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Benefits and Barriers to Collaboration and Co-Teaching: Examining Perspectives of Gifted Education Teachers and General Education Teachers
Abstract
This article examines collaboration in the context of how gifted education teachers co-plan and co-teach with general education teachers. Perspectives of the benefits and barriers to collaboration are explored from gifted education teachers, gifted education administration, and general education teachers in one school district in the Southeast United States. Benefits include perceived growth in teacher competency to differentiate for students identified as gifted and growth in student learning; barriers include time constraints and perceived conflicting assumptions. The article highlights implications of the challenges and practical nature of implementing collaboration between gifted education teachers and general education teachers within the context of systemic change.
... More importantly, these professionals need to collaborate with each other, with the students and with parents to provide optimal educational opportunities and care without overloading the student (Coleman and Gallagher 2015). However, collaboration for students with special needs often faces challenges, such as conflicting views among teachers, obstacles encountered by care providers, and a lack of school strategies to foster parent involvement (Mofield 2020;Mun, Ezzani, and Yeung 2021;Villeneuve 2009;Wintle et al. 2017). Several decades ago, VanTassel-Baska (1991) highlighted that school programs designed for students with learning difficulties tend to operate independently of those for gifted learners, leading to a lack of integrated services. ...
... structure for collaboration and conflicting assumptions between the gifted education teacher and the general education teacher about the roles of the teachers, about the necessity for differentiation, and about the needs of gifted students (Mofield 2020). ...
... This is reflected in a total of six tasks. First, the educational professional should seek alignment with colleagues, as was also found in Mofield (2020) and Zagona, Kurth and MacFarland (2017). Second, the educational professional should think in terms of possibilities and customization (i.e., extensive differentiation; Mofield 2020) and use all the information at hand to design personal educational plans (Foley-Nicpon and Assouline 2020). ...
This grounded theory study investigated collaboration methods among actors working with gifted students with complex educational needs and their parents. Through interviews with students, parents, educational professionals, and care providers, both successful and unsuccessful collaboration strategies were examined. Subsequently, a model was proposed to enhance effective collaboration for this unique, but heterogenous group of students. This model describes overarching collaboration conditions that preferably should be discussed beforehand with actors involved to establish a functional collaborative culture. Furthermore, this model describes specific tasks for all actors involved that could be applied accordingly to enhance collaboration practices. Lastly, a case coordinator should be assigned that ensures continuity, stability, and a constant flow of information. By following this model, educational professionals, care providers, parents, and policy makers may find ways to enhance their collaboration practices to support these students more adequately in their development.
... Researchers found that collaborative practices among general education teachers, special education teachers, and other service providers were one of the key effective practices underlying the work of districts with high special education performance (Huberman et al., 2012). As a result of collaboration, students' academic and behavioral outcomes improved (Goddard et al., 2007;Ronfeldt et al., 2015), and teachers used more social-emotional (Leonard & Woodland, 2022) and differentiated teaching strategies (Mofield, 2020). Additionally, research has shown the importance of engaging in collaboration through professional learning communities and professional development (Huberman et al., 2012). ...
... Several barriers to effective collaboration also have been noted in the literature. One of the biggest barriers is the lack of structured support for collaboration in schools, such as having built-in time for collaboration and access to training on collaboration (Mofield, 2020). In fact, Haines et al. (2017) noted that many school leaders and teachers are never provided with training on how to collaborate effectively. ...
... For example, educators may believe that work environments are isolating if there is no dedicated time for collaboration. Another barrier to collaboration is conflicting beliefs and assumptions among professionals, such as misconceptions about one another's roles or differing expectations for students with disabilities (Bondy & Brownell, 1997;Kirby et al., 2022;Mofield, 2020). Conflicting beliefs and assumptions may be due to differences in education and training, cultural values, length of time in the field, and lived experiences. ...
... 136). According to another study that was published by Mofield (2020), 93 percent of the respondents cited lack of time as a major barrier to collaboration while 64 percent said that conflicted assumptions affected their ability to collaborate with other teachers. ...
