Ability Learners in Science: Journeys to Inspiration Gifted - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• Mrs. Leah Parker, MAEd

Gifted Education Specialist The Caepe School Anthem, Arizona

Engaging Gifted and High Ability Learners in Science: Journeys to Inspiration

Gifted Learners and Science

Many gifted learners report that science is the subject in school that most intrigues them. However, they often report frustration with science education. Unfortunately, many schools leave the needs of these students unmet—either by neglecting to spend enough time on the subject or by presenting material that does not engage or inspire them. (VanTassel-Baska, 1998) It’s time to think outside the box, and by that I mean

• utside of the confines of your classroom! Either take

your students out into the world or bring the world in for them.

Show of Hands

• Who is a gifted specialist or administrator in a

full-day program for gifted students?

• Who is a gifted specialist or administrator in a

school with a pull-out program for gifted students? Reading? Math? Other subjects?

• Who is a gifted specialist or administrator in a

school with a push-in program for gifted students? (The gifted specialist acts as a consultant or coach for classroom teachers.)

• Who is a science teacher with gifted students

in your classroom?

How do we define giftedness?

The current federal definition of gifted students was

• riginally developed in the 1972 Marland Report

to Congress, and has been modified several times since then. The current definition, which is located in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, is as follows: “Students who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in

• rder to fully develop those capabilities”

(http://www.nagc.org/).

How do we measure giftedness?

• On a very practical level, school districts

usually require cognitive or intelligence test scores in the 97th percentile or above in any category—verbal, quantitative, or nonverbal— for placement in a gifted program.

• Some districts use a rubric and take into

account achievement test scores, academic success, artistic talents, leadership, teacher recommendation, etc.

What do gifted students need?

“Though not often recognized as ‘special needs’ students, gifted children require just as much attention and educational resources to thrive in school as do other students whose physical, behavioral, emotional or learning needs require special accommodations” (Science Daily, 2009).

What do gifted students need?

“…Opportunities for earlier access to advanced content need to be available to gifted students in science. Cross and Coleman (1992) conducted a survey of gifted high school students, finding that their major complaint about science instruction was the frustration of being held back by the pace and content of courses. In a 6-year study of middle school age gifted learners taking biology, chemistry,

• r physics in a 3-week summer program, these younger learners
• utperformed high school students taking these courses for a full

academic year (Lynch, 1992). Follow-up studies documented continued success in science for these students, suggesting a need for academically advanced students to start high school science level courses earlier and be able to master them in less time. Evidence also suggests that advanced study in instructionally grouped settings based on science aptitudes promotes more learning for all students (Hacker & Rowe, 1993)” (VanTassel-Baska, 1998).

What do gifted students need?

“Although, many of the strategies developed in gifted education will particularly benefit gifted students they are also of value to all students studying science” (Watters & Diezmann,2003).

How can we accommodate and encourage students’ interests if they are outside the state science standards for the academic year?

• If this is the case, I provide my students a pathway to

explore their science interests while meeting state standards in reading, writing, and math.

• This multidisciplinary learning is supported by

research.

• “Gifted learners tend to make connections between

new and prior learning more frequently than other children (Rabinowitz & Glaser, 1985; Rogers, 1986; Simon & Simon, 1980). This would certainly support the necessity of enrichment experiences for gifted learners that incorporate multiple disciplines” (Rogers, 2002).

Key Components to a Science Curriculum for Gifted Students

Identified by the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary (VanTassel-Baska, 1998)

• A. An emphasis on learning concepts: “Concepts

such as systems, change, reductionism, and scale all provide an important scaffold for learning about the core ideas of science that do not change, although the specific applications taught about them may.”

Key Components to a Science Curriculum for Gifted Students

• B. An emphasis on higher-level thinking: “Students

need to learn about important science concepts and also to manipulate those concepts in complex ways. Having students analyze the relationship between real world problems…and the implications of that incident for understanding science and for seeing the connections between science and society provides opportunities for both critical and creative thinking within a problem-based episode.”

