very able students are at a cognitive level beyond their physical, social and emotional development. Therefore, there |

|may be asynchronicities between various aspects of the child’s maturities on the one hand, and between those of peers on the other. For example,|

|reading materials and concepts that are suitable for a very advanced reader may contain material that is unsuitable for the young student at an |

|emotional level. |

|Cognitive Development: Cognitively, very able students are at a level with much older students but interaction with these students may cause |

|anxiety because social and emotional development lags behind cognitive development Issues may be discussed that are disutrbing to the younger |

|student. For example, reading material that is suitable for a very advanced reader may contain material that is unsuitable for the young |

|student. A student who is accelerated because of ability may be at risk of having to deal with a range of material that may challenge them |

|emotionally. |

|Physical growth: pupils who are exceptionally able may ‘hang out’ with older pupils but are smaller and less developed - they have not perhaps |

|have had their ‘growth spurt’ yet. They may not be as successful at sports and are being omitted. This is one of the factors that needs to be |

|taken into account when considering grade acceleration. Skills may not develop evently – particularly maths concept development. They may be |

|advanced in some skills and conceptul development, but not in other areas. |

|……………………… |

|Note to presenters: you may wish to refer to Equality of Challenge presentations available from Team Page – ‘Background Documents for |

|Presenters’ |

|Social and Emotional Issues Affecting Students with Exceptional Ability (October 2011) |

|Positive Psychology: happiness, flourishing and flow in learning and in life (February 2012) |

|32. Self-Criticism / Perfectionism and Socially Prescribed Perfectionism |

|Perfectionism in itself is not a bad thing. However, if it may becomes problematic for some individuals with exceptional ability. |

|Acknowledge that the following insights on Perfectionism are courtesy of Sarah McAlwee, University of Oxford, who has collaborated with SESS in |

|Metacognition resource. |

|1 and 2: Authoritarian parenting may demand that work is accomplished ‘perfectly’ and they may be extremely demanding. They may make the |

|mistake of praising or criticising the child and not the work. |

|3. Stringent expectations: e.g. grades scrutinised to see what “went wrong”; expectations spelled out. |

|4. We can communicate some of these expectations to children in subtle ways. The child may become very anxious in his efforts to please by |

|perfection if that is expected. Approval of the child should not be conditional on outcomes - praise achievement not effort. |

|………………………….. |

|Notes to persenters: the following quote may be useful to you as an example of one form of parental role: “Parental support seems to be crucial |

|for development of a child’s potential …. At the same time, early demonstration of high ability may often be related to nurtruring practices |

|that are less than optimal for the child’s development. For example, parents in Rimm’s study (Rimm and Lowe, 1988) assigned their precociously |

|developing children premature adult status and gave them large amounts of attention with led to what Rimm calls ‘attention addiction’. |

|Subsequently, the children experienced coping problems in schools.” (Mudrak, 2011, p. 200) |

|Complete success that is achieved regularly and is praised may have a pernicious effect in creating ‘problem perfectionism’. |

|These factors may contribute. |

|A fear develops of not being ‘perfect’ all the time |

|Disappointment and frustration may then result, if perfectionism is not achieved. This may lead ‘fear of failure’ and aviodance stategies at a |

|later stage (‘opting out etc’). |

|33. Self-Criticism/Concept and Dual Exceptionality |

|However, following on from the previous slide, students with DE may have a deflated self-concept because of an emphasis on ‘deficits’. |

|Depending on circumstances these students may: |

|Be identified as having a difficulty, or not |

|Be identified as having an exceptional ability – or not |

|As a development of this slide, these point are self-explanatory. |

|…………………….. |

|Note to Presenters: The followingextract from an article on Dual exceptionality by SESS Local Facilitator, Jean Johnston, articulates one |

|scenario very well (available on Background Documents for Presenters on team webpage): |

|Lack of self-confidence is a very large factor in the underachievement and the disengagement from learning of many students with dual |

|exceptionality. As outcomes fail to match expectations, often because of poor performance in written work due to errors in spelling and grammar,|

|poor organisation of writing or lack of plan and structure, these students lose confidence and feelings of self-efficacy. |

|This begins most often in the higher stages of primary school and the first years of second level, when students begin to compare themselves to |

|others and ‘deficiency’ becomes identity and learning is transformed from the early child’s free exploration of the world to a chore beset by |

|insecurities and self-imposed restrictions’ (Papert, 1980:5). |

|When students lose heart and have no enjoyment in learning, they lose the ‘task commitment’ that Renzulli (1977) identifies as one of the three |

|necessary elements of giftedness. Once disengagement becomes an entrenched attitude, it is difficult to reverse. This risk is always present for|

|students with dual exceptionality, but perhaps it is most particularly so for students with dyslexia, as so many outcomes in school arise from |

|written work. |

|It is for this reason that it is so important to identify and support both the difficulties and the exceptional ability of these students. |

|[Dual Exceptionality: Identifying Exceptional Ability with Dyslexia, in Journal of the Irish Learning Support Association, V. 33, 2011, pp. |

|113-126] |

|34. Self Criticism/Concept – EA Pupils with ASD/Aspergers |

|Pupils with Aspergers will have social and emotional difficulties that are ‘normal’ or typical to the condition – e.g. |

|difficulty in relating to other people > social isolation |

|shyness, anxiety and unhappiness |

|irrational fears and anxieties |

|excessive timidity |

|Theory of Mind is the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others. It enables us to understand that the behavior people display is |

|caused by their inner feelings, believes or intensions. It is an innate trait that can develop to different stages in different people. Empathy |

|is a related concept. Those lacking a Theory of Mind may lack empathy, and understanding of how their actions effect others, and find it |

|difficult to "put oneself into another's shoes." This difficulty in linking their own behavior to the feelings of others, so they can be unable |

|to anticipate or predict a response, is a trait of Aspergers syndrome. |

|35. ‘Emotional Intensity’ |

|Many teacher (and parents) of exceptionally able children find the ‘emotional intensity’ to be challenging. They may have emotional depth, |

|complexity and intensity as well as intellectually. For example, EA children may have a heightened sense of fairness, or a heightened sense of |

|concern and worry about higher-level issues, such as global warming. |

|Polish psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski (1902-1980) identified these five areas in which Highly able children may be supersensitive: (briefly |

|summarise these and ask if any participant can relate a pupil to any of these traits) |

|Intellectual: a deep curiosity and love of learning and knowledge for its own sake. This can sometimes lead to trouble as the teacher somethimes|

|feels challenged by persistent searching questions |

|Psychomotor: Rapid speech, impulsive behaviour, competitiveness, compulsive talking, compulsive organising, nervous habits and tics, preference |

|for fast action and sports, physical expression of emotion, sleeplessness (no need to mention all of these) |

|Sensual: heightened awareness of all senses, sight, smell , taste, touch and hearing |

|Imaginational: Free imagination; fantasy; daydreaming; detailed visualisation; interest inthe arts, etc |

|Emotional: as outlined above |

|36. Supporting Social and Emotional Needs |

|We have touched on some strategies as we went through this brief consideration of the social and emotional issues that may affect students with|

|Exceptional Ability and touched very briefly on difficulties that arise for students with dual exceptionality. |

|This is a summary of just some forms of support: |

|Support in becoming creative and adventurous learners (we will be looking at this in more detail later) |

|Teach them to embrace risk and see failure as a learning event |

|Assist in developing autonomy |

|Develop and support social interactions with peers - use co-operative grouping and learning |

