Trauma-Informed Care Training

Trauma-informed care training shifts the focus from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” A trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that health care organizations and care teams need to have a complete picture of a patient’s life situation — past and present — in order to provide effective health care services with a healing orientation. Adopting trauma-informed practices can potentially improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, and health outcomes, as well as provider and staff wellness. It can also help reduce avoidable care and excess costs for both the health care and social service sectors including educational settings like schools.

When children are exposed to trauma, the effects can be widespread and long-lasting, not only on behavioral and social skills, but also in the classroom.

Trauma in childhood and adolescence can include abuse, neglect, disadvantage and other adverse family circumstances. The terms developmental trauma, complex trauma and toxic stress are often used to describe child and adolescent traumatic events that occur in the family home.

Children and adolescents exposed to childhood trauma are more likely to experience poor academic performance, have difficulty forming friendships and have challenging classroom behaviors. They are also at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety disorders and conduct problems.

Psychological disorders following childhood trauma are characterized by heightened arousal of the fight-or-flight stress response, including running away or becoming physically or emotionally aggressive

intrusive and distracting thoughts related to the trauma, leading to difficulties with attention and concentration -avoiding reminders, people and events related or perceived to be related to the traumatic experience. Increased sadness, low self-esteem and reduced trust or increased anger towards others. Psychological distress following trauma in childhood and adolescence is associated with disrupted attachments and connectedness in schools anti-social and withdrawn child and adolescent behavior challenges controlling emotions and behavior in the learning environment suspensions and expulsions from school.

The development of children and adolescents who have been exposed to trauma compared to those who haven’t is different.

Children and adolescents without traumatic exposure can achieve survival and emotional and behavioral control, allowing them to flourish and succeed socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

However, children and adolescents exposed to trauma find it challenging to achieve at school due to their heightened state of arousal and real or perceived concerns about their safety and security.

Trauma-based educational practices have gained ground over the past 10 years. These practices:

improve realization and recognition among educators of trauma and its impacts on children and adolescents

improve educator responses to children and adolescents experiencing trauma

limit re-traumatization of children and adolescents by increasing support and reducing punishments in education settings

limit secondary/vicarious trauma among educators by increasing support and professional learning of educators concerning child and adolescent trauma.

Trauma-informed models in schools and early learning settings have been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression among children and adolescents. They can also reduce stress and feelings of helplessness in educators when responding to trauma exposed students.

Let us take a look at Five principles of trauma-informed care

Number 1:                Family belonging, engagement and attachment

Models of trauma-informed practice show the importance of educators, family members/care givers and health professionals collaborating to support children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.

Collaboration between educators and family members/care givers can increase consistency and routines across home and educational settings. This improves a child's sense of safety and security, and limits triggers associated with the fight-or-flight stress response.

Common triggers for trauma-exposed children and adolescents include:

-           a perceived loss of control

-           anxiety around changes in routine

-           fear of disappointing or upsetting others

-           unexpected events, sounds, sights and activities.

Family belonging, engagement and attachment, as well as other approaches of trauma-informed care, can help reduce these triggers. It also helps to identify triggers specific to the individual child or adolescent. This can occur through observation in the learning setting, and through consultation and collaboration between educators, family members/ care givers and health professionals.

2. School belonging, engagement and attachment

Behavior-specific praise using the child’s name, naming the correct behavior and prompting the child to behave in that way in the future, as well as the principles of unconditional positive regard, consistency and empathy between learners and educators are used to improve a child’s sense of safety and security in the school setting, and to limit triggers associated with the fight-or-flight stress response.

All of the principles detailed here are also used to increase the learner’s sense of belonging, connectedness and engagement in education services.

3. Emotion identification, regulation and expression

The approach of emotional awareness and regulation targets the capacity of children and youth to identify and regulate their own emotions, and also their capacity to identify and notice the impact of their emotions and behavior on others.

Learners who have been exposed to trauma require more neutral and less punitive prompts to help them to identify their own emotions and the emotions of others, and to identify and use specific strategies that will help them to regulate their emotions in learning settings.

