Being an Effective Educator for Gifted, Creative, and Talented Students - Annotated Bibliography Example

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 01st May Frasier. (1997). Multiple Criteria. Gifted have to be handled differently from other. Frasier argues that the multiple criterion is a method that provide teachers and other educators with a defensible and logical way so that they can be inclusive in their search for various types and expressions of potential for gifted performance. They must also be restrictive enough so that the decisions they make about the student with extraordinary ability are exclusive enough to be meaningful. Multiple criteria information is essential for it is used to guide the programs and the curriculum development, counseling activities. It is also important for the evaluation of the effect of programs on individual student. The main reason for applying multiple criteria is to identify more minority and economically disadvantaged students who are over looked when so elements of restrictive criteria for such things like the student’s IQ or achievement scores are used. This under representation problem have for decade’s plagued education. For example, in 1991, the state of Georgia defined the giftedness of a student according to a single score. With the help of Renzulli’s NRC/GT, eight Georgian schools explored the use of multiple criteria to obtain what they termed as a rich profile of students in terms of strength and interest. This criterion was also important in identifying the strength of minority students. Teachers can identify students quickly on the basis of observation and performance information of students from different cultural and economic background. Students who show traits, aptitudes and behaviors associated with giftedness can quickly be identified. Georgia legislatures passed a bill requiring multiple criteria be identified. This was in 1994 when the legislature was well convinced of the fairness of the multiple criteria, and the governor signed it into law. The law stated that the eligibility included meeting criteria in any three of the four areas which are the mental ability, achievement, creativity and motivation. The areas were defined as; intellectual ability above the 96th percentile, standardized achievement test score above the 90th percentile on the total battery n reading or in mathematics, creativity scores above the 90th percentile on the creativity test or creative characteristics rating scale, or superior evaluation of creative product or performance. Moreover, motivation as reflected in a GPA above 3.5, a score of above the 90th percentile on a motivational characteristics scale, or a rating above the 90th percentile on a student generated product or performance. The criteria is however restrictive to students who qualifies in some areas but fails in others and could miss out in acquiring the needed services. The gifted student must have a measured IQ score of about two standard deviations above the mean on an intelligent test approved by the state board. In addition, a child must score above 95th percentile on a standardized achievement test which is approved by the state board. He should also show outstanding creativity, critical thinking or problem solving ability as defined by state regulations. On south west rural elementary school known for its excellent regular and gifted programs, bright and energetic children who did not meet the rigid state definition were also admitted. Ford. (2003). Disadvantaged, minority, disabled, female, and underachieving students. The identification of gifted and talented minority, economically disadvantaged, and culturally different students is a very insensitive problem. The administration and the teachers usually claim that they do not have such students on their schools. Culturally different students do tend to score on average, about one standard deviation which is about 15 points and lower than the middle class students on standardized intelligence test. The emphasis is on average. Many minority students’ scores extremely high on verbal and nonverbal intelligence test. Nonetheless, if IQ testing is part of the selection measure, there are frequent built in biases against minority and economically disadvantaged children. If a school population includes minority and cultural different students such as the African American, Hispanic American, Native Americans, and immigrants among others, it will not be acceptable to produce a list for inclusion in the G/T program of only the Caucasian children of middle class and professional families. This is a multidimensional approach to identification which is essential for identifying gifted and talented minority student which looks beyond the IQ score. A quota system is also one frequently used solution to the problem of ensuring radical, gender, geographical and economical balance in G/T programs. For example, if a school contains 30% African American children, the G/T program would also contain 30% African American children. The problem with the quota system is that minority students who meet the same high criteria as others in the program might wrongly be assumed to have met only the lowered cutoff. The following description of a relatively simple method that resembles a quota system and assures equitable minority and gender participation is as follows. Local norms are created for each subgroup of students for each data source. For example, ability source, achievement source, and various nomination such as for creativity. Data from different sources should be used independently, and any one source should be sufficient to include a