Gifted Students and the Inclusive Classroom
In recent years the dilemma of educating intellectually gifted students has moved to the forefront. There have been many heated debates on whether to separate gifted students for their education, or to include them in the regular classroom with accommodations to meet their needs. The most effective way to educate intellectually gifted students is through the use of inclusion with programs designed to challenge their higher level thinking skills within that inclusion environment.

My definition of inclusion is to educate students of mixed abilities within the same setting, while including accommodations to meet those different abilities. This means that students of average intelligence are mixed with students who have above average and below average intelligence. It also means that students who have varying degrees of learning disabilities are educated with the students who do not have learning disabilities.

I believe inclusion is absolutely necessary for the effective…...

special programs developed for gifted students intended to enhance, expand and diversify their learning experiences in the educational curriculum. In order to meet the demands of the gifted students, teachers distinguish between content standards and learning experiences. The basis of a gifted student's curriculum is generated from the outcome of an original assessment that results to the creation of an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). In creating, IEP, teachers consider the strengths and needs of the student (Beck McKeown & Kucan, 2002). The teacher organizes suitable activities with the student thus creating an effective program to meet his/her potential. After carefully analyzing the classroom settings and using observational skills, I developed the following portfolio based of a gifted student. The following portfolio is the assessment that describes the two students observed- Gifted Students. The assessment provides information pertaining to characteristics of the gifted students and what evidences the presence of…...

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References

Beck, I. L, McKeown, M.G., & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: Guilford Press.

Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). (2007b). Lesson analysis template. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from  

To address these social and academic issues, the Waco, Texas, Independent School District (2005) initiated a project offering AP Spanish Language to eighth-grade Hispanic students and later expanded to three years (akow, 2005). The goal was to promote student success, develop self-confidence, and support student academic aspirations among an at-risk student population. In the three years of program implementation, 117 students took the class and corresponding AP exam. Of these, 92 (79%) earned qualifying scores of 3, 4, or 5 on the exam and four high school credits. In addition, the AP students were more likely to participate in honor societies (29.3%), academic clubs (36.2%), and to win an academic honor (41.4%), as compared with the HE and HS students. In addition, more of the AP students reported planning to participate in AP courses (92.7%), dual credit (67.9%) courses, honors courses (52.8%), pre-AP courses (52.8%), honor societies (37.0%), and…...

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References Cited:

Baldwin, a.Y., Gear, G.H., & Lucito, L.J. (Eds.). (1980). Educational planning for the gifted: Overcoming cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic barriers. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children.

Cavazos, L.F. (2002). Emphasizing performance goals and high-quality education for all students. Phi Delta Kappan, 83, 690-697.

Clasen, D.R. (2006) Project stream: a 13-yar follow-up of a pre-college program for middle and high-school underrepresented gifted. Roeper Review 29(1) 55-63.

Eckstein, M. The Kid Network (2008) Gifted Child Today 32(2), 20

Technology and Gifted Learners
Assistive technology is a huge help for gifted students because it presents more abstract concepts in a more challenging manner. It provides tools for memorization, and evaluation in multidimensional forms so that students are more actively engaged in the learning process. According to the research, "assistive technology for learning (ATL) is defined as the devices, media and services used by students with physical, sensory, cognitive, speech, learning or behavioral disabilities to actively engage in learning and to achieve their individual learning goals" (Alberta Education, 2006). Today, tools have become much more diverse because of advances in technology. This then creates a very diverse and tailored learning environment that teachers can create for the unique needs of gifted students. Thus, "these tools allow students greater independence in learning by customizing applications to maximize learning strengths and to minimize or circumvent specific learning weaknesses" (Bisagno & Haven, 2002). Teachers…...

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References

Alberta Education. (2006). Infusing Assistive Technology for Learning into the IPP Process. Alberta Education Cataloguing in Publication Data. Web.  https://education.alberta.ca/media/525549/ipp9.pdf 

Bisagno, Joan M. & Haven, Rachael. (2002). Customizing technology solutions for college students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Online. Web.  http://www.ldonline.org/article/6257/ 

Brennan, Liz & Still, Stacy. (2009). Applying Technologies for Effective Instruction. Pearson Higher Education. Web.  http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0137073984.pdf 

McFarlane, Camille. (2011). Gifted students and educational technology. Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments. Web.  http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Gifted_Students_and_Educational_Technology

gifted and talented education for minority students. The writer explores the screening process for gifted and talented programs and the various problems that screening process causes when it comes to locating and educating minority students. The writer also explores the societal mindsets and the urban areas that play a part in the overlooking of minority gifted students. The bulk of the exploration is done with a literature review on previous studies, research and decisions regarding the screening and education of minority gifted students. There were ten sources used to complete this paper.
Each day across the nation millions of students sit in classrooms and are educated. The classrooms contain a large number of students and the lessons are designed and geared to reach the largest students in each setting. This means that for the most part the lessons are aimed at the average intellect and average abilities student. Within the…...