4. Predictable routines, rhythm and consistency

Creating routines, rhythm and consistency in the educational setting is achieved through:

using visual schedules and verbal reminders around these visual schedules, instructing and prompting learners during transitions

using reward charts and token systems

allowing repetitive activities and self-regulation through movement.

Modelling, practice and behavior-specific praise around routines are also important.

5. Development of strengths, identity and choice

Children and young people who have been exposed to trauma are more likely to have impaired self-esteem and negative views about themselves and the safety of the world and those around them.

The principle of collaboration and choice provides these children and adolescents with the opportunity to have some control of their environment and to develop their identity and sense of achievement.

Collaboration involves developing well-defined and achievable short-term and longer-term goals which the child or adolescent can approach one by one and step by step. These goals are typically incremental and consider the delayed cognitive, social and emotional development, and psychological concerns of children and adolescents who have been exposed to trauma.

Creating a physically and emotionally safe environment, establishing trust and boundaries, supporting autonomy and choice, creating collaborative relationships and participation opportunities, and using a strengths and empowerment-focused perspective to promote resilience are ways in which the principles of Trauma-Informed Care work to reduce re-traumatization and promote healing.

A Trauma-Informed approach also considers and modifies policies, procedures and treatment strategies from the top-down in order to ensure they are not likely to mirror the common characteristics of traumatic experiences.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recommends that when organizations and systems create a trauma-informed environment the following ten implementation domains be considered: Governance and Leadership; Policy; Physical Environment; Engagement and Involvement; Cross-Sector Collaboration; Screening; Assessment; Treatment Services; Training and Workforce Development; Progress Monitoring and Quality Assurance; Financing; and Evaluation.

The manner in which a system or organization views and responds to individual trauma sets the stage for the degree of severity of the impact of trauma as well as the facilitation of the healing and recovery process. 

11 Fun Facts About Your Brain

Made up of billions of neurons (or nerve cells) that communicate in trillions of connections called synapses, your brain is one of the most complex and fascinating organs in your body. Keeping your brain healthy and active is vital. Discover just how powerful it is with these interesting facts.

1. Sixty percent of the human brain is made of fat. Not only does that make it the fattiest organ in the human body, but these fatty acids are crucial for your brain’s performance. Make sure you’re fueling it appropriately with healthy, brain-boosting nutrients.
2. Your brain isn't fully formed until age 25. Brain development begins from the back of the brain and works its way to the front. Therefore, your frontal lobes, which control planning and reasoning, are the last to strengthen and structure connections.
3. Your brain’s storage capacity is considered virtually unlimited. Research suggests the human brain consists of about 86 billion neurons. Each neuron forms connections to other neurons, which could add up to 1 quadrillion (1,000 trillion) connections. Over time, these neurons can combine, increasing storage capacity. However, in Alzheimer’s disease, for example, many neurons can become damaged and stop working, particularly affecting memory.

Read More: https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/11-fun-facts-about-your-brain

Teaching Reading Essentials

Albert Einstein once said, if you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales, if you want them to be more intelligent read them more fairy tales.

It is one of the most important and crucial elements of a child’s education. Reading is essential for a student to become successful in school and in their journey through life.

Most of the learning is done from reading books, the better a child can read the easier it becomes for them to learn what they need in school.

Before we can discuss everything you may need as an educator to improve your students reading skills, I want to share my emphasis on the benefits a student has from reading.

Reading Assists Cognitive Development:

Cognitive development refers to how we perceive and think about our world in reference to our intelligence, reasoning, language development, and information processing. By reading to children, you provide them with a deep understanding about their world and fill their brains with background knowledge. They then use this acquired background knowledge to make sense of what they see, hear, and read, which aids their cognitive development.

It Develops Empathy:

When we read a book, we put ourselves in the story in front of us. This allows us to develop empathy as we experience the lives of other characters and can identify with how they are feeling. Children can then use this understanding to empathize in the real world with other people. Additionally, children will gain a greater understanding of emotions, which can help them understand their own emotions and those of others. This helps dramatically with their social development.

