Teaching Gifted & Talented Students

ED 623

Syllabus

Course Description

Teaching gifted students provides classroom teachers the strategies and techniques they can use to meet the academic and emotional needs of the gifted and talented. Course content includes practical approaches for challenging the most able students in the regular classroom, pull-out, or full-time classes for gifted students. A course emphasis is upon ways of knowing (epistemology) unique to gifted students, and an appropriate pedagogy to specifically enhance each student's giftedness.

Objectives

Identify an array of characteristics of the gifted
Acquire the knowledge and skill to accurately identify gifted and talented students, Pre-K through 12th grade
Identify a pedagogy and curriculum format that meets the unique attributes of gifted and talented students
Learn to utilize appropriate instructional strategies for the gifted
Identify and articulate the social, political, and parental misconceptions faced by teachers of the gifted and talented
Address the issues and concerns with tests and testing as they relate to the identification, placement, and teaching of gifted and talented students
Identify the academic needs of students who are gifted
Use instructional strategies for differentiating the curriculum for students who are gifted
Identify resources available to use in instructing gifted students
Examine the emotional dimension of giftedness
Examine contributions of experts in the field of gifted education

Curriculum Design

Teaching Gifted & Talented Students is a forty five-hour, 3 graduate credit course taught online.

Time Requirements

This course is offered over a period of 15 weeks. Modules are completed over the 15-week period pending length of assignments per week.

One semester credit equals fifteen (15) hours of online class time. Each course is equivalent to three (3) semester credit hours.

A minimum of one hundred thirty five (135) hours should be anticipated for completion of the course. This includes forty five (45) hours of direct contact and ninety (90) hours in preparation and study; three (3) and six (6) per week respectively.

Skill and Hardware Requirements

Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 2000 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing skills and have Internet access as well as an active email account. Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use a Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, etc.

Course Materials

The required textbook for this course is When Gifted Kids Don't have All the Answers by Jim Delisle & Judy Galbraith, Free Spirit Publishing, 2002. A variety of readings will be referenced throughout the course. In addition, selected Web resources will be read and reviewed.

Course Outline

Module One:

The student will identify issues and concerns with giftedness.
The student will define terms associated with giftedness.

Module Two:

The student will identify issues and concerns regarding teaching the gifted and talented student.
The student will appraise program options for gifted students.

Module Three:

The student will examine methods for selecting students for participation in gifted programs.
The student will recognize that curriculum and basic pedagogy are fundamentals related to giftedness.

Module Four:

The student will recognize what constitutes a ‘structure’ of knowledge.
The student will implement instructional strategies for use with students who are gifted.

Module Five:

The student will design an analytical model for organizing the classroom to teach all students.
The student will identify and analyze additional methods for teaching the gifted.

Module Six:

The student will interpret the difference between the pursuit of excellence and perfectionism among gifted students.
The student will analyze the problem of uneven integration.
The student will identify and name different ways of being gifted.
The student will describe the signs of emotional problems.

Module Seven:

The student will differentiate between self-image and self-esteem.
The student will report intellectual issues gifted students endure.
The student will analyze the frustration of having too many options.

Module Eight:

The student will identify why gifted students do not meet expectations.
The student will review the role of curriculum in underachievement.
The student will define "selective consumer".

Module Nine:

The student will evaluate various definitions of giftedness.
The student will evaluate various theories concerning the ways of knowing.

Module Ten:

The student will review the course information.
The student will evaluate giftedness from a national perspective.

Course Requirements:

Forum Activities - Actively participate in all Forum activities. If you post your assignment early, you must go back in the Forum and dialogue with your colleagues. 'I agree' types of replys do not count for credit towards fulfilling this requirement.
Assignments - Complete all reading assignments in the textbook, Web sites, and research articles or best practices and answer questions presented in the assignment section. Complete each assignment and send it in the body of an e-mail message.