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References

MacMillan, D.L., & Reschly, D.J. (1998). Overrepresentation of minority students: The case for greater specificity or reconsideration of the variables examined. The Journal of Special Education, 32, 15-24.

Singh, N. (1996). Cultural diversity in the 21st century: Beyond e pluribus unum. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 5, 121-136

U.S. Department of Education. (1996). Application for new grants: Program for children and youth with serious emotional disturbance. CFDA No. 84.237G. Washington, DC:Author.

U.S. Department of Education. (1997). To assure a free appropriate public education to all children with disabilities: Nineteenth annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Washington, DC: Author.

Students who are gifted need to be challenged in their area of giftedness and their social and emotional needs must also be addressed.

One of the most important management skills a teacher can have when it comes to a gifted student is to encourage higher level thinking ability and divergent thinking patterns.

In addition the teacher can provide the gifted student with enrichment work as opposed to more busy work so that the child's mind is challenged and exercised.

A teacher who encourages the gifted child to challenge him or herself will provide the student with a strong educational environment while at the same time conveying to the student that his or her abilities and desires are valued.

Gifted children often face opposition and have a difficult time fitting in socially at school. The teacher of a gifted child should work to include and incorporate the child into activities with non-gifted peers so the…...

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References

Bea, H.L., Barnard, K.E., Eyres, S.J., Gray, C.A., Hamond, M.A., Spietz, a.L., Snyder, C., & Clark, B. (1982). Prediction of IQ and language skill from perinatal stimulus, child performance, family characteristics and mother-infant interaction. Child Development, 53, 1134-1156.

Christian, Linda G. (1999) Parenting the Young Gifted Child: Supportive Behaviors.

Roeper Review

Landau, Erika (1993) Characteristics of families with no, one, or more than one gifted child. The Journal of Psychology

students have the same common goal within a differentiated classroom, the paths they take to that goal may be different. Based upon students' ability levels, they may be given different assignments, materials, or time frames to complete tasks. Teachers use different instruction methods to reach different kinds of learners. Also, students may be 'tracked' within the classroom into groups, or group members may have different roles, based on ability (stronger students may instruct weaker students) and learning styles.
Second principle: Assessment is constant. This is not so much to judge students, but to enable the teacher to tailor his or her lesson plans to student needs. With differentiated instruction, teachers do not cling to a lesson plan. They respond to student needs, and if students don't seem to be 'getting' a concept, they change the approach.

Third principle: When groups are formulated, groups are flexibly arranged. In some situations, teachers may…...

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References

The challenges of meeting the needs of all students. (2012). The Missouri Department of Education. Retrieved:

http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad1/differentiation.html

Gifted Education - AZ
Gifted Placement Procedures

Functions

Arizona State

GAP Analysis

Gifted Education Coordinator

The gifted education program does not have oversight by a gifted education coordinator

The state offers many professional development opportunities for staff engaged in gifted education to enhance their skills and knowledge -- and to work toward creating lead gifted education teachers or gifted education coordinators.

http://www.azed.gov/search-results/?q=gifted%20ed%20coordinator

Coaching tools, summer institutes, and peer coaching can be used as resources to support the development of Gifted Education Coordinators in schools and districts.

Gifted Education Program Delivery

Gifted children are receive services in cluster classes

The delivery of a gifted education program to qualifying students is a complex process. It is not possible to meet the state code requirements in an ad hoc manner.

http://www.azed.gov/gifted-education/teacher-resources/

Cluster classes may not meet the level of specialized instruction stipulated by the Arizona state code for gifted education.

Teacher Gifted Ed. Endorsements

Gifted Education endorsements are not required of teachers for gifted classes

"Teachers who work with gifted…...

Students with ADHD
Education 518, Section B13

Dr. Carolyn McCreight

Qualitative article review: Students with ADHD

Homeschooling is one of the controversial approaches to educate children with 'special needs'. Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are preferred to be taught at home by their parents. Instructors for homeschooling are also arranged for this purpose. However, there has been widespread criticism on this method of teaching attention-deficit students. The main purpose of this paper is to review a qualitative study conducted on the topic of providing homeschooling to attention-deficit students. Duvall, Delquadri and Ward (2004) conducted a study to investigate the appropriateness of homeschooling environment for instructing basic skills to children with special needs. The main purpose of this qualitative study was to ascertain whether or not parents of children having attention-deficit as well as hyperactivity disorder could provide their children with instructional environmental that was conducive for facilitating acquisition of basic skills by their…...

