Introduction
The modules are manuals which act as a
guide for a gifted endorsement course. Included you will find suggested
resources, a list of pre-requisite skills, objectives, components, activities
and assignments.
It is understood that there will be
flexibility in course formats (number of meetings, duration of each meeting)
depending on the participants and nature of the instructional setting. The
mastery must be equivalent to a 3-semester hour course in a university setting
(16 weeks/3 hrs.). Each participant must show evidence of mastery which could
be held as a portfolio for each course
The courses have been updated with two
central concepts, Infusion and Modeling.
Infusion includes the following
principles:
-
Required skills as excellent general
practitioners
-
Diversity Issues
-
Adult Education Principles
-
Technology and Information Skills
-
Differentiated Curriculum
-
Appropriate Assessment
-
Independent Learning and Research
Skills
Modeling includes the following
principles:
-
Facilitative Practitioner
-
Reflective Ongoing Self-Assessment
-
Intake Interview: pre-assessment
including knowledge base, skills, learning styles, interests, socio-cultural
preferences
-
Formative Evaluation
-
Gifted Instructional Strategies:
compacting, contracting, creative productivity
The facilitative Practitioner should use
the following effective strategies:
-
Process built into content
-
Examination of current issues and key
concepts
-
Overview of multiple models
-
Networking with other instructors
-
Infusion of lower level thinking, focus
on higher level thinking skills
-
Interactive and open-ended • Freedom of
Choice: constructivism
-
Flexible Structure: complexity, pacing
-
Model effective strategies
Built into each of the courses are
levels. The use of the pre-assessment is critical to the delivery of these
modules. The levels are:
-
Pre-assessment
-
Base level: compacting and built in
assessment in every module to facilitate acceleration
-
Curriculum extension/skill development
for those who evidence mastery of some of the basic concepts at
pre-assessment
-
Creative productivity for those
evidencing a higher level of mastery
The outcomes of the modules are:
-
Base level: content expertise for all
participants
-
Higher level: alternative outcomes for
participants with some degree of mastery of the topics
-
Professional development as an educator
of gifted students
-
Documentation of skill development
(portfolio)
-
Open-ended yet accountable evidence of
mastery
-
Continuity across the five courses
Instructors/facilitators
Recommended qualifications for
instructors/facilitators of the add-on endorsement classes are:
-
a current Florida teaching certificate
(or the equivalent) with gifted endorsement (or documented expertise in
gifted education)
-
a Master’s Degree or higher
-
a background of successful staff
development and/or adult training expertise
-
a minimum three years successful
teaching experience in gifted education
Additional materials
There are three additional documents
included with these guidelines. The first is recommended resources and
supplementary texts for the five endorsement courses. When an instructor is
selected, the person should review these recommended resources for the courses
and check web site addresses for accuracy. Also, included is a list of
pre-requisites that prospective teachers enrolled in the endorsement courses
should possess. The instructor may need to direct participants to other staff
development offerings in lieu of trying to teach pre-requisites as part of the
endorsement course. The third document outlines specific delivery strategies
that should be used for gifted endorsement courses. The instructor should
model these strategies throughout the implementation of the courses.