Grades
100-93 - A
85-92 - B
75-84 - C

Grading Criteria

Assignments	Maximum Points
Introduction Forum Posting	2 Points
Module 1 Reflection Part 1	5 Points
Module 1 Reflection Part 2	5 Points
Module 1 Forum Posting	2 Points
Module 2 Reflection	5 Points
Module 3 Reflection Part 1	5 Points
Module 3 Reflection Part 2	5 Points
Module 4 Reflection Part 1	5 Points
Module 4 Reflection Part 2	5 Points
Module 4 Reflection Part 3	10 Points
Module 5 Reflection Part 1	5 Points
Module 5 Reflection Part 2	2 Points
Module 6 Forum Posting	2 Points
Module 6 Reflection Part 1	5 Points
Module 6 Reflection Part 2	5 Points
Module 7 Reflection	5 Points
Module 8 Reflection	5 Points
Module 8 Forum Posting	2 Points
Module 9 Reflection	5 Points
Module 10 Reflection Part 1	5 Points
Module 10 Reflection Part 2	5 Points
Module 10 Forum Posting	2 Points

Credit hours

One semester credit equals fifteen (15) hours of online class time. Each course is equivalent to three (3) semester credit hours.
A minimum of one hundred thirty five (135) hours should be anticipated for completion of the course. This includes forty five (45) hours of direct contact and ninety (90) hours in preparation and study; three (3) and six (6) per week respectively.

Student Academic Integrity

Principles of academic integrity refer to cheating and plagiarism. Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism is a violation of student academic behavior standards and are subject to disciplinary action. Plagiarism is defined as taking ideas, writings, etc. from another and offering them as one’s own. Academic dishonesty is defined as practicing dishonesty or misrepresentation of facts. All forms of dishonesty and intent to defraud through falsification are considered cheating. Violation of these principles will merit a failing grade in the course in which the violation is documented.

Privacy Rights and Confidentiality

In accordance with the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment), Teacher Education University honors student privacy and protects the confidentiality of educational records and the rights of students to inspect and review these records. Only upon the written request of the student may information collected by the University be released. Specific transcript information is not available for general statistical purposes.

Bibliography

Berndt, D.J., Kaiser, C.F. & Van Aaalst, F. (1982). Depression and self-actualization in gifted adolescents. Journal of Clinical Psychology 38: 142-150.

Boyer, A. (1989). Surviving the blessing: Parenting the highly gifted child. Understanding Our Gifted, 1 (3), pp. 5, 17, 20-21.

Cohen, LeoNora M. Mapping the Domains of Ignorance and Knowledge in Gifted Education. Roeper Review February/March 1996, Vol. 18 No. 3 p. 183.

Daniel, N. & Cox, J. (1988). Flexible pacing for able learners. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. (ED 298 725)

Grost, A. (1970). Genius in Residence. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Higham, S. & Buescher, T.M. (1987). What young gifted adolescents understand about feeling different. In T.M. Buescher (Ed.), Understanding gifted and talented adolescents (pp. 26-30). Evanston, IL: The Center for Talent Development, Northwestern University.

Janos, P.M. & Robinson, N.M. (1985). The performance of students in a program of radical acceleration at the university level. Gifted Child Quarterly, 29 (4), 175-179.

Hildreth, D. & Sawyer, P. (2001). Reinvigorating the professorate: Reflections about teaching academically gifted youth. Roeper Review. 23.

Kaiser, C.F. & Berndt, D.J. (1985). Predictors of loneliness in the gifted adolescent. Gifted Child Quarterly 29: 74-77.

Kline, B.E. & Meckstroth, E.A. (1985). Understanding and encouraging the exceptionally gifted. Roeper Review, 8 (1), 24-30.

Lewis, G. (1984). Alternatives to acceleration for the highly gifted child. Roeper Review, 6 (3), 133-136.

Powell, P.M. & Haden, T. (1987). The intellectual and psychological nature of extreme giftedness. Roeper Review, 6 (3), 127-130.

Rogers, Karen, A Study of 241 Profoundly Gifted Children. Online Document, web address: http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/articles/astudyof241extraordgc.htm, June 27, 1998.

Tolan, S.S. (1989). Special problems of young highly gifted children. Understanding Our Gifted, 1 (5), 1, 7-10.

Teacher Education University reserves the right to adjust and adapt this syllabus as necessary.