Reading Helps Gain Deeper Understanding:

A book can take us anywhere: to another city, to a different country, or even to an alternative world. By reading a book, a child learns about people, places, and events that they couldn’t learn otherwise. This gives children a deeper understanding of the world around them and cultures that are different from their own.

Reading Assists Building Stronger Relationships:

If a parent reads with a child on a regular basis, then they will undoubtedly develop a stronger relationship with them. Reading provides parents with an opportunity to have a regular and shared event that both parent and child can look forward to. Furthermore, it provides children with feelings of attention, love, and reassurance which is key for nurturing and wellbeing.

Reading Gives Higher Levels of Creativity and Imagination.

Reading a book relies on us using our imagination for picturing characters, visualizing their settings and environment, and guessing what’s coming next. We must use our imagination if we are to learn about other people, places, events, and times. In turn, this developed imagination leads to greater creativity as children use the ideas in their heads to inform their work.

How can you ensure your students understand classroom coursework? Build reading skills. Teachers love to share their favorite stories and the subjects they are passionate about, but helping a child develop the same interest requires foundational reading skills to comprehend and enjoy the curriculum.

Many children see reading as a chore, especially if it’s tied to lesson plans and learning complex information. Teachers, parents, and mentors can help ignite a child’s passion to read by incorporating activities focused on building reading skills to improve comprehension and engagement.

Coming up next are some of the most useful tips that will allow you to help your student become a better reader.

1. Annotate and highlight text

Teach your students to highlight and underline valuable information as they read. Have students write notes on the pages they are reading to help them stay focused and improve comprehension. Students can also write down questions as they read to receive more explanation on a new concept or to define a new word.

2. Personalize the content

Students can increase their understanding by seeing how the material connects with their life. Have your students make personal connections with the text by writing it down on the page. You can also help students comprehend the text by helping them see an association with current events.

3. Practice problem solving skills

Blend real-world problem-solving skills into your curriculum. Have your students write out solutions to the problem and discuss their ideas as a class or in small groups.

4. Incorporate more senses

Add in activities that reinforce learning and comprehension by using more senses as they read. Remind students to read with a pen or pencil to annotate the text. Have your students take turns reading out loud. Use projectors to guide your lesson and write down questions for those who are visual learners.

5. Understand common themes

Ask your students to look for examples of a certain theme throughout the chapter to increase engagement. Have students share their findings with the class to help students learn a specific theme more in-depth.

6. Set reading goals

Have each student set their own reading goals. This can help them take action in building reading skills and students will be more mindful of how they are improving.

7. Read in portions

Long, complex reading can be more digestible by breaking it up into pieces, or chucks. Shorter segments will help students retain the information as the class discusses the materials. It can also help students build confidence in understanding a complex subject.

8. Let students guide their reading

Your students process reading material and curriculum in very different ways. As you implement reading activities to help your class learn complex materials, you will learn what works best for each student individually.

As teachers implement more reading activities into classroom coursework, students will find improvement in vocabulary, writing skills, problem solving, concentration, and cognitive development to help build a solid foundation for future learning.

9. Utilize various reading materials

Be creative by teaching reading through different formats. Books, magazines, books on tape, CDs, and other recorded reading can give students multiple ways to connect with the material. Have students practice reading along with an audio book. They will gain experience seeing the words on the printed page while hearing them on the recording. Other technologies, such as text-to-speech software, can refocus a reading exercise into one where students can pay attention to the sentence structure and words without getting discouraged by their own comprehension.

10. Relate reading to other areas of the student’s life

Encourage your students to read selected material and then discuss it in relation to other books, movies, news items, or TV shows. Have your students make the comparison: What did they like about how each format portrayed the topic? How would they have changed a format to better match the topic? What was the message the writers intended the reader/observer to get from the material? Being able to connect what has been read to something else in their lives helps students think abstractly about the material.

11. Have fun with words

As students work on their reading assignments, ask them to write words or phrases down that they don’t understand and bring them to class on an index card. You can then conduct a classroom discussion on the words until everyone understands the various meanings and uses. Additionally, students can then put their cards up on a wall creating a record of challenging language they have mastered. Depending on the type and format of the classroom, these cards could be used for subsequent writing classes to help students further develop their vocabulary.