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References

Duvall, S.F., Delquadri, J.C., & Ward, D.L. (2004). A Preliminary Investigation of the Effectiveness of Home-school Instructional Environments for Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. School Psychology Review, 33(1), 140-158.

They establish identities or are confused about what roles to play. Additionally, Cherry (2011) states that child must have a conscious sense of self that is developed through social interaction. A child's ego identity is constantly evolving as he or she acquires new experiences and information. Processing these new experiences and information embodies and shapes one's sense of self.
According to Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development (Berger, 2010), thoughts and expectations profoundly affect attitudes, beliefs, values, assumptions, and actions. In turn, these factors have a direct correlation to the sense of self that motivates competence, positive behaviors, and actions. If a void occurs in developing a sense of self relative to others, he or she will have psychological barriers that are translated into a defense mechanism to conceal one's lack of motivation, fear of failure, and social dysfunction (Berger, 2010). Lowering the affective filters are critical to foster social development…...

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References

Berger, S. (2010). The developing person: Through childhood and adolescence. New York: Worth Publishers

Cherry, K. (2011). Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. Retrieved from  http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial.htm

EP for Gifted Student
Giftedness is an intellectual ability that is significantly higher than average, not a skill, but an innate talent and aptitude that may be general or specific. Just as there are special needs for children who appear on the left side of the bell curve, so should there be for children on the far right. However, these students are often neglected in terms of special programing due to beliefs that they can just do "extra work" within a mainstreamed environment. From the 1920s to the 1970s, the trend in Western countries was to set up special schools to educate those who fell outside the norms of the bell curve, but by the 1980s most educators favored merging special and regular education in a comprehensive program that included students from all backgrounds -- in other words, mainstreaming them into a regular classroom environment. This idea, though, must also fit…...

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Intervention Plan- For CB there are essentially four major issues: her lack of attention span, the need for extended time on some assignments combined hyper-perfectionism, lack of social skills, and home activity intervention/anxiety. In each of these there is a discrepency between what is needed and/or expected in CB's school curriculum and her performance. We find that there may a disconnect in motivational issues, as well, CB is clearly bright, and when engaged, is able to perform at a higher than grade level. The key, in wrapping up all the issues, seems to be finding intervention strategies that will allow her to focus, to remove some of the anxiety and perfectionistic issues, and to improve social skills (Suping, 2003; Taylor, 1998):

Intervention #1 -- Issue: Attention Span -- Work with teacher to find modifications within the stated curriculum that are interesting to CB. Allow her to focus more on those aspects, and potentially preload the evening before if possible. This will focus CBs attention on aspects of the lesson that are more comfortable. Possible solutions to aid in this would be to allow an older student or an intern from a local teacher's college to visit a few times a week to work with CB and, with individualized attention, continually reinforce attention to tasks at hand.

Intervention #2 -- Issue: Extended Time needed/Hyper Perfectionism -- Part of CB's OCD and Anxiety diagnosis have resultant behaviors in needing extended time to complete assignments. Most of the people that work with her, however, believe that CB is quite capable of completing the tasks, but is hyper-self-critical and then unable to finish the work in the timeframe needed. Intervention will be gradual, at first allowing extra time or an untimed period (when applicable), gradually reducing the extra time until CB is back on the schedule with other students at grade level. The goal is to move toward integration within the details of the classroom; begin by offering some extra time and then gradually diminishing it based on

The sample will be drawn from a single school in large urban district. By framing the study this way, researchers understand that findings may produce insights into the way this subject is addressed in some school settings. However, this will lack external validity within the frame of only a single sample school.
The primary delimitation is shaped by the selected grade levels for review and by the teacher population which will drive the focus of the study. Accordingly, the methodology will center on an interview of teachers who preside over grades 6 through 8 in the selected school. The expected sample population is comprised of 11 participants, who will answer questions regarding the identification, labeling and education of students who are talented and gifted.

Assumptions:

The study proceeds from the assumption that instructors have addressed the questions presented to them with clarity and honesty. The research is also carried by the assumption…...

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Works Cited:

Baker, B.D. & McIntire, B. (2003). Evaluating State Funding for Gifted Education Programs. Roeper Review, 25(4).

Chance, P.L. (1998) Meeting in the Middle: Gifted Education and Middle Schools Working Together. Roeper Review, 21(2).

Cooper, C.R. (1995) Integrating Gifted Education into the Total School Curriculum. American Association of School Administrators: School Administrator, 52(4).

