Monday, June 30, 2014

Session III - Question 3

Session III - Question 3:  Why is it important for educators to plan differentiated curriculum for gifted students at all times?

36 comments:

  1. I believe the reason for education is so that students have as many choices as possible as adults. We don't know when we're students what opportunities may come our way or what careers may present themselves to us that we did not anticipate while in school. Everyone needs to stretch themselves and continually grow through learning. That makes it imperative that GT students grow, stretch themselves and learn throughout their years in school. The more skills one has, the more one knows both academically and about themselves, the better prepared a person is to take advantage of choices as an adult. We spend way more time as an adult out of school than in school, so the school years are important preparation for the rest of a person's life.

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    1. In response to Valerie, I love your statement about not being able to foresee future careers. This is so true! We have to keep them growing academically and emotionally so they can be competitive with their peers around the world.

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  2. It is imperative for educators to plan differentiated curriculum for all students at all times. People need to be challenged and engaged to be interested. Teachers should encourage kids and others to be lifelong learners. When kids look back at school in a positive way, they are more likely to challenge themselves to learn in the future.

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    1. I agree with Elizabeth. In a democracy, being a life long learner is important, because the element that most makes a democracy work is informed voters. One has to be willing to read, watch, listen to what is going on to be informed. When people do that, they are learning. So a positive experience with learning in school is very important for all students so they continue to be curious and wanting to know.

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    2. margaret goodwin-griffinAugust 24, 2014 at 10:12 AM

      Response to Kimberely Muske (7/23): I couldn't agree more. GT students must have their needs met. They must be challenged and they must have options in order to engaged them and to foster a love of learning.

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    3. I couldn't agree more with Elizabeth H. on July 16. If differentiation can encourage students to become lifelong learners it is more than worth any additional time and effort. I personally make this a goal each year - to create a positive, challenging environment where kids hopefully learn to love learning.

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  3. Because at no time will a GT kid not need their needs met. They need to have their needs met in order to flourish in a classroom, and differentiation is a key ingredient for that growth and development.

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    1. In response to Charlotte McHale on July 22, I completely agree that a GT student’s needs are just as important as any other needs of the students in our class. Just because they may already know the curriculum, doesn’t mean they have finished learning. We should find ways to motivate them into learning more about the content or other interests they have.

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    2. In response to C. McHale on 7/22, I agree. Having participated in the book study on the emotional side of GT students, it behooves us to do all we can to prevent these types of challenges from occurring.

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  4. I think it's important to plan a differentiated curriculum for not only GT students, but for all. I truly believe that becoming a lifelong learner is imperative for success and a positive school experience is crucial to making that happen. Our GT students, in particular, need to be challenged and allowed to learn in a way that makes sense to them.

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    1. In response to moneyj on July 23rd- I agree that a differentiated curriculum is needed for all students including g/t. Showing students how to become life long learners and take initiative for their own learning along the way is imperative.

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    2. moneyj (July 23), I agree completely. All of our students are unique. They have different learning styles and interests. In order to meet their needs and help them determine their strengths and talents, we need to differentiate. Teaching the same thing, the same way to all students can stifle growth for many students. That's never our goal and we should always differentiate.

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  5. It is important for educators to plan a differentiated curriculum for g/t students to ensure that they are learning according to their ability levels in a challenging way. This will help them not to fade in the background and to achieve at a high ability rate.

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    1. I agree with Stacey L on July 23rd... GT students do sometimes fade into the background because they are not being challenged enough. Allowing them to choose their learning path helps prevent fading into the background.

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    2. I agree with Stacey…we have the responsibility to provide all our students curriculum on their level. If we don’t, these students could fade into the background or become behavior problems in the classroom.

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  6. It is important to plan differentiated curriculum for gifted students because we want them to be motivated to learn. If we make them learn what they already know, then we are not challenging them and pushing them to the next level of thinking. Also, we are showing them that they can stop learning because they already have mastered the assigned content. Gifted students have different interests and work at different paces. Giving them options allows them to take ownership and an interest in their work, as well as allows them to work at the right pace for them.

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    1. In response to Kimberly on July 23, I think it also helps GT students understand that learning can be a very free from exercise. It does not have to be dictated by a sole source. Students can be free to wander off on tangents about whatever they choose.

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  7. It is important to plan differentiated curriculum for GT students, so that they can thrive in school and work to their full potential in life. It will also help avoid any negative behaviors associated with GT kids, as listed on page 13.