12. Create a record of progress

Help students create a journal of their reading work. Have them list the reading they have done and a brief summary of the material. Make a section of challenging words or phrases; another section can be used for passages they don’t readily understand. Finish with the students’ opinion of the material, likes, dislikes, and whether they would read more from this author. Review these journals with the students regularly and celebrate their progress with them. Use the journals at parent-teacher conferences so the parents can also see the progress.

13. Make reading about communication—not just a tool

Prepare several lessons where students read a number of different written materials: grocery store ads; instructions on how to put together a bookcase; a recipe; a newspaper article; part of your state’s driver education handbook—all great examples. Start a discussion on how important it is to be able to read these items accurately and understand them. In each case, ask: what is the important information being conveyed? Where might students encounter the material currently in their lives? These real-world examples help students understand the long-term importance of quality reading skills and comprehension.

 

Teaching Children in Poverty

Children living in poverty face many barriers to accessing an education. Some are obvious — like not having a school to go to — while others are more subtle. Like the teacher at the school not having had the training needed to help children learn effectively.

Increasing access to education can improve the overall health and longevity of a society, grow economies, and even combat climate change. Yet in many developing countries, children’s access to education can be limited by numerous factors. Language barriers, gender roles, and reliance on child labor can all stall progress to provide quality education. The world’s most vulnerable children from disadvantaged communities are more likely to miss out on school. This includes young girls and children with disabilities.

It’s easy to think that the main difference between students who come from poverty and their more affluent peers is their exposure to learning opportunities. However, poverty manifests itself often in unexpected ways in the classroom, and there are specific strategies schools and families can use to help students succeed.

As educators, we come across a vast number of students from all walks of life. In Statistics On How Poverty Affects Children in Schools, author Jana Sosnowski shared, “Approximately one in five children in the United States live in poverty, according to the American Psychological Association, a status that affects more than housing status and food supply.” This is something that has triggered lots of talk about educational reform.

Gladly there are many ways for educators to help less privileged students but in order to manage their situation for the best results and outcomes, it is of vital importance that we understand the issues, what it looks like to be a poor student and in what ways it affects the ability to learn.

Following are some of the greatest challenges that students face with poverty. I’ll be discussing 8 of them.

1-                 There is a lack of funding.

Developing countries can’t rely solely on their own financing for education — there’s also a need for more foreign aid.

Only 20% of aid for education goes to low-income countries, according to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

2-                 Having no teacher, or having an untrained teacher

Teacher effectiveness has been found to be the most important predictor of student learning. GPE is determined to fight the global teacher crisis at hand.

There aren't enough teachers to achieve universal primary or secondary education. And many of the teachers that are currently working are untrained. As a result, children aren’t receiving a proper education. There are 130 million children in school who are not learning basic skills like reading, writing and math. 

3-                 They often get no classroom

A child cannot learn without the right environment. Children in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are often squeezed into overcrowded classrooms, classrooms that are falling apart, or are learning outside. They also lack textbooks, school supplies, and other tools they need to excel.

In Malawi, for example, there is an average of 130 children per classroom in first grade. It’s not just a lack of classrooms that’s the problem, but also all the basic facilities you would expect a school to have like running water and toilets.

4-                 A lack of learning materials

Outdated and worn-out textbooks are often shared by six or more students in many parts of the world. In Tanzania, for example, only 3.5% of all sixth-grade pupils had sole use of a reading textbook. In Cameroon, there are 11 primary school students for every reading textbook and 13 for every mathematics textbook in second grade. Workbooks, exercise sheets, readers, and other core materials to help students learn their lessons are in short supply. Teachers also need materials to help prepare their lessons, share with their students, and guide their lessons.

5-                 The exclusion of children with disabilities

Despite the fact that education is a universal human right, being denied access to school is common for the world’s 93 to 150 million children with disabilities. In some of the world’s poorest countries, up to 95% of children with disabilities are out of school.

Students with disabilities have lower attendance rates and are more likely to be out of school or leave school before completing primary education. They are suspended or expelled at a rate more than double the rate of their non-special education peers.

