Best Practices for Nurturing Intellectual Competence

Best practices for developing the whole child

Reward Positive Behaviors

Differentiated Instruction

Helps with “acquiring new knowledge, consolidating what is already known, gaining deep or conceptual understandings, and seeing connectivity in information” (Wiles & Bondi, 2015, p. 108).

Create a positive, safe learning environment

Constant Motivation

Mental/Emotional check-ins to make sure the student is not overwhelmed

Diverse learning needs

Strategies for differentiating curriculum

Leveled reading materials – Allows exceptional learners to learn about the same topic as the rest of the class at a different reading level.

Linking prior knowledge to newly presented knowledge

Play audio recordings of stories while students read along to assist both auditory and visual learners.

Incorporate hands-on activities with math manipulatives, science experiments, and language arts projects.

Incorporating multiple intelligences into curriculum planning

Auditory Learners – Play games, audiobooks, literature circles, oral presentations

Kinesthetic Learners – Act out a scene, projects, role play, experiments, dance, field trips, information walls, create art

Visual Learners – Charts, graphics, videos, draw/sketch ideas, thinking maps, visual displays

Tactile Learners – Task cards, learning circles, sand tray for writing, board games, interactive whiteboards

Including all types of learning styles in one lesson allows all students to be engaged and stay on task. “Instruction is characterized by abstraction, complexity, variety, and flexibility. In the classroom, one may see multilevel texts, learning contracts, group investigation, Internet use, and interest centers” (Wiles & Bondi, 2015, p.112).

Social and developmental theories that would influence curricular decisions

Information Process Theory

Describes how students retain, organize, and use information while learning and how these abilities change over time

Zone of Proximal Development

Describes the difference of what children can do alone and what they can do with assistance (Silalahi, 2019)

Scaffolding Theory

States that children gain experiences through problem solving on their own, peers and adults will gradually decrease the amount of prompting and direction that they provide (Silalahi, 2019)

Best practices for developing the whole child

Create a safe learning environment

Allow students time to speak in small groups so the students are able to hear the language in a more relaxed social setting

Foster creativeness and get the students moving

Increase group projects in the classroom for more peer to peer interactions

Diverse learning needs

Strategies for differentiating curriculum

Provide visuals paired with English and other language terms for needed classroom objects and schedule. Give these to the entire classroom so everyone can be exposed and no one is singled out

Provide dictionary, thesaurus

Have difficult terms defined

Provide recordings of readings for those who may struggle to read the material during silent reading

Make books adapted to have English/other language

Give added time to complete work

Provide cc when available to increase understanding

Incorporating multiple intelligences into curriculum planning

Incorporate movement activities so all students are listening and following along so the ELL student can associate the words with the movements (Herndon, 2018).

During free time allow student time to watch school appropriate videos, and songs, in English and their language to compare

Go outside and give them in the moment learning with word associations in English

Allow time to free write in English so there is no correct or incorrect answers

Social and developmental theories that would influence curricular decisions

Associating an ELL student with having a disability will limit the expectations for them and could decrease their opportunities

Group the students with classmates of similar socioeconomic and sociological factors to create bonds based on similar backgrounds, while making sure to change groupings as well to give more exposure and challenges (Arias, 2016).

Consider low income issues

Consider cultural differences and adjustment problems

Christene Vick

Kaitlin Thatcher

LaKeisha Giles

Lauren Powell

Armstrong, T. (1994). Multiple intelligences: seven ways to approach curriculum. Strategies for Success, 52(3), 26-28. Multiple-Intelligences@-Seven-Ways-to-Approach-Curriculum.aspx' target='_blank'>http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov94/vol52/num03/Multiple-Intelligences@-Seven-Ways-to-Approach-Curriculum.aspx

Arias, E. A. (2016). Action research on the impact of student grouping. Elsevier, 232, 555-560. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187704281631309X?via%3Dihub

Chandler, K. L. (2015). Recommendations for practice: designing curriculum for gifted students. Turkish Journal of Giftedness & Education, 5(2), 157–166.

Chen, W.-R., & Chen, M.-F. (2020). Practice and evaluation of enrichment programs for the gifted and talented learners. Gifted Education International, 36(2), 108–129.

Herndon, E. (2018). What are multiple intelligence and how do they affect learning. https://www.cornerstone.edu/blogs/lifelong-learning-matters/post/what-are-multiple-intelligences-and-how-do-they-affect-learning

Silalahi, R. (2019). Understanding Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development for learning. Polyglot: Jurnal Ilmiah, 15(2), 169–186. https://doi.org/10.19166/pji.v15i2.1544

Wiles, J. W. & Bondi, J. C. (2015). Curriculum development: A guide to practice (9th ed.). Pearson.

Yaffe, D. (2019). REACHING full POTENTIAL: District leaders employ innovative methods to diversify gifted and talented programs. District Administration, 55(3), 38.

Yaman, D. Y., & Sökmez, A. B. (2020). A case study on social-emotional problems in gifted children. Ilkogretim Online, 19(3), 1768–1780. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2020.735156

Best practices for developing the whole child

School districts are diversifying their gifted programs by adopting research-based strategies for scouting gifted and talented students. These strategies include:

Screening all students, not just those recommended by teachers or parents

Choosing tests that don’t favor middle-class English speakers

Relying on local norms, rather than national ones, to determine who qualifies.

Widening the circle of adults scouting for student talent. (Yaffe. 2019)

Diverse learning needs

Strategies for differentiating curriculum

The United States adopted the National Association of Gifted Children Pre-K-Grade 12 Programming Standards. (Chen. 2020)

The NAGC Standards were developed based on the literature/theory-based, practice-based, and research-based needs of gifted students. (Chen. 2020)

Incorporating multiple intelligences into curriculum planning

Plan lessons with diverse learners in mind with the ability to differentiate the lesson depending on the type of learner.

Creating a curriculum for gifted and talented learners should meet the requirements of:

1) agreement regarding what gifted students should learn beyond the core curriculum

2) the existence of a scope and sequence to frame the knowledge and resulting instructional design

3) systematic and intentional alignment with the core curriculum (Chandler, 2015).

Social and developmental theories that would influence curricular decisions

Gifted students sometimes experience difficulties in the educational setting in regard to teacher attitude, friendships, being labeled, and getting bored easily. Higher expectations of gifted students can also cause anxiety in them feeling that they must achieve perfection and always meet expectations (Yaman, 2020).

Many gifted and talented programs also cause educational segregation by excluding students who come from diverse social and economical statuses.

Best practices for developing the whole child

Physical, emotional, social and cognitive

Adding movement to the lesson

Allowing students to move when needed

Kinesthetics

Diverse learning needs

Strategies for differentiating curriculum

Modified work required to be done outside of school, due to the possibility of lack of resources so the students can still be able to do their work

Partner work with someone who may be able to help the student be more successful with certain tasks, due to the extra assistance

Incorporating multiple intelligences into curriculum planning

Know the student at hand and plan your lesson accordingly (Armstrong, 1994)

Be creative with the activities that are created (Armstrong, 1994)

Combining these intelligences make the learning experience even better for the students (Armstrong, 1994)

Social and developmental theories that would influence curricular decisions

Factors beyond the students’ control can hinder their academic growth, such as lack of parent involvement, family income, attendance

A lot of things that students go through outside of school can interfere with their ability to focus, retain the material that is being taught, cope with various things, as well as many other things.