|Teach metacognitive skills (we will explain this later) |

|Use Assessment for Learning strategies |

|Develop resilience and happiness by applying the principles of positive psychology (mention that SESS part-funds an online course in this topic |

|provided by ICEP-Europe – details on the website) |

|Teach appropriately using differentiation |

|37. Summarise first night and intro to Ken Robinson Video from TED |

|We have looked at three questions: |

|1) ‘What are we talking about?’ - What do we mean by ‘Exceptionally Able’ and ‘Dual Exceptional’? |

|2) ‘How do we find out who they are and what are their needs?’ - Assessment, Identification and Needs |

|Sir Ken Robinson |

|Point out to the audience that this originates from a TED Conference - TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. It |

|is edited down to approximately half it’s full length – the source of the complet version on the slide. |

|There is no need to comment on the video afterwards as it is reflective in nature – let participants take their own meaning from it. |

|………………………………… |

|Note to Presenters: This edited video clip can be shown at this time if you choose, and if there is time. It provides a change in the form of |

|presentation. Some of the key concepts raised and messaged delivered in this clip are: |

|Multiple Intelligences |

|Dual Exceptionality |

|The need to nurture and provide allowance for creativity |

|Achievement Vs Attainment |

|Exceptional Ability is not global |

|Social and Emotional Issues |

|The nature of ‘Intelligence’ |

|If you are a skilled PowerPoint user, you may ‘import’ this video it into the presentation. Otherwise, it is best that it be played on a |

|separate video playing programme which you should set up initially and minimize. |

| |

|38. Teaching Exceptionally Able Pupils Inclusively. |

|We now have a better understanding of the concept and how we can apply assessment strategies to identify the pupils and their needs. So, what’s |

|next …? |

|We have to apply this information to teach appropriately, |

|Therefore, in this section we will look at learning and teaching strategies for students with exceptional ability. |

|Section 3) Teaching the Exceptionally Able and Dual Exceptional (‘How do we teach them’) |

|From this section teachers will understand that many of the needs of EA/DE pupils will be met by including higher-order learning and teaching |

|tasks in day-to-day classroom activities. Particular differentiation strategies suitable for EA/DE pupils will be provided, along with |

|resources. |

|The Key Messages in this section are: |

|Our national policy states that exceptionally able pupils should be taught inclusively and it provides a clear framework for doing so. |

|School policy and practice should reflect this. |

|A range of appropriate differentiation strategies and supports can be applied to achieve this inclusive outcome. |

|39. National Policy Framework |

|Note to Presenters: The key messages in this and the following two slides are: |

|there are key policy documents from which our approach is advised |

|students with exceptional ability should be educated inclusively within this policy framework. |

|The mainstream teacher has the primary role in assessment and differentiating for EA/DE pupils |

|Please note that we are not providing in-service on ‘inclusion’ per se, so we need not go into these in detail – they key message is that EA |

|pupils must be educated inclusively. |

|………………………………………………………………………………. |

|‘Our approach to teaching pupils with exceptional ability is laid out in a number of key policy documents. We are not going into these in detail|

|– there are others also which are not shown here, such as legislation for example – but what they add up to is a policy of inclusion. |

|We will now summarise a number of key aspects of this (lead into next slide).’ |

|…………………………………………………………………………………….. |

|Background Notes for Presenters on some of the policy publications for presenters |

|Learning Support Guidelines (Department of Education and Science, 2000) |

|The primary purpose of the Learning Support Guidelines is to provide practical guidance to teachers and schools on the provision of effective |

|learning support to pupils with low achievement / learning difficulties. The Guidelines place particular emphasis on planning e.g. the |

|selection of children for supplementary teaching, the development of whole-school policies on the prevention, diagnosis and support. A staged |

|approach to intervention and support is outlined. Additionally the role of the Learning Support teacher is outlined. |

|Special Education Needs: A Continuum of Support (National Educational Psychological Service, 2007 |

|These Guidelines and the accompanying Resource Pack for Teachers present a continuum of assessment and intervention processes which acknowledges|

|the central role of the class teacher, supported as appropriate by the school’s special education personnel and by external agencies. The |

|Guidelines were designed to assist teachers in primary schools to identify needs and to develop and evaluate interventions to meet those needs. |

|The Resource Pack for Teachers provides practical advice and photo-copyable templates for all teachers to use or adapt for their own use in |

|supporting pupils in their school. Refer also to these general guidelines for teachers. |

|DES Circular SpEd 02/05. |

|The Staged Approach to Assessment, Identification and Programme Planning is outlines in this circular. It correlates very closely with the NEPS |

|continuum. |

|40. School Inclusion Policy- Excerpt from a WSE Report in 2009. |

|There is now an expectation that schools would have a formal policy which would give expression to this national policy – the following is an |

|extract from a WSE report by the inspectorate. It recommends a general policy on inclusion. Note that it mentions ‘additional educational |

|needs’: |

| |

|“A Special Educational Needs Department Plan/Policy was presented during the evaluation. This document is in need of further development and |

|review. In light of the needs of the student cohort, the school should consider expanding the scope of the policy to a whole school policy on |

|inclusion. This would cater for all students with additional educational needs, including newcomer students and the exceptionally able.” |

|41. Inclusive System in Practice |

|Note to presenters: we need not go into this in detail as mentioned above – focus on the key messages. |

|……………………………………………….. |

|This is a summary of the approaches generally advocated in the policy documents show above. |

|Special Educational Needs can be thought of as occurring along a continuum. The NEPS Guidelines outline the concept of ‘a Continuum of Support’ |

|(note: this is similar to ‘the Staged Approach to Assessment, Identification and Programme Planning’ in DES Circular SpEd 02/05). |

|At the Classroom Support stage on the Continuum: where a class teachers has concerns around a pupil, he/she draws up a short, simple plan for |

|extra help to be implemented within the normal classroom setting. |

|If these are insufficient it may then be appropriate to implement a School Support Plan or an Individual Pupil Learning Profile (IPLP) – Stage |

|2. |

|If a pupil’s special educational needs are severe and/or persistent, they are likely to need intensive support. School Support Plus / Stage 3 in|

|the Circular will generally involve personnel outside the school team in the problem solving, assessment and intervention process. At this stage|

|an IEP will be drawn up for the pupil. |

|Essentially, pupils assessed as having a particular need in relation to EA/DE should have their teaching planned for appropriately and it should|

|be met by the appropriate level of planning and intervention. Therefore, teachers in the everyday classroom must make accommodations as part of |

|their approach to differentiation. |

|42. Classroom Support |

|Note to presenters: this is just a review of the concept of differentiation and provides a basic framework for discussing it – there is no need |

|for too much detail. |

|…………………………………………………………………….. |

|The main focus of tonight is the ‘Classroom Support’ Level, and ‘differentiation’ is the key overarching strategy. We will be looking at how to |

|‘do differentiation’ for EA pupils for most of the rest of the evening. |

|Differentiation is a process by which we enable all pupils to engage in the curriculum by providing learning tasks and activities that are |

|tailored to their needs and abilities. We can vary content, activities, methodology and resources when taking into account the range of |

|interests, needs and experience of the pupils. N.B. Differentiation should be seen in terms of different styles and strengths of pupils and not |

|on a hierarchy of abilities. |

|We can differentiate the |

|• content being learned by a pupil, e.g. some pupils might learn five functions while others learn |

|three; |

|• process or way in which a pupil accesses material, e.g. by using the Internet, a computer |

|programme or a textbook; |

|• outcome or way in which a pupil shows what he or she has learned, e.g. by writing a paragraph, |

