ACCELERANTS LEARN BEST IN THEMES
by Gregory Smith
Published in Our Gifted Children 3.4, 14-19. Melbourne: Hawker Brownlow Education.
An account of a successful programme to teach gifted boys through integrated themes across 9 subjects at lower secondary level.
Our gifted children deserve the best. In the literature that means planning differentiated content, processes, products and environments. These key criteria define an optimal gifted education, an education that anticipates and caters for the needs of gifted students. One way to effect these paradigm shifts is to teach in themes.
This article reports on one teaching team's successful attempts to teach a class of accelerated children by way of themes. These accelerants are now learning in themes. The Research Projects, as they are locally called, have been a significant innovation and have evoked the most enthusiastic and creative responses from the students.
One Middle School's Accelerated Academic Programme (AAP) for accelerants to Year 8 had as a feature of its differentiated curriculum its contract studies component. Here the children pursue in-depth studies on self-chosen themes over a longer period, typically six to ten weeks. Sato (1988) aimed at such a differentiation: "Using in-depth contents, gifted/talented students will employ advanced critical and creative thinking skills to generate complex and intricate products appropriate to their giftedness." We have found that gifted children do crave this depth in their Research Projects. Key theoretical approaches are reflected in these phrases in subject outlines in the 1993 (pp. 9 - 13) Locksley Curriculum Handbook:
"The AAP . . offers ample scope for cross disciplinary approaches stressing individual and small group research . . . to learn through mathematical modelling . . . and extending their research skills . . . The students will be challenged to see the relationship between causes and effects . . . in a study of themes relevant to student interests and by authentic activities . . . Enriching cognitive development, personal creativity and social responsibility . . . [will] accelerate the learner's research skills and social awareness . . [so they] work at their own rate . . . to support the accelerated learner."
The course stresses more authentic learning at a faster pace, towards greater complexity, in interdisciplinary studies by individual research.
Developing research skills is considered critical for gifted students. Cohen (1992) had listed six desirable research skills: advanced library skills, data interpretation, reporting skills, scientific methodology, using technology, and an attitude of inquiry as necessary skills for lifelong learning. In further support of this approach, the course supervisor in an internal mid-year review reported that "the development of these skills is critical to the future learning tasks of this particular group of [accelerated] students' (Allan, 1994: 2).
The Research Projects or study themes are set up like this. Teachers in the A.A.P. teaching team undertake to prepare a range of choices particular to their own subject area on the agreed theme. Consequently, as each theme comes along, a long list, sometimes with 35 possible topics, is presented to the students. Two selections appear below:
Two Study Topic areas from the 1995 Research Project Worksheets
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Subject: |
Topics |
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Mathematics/Science: |
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English |
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Japanese |
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French |
Report on French technological innovations. |
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Geography |
Report on technology of weather balloons. |
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Religious Ed |
Benefits of satellite technology in Biblical archaeology. |
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Art |
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Physical Ed. |
How does new technology helps sporting performances? |
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Music |
Plan a performance at Melbourne Sound House. |
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Subject: |
Topics |
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Mathematics |
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Science |
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English |
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Japanese |
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French |
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Geography |
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Religious Ed. |
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Art |
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Physical Ed |
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Music |
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Each student contracts with the subject teacher to pursue one topic per theme over the period and that teacher eventually assesses it. Future conferencing dates are agreed upon and recorded on a contract form. We have found that such structure is absolutely necessary; gifted children do not automatically possess the skills for independent learning. The assessment cover sheet (illustrated) records, among other items, how well the student responds to guidance in these conference sessions.
ACCELERATED ACADEMIC PROGRAMME
In preparing these choices, we have been striving to differentiate accelerated studies more consciously - to raise the lid on content with cross-disciplinary approaches, to hit the higher level Bloom categories more often, to be more aware of processes (fast learning curves, fewer repetitions), to negotiate higher expectations of superior products, and to encourage modified environments (extramural learning in the home, community and society). We are striving to respect the versatile learning styles of accelerated gifted and talented students.
Deciding upon the themes for study has been a successful team building process in itself. Some topics naturally favour some subject areas but overall a satisfactory range for the year was agreed upon. We sought overarching themes, relevant to the boys' lives and yet challenging. The 1995 topics are: Localities, Eminence, Technology, Architecture and Who am I? Others like Leisure and Patterns were run in 1994 but because of local time constraints could not be offered this year.
Preeminently successful among these Research Projects has been the study of Eminence in Term 2. Devised from Betts' Autonomous Learner Model, this study focuses on giftedness itself by studying the lives of the eminent and notable and the realisation of giftedness in its rich concrete detail. It teaches that potentialities can be realised by perseverance, persistence and preparing for opportunity. In researching the life of their Notable Person and writing a biography on him or her, the student is gradually identifying with an intellectual peer of his own choice. In this way, giftedness is recognised as a reality in itself by student, school and home; it is seen as another human phenomenon with its own difficulties and outcomes.
This year's choices of notables reflected the boys' deep abiding interests and family cultural backgrounds - an important factor for good mental health. Their choices ranged over many fields including sportsmen and scientists: Dennis Lillee, Leonardo da Vinci, Sigmund Freud, Sun Yat Sen, Michelangelo, Michael Jordan, Edmund Barton, Alan Border, Harry Houdini, Vincent van Gogh, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Gaudi, Linus Pauling, Confucius, Nancy Wake, and William S. Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan). What is particularly notable in this study is that the most able and talented do best in it; as a study it eminently suits the most gifted.
