W E D N E S D A Y , S E P T E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 5

BMMS GATE PARENT MEETING

TONIGHT’S AGENDA

•Overview of the GATE Program

• Learning Needs of Gifted Learners

• Resources, Enrichment, and Support

• Important Dates

DISTRICT GOALS FOR GIFTED LEARNERS

• Provide challenging curriculum appropriate to unique needs and abilities of gifted students.

• Promote academic excellence by providing advanced learning experiences to maximize individual student potential.

• Promote responsibility and self-confidence through learning experiences that promote self-identity, leadership and sensitivity to others.

DISTRICT GOALS FOR GIFTED LEARNERS (CONT.)

• Cultivate independent thinking and problem solving.

• Provide learning experiences that address the social and emotional needs unique to highly able students.

• Provide opportunities for leadership, peer interaction, healthy competitiveness, and the development of the ability to think clearly and independently.

THE GIFTED PROGRAM AT BMMS

• Our site supports the following objectives to help our students achieve the districts goals• Provide a strong background and mastery of

skills• Address individual needs• Develop higher level thinking skills• Foster a strong sense of self• Develop interpersonal and leadership skills• Engage in problem solving processes• Encourage enthusiasm for life-long learning

THE GIFTED PROGRAM AT BMMS

• Learning Environment

• Students may choose to be in one of two humanities classes: a cluster of gifted students or a homogeneous class of all gifted students

• Both environments provide differentiated instruction to appropriately meet the needs of advanced learners.

LEARNING NEEDS OF GIFTED LEARNERS

Differentiation of the core curriculum at a more appropriate, challenging level

for the students:

Acquisition of foundation skills with divergent thinking processes part of these

skills

Concept Development at a more abstract level: idea-based and involving mental manipulation of information

Understanding complex ideas that require more originality and depth of thinking

Growth and Application from single concepts or skills to a multifaceted approach: unifying ideas that cause learning to occur across disciplines

Choice in approaching and presenting assignments, setting goals, meeting timelines, evaluating work

Appropriate Pacing: less time to achieve basic concepts needed becauserepetition is not required

RIGOR DEFINED

A Learning environment in which students: • grapple with depth and complexity • explore and construct new knowledge • ask more questions than generate answers • develop the motivation and abilities to make connections • develop habits of mind, attitudes, & behaviors leading to success• acquire the ability for critical thinking in literacy with reading, writing, mathematical operations and conceptualizations

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

“Differentiated instruction dignifies each student with learning that is meaningful, relevant, and engaging.

The core of what the students learn remains relatively steady. How the student learns-including degree of

difficulty, working arrangements, modes of expression, and sorts of scaffolding-may vary

considerably. Differentiation is not so much the ‘stuff’ as the ‘how.’ If the ‘stuff’ is ill conceived, the ‘how’ is

doomed.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson, UVA

HOW WE DIFFERENTIATE

• Content: What we teach• Quality, not quantity = more depth and complexity• Standards-based curriculum as a foundation then enriching and

differentiating with concepts and/or enduring understandings

• Process: How we teach• Making sense of content using higher level thinking skills: analytical,

inferential, interpretive, evaluative• Processing content: focus on broad concepts & enduring

understandings to connect ideas across time, space, and disciplines, pacing and compacting as needed

• Product: Output of learning through multiple assessments• Assignments/projects/tests stretching thinking beyond the core

content using higher level skills

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF GIFTED CHILDRENQUEENSLAND ASSOCIATION FOR GIFTED

AND TALENTED CHILDREN, INC., GENA HOGAN, ADM.

• Become bored and frustrated with repetition and shallow curriculum; hide abilities to gain acceptance• Learn quickly and easily; have the ability to abstract and reason

critically; see relationships between ideas and events

• Become frustrated with inactivity, lack of challenge or active inquiry • High energy level and curiosity

• Set unrealistically high goals; feel inadequate; feel frustrated with others; fear failure, inhibiting attempts in new areas • Aim at perfection

• Be seen as weird; feel stifled by lack of creative opportunities • Possess unusual imagination

“PARALYZED PERFECTION”SUSAN WINEBRENNER

AUTHOR, EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT IN GIFTED INSTRUCTION

• Paralyzed perfection: too much praise taking very little effort • Leads to kids expecting“to get great results with a

minimum of effort”

• Bright kids conclude that smart means“easy” • inhibits venturing into learning areas with more challenge• contributes to underachievement

• Encouragement should replace praise• encourage when child working hard and long at frustrating task• encourage risk-taking, even when positive outcome isn’t guaranteed

PARALYZED PERFECTION (CONT.)

• “Intelligence does not equal effortlessness” • process and growth are more important than a grade, especially

in K-8• parent goals: teacher who provides challenging environment

and expectations that teach child to not be fearful of hard work

• “Intellectual quarterback syndrome”• everyone in college in top 5%-10% of graduating class• most used to getting all A’s • many will get low grades for first time

• Importance of child understanding “that real learning means forward progress from where one entered the learning curve of a particular subject”

GROWTH MINDSETCAROL DWECK

Mindsets are beliefs—beliefs about yourself and your most basic qualities.

• People with a fixed mindset tend to believe that traits are fixed qualities. They have a certain amount of intelligence or talent, for example, and nothing can change that.

• People with a growth mindset believe these qualities can be developed through dedication and effort.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e4smtpKcuI

PRAISE EFFORT, NOT INTELLIGENCE

• The adult says…

• “You learned that so quickly! You must be really smart!”

• “Look at that drawing. Is he the next Picasso or what?”

• The student says…

• “If I don’t learn something quickly, I’m not smart.”

• “I’d better not draw anything too hard or they won’t think I’m a Picasso.”

SENGSUPPORTING EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF THE GIFTED

• http://sengifted.org/• Focus primary on the adults in the lives of gifted

children, and how to identify and support them• Newsletters• Parent support groups• Educational resources• Annual conferences• Publications on Giftedness

FURTHER RESOURCES

• Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page: great site which even includes contests and resources: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org

• Gifted and Talented World Page: Links to hundreds of helpful resources: http://www.gtworld.org/links.html

IMPORTANT DATES

• Electronic submissions for GATE testing via the BMMS or PUSD website are available now through November 20, 2015

• GATE testing will be held between January 19-21, 2016

• Notifications of testing results will be mailed home in April

• Lottery applications for next year’s class placement in a homogeneous setting will be available in February• students must re-apply for homogeneous placement every

year