|drawing a diagram etc. |

|There is another way of looking at it also. The first night we spoke of Vygotsky’s learning theory on ‘the zone of proximal development’. |

|Through differentiation, we need to ensue in as far as we can that all pupils are in the ‘stretch zone’. |

|43. What Pupils Say |

|Before looking at teaching strategies and approaches, it might be useful to look at school from pupils’ perspectives. There is no need to |

|elaborate here – allow audience to read – invite one or two observations. |

|44. Differentiation: Key Concepts and Terminology |

|Note to Presenters: These are the overarching points to guide discussion about teaching the exceptionally able. It is a framework from which |

|strategies can be understood. We wish to introduce key concepts and the associated professional language. This is a key foundation to the |

|strategies we introduce later. We wish to avoid a simplistic approach to strategies – e.g. giving the pupil ‘more’ and ‘interesting’ work ‘so |

|that they won’t be bored’. As we go through the strategies, we keep applying this language and concepts to ensure that the participants’ |

|approaches to instruction are soundly based on these concepts. Stress that these are just some of the approaches. |

|A summary of these is provided below but there is no need to elaborate at this stage - just point out the structure and the three headlines, and|

|say that each will be elaborated on as we progress: |

|Higher order thinking [HOT] - we discussed this in the first part of the Seminar - pupils working at the upper cognitive levels of Analysis, |

|Evaluating, Creating. |

|Extension - this concept ensure that pupils with exceptional ability are academically and cognitively challenged, and operate in the ‘stretch |

|zone’ that we also discussed in the first part. |

|Enrichment - ‘activities beyond the classroom’. In many cases, these are seen as the answer to the question of how to make provision for EA/DE |

|pupils. However, while good in themselves, they alone do not constitute an adequate provision under the ‘continuum of support’ concept. They are|

|particularly useful in providing peer-support, and helping pupils to feel ‘normal’. |

|Breadth / Complexity: helping the pupils to study the topic in breadth and complexity while applying higher-order activates - making |

|connections, identifying relationships, etc. |

|Depth encourages the pupil to explore the subject topic further, deeper, and with greater detail. It involves learning from: |

|Concrete to abstract. |

|Familiar to unfamiliar. |

|Known to unknown. |

|Literal to synthesized. |

|45. Higher Order Thinking (‘HOT’) |

|Higher Order Thinking |

|This is a key concept which we looked at briefly earlier. As a basis for teaching EA pupils, teachers need to understand higher order cognitive |

|process (as, for example, opposed to ‘hard’ tasks which might not necessarily be higher order). |

|“Higher-order thinking requires students to manipulate information and ideas to solve problems and discover new meanings and understandings. |

|It involves the transformation of information and ideas. This occurs when students combine facts and ideas and synthesise, generalise, explain, |

|hypothesise or arrive at some conclusion or interpretation. Manipulating information and ideas through these processes allows students to solve |

|problems, gain understanding and discover new meaning.” |

|In order to provide challenge, and have EA students in the ‘stretch zone’, “… the teacher’s main instructional task is to create activities or |

|environments that allow them opportunities to engage in higher-order thinking.” |

|(Department of Education, Queensland, 2002) |

|46. Differentiation : Higher Order Thinking (‘HOT’) continued |

|Notes for presenter: - this is a recap of Bloom’s taxonomy from night one. Look at examples of HOT level only. |

|Please note that some time may be needed with the concept of ‘creating’ as it is sometimes initially equated with ‘the arts’ – e.g. ‘draw a |

|picture’; ‘make a poster’, etc. This can also be reinforced during the workshop (think Learning Objectives rather than Learning Activities). |

|This is a recap of the levels in Bloom’s taxonomy that we mentioned the first night. For example: |

|Analysing |

|Design a questionnaire to gather information. |

|Survey classmates to find out what they think about a particular topic. Analyse the results. |

|Make a flow chart to show ... |

|Classify the actions of the characters in the book |

|Construct a graph to illustrate selected information. |

|Devise a roleplay about the study area. |

|Write an analytical biography of a person studied. |

|Prepare a report about the area of study. |

|Conduct an investigation to produce information to support a view. |

|Review a work of art in terms of form, colour and texture. |

|Evaluating |

|Write a letter to the editor about a topical issue |

|Prepare and conduct a debate |

|Prepare a list of criteria to judge … |

|Write a persuasive speech arguing for/against… |

|Make a booklet about five rules you see as important. Convince others. |

|Form a panel to discuss viewpoints on…. |

|Write a letter to. ..advising on changes needed. |

|Prepare a case to present your view about... |

|Evaluate the character’s actions in the story |

|Create |

|Invent a machine to do a specific task. |

|Design a robot to do your homework. |

|Create a new product. Give it a name and plan a marketing campaign. |

|Write about your feelings in relation to... |

|Write a TV show play, puppet show, role play, song or pantomime about.. |

|Design a CD, book or magazine cover for... |

|Make up a new language and use it in an example |

|47. Differentiation 1: Higher Order Teaching and Learning Culture - Positive Teaching for Exceptionally Able Students |

|Looking at the ‘classroom support’ stage of the ‘continuum of support’, EA/DE students should operate in the ‘stretch zone’ and be working at |

|higher order tasks as much as possible (along with all the other ‘bright’ pupils). |

|If a ‘higher order learning culture’ permeates general classroom activities where appropriate, then many of the basic learning needs of EA/DE |

|pupils can be met and the normal classroom stage. Therefore, this can be seen as a first step in the ‘classroom support stage’ - to have a |

|certain level of ‘higher order learning culture’ permeating the classroom. |

|There are two slides on suggestions, and one slide on negatives. They need little comment or elaboration – the points are self-explanatory and |

|they are by way of reminders to teachers. |

|48. Higher Order Teaching and Learning Culture - Positive Teaching for Exceptionally Able Students |

|As above. |

|Reinforce achievement Vs attainment – use the marking 10/10 Vs specific critique as an example. |

|‘Rich inner life’ – this may be related to a heightened ‘emotional intensity’ with some EA pupils may have – this will be discussed later. |

|49. Higher Order Thinking and Learning Culture – the Teacher as a Model |

|The key point here is that we are all learners on an on-going basis, including teachers. When we are discussing the topic of metacognition |

|later, we will see that it is useful for pupils to understand the process of learning, and how they manage their own learning. Therefore, |

|teachers should model themselves as on-going learners. |

|50. Higher Order Thinking and Learning Culture … tries to Avoid |

|giving ‘more of the same’ to students who finish assignments quickly – they see it as ‘punishment’ (this is a common ‘complaint’ from EA pupils)|

|marking 10/10 most of the time – encourage intellectual adventure, exploration and uncertainty (if a pupils is achieving 10/10 all the time it |

|show that they are not in the ‘stretch zone’. More importantly, as we will see, the pupil may develop a fear of not getting 10/10 and this will |

|inhibit creativity and exploration in learning) |

|being defensive when being challenged about your facts or knowledge (as mentioned in previous slide, model yourself as a learner) |

|putting the precocious and challenging child ‘in his/her place’ (precocious EA children can be very challenging to teachers, but try and avoid |

|‘putting them down’). |

| |

|In this section we will look at some examples of teaching strategies based on the upper cognitive levels (based on Bloom). |

|………………………………………….. |

|Note to presenters: Keep reinforcing the key concepts and the associated professional language which underpin differentiation for pupils with |

|exceptional ability i.e. extension by breadth / complexity, depth and acceleration / compaction. |