A combination of discrimination, lack of training in inclusive teaching methods among teachers, and a lack of accessible schools leave this group uniquely vulnerable to being denied their right to education.

6-                 Being the ‘wrong’ gender

Put simply, gender is one of the biggest reasons why children are denied an education. Despite recent advances in girls’ education, a generation of young women has been left behind. Over 130 million young women around the world are not currently enrolled in school. One in 3 girls in the developing world marries before the age of 18, and usually leaves school if they do.

7-                 Hunger and poor nutrition

The impact of hunger on education systems is gravely underreported. Being severely malnourished, to the point it impacts on brain development, can be the same as losing four grades of schooling. It is estimated that around 155 million children under the age of five are estimated to be stunted. Stunting –– impaired growth and development that children experience from poor infection, and inadequate stimulation –– can affect a child’s cognitive abilities as well as their focus and concentration in school. As a result, stunted children are 19% less likely to be able to read by age eight. Conversely, good nutrition can be crucial preparation for good learning.

8-                 The expense of education

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clear that every child has the right to a free basic education, so that poverty and lack of money should not be a barrier to schooling. In many developing countries, over the last several decades, governments have announced the abolition of school fees and as a result, they have seen impressive increases in the number of children going to school. But for many of the poorest families, school remains too expensive, and children are forced to stay at home doing chores or work themselves. Families remain locked in a cycle of poverty that goes on for generations. In many countries throughout Africa education is theoretically free.

The lack of functioning public, government-supported schools means that parents have no choice but to send their children to private schools. Even if these schools are “low-fee,” they are unaffordable for the poorest families who risk making themselves destitute in their efforts to get their children better lives through education.

Now that we have discussed the primary and most common aspects of poverty and how it affects education, let us move forward to a combined solution in a few simple steps.

Many circumstances students living in poverty encounter are beyond their control. They can face many challenges that affect their brain development, emotional well-being, relationships with others, and school achievement. When serving in schools with students who are living in poverty, it is important to know how to do our best to help and empower our students. I will be talking about 4 ways that the teacher can help.

Number 1:                You should have high expectations.

When you have students who are living in poverty, compassion is important. But it does students an injustice if you do not hold them to high expectations. As educators, we want our students to do their best and succeed in our class and in life. Holding students to high expectations allows them to work toward reachable goals that can empower them with intrinsic motivation. This is important because once a student leaves your class, hopefully, you have instilled in them the power to work hard toward their goals and rise to the occasion.

Here are some things you can try.

A.                Give students the opportunity to set goals. Then, coach them to achieve their goals.

B.                 Hold students accountable for classroom expectations. Have conversations about why they are important to follow.

C.                 Expect the best out of students when it comes to their work.

D.                Be a role model. Share your goals and high expectations for yourself with your students.

Number 2:   Expose students to places outside of the classroom.

Many times, students’ experiences can be limited due to their means and their parents/caregivers experiences. It is integral to show students the world around them and open their eyes to what the world has to offer.

You can teach students about different career options and expose them to the arts.

Bring in artists and other career professionals to speak to your class.

Get students off school grounds and take a field trip to a local museum.

Use the web to take a virtual field trip through museum websites or videos.

Finally, be sure to connect learning in the classroom to real life experiences. This will truly enhance your students’ perspective as they learn and move through life.

Number 3:  Build relationships with your students and their families.

Building relationships is a key aspect when it comes to a creating a positive learning environment. It also helps foster mutual respect and trust with your students and their families. One factor those living in poverty often face is high mobility due to unstable living situations. Be a source of consistency. Let your students and families know they can trust you and make them feel welcome.

4. Teach them social-emotional learning strategies.

Students who live in poverty can have trouble focusing in school because of things troubling them in their personal lives. It’s important to teach positive social and emotional skills that can build trust, respect, community, and personal growth. These skills can also help students learn to regulate their feelings and transition to a mindset ready for learning. Before we wrap things up, I would like to talk about three techniques teachers can share with their students to manage their cool and focus on their studies, something that is in their control.