student to the program. Student should qualify for the program by scoring high on any of the several measures. This can be done by asking students to express their level of interest in various program options, thus avoiding the difficulty of underachievers who would never nominate themselves a gifted. This project has seen an increase in participation for those selected with a full 20% to 25% of students for the program. An increase in G/T participation of 500% by cultural diverse students, 600% by economically disadvantaged students and 800% by male students who were economically disadvantaged and culturally diverse. To increase participation by minority and economically disadvantaged students, it is recommended that teachers and parents of the gifted children should not only use multiple criteria but also case study information for each child. Gifted students among the ranks of those who are physically or psychologically disabled are often overlooked. Regarding the gender bias, we should be aware in our identification activities that if mathematics scores, science grades, or computer expertise are criteria, girls can be discriminated against. Girls also may be more conforming and less aggressive than boys, which can influence nominations. Purcell, J. H., & Eckert, R. D. (2006). Designing Services and Programs for High-ability Learners. Califonia: Corwin Press. Sixteen problem areas in program planning relate to the four main components which are program philosophy and goals, definition and identification, instruction, and program evaluation. This is done in relation to the why, who, what, where, when and how questions. The sixteen areas are not sequential in the one at a time sense. Many of them are covered simultaneously in planning a G/T program. Some areas are ones to deal with. For example, with the whether there will be a program at all, and if so, the direction the program will take and the students who will be served. Other problem areas have fewer managerial and administrative matters necessary for smooth program operation. There is a need for assessment that aims at determining the discrepancy between the current status of gifted education in the school or district and the desired status. There are three different sources of information regarding schools and district needs for a G/T program and specific student need. These sources are: parents of gifted and talented students, gifted students themselves and teachers and administrators who have become gifted conscious. Many parents of gifted students have been frustrated the lack of specific services for their children. Exasperated parents register different complains regarding their talented children but the administration just ignores them and therefore they lack support. Some of these students end up losing their talents for they were not taken care of while they were young. Second, many upper elementary and older gifted students can explain their strong special interest. Their curiosity and high energy levels may also be visible. They would just want to try the specific desires which comes their way. Recent graduates from the school system can also provide insight into the educational experience they received and how it might have been improved to meet their needs. Another confirmation of the need for G/T programming may come from teachers and administrators who usually attend conferences or take courses which address the characteristics, needs and problems of gifted students. With their newly found awareness, they may take an enthusiastic leadership role in helping document district needs and initiating programs for gifted students. The need for a G/T program for a student can be documented formally or informally, on the school or district with a supply of a documented evidence which try to answer the two components; the perception of what needs should be met in the community and opinions regarding the extent to which current school programs are meeting this needs. The criteria for deciding whether that program be implemented should only be sufficient and not necessarily have the support of the majority. If a program already exist, there is a need of assessing whether the goals for which it serve have been achieved and if not, how the program can be improved. Kulik. (2004). Grade Skipping. New York: Routledge International. Grade skipping is a traditional method of accelerating precocious elementary school students. This method does not requires any special material or facilities, G/T coordinator, and even a G/T program. It is in fact an extraordinary cost effective in moving the gifted or talented child through and out of the school system ahead of the schedule. Grade skipping may be initiated by the child’s parents who may have noticed that their child is one or two years ahead of the students whom they are with, in the same class. The characteristics which a child may develop in relation to the situation are: he may start feeling being bored by the school since what they are covering in class are normal to him or her. The child may also start feeling impatient with his or her peers since he or she sees them as slow learners, he or she may feel being bored too by the teacher, psychologist, or counsellor who makes the same observation. The grade skipping usually takes place in the lowest elementary grades but sometimes it takes place in the advanced grades. Prediction is sometimes used in grade skipping when a child through the end of year examination is promoted either one, two or three grades ahead. Obviously, the students eventually enters the college while he or she is one, two or three years younger than the required