|51. Differentiation -‘HOT’ |

|English Curriculum – Language – Hansel and Gretel |

|. In this and the next two slides we will look at how we might use Bloom’s taxonomy to plan interventions at the ‘HOT’ level, for various |

|strands in the curriculum. |

|…………………………. |

|Notes to presenters: |

|Give one example from each of the lower levels – there is no need to develop very much. |

|Give one example from each of the HOT levels – allow thinking time – discuss. |

|There may not be clear demarcations between the different levels. |

|52. Differentiation – ‘HOT’ |

|Project Work / Thematic Learning – Birds |

|As above, but take points at the ‘create’ level as an example and ask if they are authentic ‘create’ activities – discuss (there is no ‘right’ |

|answer to this): |

|Imagine you are a migratory bird, create a map of your journey along the north-south flyway |

|Create a concept map showing how birds interact with other living organisms in the environment |

|53. Differentiation – ‘HOT’ |

|Maths Curriculum – Money |

|As above. |

|54. Differentiation 2: by Extension - Breadth and Depth |

|Extension - this concept ensure that pupils with exceptional ability are academically and cognitively challenged, and operate in the ‘stretch |

|zone’ that we also discussed in the first part. |

|Breadth: helping the pupils to study the topic in breadth and complexity while applying higher-order activates - making connections, identifying|

|relationships, etc. |

|Depth: encourages the pupil to explore the subject topic further, deeper, and with greater detail. It involves learning from: |

|Concrete to abstract. |

|Familiar to unfamiliar. |

|Known to unknown. |

|Literal to synthesised. |

|55. Differentiation 2: Extension by Acceleration |

|Acceleration is a strategy to progress through the content at a faster than usual rate and/or younger than typical age, in order to ensure that |

|the pupil is operating at an appropriate level. |

|Objectives of Acceleration: These are relatively self-explanatory. |

|Some forms of Acceleration |

|Acceleration can occur in many ways and most experienced teachers will do it instinctively. For example, the questions at the end of a chapter |

|are often on ascending levels of complexity. Asking a pupil to do the last three questions (the more complex ones) for homework rather than the |

|first three is a basic form of acceleration. |

|Topic acceleration – moving to the more complex elements of a topic more quickly (e.g. more complex questions). Avoid giving ‘more of the same’ |

|to EA pupils – accelerate to the more complex and higher order aspects of the topic |

|Subject acceleration – some pupils may excel in particular domains/subjects (think ‘multiple intelligences’). They can be accelerated in just |

|those areas. For example, could they work with a higher year for one or more subjects in which they excel – e.g. maths? |

|Compaction / Telescoping – completing two years in one, or other similar rapid progression through curriculum. |

|Year/grade Acceleration - promoted to a higher year for all subjects |

|Year/grade Acceleration is a very serious consideration and should not be undertaken lightly. International evidence suggests that its |

|advantages clearly outweigh its disadvantages where it is planned properly, and especially where there are significant ‘social and emotional |

|issues’ issues arising. At a minimum, it is suggested that NEPS should be involved. If queries arise, refer to SESS for further support. |

|56.The Many Ways of Differentiating |

|There are endless ways of differentiating and no perfect ‘formula’. These are the strategies suggested in the NCCA Guidelines. We will discuss |

|them briefly and then look at one in more detail as an example - Dialogue: |

|[Note for presenters: these are on pages 62-64 of NCCA Guidelines. Summarise each briefly from the Guidelines and ask for one example of each |

|strategy. Dialogue will then be discussed in more detail] |

|By Task; By Outcome; By Resource; By Support; By Dialogue; By Pace; By Choice |

|57. Differentiation by Dialogue |

|The main way in which communication takes place in the classroom is by dialogue: by talk – often in the form of questioning and answering – and |

|it is therefore important. |

|Differentiation of questioning is a good introduction to the topic for teachers. |

|Work through the ‘questions and answers’ on the slide. They are self-explanatory, they key point being that: |

|more higher order questioning is needed for EA pupils and there are specific ways in which this can be done well – examples to follow. |

|58. Differentiation by Dialogue – ‘Wait Time’ |

|‘Wait Time’ is one strategy related to Dialogue – allowing time for both processing and higher-order thinking. Stress that this is also useful |

|for pupils with other forms of SEN, who may have impaired processing. |

|The slide is self-explanatory. |

|Developing this technique may take some practice. For example, try ‘silence’ for 5 seconds – it seems a long time for some! Teachers could |

|practice increasing this gradually. |

|59. Differentiation by Dialogue – E.G. ‘Making Meaning’ |

|Teaching pupils to ask questions which allows them to clarify / monitor their thinking. Rather than viewing questions as a display of weakness |

|or lack of knowledge, encouraging pupils to engage in questioning and this allows them to see questions as active links between old and new |

|information – i.e. to add to their knowledge and understanding. |

|…………………………………………………………. |

|Learners devise their own questions: |

|Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to challenge pupils to write their own questions to pose to the class. They should aim to devise at least one question at |

|each level of the taxonomy. In small groups, the questions can be posed, with the asker leading discussion and specifying the criteria that |

|satisfies the answer he seeks. |

|Pair problem-solving: |

|This strategy was devised for maths or science classrooms but could be applicable to other topics. One learner is designated the problem-solver,|

|and must talk aloud throughout the problem-solving attempt, to explain their thinking. The second student must not intervene in the solution |

|process, even if the partner makes mistakes, but they must do all they can to understand their partner’s thinking and to “get behind it” by |

|asking questions. It is difficult for pupils to engage in metacognitive monitoring and reflection while staying focused on the problem at hand |

|itself. In this strategy, the listener clarifies the solver’s thinking for him by asking questions. Ideas that might otherwise be fleeting, or |

|threads of a solution that might get lost, are “kept alive” by the questioner. |

|There are a number of possibilities for employing this strategy with learners of different abilities: |

|Exceptionally able pupils can be paired together for accelerated work |

|The collaborative approach makes a supportive atmosphere for learners with SEN. It can be especially effective as an opportunity for learners |

|with SEN to see questioning strategies modelled by a peer, and practice self-regulatory monitoring |

|The strategy can also be used in one-to-one coaching or mentoring sessions between a teacher and pupil. The teacher should model the first |

|problem to allow the pupil to warm up and not be “on the spot”. The pupil may have difficulty formulating questions initially. Next the pupil |

|should attempt a problem, with the teacher focusing on asking good questions. A period of reflection and discussion at this point on which |

|questions elicited the best responses may be appropriate to evaluate the questions. |

|…………………………………………………………. |

|Lloyd Chudley Alexander (1924 – 2007) was an American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as |

|well as several adult books. His most famous contribution to the field of children's literature is the fantasy series - The Chronicles of |

|Prydain. This quote is from The Chronicles of Prydain Book I: The Book of Three (1964) |

|60. Differentiation by Dialogue – E.G ‘Question Disk’ |

|The question disk may be used as a class or group activity on any topic / area of the curriculum, working towards open-ended questions which |

|require more than one solution. Pupils spin the disk and then devise their own questions. Questions on this disk are focusing on understanding, |

|applying, analysing. This is only a sample of the types of questions that could be included – teachers may devise their own questions as |

|relevant, focusing on the upper cognitive levels (HOT). |

|Higher level questions encourage: |

|Curiosity – Suppose that… What if? When might? Where could? |

|Complexity – What reason could there be? What contributes to? What makes people..? What factors contribute to? What makes people…? What factors |