Number 1:                Breathing Techniques

A great way to teach students how to regulate their emotions is to take a step back and do some breathing techniques. If your school does not already teach breathing techniques, you can easily do this in your classroom.

Beach Ball method:

Have students pretend they are holding an imaginary beach ball. When they inhale they pretend the ball is expanding. While they exhale they pretend the ball is squeezing inward.

Square technique:

This breathing technique simply has students take their finger and trace a square in front of them in the air. As students make the first line for the top of the square, they inhale. As students make the second line of the square going down, they exhale and so on. You can repeat this as many times as you want.

The Bunny Breath

This is a great breathing strategy, especially for your youngest students. Have your students pretend to be rabbits. They will need to take three quick sniffs in the nose, and one long exhale out the nose.

Number 2:    Calm Down Corner

A Calm Down Corner is a space in your classroom that allows students who are not regulated or in the proper mindset to begin learning to go and regulate themselves. You can have students use a stress ball, glitter bottles, or breathing techniques to begin to calm down. You may also want to have a self-reflection sheet available to help students process their feelings.

Number 3:                Classroom Circles

One way to build community is through classroom circles. This technique involves students getting in a circle and sharing based on a prompt given by the teacher.

Here is how you can practice classroom circles:

Students get in a circle with the teacher. Ground rules should be shared to promote trust, respect, and honesty.

The teacher shares a prompt for students to answer.

The only person talking must hold a “talking piece.” This practice allows each student to have a turn without interruption.

When everyone who wants to speak has spoken, the teacher can close the circle and thank the students for sharing.

In general ed circles, sometimes this technique is practiced daily. However, if you are a teacher who doesn’t see your students every day, you could try implementing it once or twice a month.

Teaching the Gifted Child

You may or may not spot a gifted child in your classroom, they can be either highly visible, energetic, straight A students or they may be among those who do not complete their homework, pay less attention in the classroom, or just do not take their studies seriously, there is no perfect balance you can ever find in a gifted student.

If you do find one that acts appropriately and is an excellent student, chances are someone else has done all the hard work in channeling their energy and made them a productive student.

But don’t worry if the hard work sounds a little too much, but with the right information, tools, and dedication, you will not feel the struggle as much. As soon as you start to see the results you will move forward with new strategies and things will tend to get easier and easier. After all, many of the gifted students do study in a class a grade or two behind their ability level.

There are a few things you must know to be ready if you find someone extraordinary in your class, being a regular classroom teacher can be both an exciting and overwhelming experience. There are so many standards to meet, and so many things to learn. It can seem as though you’re being stretched in an infinite number of directions. And, the most challenging part generally isn’t the teaching; it is managing student behavior. Without a doubt the most difficult student in your classroom is generally the one who finishes every assignment in less than five minutes and requires constant redirection. We hope you will find these tips helpful.

So let us look at ways and tips on how you can manage and teach gifted students.

Number 1:                   Familiarize Yourself with the Characteristics of Intellectually Gifted Students

Not all gifted students in your classroom will be identified and even those who are may not always appear to be gifted. As such, it is important that you don’t allow yourself to be distracted by false stereotypes. Gifted students come from all ethnic groups, they are both boys and girls, they live in both rural and urban areas, and they aren’t always straight A students. Students who are intellectually gifted demonstrate many characteristics, including: a precocious ability to think abstractly, an extreme need for constant mental stimulation; an ability to learn and process complex information very rapidly; and a need to explore subjects in depth. Students who demonstrate these characteristics learn differently. Thus, they have unique academic needs. Imagine what your behavior and presentation would be like if, as a high school junior, you were told by the school district that you had to go back to third grade. Or, from a more historical perspective, what if you were Mozart and you were told you had to take beginning music classes because of your age. This is often the experience of the gifted child. Some choose to be successful given the constructs of public school and others choose to rebel. Either way, a few simple changes to their academic experience can dramatically improve the quality of their lives — and, mostly likely, yours!

