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Significance of differentiation in classroom context
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Classroom Mixtures for the Gifted- Homogeneous or Heterogeneous? John H. Holloway in his article, “Grouping Gifted Students”, looks at research to the question of whether or not gifted students can receive effective instruction in the regular classroom. He wants to know if researchers agree with Lisa Benson, a classroom teacher, who says no. Her reasoning is the gifted students become frustrated especially if they have a high degree of creativity and resources are not available in the regular classroom. Holloway first looks at the question from the homogeneous versus heterogeneous grouping perspective. From this perspective two researchers, Renuzulli and Mesler, found that the regular (heterogeneous) classroom could serve the gifted students. Renuzulli suggested that teachers would need special training or access to specialists. The four other researches cited found homogenous grouping was better for gifted students. Burns and Mason found this was true because “the higher ability classes received better instruction or had higher ability teachers and benefited from high-ability classmates” (p.89). In another research, Rogers concluded that gifted students need some form of ability grouping to broaden and extend their curriculum. Shields found that homogeneous grouping had a positive effect on the attitudes of the gifted and how they felt about themselves as learners and the school experience. The study by Gentry, Rizza, and Owen expressed concern that there was little differentiation for the gifted students in the heterogeneous classroom. The research of mixed-ability group options was next looked at by Holloway. Tomlinson’s research says the gifted can receive effective instruction in a differentiated classroom. However, s... ... middle of paper ... ...estion is not usually asked. Students at the high school level tend to want to take the easy way out. I think if I had to make the decision at my school, based on research and on my experiences I would choose to have homogenous grouping for the gifted students. My biggest challenge would be as to what criteria to use. Would it be ability, areas of giftedness, or some other criteria? Reference Holloway, J. (2003, October). Grouping Gifted Students. Educational Leadership, 61, 89-91. Retrieved January 29, 2010, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/oct03/vol61/num02/_Grouping_Gifted_Students.aspx Reference Holloway, J. (2003, October). Grouping Gifted Students. Educational Leadership, 61, 89-91. Retrieved January 29, 2010, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/oct03/vol61/num02/_Grouping_Gifted_Students.aspx
Plucker, J. A., & Barab, S. A. (2005). The importance of contexts in theories of giftedness. In R. J. Sternberg & J. E. Davidson (Eds.), Conceptions of giftedness (pp. 201-216). New York: Cambridge University Press.
The problem associated with how students are chosen to join a gifted and talented program stems from the way that we define giftedness. Because there are countless ways in which any individual can define talent, the government created a federal task force in 1972 to study gifted education in order to standardize the way in which schools choose students for and implement their gifted and talented programs. The task force’s results are known as the Marland Report and include much information as a result of their research, including a decision that a public school’s gifted and talented programs should aim to serve between 3 and 5 percent o...
Based from the information provided by VanTassel-Baska, et. Al. (2009), gifted and talented students face the same issues as their regular peers but they have different way of viewing these issues and it affects them differently as well. The book discussed different issues that gifted learners face and recommendations on how to address these issues were also available for teachers, administrators and other school personnel. Also, Carol Strip Whitney (2011) in her book entitle Helping Gifted Learners Soar discussed stress as a factor that can distract and overpower anyone including gifted learners and for the gifted learners, there are many reasons and causes of stress. In this reflection, I will focus on two causes of stress, which are gifted learners as social capital and issues related to race and achievement.
The Gifted program exists to provide more academic opportunities for those who qualify as “gifted.” “’Gifted means performing or demonstrating the potential for performing at significantly higher levels of accomplishment in one or more academic fields due to intellectual ability, when compared to others of similar age, experience, and environment’” (Quoted in “Gifted”). In order to make it into the program the student must show higher intellectual ability than the average student at his or her age, but what determines that factor? The student must take a multidimensional test and score in the 98th percentile. However, the most weighted part of the test remains an average IQ test. Intelligence test scores should not be the primary qualification for admittance into the gifted program. They should not remain the primary qualification because it allows the minorities and the economically disadvantaged to be underrepresented, it proves insufficient when compared to other means of testing, and it fails to accurately reflect a student’s intelligence.
Chen-Lin C. Kulik and James A. Kulik, "Effects of Ability Grouping on Secondary School Students: A Meta-Analysis of Evaluation Findings," American Educational Research Journal, 19 (1982)
Plucker, J. A., & Barab, S. A. (2005). The importance of contexts in theories of giftedness. In R. J. Sternberg & J. E. Davidson (Eds.), Conceptions of giftedness (pp. 201-216). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Donovan, M. Suzanne and Christopher T. Cross (2002, August). Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/lib/drexel/-docDetail.action?docID=10032383.
Richards, S., Taylor, R., Smiley, L. 2009; Exceptional Students: Preparing Teachers for the 21st Century
A common misconception is intelligence is inherited and does not change, so therefore, gifted children do not need special services. However, this mindset is very dangerous when it comes to the development of gifted children. It is widely believed that gifted students will get by on their own without any assistance from their school. After all,
Tomlinson, C.A. (1999) Chapter 2: The Rationale for Differentiated Classroom in Mixed Ability Classrooms. The differentiated classroom: responding to the needs of all learners. US: ASCD.
Based off of the Enrichment Triad Model, the Schoolwide Enrichment Model is a flexible system that can be implemented in a variety of ways: gifted programs, enrichment programs, magnet and charter schools, and theme schools (Rice & Renzulli, 2009, p. 329). Utilizing the Total Talent Portfolio and the Service Delivery Components, the model stresses individualized learning paths for gifted students.
Author unkown (2003, March 9). In gifted classrooms is diversity lacking?. Salisbury Daily Times. Retrieved March 10, 2003, from http://www.dailytimesonline.com/new/stories/20030309/localnews/1142640.html
Research on the social and cognitive effects of grouping students in mixed-abilities versus same-abilities classrooms is gaining increasing interest among practitioners and researchers. In hopes of attaining higher scores, many schools have adopted homogeneous ability grouping. Unlike them, our school has adopted the policy of mixed ability classes where students of different academic abilities study together in the same class. Indeed, there is a lot of research in favor of heterogeneous ability grouping, but is this beneficial to us?
In today’s educational environment, all students expect to receive the same level of instruction from schools and all students must meet the same set of standards. Expectations for students with learning disabilities are the same as students without any learning difficulties. It is now unacceptable for schools or teachers to expect less from one segment of students because they have physical disabilities, learning disabilities, discipline problems, or come from poor backgrounds. Standardize testing has resulted in making every student count as much as their peers and the most positive impact has been seen with the lowest ability students. Schools have developed new approaches to reach these previously underserved students while maintaining passing scores for the whole student body. To ensure academic success, teachers employ a multi-strategy approach to develop students of differing abilities and backgrounds. Every student is different in what skills and experiences they bring to the classroom; their personality, background, and interests are as varied as the ways in which teachers can choose to instruct them. Differentiated instruction has been an effective method in which teachers can engage students of various backgrounds and achieve whole-class success. When using differentiated instruction, teachers develop lesson strategies for each student or groups of students that provide different avenues of learning but all avenues arrive at the same learning goal.
Parke, B. (n.d.). Challenging gifted students in the regular classroom. Retrieved March 1, 2004, from http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/Challenging_gifted _kids.html