|contribute to? |

|Risk Taking - Say why you think..; Justify why..; Which is better..? Decide and explain. |

|Imagination - How would you feel? Pretend that..; Imagine yourself in..; Think of a time when… |

|61. Differentiation by Dialogue – E.G ‘Question Board’ |

|Again this may be used in pairs, groups or at class level. Throw the dice. Ask the question that corresponds to the number on the dice. |

|Prior to embarking on activities like the Question Disk / Board it is worth spending time on: questioning, types of questions, good questions, |

|questions that make you think. |

|Strategies: |

|1. Read a story / chapter from a book / poem etc. |

|Ask class to write questions on a post-it |

|These can be stuck on notice board |

|Class discuss questions and can order them according to easy questions, questions that make you think, questions for discussion, important |

|questions. Introduce terms e.g. open / closed questions. |

|Together class decide what are ‘good’ question etc. |

|2. Present groups with a variety of questions on cards. |

|Ask each group to talk about the questions and order as above. |

| |

|Summarise this section on ‘The Many Forms of Differentiation’ – e.g. “As you can see from just the example of differentiation by Dialogue, there|

|are very many ways of ‘doing differentiation’. Many of you will have your own favourite strategies and you will have an opportunity to share |

|these at the workshop later”. |

|62. Differentiation by Outcome |

|‘Outcome’ – how students express their learning. |

|63. Differentiation 3: Enrichment |

|Enrichment - ‘activities beyond the classroom’. |

|In many cases, these are seen as the answer to the question of how to make provision for EA/DE pupils. However, while good in themselves, they |

|ALONE do not constitute an adequate provision under the ‘continuum of support’ concept. They may also be useful in providing peer-support, and |

|helping pupils to feel ‘normal’. |

|Therefore, when discussing teaching for EA/DE pupils from the perspective of ‘Inclusion’ – vis-à-vis the inclusive policy framework outlined at |

|the beginning, it is important to point out the enrichment activities are not an alternative to the first stage in the ‘continuum of support’ – |

|i.e. mainstream classroom support. |

|A programme of enrichment which extends beyond the confines of the classroom may involve people with specialist knowledge, interesting places, |

|stimulating resources and materials not ordinarily available to students. |

|The list provided here are just some of the many examples of enrichment. |

|From our perspective as teachers, a key question is whether enrichment activities for EA/DE are linked to the curriculum, and to make those |

|links where possible. |

|………………………………………………………………………. |

|Note to presenters: do not comment on the merits or otherwise of any enrichment programmes outside the scope of the DES. |

|64. Differentiation in a Nutshell… |

|These are just some recap points on the concept of differentiation for EA/DE pupils: |

|Every opportunity should be given for developing the higher order skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation |

|Open-ended and research-based tasks should be introduced wherever possible to vary the teaching of new knowledge |

|Differentiated group work will allow able pupils to tackle activities which are far more demanding. |

|Differentiated homework should be used whenever possible. |

|Enrichment activities should be curriculum-related and structured |

|Cross-curricular links should be investigated. |

|Including the children’s special interests as central to curriculum development. |

|65. Metacognition - A Brief Introduction |

|Stress that this is a brief introduction and not meant to ‘cover’ the topic. Refer to SESS resource on the website which is included in Course |

|Support Documents. |

|In one snippet: read the quote and ‘metacognition is about teaching children about their learning processes, and teaching them how to manage and|

|regulate those processes’. |

|66. What is metacognition? |

|Metacognition is knowledge and understanding of our own cognitive processes and abilities and those of others, as well as regulation of these |

|processes. It is the ability to make your thinking visible. |

|Pupils have knowledge of the process of learning (knowing about metacogition) |

|Pupils have the knowledge, techniques and skills to manage and regulate their own learning (doing metacognition) . |

| |

|67. Metacognition and Exceptionally Able / Dually Exceptional Pupils |

|Exceptionally able pupils generally have higher levels of metacognitive knowledge than other children – they are more aware of constraints on |

|their learning such as memory limitations and attentional distractions, and they can think of more learning strategies to apply at any given |

|time. |

|However, research findings regarding self-regulation are more mixed, and it appears that exceptionally able pupils do not necessarily excel in |

|this regard. |

|One of the cognitive advantages that almost all pupils who are identified as exceptionally able possess is a large working memory capacity. This|

|often allows them to take shortcuts when it comes to planning, as they can keep more information in their heads. |

|Further, the frequent high grades achieved by exceptionally able pupils can mean that they don’t see the need for self-reflection and evaluation|

|of work. In the senior years of secondary school however, when work becomes more demanding and perfect grades may no longer be so readily |

|achievable, able students can experience a blow to their confidence and may be unwilling to push themselves for further challenges if they think|

|they can’t succeed. Training in metacognitive skills such as monitoring and self-reflection are important for exceptionally able pupils in this |

|respect. |

|Metacognition – Key Elements |

|These key elements for the basis of almost every metacognitive strategy and they can be simplified as: Plan; Do; Check. Similar to Assessment |

|for Learning, these stages can be built into many activities in a cycle. |

|68. Strategies for Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom |

|There are 1) Specific Strategies (which we will look at first) and 2) General Strategies which can take place all the time. |

|Stress that these are just some such strategies that we are looking at as examples. |

|69. Specific Metacognition Strategy: Higher Order Thinking (Simplified Taxonomy to Use with Pupils) |

|We already have dealt with Higher Order Thinking in some detail. However, these simplified terms can be used with pupils so that teachers can |

|describe and discuss with pupils so that teachers can describe and discuss the hierarchy of activities with pupils – e.g. “Now we are going to |

|do a Recall activity” (or ‘Use activity’ or ‘Create activity’). |

|70. Specific Metacognition Strategy: KWL Grids (1) |

|KWL grids may be used for any subject when introducing a new topic. They provide a context for new information and focus thinking. This |

|organizer provides a background to the new material, building a scaffold to support it. |

|K stands for Know |

|This first stage may surprise you – ‘what I know already’. Pupils think first about this and then list what they know about the topic. They can |

|brainstorm, think of key words, terms, or phrases about the topic. |

|W stands for Will or Want |

|The second stage is to list a series of questions of what you want to know more of the subject, based upon what you listed in K. They discuss |

|what you want to learn, or list some thoughts on what they expect to learn, generally or specifically. |

|L stands for Learned |

|The final stage is to list what new information that has been learned. Check it against the W column, what you wanted to learn. |

|71.. Specific Metacognition Strategy: KWL Grids (2) |

|This is an example from a history topic.. |

|This is a further development ……………………… |

|And, to develop the metacognitive strategy, this can be expanded to include an H which stands for HOW you can learn more. |

|In this case, stress the H section – this is the core of the metacognition process – the child beginning to understand (‘metacognitive |

|knowledge’) and ‘regulate’ his own learning (‘self-regulation). |

|72.Specific Metacognition Strategy: KWL Grids (3) |

|Example of KWL Grid. |

|This is from a pupil aged 7 yrs and 11 months. Exceptionally able pupils teachers should be encouraged to work at higher order levels. Discuss |

|this example – what level is the pupils at, considering age? |

|73. Specific Metacognition: Strategy – Plus, Minus, Interesting (PMI) [1] |

|This helps to see both sides of an argument and to view things from a different point of view (Analysis, Evaluation etc). It helps pupils to: |

|think broadly about an issue |

|suspend judgment |

|make informed decisions |

|work as individuals, in pairs or as members of a group |

|Try this with the audience – you need not wait as long as suggested! |

|74. Specific Metacognition: Strategy- Plus Minus Interesting (PMI) [2] |

|Here are some possibilities. |

|75. General Strategies for Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom |

|These are some general approaches which teachers might keep in mind in their general day-to-day teaching – the list is self-explanatory. |

|76. Some Other Teaching Strategies |

|There are many other strategies which can be used in relation to differentiation. We could not possible cover them all, but we are going to |

|mention just two others briefly.Some Other Teaching Strategies – ‘Thinker’s Keys’ Thinkers Keys were first developed by Tony Ryan in the 1980’s.|

|[Ryan, T. (1990) Thinker’s Keys for Kids, Australia: Headfirst Publishing.] The original Thinkers Keys can be downloaded for free from |

|   |

|Thinkers Keys are an effective way to introduce different ways of higher-order thinking to students.  They can be included in classroom |

|activities, homework tasks, journal writing activities, extension tasks and as part of a Bloom's and Multiple Intelligence approach to learning |

|and teaching. The keys are essentially a range of question starters that tap in to the analytical, critical and creative thinking of students. |

|It is not essential to use all of the keys for every topic, particular keys will lend themselves to certain areas of study. They are useful as |

|an instructional approach to develop a range of thinking skills and processes. |

|Summarise just two from the background information below and refer to source (Examples will be provided in the Course Resource Documents): |

|…………………………………………………………………. |

|Note for Presenters |

|Kurwongbah State School in Australia has developed a website with lesson plans and ideas using Thinker’s Keys. Permission is granted for |

|downloading, saving and printing for use in classrooms and schools for educational purposes only.   |

|There are 20 Thinkers Keys as follows: |

|The Reverse: This key places words such as ‘cannot’, ‘never’ and ‘would not’ in sentences generally in a list format e.g. List things you would |

|never see in Ireland |

|The What If: What if questions may be used for any topic or area. Responses may be recorded on a graphic organiser or table e.g. What if there |

|were no schools, what if Jack hadn’t chopped down the beanstalk, what if people didn’t read books. |

|The Alphabet: Students compile a list of words in alphabetical order which have a connection or relevance to a topic being studied e.g. Do an |

|A-Z of countries of the world, list A-Z words associated with jobs / school/ Autumn etc |

|The Bar: This is an acronym used to improve on the design of everyday objects. B = Bigger; A = Add; R = Remove or replace. Example: Use BAR to |

|improve the design or use of the Egyptian pyramids; the Acropolis. B.A.R. a fishing rod. Make it BIGGER, ADD something, REPLACE something. Draw|

|a picture and label the parts. |

|The Construction: This is a problem solving task that involves the use of limited quantities of everyday materials e.g. Construct a bridge using|

|1m sellotape, 20 straws, I A4 piece of card / How would you cross a river using a tennis ball, a rope and a brick? |

|The Disadvantage: Students choose an object, theme, topic and list a number of disadvantages. They are then required to list ways of connecting |

|or eliminating some of these disadvantages e.g. What are some disadvantages of the atlas? How might these be overcome? |

|Different Uses: Students come up with a variety of alternative uses for a chosen object from an area of study e.g. Uses for an old telephone |

|directory, disused textbooks, magnets. |

|The Prediction: Predict possible outcomes to a set of given circumstances or a particular situation e.g. Suggest an occupation that may exist 50|

|years from now and some that may not / Predict what type of transport we will be using in 50 years time. |

|The Picture: A simple diagram that is in no way connected to the area / topic students are working on is presented. Students try to work out |

|ways it could be linked with the area / topic of study e.g. Think of 10 different things this picture could have to do with transport, rivers…. |

|The Ridiculous: Make a ridiculous statement that would be almost impossible to put in place – students attempt to verify it e.g. No-one should |

|have to go to school for more than 2 hours per day |

|The Commonality: Select two objects with little in common – students find common points e.g. a plumber and a pilot; mountains and oranges, |

|compass / map. |

|The Inventions: Develop inventions / ideas that are constructed / put together in an unusual way or using unusual materials / ideas e.g. invent |

|a way of remembering the major cities of the world. |

|The Alternatives: List ways of completing a task without the usual tools / materials e.g. a group of travellers have reached a dead end. There |

|is a large river OR a huge cliff that they cannot cross. |

|Give them 4 alternative ideas to get past this obstacle and back to their mission. Work out three ways to catch a fish without a fishing rod or |

|net. Work out three ways rich people could help the poor without giving them money. |

|The Question: Start with an answer – students list 5 questions that could be linked with the answer e.g. The answer in an atlas/ hard work/ |

|Egypt/Christmas |

|(Remember higher order questions) |

|The Brainstorming: State a problem, students brainstorm a list of solutions e.g. how to keep rivers pollution free, how to encourage tourism, |

|how to study. |

|Forced Relationship: Students consider a solution to a problem by considering the attributes of dissimilar objects e.g. How might the Garda use |

|the some or all of the following to catch a thief – a book, paper-clips, a radio and a bottle. |

|The Combination: List the attributes of two dissimilar object. Combine the attributes to create a new / better product e.g. a windmill / |

|fire-engine |

|Interpretation: Describe an unusual situation, ask students to come up with different explanations for the situation e.g. A horse with wings is |

|standing in the middle of a field. Give 5 possible explanations |

|The Brick Wall: Make a statement that could not generally be questioned or disputed – break down the wall by finding other ways of dealing with |

|the situation e.g. Many sports people will never compete in the Olympic Games |

|The Variations: Students find ways to overcome an obstacle or solve a problem e.g. How many ways can you get the wool off a sheep? Describe |

|below and draw pictures. |

| |

|SCAMPER is a mnemonic that stands for: |

|Substitute. |

|Combine. |

|Adapt. |

|Modify. |

|Put to another use. |

|Eliminate. |

|Reverse. |

|78. Some Other Teaching Strategies – ‘Must, Should, Could’ |

|The ‘Must, Should and Could’ approach helps many teachers to think about differentiation and plan for it. |

|As shown on the slide, it shows that teaching must be differentiated for various levels of ability, interests and needs. It may help to look at |

|the ‘Could’ as referring to extension activities that EA pupils should be engaged in. |

|79. The Learning Environment - Recap |

|In summary, planning an appropriate learning environment and interventions for EA students involves creating a ‘culture of higher order |

|thinking’ and differentiating / challenging students through extension. There are a variety of frameworks and models, e.g. Blooms Taxonomy, |

|Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, Ryan’s Thinker Keys, ‘Must/Should/Could’, etc - that teachers can use as tools that will assist in bringing |

|about a culture of higher thinking in classrooms and schools and assist in planning interventions through extension and enrichment. |

|In order to create a culture of thinking, extension and enrichment teachers will seek to: |

|Engage students in a wide range of analytical, critical and creative thinking tasks |

|Create on-going opportunities for students to |

|- Learn and expand their use of the language of thinking |

|- Develop, practise and refine their thinking skills |

|- Share their thinking in many ways |

|Provide students with the tools to manage, organise and record their thinking |

|Promote the higher order thinking skills of analysis, evaluating, creating |

|Encourage students to apply thinking tools and strategies in everyday situations and in solving problems they encounter in the real world. |

|A Collection of Resources and Strategies Suggested by Teachers …. |

|Distribute handout 3: Some Resources Recommended by Teachers |

|This is a further ‘tool-kit’ for teachers to take away with them. It is near the end of the presentation and you can take as much time as is |

|available to go through the examples (allow time for evaluations etc) |

|• Depending on the time available, talk through two or three of the examples. |

|• Demonstrate one of the websites if you are comfortable with switching to a browser. |

|80. Last Word |

|This is taken directly from the NCCA Guidelines. Only the first line is shown initially on the slide. Read the remained purposely and slowly |

|(the full text will be on the course notes – do not show on slide). |

|There is no one formula that any school should adopt to develop provision for exceptionally able students. Any strategies that are developed |

|will emanate from the strengths of the staff, the needs of the students and the opportunities that arise from the community activities and |

|personnel involved. |

|In a school climate that celebrates individual differences, the school ethos will promote and support individual differentiation. The key |

|processes that allow for individual development depend on the flexibility of the school organisation and the careful attention that is given to |

|lesson planning, which systematically builds in appropriate challenges for all students. |

|A system of education that caters for the diversity of students’ needs is founded on the belief that students first need enriching opportunities|

|to discover their strengths and interests. Once identified, those strengths and interests can be nurtured and supported and potential can be |

|developed into performance. |

|81. ‘Thank You’ |

|Thank participants for their engagement and participation. |

Course Support Documents (available for Participants from Course Description on the website)