Winebrenner, S. (1999). Shortchanging the Gifted. School Administrator, 56(9)

Educators are faced with the challenge of dealing with each student's needs. Everyone needs a chance to grow, learn and face the challenges that are necessary for attaining excellence. There are always special needs children in each learning environment. Each of these students needs special attention because of their uniqueness in the learning process. Such learners may possess special gifts including learning potential and other talents. If such learners are attended to with an aim to nurture their special gifts, they are likely to make significant and special contribution to the communities that they come from and the world in general (Davis & Rimm, 2004).
Recommendation for Mike Grost

In the case of Mike Grost, he has been found to possess special gifts including perfect emotional and physical health, remarkable intelligence, and eidetic memory, artistic and creative abilities. He demonstrates great ability in a wide range of areas of learning. His performance…...

Pedagogic Model for Teaching of Technology to Special Education Students
Almost thirty years ago, the American federal government passed an act mandating the availability of a free and appropriate public education for all handicapped children. In 1990, this act was updated and reformed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which itself was reformed in 1997. At each step, the goal was to make education more equitable and more accessible to those with special educational needs. During the last presidential term, the "No Child Left Behind" Act attempted to assure that individuals with disabilities were increasingly mainstreamed and assured of high educational results. All of these legislative mandates were aimed at insuring that children with disabilities were not defrauded of the public education which has become the birthright of all American children. The latest reforms to IDEA, for example, provided sweeping reforms which not only expanded the classification of special needs…...

Classrooms are diverse environments, characterized by students from varying backgrounds, and with varying needs and skill levels. It is from this diversity and the recognition of how it contributes to the richness of a learning environment that the concept of differentiated instruction arises. Through differentiated education, students representing diversity have the opportunity to learn in environments that promote inclusion, unity, and understanding. An investigation into the effects of differentiated instructional curriculum for a fifth-grade science class demonstrated that both teachers and students reported a significantly higher degree of satisfaction with methods and materials used in differentiated instruction as opposed to typical instruction (McCrea et al., 2009). Similar results were found in a study that investigated the effectiveness of differentiated instruction in the realm of physical education curriculum (Kriakides & Tsangaridou, 2008).
Developing and putting into practice differentiated instruction curricula involves shifts in planning, execution, and assessments that require flexibility and willingness…...

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References

Hall, T., Strangman, N., Meyer, A. (2011). Differentiated instruction and implications for UDL implementation: effective classroom practices report. National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum, retrieved 19 October, 2011 from  http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/differentiated_instruction_udl .

Holloway, J.H. (2000). Preparing teachers for differentiated instruction, Educational Leadership, September, 82-3.

Kyriakides, L. & Tsangaridou, N. (2008). Towards the development of generic and differentiated models of educational effectiveness: a study on school and teacher effectiveness in physical education. British Educational Research Journal, 34(6), 807-38.

Lawrence-Brown, D. (2004). Differentiated instruction: inclusive strategies for standards-based learning that benefit the whole class. American Secondary Education, 32(3), 34-64.

When creating a lesson plan, it is important to follow a structured format to ensure that all necessary information is included. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create a comprehensive lesson plan:

1. Title: Write a descriptive title for the lesson plan that summarizes the topic or objective of the lesson.

2. Objective: Clearly outline the learning goal for the lesson. What do you want students to know or be able to do by the end of the lesson?

3. Materials: List all the materials, resources, and technology that will be needed for the lesson, including any handouts, worksheets, or multimedia....

1. Lack of experience: Students transitioning to a teacher role may struggle with lack of experience in managing a classroom, developing lesson plans, and assessing student progress.

2. Building authority: Transitioning from being a peer to being an authority figure can be challenging for some students. Establishing boundaries and maintaining discipline in the classroom can be difficult.

3. Time management: Balancing teaching responsibilities with other commitments, such as lesson planning, grading, and professional development, can be overwhelming for new teachers.

4. Dealing with student behavior: Managing a classroom full of students with varying personalities and behaviors can be a significant challenge for new....

Nature and Nurture: Understanding Giftedness

Giftedness is a complex phenomenon that has fascinated educators and psychologists for centuries. It is a natural ability that emerges early in life and manifests itself in a variety of domains, including intellectual, creative, and social-emotional.

Cognitive Characteristics of Gifted Students

High IQ: Gifted students typically score well above average on standardized intelligence tests. However, IQ alone does not define giftedness.
Advanced Reasoning Skills: They possess a high level of cognitive flexibility, allowing them to think critically, solve problems, and make abstract connections.
Exceptional Memory: Gifted students often have remarkable memories, enabling them to recall vast amounts....

1. Research-based essay on how students are gifted: This essay would explore the various forms of giftedness in students, including intellectual, artistic, and creative talents. It would draw upon research studies and theories to provide a comprehensive overview of what it means to be gifted and how educators can support gifted students in reaching their full potential.

2. Persuasive essay on why recognizing and supporting gifted students is important: This essay would present arguments for why it is essential for schools and educators to identify and nurture the talents of gifted students. It would use persuasive language and evidence to make....