Learning in Research Projects has evoked significant approval from the students themselves. The Eminence study evoked these testimonies:
- " . . a great learning experience",
- "I enjoyed the research and then displaying it on the night",
- "I enjoyed what I learnt and I think it will benefit me in the future",
- "I learnt an enormous amount",
- "I learnt many things through hours of hard researching",
- ". . a great experience for me and well worth all the trouble of putting it together",
- "It is a very good program that should stay in the curriculum."
Our experience supports Silverman's observations (1991) that best learning is driven by interest. "Responding is characterised by active participation of the learner. This is the level at which interests are born. The student moves from compliance to active initiation and eventually to marked enthusiasm. . . When a student is asked to read about the life of an eminent individual, he might do so at first out of obligation. As he begins to identify with the person he may decide to read more about the woman on his own. If his interest increases, he may attempt to read everything that was ever written about her." High interest drives accelerated learning.
Why have the themes been so successful? Simply put, they suit gifted learners - we have found that the literature is right when it stresses that gifted learners love making choices, meeting challenges, and studying at depth. The results have been generally quite outstanding. The children feel free to be personally creative, to study at their own pace, to their own depth, using as many resources as possible and it all counts in assessments! Too often in the past it seems, their creative achievements have been justly praised and encouraged but they remain only that - personal initiatives that are not supported or included in any assessment strands. In the A.A.P., they are.
Their favourite topics have also been futuristic: designing a space ship, a future city or an ideal home. Examples of the most often chosen topics I set follow:
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TOWN PLANNING Map out an ideal urban locality in the future - either a school, home or workplace. Be sure to show it is the future. On a detailed plan on a chart include all the facilities you would desire (parks, halls, kindergartens, shops, basketball stadium, etc.) then locate them strategically to enhance the quality of life of your inhabitants. Provide accompanying documentation outlining priorities, advantages, etc. How is the quality of inhabitants' living ensured? FANTASY ISLAND Invent an imaginary island and draw a map of it. Be sure to include its geographical features such as mountains, rivers, lakes, cities, towns, etc. Picture some of the inhabitants dressed in clothing that no one has seen before. Indicate their occupations which are unlike anything else in the world. Decorate with its imaginary animals and sea creatures. TECHNOLOGY Describe and present plans for fantastic machines. You'll need to describe and give drawings for two or three in about equal proportion e.g., bridge to the Moon/volcano capping/cyborgs. Evaluate TECHNOLOGY in science fiction literature for example in novels by Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Frank Herbert, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, etc. The recent sarin attack in Tokyo alerted publishers to the risks of outlining crimes in novels. Does science fiction literature foreshadow fact? |
To report on construction and management decisions in playing Sim City 200 as part of a Localities project, the following original impact matrix was devised by this author for the participating students:
Report on using "Sim City 2000":
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Now in review, how successful are the Research Projects? In the November review (Matthews, 1994), it was reported "that a major vehicle of differentiation offered by the AAP programme was the independent research project which was seen to utilise strategies of interest areas, cross subject links, research skills and independent learning." It is definitely a central learning focus for the students.
The following table indicates the high numerical mean scores for the 1995 students' assessments; they indicate their overall success consequent on their high interest levels. The same criteria were applied for each study.
8F 1995 Research Project results in %
(n=17) Localities Eminence Architecture Technology Mean 88 92 90 89
On criteria like creativity in design, originality of concept,
futuristic thinking and novelty of product, the outcomes were
generally assessed to be high too.
However, there are reservations; it was noted that even the most able students needed more guidance. In the primary years because research work may have been set to "keep them occupied", they continue to see it as needing no structure nor monitoring; some students are more willing to pursue a familiar theme than venture upon a new one; frequent conferencing one's work is seen to be a mark of having difficulty; and some have difficulty focusing on their one topic, and instead are spending too much time reading fascinating but irrelevant material.
Conclusions
To conclude, learning in themes incorporates three key elements: differentiated environments, personal creativity and interdisciplinary studies. This personal research emphasis in our gifted programme values the importance of students making choices and pursuing interests, in short, contract learning in themes suits the autonomous learner. It features real world topics and nurtures lifelong learning skills.
Learning in themes features extramural environments in the search for wider resources. Access to all knowledge in an open world (Passow, 1978) is a desirable requirement of a gifted program. Emphases on futuristic thinking, expert opinions, adult sources, uses of technology and advanced communication skills stress differentiated environments.
Secondly, learning in themes invites creativity. It enables us teachers to encourage and value the creativity in gifted children. It enables parents to encourage superior products of learning, to nurture what are creative learning processes and products. Thus, differentiated products and processes are encouraged and valued.
Thirdly, learning in themes is interdisciplinary. Studying in themes successfully encounters phenomena in holistic and experiential ways just as we carry out problem solving in life. Successful interdisciplinary topics or overarching themes are real world issues. Thus, truly synthesised products become possible at school.
Learning in themes opens up options for diverse outcomes of learning. By starting with their interests rather than with the lockstep tyranny of content, students are able to use their superior learning pace and vast funds of general knowledge to grasp the necessary patterns and paradigms and apply them to real situations. Accelerating skills already acquired, they practise higher level skills to process and master even more complex data. I heartily recommend this approach. Research Projects have been outstandingly successful in our accelerated programme; accelerants do learn best when doing themes. #
Greg Smith's master's thesis evaluated self esteem in Night of the Notables.
Page revised 27/07/07