college entry years, many districts dot not permit grade skipping which makes the parents of the gifted students fell frustrated. There are however some concerns about grade skipping. Many teachers usually feels that the child may miss some critical foundations due to skipping the lower grades and therefore have some problems in the higher grades or even in college. For example, if a child is not taught some important mathematics or reading skills, he or she may be at a greater disadvantage in later grades. Therefore, it is predicted that the child may not maintain good grades in future. The child may also see herself or himself as less capable and therefore lose motivation. This reasons may make the child a poor student than if the child was not allowed to skip grades at the lower level. However, many gifted students need to acquire knowledge and skills that are ahead of their grades through the help of their parents, older siblings or independently by their own means. This may help the student not to miss the important lower grade skills and concepts. It is essential for the parents and teachers of the students who have skipped some grades to give them some tests on the skipped grades so that if the child have no knowledge about them, he or she may be taken through them. Secondly, social adjustment to peers may be a big concern for the students who skips some grades. The student may experience some social problems and maladjustment. Some gifted students may however feel quite comfortable with their intellectual peers who are older than them. This is according to researchers who argues that grade skipping helps gifted students work as well accelerate the learning. Problems that occur due to acceleration however include: adolescence adjustment problems, they may develop social and emotional problems with the low intelligent peers and other special problems relating to their differences. Also, outsiders may view the student as having a social problem even though the child is alright. Alternatives of overcoming the problems of a child who has skipped a grade is to consult a psychologist who is experienced in evaluating gifted students for acceleration. Educators and the parents should also coordinate and use the low acceleration scale. Marker, Renzulli, N., McMillen, Eckert, Little, & Tomlison. (1996;2009). Curriculum Consideration. Curriculum theory in gifted education have several guidelines, assumptions and considerations which enables the educators and the gifted learners to come up with a good program in their quest for education. Some of the guidelines and considerations are as follows: All students should experience high quality, engaging, intellectually challenging curriculum that meets their present and future academic needs. Another consideration is that the curriculum should not only develop the abilities of gifted students but also help to identify advanced potential in other students. In addition to these considerations, gifted students’ needs are different than those of others. Therefore curriculum must be adapted or designed to accommodate these needs. Moreover, as the gifted students moves towards expertise in a discipline, the level of intellectual demand provided for the student should escalate in accordance with his or her individual growth. Inconsideration to these guidelines, another item to consider is that all high quality curriculum should contain key components, or, organizers that make the material meaningful for learners. Appropriate curriculum activities for gifted students cut across the following areas: cognitive such as precocity, affective such as their motivational intensity and social such as their need for intellectual peers. Gifted students also require curriculum which is both enriched with various activities and also which is accelerated for they are quick in learning and understanding concepts. For maximum effect, the curriculum experiences for the gifted students should be carefully planned, implemented and evaluated so that the learner can get everything clearly and accurately. There are several curriculum models that educators and parents of the gifted children should adhere to in relation to these principles and which can help to answer key questions such as the following: how important are certain concepts and skills to a gifted students? How broadly or briefly should various skills and concepts be covered by the educators and the students? How much time will be needed with a topic to reach an appropriate level of depth? What critical new content new content should be covered by the gifted student? How can we organize learning experiences from different students at suitable abstract levels to accommodate that capacities of gifted learners? What content and processes should appear at different points in a comprehensive curriculum plan? When the educators takes into consideration of these critical questions, he or she will be able to come up with a very good educational plan that will assist the gifted students have a good curriculum system. It will also help the educators be able to recognize the abilities of other students who are not classified as gifted students but have an ability to learn and perform other activities. References Ford. (2003). Disadvantaged, minority, disabled, female, and underachieving students. Frasier. (1997). Multiple Criteria. Kulik. (2004). Grade Skipping. New York: Routledge International. Marker, Renzulli, N., McMillen, Eckert, Little, & Tomlison. (1996;2009). Curriculum Consideration. Purcell, J. H., & Eckert, R. D. (2006). Designing Services and Programs for High-ability Learners. Califonia: Corwin Press. Read More