Key Components to a Science Curriculum for Gifted Students

• C. An emphasis on inquiry, especially problem-

based learning: “Through questions by the teacher, collaborative dialogue and discussion with peers and individual exploration of key questions, students can grow in the development of valuable habits of mind found among scientists, such as skepticism,

• bjectivity, and curiosity.”

Key Components to a Science Curriculum for Gifted Students

• D. An emphasis on the use of technology as a

learning tool: “The use of technology to teach science offers some exciting possibilities for connecting students to real world

• pportunities, …scientific papers, …well-

constructed units of study, and …communicate directly with scientists.”

Key Components to a Science Curriculum for Gifted Students

• E. An emphasis on learning the scientific process,

using experimental design procedures: “…Original work in science would require [students] to read and discuss a particular topic

• f interest, come up with a problem about that

topic to be tested, and then follow through in a reiterative fashion with appropriate procedures, further discussion, a reanalysis of the problem, and communication of findings to a relevant audience.”

NSTA Supports These Components

“The National Science Education Standards envision change throughout the system. The science content standards encompass the following changes in emphases:” (Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, 1996) Less emphasis on More emphasis on [Aligned with Key Components] Knowing scientific facts and information Understanding scientific concepts and developing abilities of inquiry [A, C] Studying subject matter disciplines (physical, life, earth sciences) for their own sake Learning subject matter disciplines in the context

• f inquiry, technology, science in personal and

social perspectives, and history and nature of science [C, D] Implementing inquiry as a set of processes Implementing inquiry as instructional strategies, abilities, and ideas to be learned [C] Emphasis on individual process skills such as

• bservation or inference

Using multiple process skills—manipulation, cognitive, procedural [B] Private communication of student ideas and conclusions to teacher Public communication of student ideas and work to classmates [E]

Space Science- Research and Presentations

• After learning basic information, we choose research topics based
• n individual interests.
• We explore research topics, such as the details of our solar system

and the Milky Way. We travel further into the universe to investigate nebulae, using images and information gathered from the Hubble Telescope. We look forward to the new technology and findings of the James Webb Space Telescope. We examine the history and future of NASA. We attempt to fathom the depths of the minds of Einstein and Hawking. We survey the possibilities of multiple dimensions and the space-time fabric and attempt to wrap

• ur minds around String Theory.
• We apply our findings to future possibilities and present to

members of our family and community.

• We use our research and findings as a launching pad for further

learning.

Activity: Space Science Research and Presentations (FREE!)

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Evidence, models, and explanation Change, constancy, and measurement Evolution and equilibrium Form and function Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math  Reading/ Writing 

Space Science- Gravity and Our Solar System

• We use Adaptive

Curriculum to explore the relationship between the gravitational force and the motions of objects in

• ur solar system.
• We create our own

system and manipulate the variables of velocity (speed and direction), relative position, and mass of objects and can cause circular orbits, elliptical orbits, and even fiery collisions.

Activity: Space Science-Gravity and Our Solar System

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Evidence, models, and explanation Change, constancy, and measurement Evolution and equilibrium Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math Reading/ Writing

Space Science-NASA Astrophysicist

• Dr. Amber Straughn tells us about the history of the

universe and her research on Tadpole Galaxies.

• She explains how the Hubble Telescope has given us

evidence of the past.

• She uses a gas discharge lamp to explain how we view and

interpret light in the universe. The students view several gas discharge tubes through hand-held diffraction gratings, allowing them to see the spectral lines associated with each gas.

• She tells us how the James Webb Space Telescope will

provide more data in the future.

• She even tells us about her experience aboard the Zero

Gravity airplane.

Space Science-NASA Astrophysicist

• We keep up with Dr.

Straughn through her blog at http://cosmicdiary.org/ blogs/nasa/amber_stra ughn/.

• We use the web cam to

get news from her.

Activity: NASA Astrophysicist (FREE!)