• NCCA Guidelines for Teachers. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment 2007

• Metacognition for the classroom and beyond: Differentiation and support for learners, produced by SESS as part of its Equality of Challenge Initiative

• Thinkers Keys Examples

• Assessment in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for Schools (NCCA)

References:

Alexander, L. (1964) The Chronicles of Prydain [The Book of Three (1964)]

Anderson, L.W. & Krathwohl, D.R. (Eds.) (2001). A taxonomy for Learning, teaching, and assessing: Arevision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.

Betts, G., Neihart M., Gifted Child Quarterly 1988, National Association for Gifted Children; NAGC)

Colorado Department of Education (2009). Twice-Exceptional Students: Gifted Students with Disabilities. Level 1: An Introductory Resource Book. Available from the internet:

CCEA (2006). Gifted and talented children in (and out of) the classroom. A report of the Council of Curriculum, Examinatios and Assessment.

Department of Education (1993). Report of the Special Education Review Committee, (SERC) Stationery Office, Dublin.

Gagné, F. (1991). Brief presentation of Gagné and Nadeau’s attitude scale: Opinions about the gifted and their education. Montréal: GIREDT Center, Université du Québec á Montréal.

Gardner, H (1983), Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence. New York: Basic Books.

Johnston, J. (2011). Dual Exceptionality: Identifying Exceptional Ability with Dyslexia, in LEARN, Journal of the Irish Learning Supports Association, 33, 113-126.]

McElwee, S. (2009). Metacognition in the Classroom and Beyond. An SESS Equality of Challenge project presentation, Tralee, 14th Sept. 2009.

Mudrak, J. (2011), ‘He was born that way’: parental construction of giftedness’. In High Ability Studies. 22. 2. Dec 2011. 199-217)

NCCA (2007). Assessment in the Primary School Curriculum: Guidelines for Schools. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Dublin.

NCCA (2007). Exceptionally Able Students: Draft Guidelines for Teachers. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Dublin.

Queensland Government, Dept. of Education and Training. Intellectual Quality – Higher Order Thinking.

Renzulli, J. S. (1976). The enrichment triad model: A guide for developing defensible programs for the gifted and talented. Gifted Child Quarterly, 20, 303-326.

Ryan, T. (1990) Thinkers Keys for Kids: available from .au/blog/wp-content/uploads/Thinkers_Keys_Version1.pdf

SESS (2009). Metacognition in the Classroom and Beyond: Differentiation and support for learners. Special Education Support Service, Cork

Stackhouse and Wells (1997). Children's speech and literacy difficulties: a psycholinguistic framework. Whurr Publishers.

Stern, W. (1912). Intelligenz-Quotient

Vygotsky, L.S. (1978): Mind in Society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes.

Walsh, J. A., & Sattes, B. D. (2005). Quality questioning: Research practice to engage every learner. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

|Teacher Observation – Some Indicators of Exceptional Ability and Dual Exceptionality | |

Possible Characteristics which may Present as Positive Traits

• Superior reasoning powers and reasons logically (ability to handle ideas; to generalise; to see subtle relationships)

• Persistent intellectual curiosity (searching questions; exceptional interest in the nature of things)

• In-depth interests (one or more interests of an intellectual kind, to considerable depth)

• Significantly more advanced than peers in written and/or spoken vocabulary (interested in the subtleties of words and their uses)

• Learns quickly and retains easily (recalls important details, concepts and principles; comprehends readily)

• Has creativity or imaginative expression (music, art, dance, drama; general sensitivity)

• High level of awareness of world affairs and perhaps overly-concerned about same (e.g. environmental issues)

• Sustains concentration and perseveres beyond difficulties (‘task commitment’)

• Prefers adult company and adult discussion to that of peers

• Sets high standards for self and others (self-critical in evaluating and correcting own efforts: possible related ‘social and emotional’ difficulties)

• Observes keenly and know more about topics that one would expect (responsive to new ideas).

• Social poise; responsible, independent (may be a ‘natural leader’; communicate with adults in mature way, or may be challenging)

• Excitement and pleasure from intellectual challenge (an alert and subtle sense of humour)

• Sees things from an alternative perspectives and challenges the conventional

Possible Characteristics which may Present as Negative Traits

• Easily bored, arrogant with peers, socially inept (not liked by others – may not ‘fit in’)

• May argue ‘answers’ and points of view, and display high-level reasoning: e.g.

o justifies alternative opinions and challenges conventional ‘answers’ or points of view

o creates and sustains accounts and arguments at an abstract or hypothetical level

• Poor attention and daydreaming when bored

• Low tolerance and little persistence when tasks are considered irrelevant

• Development of judgment lags behind intellectual development

• Intensive nature may lead to power struggles with teachers

• Highly active and may need little rest or sleep

• Difficulty restraining desire to talk; may be disruptive

• A heightened sense of ‘fairness’, leading to challenges and rows

• Loses work, forgets homework, generally disorganized and careless

• Very sensitive to criticism

| |[pic] |

|‘Profiles of the Gifted and Talented’ | |

|(Betts, G., Neihart M., Gifted Child Quarterly 1988, National Association for Gifted Children; NAGC) | |

PROFILES OF THE GIFTED & TALENTED: Betts, G., Neihart M., Gifted Child Quarterly 1988, National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

Type I: The Successful

Perhaps as many as 90% of identified gifted students in school programs are Type I's. Children who demonstrate the behavior, feelings, and needs classified as Type I's have learned the system. They have listened closely to their parents and teachers. After discovering what "sells" at home and at school, they begin to display appropriate behavior. They learn well and are able to score high on achievement tests and tests of intelligence. As a result, they are usually identified for placement in programs for the gifted. Rarely do they exhibit behavior problems because they are eager for approval from teachers, parents and other adults.

These are the children many believe will "make it on their own." However, Type I's often become bored with school and learn to use the system in order to get by with as little effort as possible. Rather than pursue their own interests and goals in school, they tend to go through the motions of schooling, seeking structure and direction from instructors. They are dependent upon parents and teachers. They fail to learn needed skills and attitudes for autonomy, but they do achieve. Overall, these children may appear to have positive self-concepts because they have been affirmed for their achievements. They are liked by peers and are included in social groups. They are dependent on the system but are not aware that they have deficiencies because of the reinforcement they receive from adults who are pleased with them and their achievement. However, Goertzel and Goertzel (1962) concluded that the brightest children in the classroom may become competent but unimaginative adults who do not fully develop their gifts and talents. It seems that these children have lost both their creativity and autonomy.