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    1. In response to Mrs. M's Kinders response on July 29, it is important to differentiate instruction rot G/T students so they are not bored or act out.

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    2. In response to Mrs. M's KindersJuly 29, 2014 at 3:21 PM, i also think a differentiated curriculum for g/t students will help reduce disruptions. If the g/t students are bored, they will act out

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  8. It's really not gifted students who need differentiated curriculum at all times. I think any student would welcome the opportunity to take part in some of the independent study ideas outlined in this book. But I think it's important to recognize that these strategies can have a big impact on how a GT student enjoys their school day. I think it shows respect to how internally motivated they are to learn at their own pace. Other students may not want to be so independent as often as the GT subset.

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    1. I agree that the strategies in this book would enhance the learning and skill level of most gifted students. I don't agree that it should take place all the time.

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  9. I feel that it is important to plan differentiated activities for the G/T students as well as the other students so they can enjoy what they are learning with the choices they choose.

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  10. It is important to differentiate for the GT population because not doing so makes us negligent in our responsibilities. It also opens the world of education up to possible lawsuits and regulation by the government.

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  11. Its important to always differentiate for all students. Not one student is the same in abilities and learning styles so we must always differentiate. Especially for our GT kids. They seem to always make the least amount of growth and we have to do as much as we can to change that. I know it can be difficult to use GT strategies all the time but if I just start little by little it could be manageable.

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  12. It is important for teachers to differentiate curriculum because we need to make sure we are meeting the needs of all students. We have to make sure the students are being challenged, not to mention engaged. By giving students choices it allows them to show ownership over their learning.

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    1. I agree it is important to differentiate the curriculum when necessary to ensure learning.

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  13. it is important to differentiate the curriculum so that the g/t students do not become bored and lose interest in the curriculum.

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  14. It is important for educators to plan differentiated curriculum to GT student at all times because it is our responsibility to meet the needs of all our students. A student has a hard time staying engaged if he is only being challenged part of the school day. Many GT kids are already life-time learners so we need to encourage them to seek more information, analyze and expound on their discoveries, and share their knowledge with peers.

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  15. It is important to plan a differentiated curriculum at all times to meet the needs of all our students. The GT students are all very different and have different needs. We must make sure that they are learning and have a positive educational experience.

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  16. It's important to always plan differentiated curriculum because students (GT and others) do not enter our classes with the same content knowledge, the same learning styles, and the same interests. We need to meet them where they are and consistently provide opportunities for our students to progress,

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  17. It's important we differentiate curriculum all the time because we want them engaged all the time. There is a lot of information to cover in a short period of time and if they are not engaged, they are not learning. It is a waste of their time and our energy.

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  18. At all times, differentiation is not necessary. While this is a great ideal or goal, it is not at all achievable. The teacher should plan with an understanding that some students will learn at a quicker rate and have engaging activities for them to work on. However, we are not truly preparing these students for the more difficult subjects they will encounter if we don't also expect them to just do the work and do it to the best of their ability. This is a life skill. Not every teacher is going to differentiate. If gifted students come to believe that every lesson involves choice and extended learning, then they are not going to be successful in classes where you are expected to just do the work. As much as we would like to believe it, teachers are human and time is limited, so the idea that every assignment every day can be differentiated is unrealistic.

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  19. Catherine Roth:
    Children who are gifted-identified or not-need a different teaching & learning style, material, & environment. One size does not fit all. Winebrenner states “Rather than trying to find one way of teaching that meets all kids’ needs, you’ll be using one way of planning to challenge and excite all of your students.” p. 164
    It is our duty & responsibility to meet each learner where they are and help them move forward. That’s why it is so important for educators to plan & deliver instruction differently for gifted students. The chapters in session 3 give several strategies & techniques to thoughtfully & intentionally plan for gifted students while they are in the regular classroom.

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  20. margaret goodwin-griffnSeptember 14, 2014 at 9:51 AM

    It is very important that educators plan differentiated curriculum for gifted students because they learn differently. We have to tap in on gifted students learning styles as well as what motivates them. Among all the strategies and techniques presented in this book, at the root of differentiation is choice and pacing. We need to allow these students to learn in ways that best suit them for optimal learning experiences.

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  21. All student learn in different ways. When we can find out about how a child learns and then change our teaching to reflect that learning style students can start to take charge of their learning and make meaningful learning connections. Providing students a choice in how they learn and deliver information really provides empowerment for the child.

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