Number 2:                   Let Go of “Normal”

In order to be an effective teacher, whether it’s your first year or your 30th, the best thing you can do for yourself is to let go of the idea of “normal.” Offer all students the opportunity to grow from where they are, not from where your teacher training courses say they should be. You will not harm a student by offering them opportunities to complete work that is more advanced. Research consistently shows that curriculum based on development and ability is far more effective than curriculum based on age. And, research indicates that giftedness occurs along a continuum. As a teacher, you will likely encounter students who are moderately gifted, highly gifted and, perhaps if you’re lucky, even a few who are profoundly gifted. Strategies that work for one group of gifted students won’t necessarily work for all gifted students. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. You’re in the business of helping students to develop their abilities. Just as athletes are good at athletics, gifted students are good at thinking. We would never dream of holding back a promising athlete, so don’t be afraid to encourage your “thinkers” by providing them with opportunities to soar.

Number 3:                   Conduct Informal Assessments

 

Meeting the needs of gifted students does not need to be an all-consuming task. One of the easiest ways to better understand how to provide challenging material is to conduct informal whole class assessments on a regular basis. For example, before beginning any unit, administer the end of the unit test. Students who score above 80 percent should not be forced to “relearn” information they already know. Rather, these students should be given parallel opportunities that are challenging. Consider offering these students the option to complete an independent project on the topic or to substitute another experience that would meet the objectives of the assignment.

With areas of the curriculum that are sequential, such as mathematics and spelling, how about giving the end of the year test during the first week of school. If you have students who can demonstrate competency at 80 percent or higher, you will save them an entire year of frustration and boredom if you can determine exactly what their ability level is and then offer them curriculum that allows them to move forward. Formal assessments can be extremely helpful; however, they are expensive and there is generally a back log of students waiting to be tested. Conducting informal assessments is a useful and inexpensive tool that will offer a lot of information.

Number 4:       Re-Familiarize Yourself with Piaget & Bloom

There are many developmental theorists, and it is likely that you encountered many of them during your teacher preparation course work. When it comes to teaching gifted children, take a few moments to review the work of Jean Piaget and Benjamin Bloom. Jean Piaget offers a helpful description of developmental stages as they relate to learning. Gifted students are often in his “formal operations” stage when their peers are still in his “pre-operational” or “concrete operations” stages. When a child is developmentally advanced, he/she has different learning abilities and needs. This is where Bloom’s Taxonomy can be a particularly useful. Students in the “formal operations” developmental stage need learning experiences at the upper end of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Essentially all assignments should offer the student the opportunity to utilize higher level thinking skills like analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Before we continue here’s another word from our sponsor…

Number 5:       Involve Parents as Resource Locators

Parents of gifted children are often active advocates for their children. If you are not prepared for this, it can be a bit unnerving. The good news is that, at least most of the times, what they want most is to be heard and to encounter someone who is willing to think differently. Offer to collaborate with them, rather than resist them, to work together to see that their child’s needs are met. For example, if they want their child to have more challenging experiences in math, enlist their help in finding better curriculum options. An informal assessment can help them determine the best place to start and then encourage them to explore other options that could be adapted to the classroom. Most parents understand that teachers don’t have the luxury of creating a customized curriculum for every student, but most teachers are willing to make accommodations if parents can do the necessary research. Flexibility and a willingness to think differently can create win-win situations.

Number 6:                   Learn About Distance Learning Opportunities

The choices available to teachers and parents in this area have exploded in the past several years. Distance learning opportunities have dramatically increased options for meeting the needs of gifted students. Programs such as Art of Problem-Solving math and the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Online courses, as well as a myriad of online high school and college courses including online AP classes, are a great way to substitute more challenging curriculum for students who demonstrate proficiency with grade level material. Of course, these classes generally aren’t free, but they are an option that many parents are willing to pay for. Search the free online Davidson Gifted Database to find resources recommended by students, parents, and teachers.

Number 7:                   Explore Acceleration ~ It’s Free and It Works!