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Evidence, models, and explanation Change, constancy, and measurement Evolution and equilibrium Form and function Sci Teaching 

  

Sci Content  Math Reading/ Writing 

Space Science- NASA Web Site

We use the NASA website for all kinds of education resources.

Activity: NASA Website (FREE!)

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Evidence, models, and explanation Change, constancy, and measurement Evolution and equilibrium Form and function Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math  Reading/ Writing 

Space Science- Meteor Crater in Northern Arizona

• We experience the impact
• f the first proven, best

preserved meteor crater

• n earth outside of

Flagstaff, Arizona.

• We imagine what it must

have been like to be there when it hit!

• We investigate other

meteor crater sites around the world.

• We get to touch a real

space capsule.

Activity: Meteor Crater

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Change, constancy, and measurement Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math Reading/ Writing

Space Science-Lowell Observatory

• We see the telescope that

was used by Clyde Tombaugh to discover Pluto.

• We walk through a scale

model of the solar system.

• We explore the hands-on

activities at the Rotunda Museum.

• We take a tour of several

telescopes at night to see the moon and various stars and planets.

Activity: Lowell Observatory

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Evidence, models, and explanation Change, constancy, and measurement Form and function Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math  Reading/ Writing

Space Science-Challenger Space Center

• We simulate a Space

Station mission by engaging in technology, problem-solving, and teamwork activities.

• We view the spectrum
• f light and explain how

shifting spectral lines can be used to help us interpret the history of the universe.

Activity: Challenger Space Center

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Evidence, models, and explanation Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math Reading/ Writing 

Space Science-Arizona Science Center

• We visit the Dorrance

Planetarium to explore space.

• At the Imax theater, we

join the Mars Rover as it journeys from Earth to Mars and investigates the red planet.

Activity: Arizona Science Center

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Change, constancy, and measurement Form and Function Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math  Reading/ Writing

Gravity-Calculation in the Classroom

• We have discussed

Einstein’s ideas regarding the space-time fabric. We investigate the gravitational pull of the planets in our solar system.

• We jump as high as we

can, mark the wall, and measure height of each jump.

• We calculate how high we

could jump on other planets in our solar system.

Activity: Calculation in the Classroom (FREE!)

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Systems, order, and organization Change, constancy, and measurement Sci Teaching 



Sci Content  Math  Reading/ Writing

Gravity-Predictions in the Classroom

• We have discussed how gravity

works in our solar system, and now we bring the concept closer to home.

• We drop two items with

similar shapes but different sizes and weights and ask, “Do size, shape, or weight make a difference?” and “Which will hit the ground first?”

• We test our hypothesis, record
• bservations, replicate, and

communicate our results.

Gravity-Exploration in the Classroom

• We use Adaptive

Curriculum to travel back in time and see Galileo’s famous free fall experiment.

• We conduct experiments

with freefalling spheres in a vacuum and manipulate three variables: mass of falling objects, gravitational acceleration, and height from which

• bjects are released.

Activity: Gravity Predictions and Exploration in the Classroom

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Evidence, models, and explanation Change, constancy, and measurement Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math  Reading/ Writing 

Airplane Flight-Application in and out of the Classroom

• We learn about the parts
• f an airplane and

investigate the four basic forces of flight: gravity, lift, drag, and thrust.

• We apply Bernoulli’s

principle by creating an airfoil.

• We live the four basic

forces of flight and Bernoulli’s principle when we participate in the Young Eagles program.

Activity: Young Eagles (FREE!)

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Evidence, models, and

• rganization

Form and function Sci Teaching 

 

Sci Content  Math  Reading/ Writing

Air Resistance-Investigation in the Classroom and at the Playground

• We apply the concepts of gravity, air resistance,

acceleration, the area fronting the wind, and terminal speed.

• We experiment with different designs and make

parachutes for uncooked eggs. We drop them from the top of the play structure. Some survive and some do not.

• We have a guest speaker who survived a

parachute accident. He explains the physics of skydiving and what went wrong.

