Teacher and Paraeducator Professional Development Module

Meeting the Needs of Gifted, High Achieving, and Highly Motivated Learners

Cambria Heights School District

June 10, 2015

Participant(s):

Introduction: Each day teachers, support staff, and administrators work with Cambria Heights district students who are identified as Gifted, those who may meet the criteria for giftedness but chose not to access formal services (GIEP), and students who are high achieving and motivated. The rationale for this Professional Development Module is to explore the unique strengths and needs of this population of students, and how to best help them learn in the regular classroom within the general education Pa CORE curriculum.

Directions: This module may be completed collaboratively or independently. Participants will complete Part 1 and Part 2 and submit responses / answers to the Building Principal. Participants may answer / respond directly on this document and email to the Principal (with Participant Names please), or complete a separate WORD doc and provide to the Principal. Act 48 and Para Professional Hours will be earned.

Part 1 _____Review 15min Professional Development presentation video describing meeting the strengths and needs of students who are high achieving or identified Gifted students in Pennsylvania under Chapter 16. Written prompts / questions will be provided to be completed and submitted to your Principal.

Gifted: Beyond the Identification 2013 (Presented by Tanya Morret, Educational Consultant from Capital Area IU and Contributor to the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH2P9LnPJ10

*if unable to access link above, please copy and paste into your Chrome address bar.

Written Prompts / Questions:

1. Circle / Highlight the statement that is true according to the presenter:

a.  Gifted education is provided by a teacher outside of the regular education classroom.

b.  Enrichment should be provided exclusively to a student identified as gifted and has a GIEP.

c.  Gifted education is a service not a place.

d.  A local school district has the choice to provide or not provide supports and services to students with needs for academic advancement.

2. What are the three specially designed “services” for students who are high achieving / gifted the presenter states are defined in PA Chapter 16?

1.
2.
3.

Why would a teacher consider a combination of Enrichment and Acceleration when addressing the strengths and needs of students who are high achieving / gifted?

In what three areas does the presenter identify as ways a general education teacher can assist a support teacher / facilitator in providing services for a student who is high achieving / gifted?

1.
2.
3.

Move on to Part 2

Part 2_____Choose and review professional training handbooks, developed in a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) and the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE), to describe methods and strategies to advance learning for all students in regular classrooms. Participants, following review and reflection on learning resources, will complete written prompts / questions and submit to your Principal.

.

Understanding and Challenging the Gifted and High Achieving 2009 Version (Easier to View)

http://www.psea.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/Professional_Publications/Booklets/PAGEGiftedBooklet.pdf

Understanding and Challenging the Gifted and High Achieving 2013 Version (Updated but Side-by-Side Format)

http://www.giftedpage.org/docs/PAGE%20PSEA%20booklet%20for%20teachers%20-%205-30-13.pdf

*if unable to access links above, please copy and paste into your Chrome address bar.

Written Prompts / Questions:

In review of “General Characteristics of High Achieving / Gifted Students”, list 3 examples of characteristics and corresponding negative behaviors that could be demonstrated by a student:

Characteristic / Possible Negative Behavior
Example: Student reads intensively / Student may ignore other academic responsibilities in class
1.
2.
3.

What are the three fundamental differences recognized that distinguish students that are high achieving / gifted that should be considered by regular and gifted support facilitators as they plan, instruct, and assess these students:

1.
2.
3.

Describe “Curriculum-Compacting” as it related to a program consideration for students who are high achieving / gifted:

Provide examples for the recommended key principles that may be used to guide programming for students who are high achieving / gifted:

Curriculum
Instruction
Process
Product

Thank You and Please do not forget to list your name(s) at the beginning of the document and in the Subject Line when emailing to your Principal – “TSwiftCHHS6-2015”