Another option is to allow students to attend classes with other students who are at the same developmental level, rather than with their age peers. If a 9-year-old can demonstrate that he is ready to learn algebra, why should he be forced to take fourth-grade math just because he is 9? Same goes for language arts, or science, or social studies or any other area of the curriculum. Many well-meaning teachers worry that a student will run out of things to learn if they are given access to curriculum designated for older students. However, can a person ever truly run out of things to learn? Indeed, if a third grader is allowed to learn fifth grade math this year, then fifth grade math isn’t going to be appropriate for them when they get to fifth grade. So, during fifth grade, they should have access to seventh grade or higher! Math, depending upon their needs. What’s wrong with that? If a student is learning at a rate appropriate to his or her abilities and will continue to do so whether, we “make” them do third grade worksheets. Why not accommodate their unique learning needs with a bit of flexibility. They may just be the one who discovers the cure for cancer or comes up with an alternative fuel source that is more planet friendly. A student should not have their opportunities limited because of their age, their race or any other factor that is beyond their control.

Another reason that many teachers are afraid to try acceleration is that they are concerned about the student’s level of social maturity. Research has demonstrated time and time again that acceleration is effective for many reasons and that social maturity is rarely an issue. Several studies have shown that social age is correlated with mental age not chronological age. So, not only is it generally in the student’s best interest academically to accelerate, it is in his/her best social interest as well! The same goes for students in high school. If a student is ready for college work, encourage them to take college courses or to consider an early college entrance program. Indeed, the student might need a bit of tutoring to get up to speed and/or may need some extra support initially, particularly with writing and/or organization, however, gifted students learn very quickly, and my experience has been that these supports can generally be removed after a reasonable adjustment period.

Number 8:                   Learning from the Experiences of Others

Many well-meaning teachers innocently commit the following blunders when they encounter gifted students. Don’t feel bad if you have committed them.

Blunder Number One: Asking Your Gifted Students To Serve As Tutors For Students Who Are Struggling. Gifted children think and learn differently than other students. Asking them to serve as tutors can be a frustrating experience for all parties involved. This should also be remembered when putting together learning teams or group projects. Putting your strongest student with your students who are struggling is likely to be a painful experience for everyone. Imagine developing a cycling team with someone like Lance Armstrong as one member and then selecting other members who have either just learned to ride their bikes or are still relying on training wheels to help them gain their balance. It is unlikely that anyone in this group is going to have a positive experience.

Blunder Number Two: Giving Your Gifted Students More Work When They Finish Early. It is common practice to give students more work if they complete their assignments early. This is counterintuitive if you consider that if the student is completing his/her work in an efficient manner, it is likely that the work is too easy. Let’s once again consider our cyclist. Would you have the cyclist who finished the race first continue to ride, on a stationary bike no less, until all the other cyclists finished the race? What if that cyclist was given an opportunity to participate in more challenging races or had the opportunity to develop his/her talents in related areas, wouldn’t that be a better use of their time?

Blunder Number Three: Only Allowing Gifted Students to Move Ahead When They Complete the Grade or Age Designed Work Assignments With 100% Accuracy. It is important to remember that gifted students think and learn differently and can be extremely rebellious. No one, not adults, not children and especially not gifted children, like to be bored! Gifted students, thanks to their ability to reason, will purposely choose not to do something merely because they “must” do it, particularly if it seems pointless to them. They would rather spend their time thinking or reading than completing worksheets that are too easy. Focus on your students’ strengths, not their shortcomings. Offer them opportunities that are consistent with their abilities — lead them from where they are. Depending how long they have been in the system, it may take them a while to trust you. So, don’t be surprised if there isn’t a miraculous overnight change. Be consistent and positive and remember, you may be the first teacher who has offered them an opportunity to actually learn, rather than regurgitate and they may not know how to handle your responsiveness. Don’t fall into the trap of saying, “See, I told you he wasn’t gifted, I gave him one tough assignment and he failed.” Gifted students generally haven’t had to work to succeed.

Number 9:                   Integrate technology

With technology access at our fingertips, integrating technology into learning experiences should be a common instructional practice used with gifted/advanced learners. Using technology as a means for product differentiation purposes provides an engaging way to guide learners to explore relevant products for their generation.

Planning instruction that targets the needs of gifted learners is not easy but well worth the investment. We want to ensure that talent and promise are not wasted due to the lack of time, but that time is used effectively to ignite purposeful learning experiences that help gifted learners reach their maximum potential.