Air Resistance-Investigation at SkyVenture Arizona

• We are not old enough

for real skydiving yet, so we visit SkyVenture Arizona, the largest indoor skydiving facility in the world.

• We put our bodies in

motion to apply air resistance.

Activity: Air Resistance Investigation and SkyVenture Arizona

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Evidence, models, and

• rganization

Form and function Sci Teaching 

   

Sci Content  Math Reading/ Writing

Force and Motion- Fun in the Classroom

• We research the world’s

most extreme roller coasters and compare and contrast statistics.

• We use our

understanding of friction, potential and kinetic energy, gravity, Newton’s First Law, and acceleration to create virtual coasters on line.

Force and Motion- Fun at Castles and Coasters

• We feel the physics

while riding amusement park rides.

Activity: Extreme Coasters and Feel the Physics

Unifying Concepts in Science National Education Standards Key Components Learning Concepts Higher-Level Thinking Inquiry/ Problem- based Learning Technology as a Learning Tool Scientific Process/ Experimental Design Evidence, models, and

• rganization

Form and function Sci Teaching 

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Sci Content  Math  Reading/ Writing 

Think outside the box!

• Experience Math and Science at

www.adaptivecurriculum.com.

• Create a Coaster at

http://sideshow.questacon.edu.au/maketracks.ht ml.

• Find a rich variety of resources and activities at

www.nasa.gov.

• Kids fly for free with the Young Eagles program.

Find out more at http://www.youngeagles.org/.

Think outside the box!

• Find science landmarks, observatories, science

museums and centers, planetariums, and Imax theaters in your area.

• Look for amusement parks and other (safe) extreme

sources of fun in your area. They probably use science to create the fun!

• Find experts in the field through your local universities,

professional organizations, science organizations, etc. Many have outreach programs and would be eager to partner with you.

• Contact organizations related to science to borrow

technology and other resources.

Think outside the box!

• I encourage families to come along on field

trips to foster a family love of learning. That way, students continue to learn and explore after they have left my care.

• When students present research, I invite

family, administration, school staff, and community members. If it is important enough to research, it is important enough to share!

Think outside the box!

• Give families information about talent searches

and other accelerated programs. Check out programs at Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Minnesota.

• Look for exciting science summer camps like the

Young Eagles camp.

• Sponsor a Science Club for students hungry to

learn and explore.

• Assist students as they prepare for and engage in

academic competitions.

What about cost?

• You can find many free resources. We have

highlighted research activities, online resources, local universities, experts in the field, and organizations, such as Young Eagles.

• Continually network and utilize members of

your community—students’ families, friends, business people, local outreach programs, anyone you can think of—to find

• pportunities for your students. Who can get

you where you want to go? Who can help you gain admission to important places?

What about cost?

• Ask for the very best deal possible. Tell people

about your amazing students and your exciting goals.

• Ask for further discounts in exchange for free

advertising in your yearbook, newsletter, or

• ther school publication. (Check

school/district policies first, of course.)

• Engage families in fund raising.
• Apply for educational grants.

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” ~Ellen Parn

References

Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education (1996). National Science Education

• Standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. http://www.nsta.org/publications/nses.aspx.

Cosmic Diary. http://cosmicdiary.org/blogs/nasa/amber_straughn/.

• NASA. www.nasa.gov.

Rogers, Karen B. (2002). Re-Forming Gifted Education: How Parents and Teachers Can Match the Program to the Child. Scottsdale: Great Potential Press. ScienceDaily (2009). Education Professor Dispels Myths about Gifted Children. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113123714.htm. VanTassel-Baska, Joyce (1998). Planning Science Programs for High-Ability Learners. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education Digest #E546. http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/eric/e546.html. Watters, James J. and Diezmann, Carmel M. (2003) The gifted student in science: Fulfilling potential. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 49(3). pp. 46-53. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/1692/. For more information on gifted education see the National Association for Gifted Children: http://www.nagc.org/.