Gifted young adults who may underachieve in college and later adulthood come from this group. They do not possess the necessary skills, concepts, and attitudes necessary for life-long learning. They are well adjusted to society but are not well prepared for the ever-changing challenges of life.

Type II: The Challenging

Type II's are the divergently gifted. Many school systems fail to identify Type II gifted children for programs unless the programs have been in place at least five years and substantial inservicing has been done with teachers. Type II's typically possess a high degree of creativity and may appear to be obstinate, tactless, or sarcastic. They often question authority and may challenge the teacher in front of the class. They do not conform to the system, and they have not learned to use it to their advantage. They receive little recognition and few rewards or honors. Their interactions at school and at home often involve conflict.

These children feel frustrated because the school system has not affirmed their talents and abilities. They are struggling with their self-esteem. They may or may not feel included in the social group. Some Type II's also challenge their peers, and therefore are often not included or welcomed in activities or group projects; on the other hand, some Type II's have a sense of humor and creativity that is very appealing to peers. Nevertheless their spontaneity may be disruptive in the classroom. In spite of their creativity, Type II's often possess negative self-concepts.

Type II's may be "at risk" as eventual dropouts for drug addiction or delinquent behavior if appropriate interventions are not made by junior high. Parents of gifted high school students who drop out of school (Type IV) frequently note that their children exhibited Type II behaviors in upper elementary school or junior high. Although this relationship has not been validated empirically, it carries significant implications that merit serious consideration.

Type III: The Underground

The Type III gifted child is known as "the underground gifted." Generally, these are middle school females although males may also want to hide their giftedness. If a gifted boy goes underground, it tends to happen later, in high school, and typically in response to the pressure to participate in athletics.

In general, Type III's are gifted girls whose belonging needs rise dramatically in middle school (Kerr, 1985). They begin to deny their talent in order to feel more included with a non-gifted peer group. Students who are highly motivated and intensely interested in academic or creative pursuits may undergo an apparently sudden radical transformation, losing all interest in previous passions. Type III's frequently feel insecure and anxious. Their changing needs are often in conflict with the expectations of teachers and parents. All too often, adults react to them in ways that only increase their resistance and denial. There is a tendency to push these children, to insist that they continue with their educational program no matter how they feel. Type Ill's often seem to benefit from being accepted as they are at the time.

Although Type III's should not be permitted to abandon all projects or advanced classes, alternatives should be explored for meeting their academic needs while they are undergoing this transition. Challenging resistant adolescents may alienate them from those who can help meet their needs and long-term goals.

Type IV: The Dropouts

Type IV gifted students are angry. They are angry with adults and with themselves because the system has not met their needs for many years and they feel rejected. They may express this anger by acting depressed and withdrawn or by acting out and responding defensively. Frequently, Type IV's have interests that lie outside the realm of the regular school curriculum and they fail to receive support and affirmation for their talent and interest in these unusual areas. School seems irrelevant and perhaps hostile to them. For the most part, Type IV's are high school students, although occasionally there may be an elementary student who attends school sporadically or only on certain days and has in essence "dropped out" emotionally and mentally if not physically.

Type IV students are frequently gifted children who were identified very late, perhaps not until high school. They are bitter and resentful as a result of feeling rejected and neglected. Their self-esteem is very low, and they require a close working relationship with an adult they can trust. Traditional programming is no longer appropriate for Type IV's. Family counseling is strongly recommended, and the Type IV youth should also be given individual counseling. Diagnostic testing is also necessary to identify possible areas for remediation.

Type V: The Double-Labeled

Type V refers to gifted children who are physically or emotionally handicapped in some way, or who have learning disabilities. The vast majority of gifted programs do not identify these children, nor do they offer differentiated programming that addresses and integrates their special needs. Fortunately, research on the effective identification of these children has been promising, and suggestions do exist for ways to provide programming alternatives (Daniels, 1983; Fox, Brody, & Tobin, 1983; Gunderson, Maesch, & Rees, 1988; Maker, 1977; and Whitmore & Maker, 1985).

Type V students often do not exhibit behaviors that schools look for in the gifted. They may have sloppy handwriting or disruptive behaviors that make it difficult for them to complete work, and they often seem confused about their inability to perform school tasks. They show symptoms of stress; they may feel discouraged, frustrated, rejected, helpless, or isolated.

These children may deny that they are having difficulty by claiming that activities or assignments are "boring" or "stupid." They may use their humor to demean others in order to bolster their own lagging self-esteem. They urgently want to avoid failures and are unhappy about not living up to their own expectations. They may be very skilled at intellectualization as a means of coping with their feelings of inadequacy. They are often impatient and critical and react stubbornly to criticism.

Traditionally, these students are either ignored because they are perceived as average or referred for remedial assistance. School systems tend to focus on their weaknesses and fail to nurture their strengths or talents.

TYPE VI: The Autonomous Learner

The Type VI gifted child is the autonomous learner. Few gifted children demonstrate this style at a very early age although parents may see evidence of the style at home. Like the Type I's, these students have learned to work effectively in the school system. However, unlike the Type I's who strive to do as little as possible, Type VI's have learned to use the system to create new opportunities for themselves. They do not work for the system; they make the system work for them. Type VI's have strong, positive self-concepts because their needs are being met; they are successful, and they receive positive attention and support for their accomplishments as well as for who they are. They are well respected by adults and peers and frequently serve in some leadership capacity within their school or community.

Type VI students are independent and self-directed. They feel secure designing their own educational and personal goals. They accept themselves and are able to take risks. An important aspect of the Type VI is their strong sense of personal power. They realize they can create change in their own lives, and they do not wait for others to facilitate change for them. They are able to express their feelings, goals, and needs freely and appropriately.

| |FEELINGS AND ATTITUDES |BEHAVIORS |NEEDS |

|Infant Classes |Receptiveness to Language |Oral Language | |

|English Curriculum | |Responding to a story | |

| | |‘Fairy Stories’ | |

|First and Second |Human Environment |People / Places in my area | |

|SESE - Geography | | | |

|Third and Fourth |Early People and Ancient Societies |The Vikings / The Egyptians | |

|SESE - History | | | |

|Fifth and Sixth |Shape and Space |2D / 3D Shapes | |

|Mathematics | | | |

|The Learning Task and Outcome (write the learning task for the Unit selected and an expected ‘Outcome’ - .i.e. how the pupil will show or |

|express the learning) |

| |

|1) ‘HOT’ Level? (is the Learning Task you have selected related to the ‘Analysis’, ‘Synthesis’ or ‘Evaluation’ levels of higher order |

|thinking – while keeping in mind that the boundaries may not be clear-cut) |

| |

|2) Differentiation by? (is the teaching of the topic differentiation by ‘Breadth’, ‘Depth’, ‘Acceleration’, ‘Enrichment’, and/or by ‘Task’; |

|‘Resource’; ‘Support’; ‘Pace’; ‘Dialogue’; ‘Choice’; etc?) |

| |

|3) Form of Resource? (were you able to make any particular resource available to the pupil for the Learning Task?) |

| |

|4) Accommodation for a Dual Exceptional Pupil? (If the pupil is dual exceptional and has Asperger’s syndrome, is there any particular |

|accommodation you might make?) |

| |

-----------------------

[1] Note to Presenters: the expression ‘EA’ and ‘EA/DE’ is used just for expediency in this text – we do not wish to introduce it as another acronym into the professional parlance! Therefore, always use the full words when presenting.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download