... Moreover, teachers expose students to different strategies and styles of learning, allowing them to look at problems from different perspectives and use the approach they find most effective (Rabin, 2020). Students who are co-taught in subjects like science have also been shown to outperform their peers (Mofield, 2020), which is an indication that co-teaching is a more effective method when it comes to individualized support. Another advantage of co-teaching is that it creates more time to focus on content (Dover, 1994). ...
... Although they are both qualified in their respective areas, a gifted education teacher might have unique skills that they use to interact with and provide instruction/guidance to high-ability students, which a general education teacher may lack. According to Mofield (2020), through focused, sustained, and data-driven collaborative work, the general education teacher can learn a lot from their peer, which would in turn allow them to employ the same skills and strategies to meet the needs of their students. This perspective is also shared by Rytivaara and Kershner (2012), who note that "The teachers' practice of inclusive education is found to be closely integrated with their own professional development, including the knowledge base that they share and develop together" (p. ...
This study explored the significance and impact of co-teaching on teacher's teaching skills. In doing so, the study considered whether the practice is worth implementing and some of the strategies that could help with successful implementation for maximum benefits. A qualitative approach was used, and the primary instrument for collecting the data was semi-structured interviews. The sample comprised 13 Saudi Arabian teachers who had some experience or knowledge of co-teaching. Data analysis using thematic analysis revealed five themes. The first theme revolves around the teachers’ knowledge and experiences with co-teaching. The second theme is the impact of co-teaching on the skills and teaching styles of the teachers, while the third theme concerns the benefits of co-teaching for students. The fourth theme is related to factors affecting the successful implementation of co-teaching, and the fifth theme is concerned with the important factors for successful implementation of co-teaching. The conclusion highlights some of the steps that can be taken to improve the implementation process for positive outcomes and the roles of all stakeholders in the process. KEYWORDS Co-teaching, professional development, skills, teachers, students, strategies
... However, co-teaching is not without certain shortcomings. First, it requires additional time and resources for planning, coordinating, and communicating, which can be challenging in busy academic environments (20). Moreover, ambiguity in the defining and execution of roles and responsibilities may lead to confusion among one of both teachers, potentially affecting the instructional efficiency (21). ...
... These barriers can be broadly categorized into technical/administrative challenges and pedagogical challenges. Strategies are proposed to mitigate these challenges (20,22,40). Technical/administrative barriers include: (a) Time constraints: Collaborative teaching requires coordination among educators, which can be challenging due to conflicting schedules and time commitments. ...
Introduction
This study examined the impact of co-teaching on students and lecturers, assessing its benefits and drawbacks, and suggesting ways to enhance collaborative learning.
Methods
Fifty undergraduate student teachers participated in two sports sciences seminar courses jointly taught by two lecturers. Data was collected via student reflections; course evaluation feedback; word clouds; and teacher reflections. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data.
Results
The findings indicate that the short intensive seminar course resulted in three parallel processes: emotional , students transitioning from negative feelings of chaos, frustration, and a sense of incompetence to positive feelings of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment; social , students learning to listen, request assistance, support, encourage, and collaborate; and cognitive , students learning to ask fruitful questions, plan experiments, summarize, and present. Nevertheless, the time and effort demands involved in the planning and management of such courses may constitute a significant barrier to the future implementation of this teaching method. In terms of course outcomes, no indications of higher quality were seen compared to traditional instruction.
Discussion
Drawing on the symbolic interactionism theory, the study advocates for preparing students for inclusive and collaborative learning environments to improve academic engagement and success.
... These skills are crucial for effective collaboration and contribute to a more harmonious working environment. Research suggests that educators engaging in collaborative practices are better equipped to handle challenges and work effectively with diverse students and colleagues (Lakkala et al., 2021;Mofield, 2020). Collaborative practices can lead to increased job satisfaction and retention among educators. ...
In the dynamic realm of educational leadership, soft skills have become increasingly recognised as essential to fostering effective and collaborative environments. This research discourse employs a systematic review approach to explore these competencies' critical role in enhancing leadership effectiveness. A comprehensive search of academic databases was conducted using relevant keywords related to soft skills and educational leadership, adhering to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure the quality of selected studies. The findings reveal that essential soft skills such as communication, motivation, conflict management and trust-building are critical in influencing educational leaders' performance and educational institutions' overall success. The analysis identifies common themes across various studies, highlighting how leaders who excel in these areas create inclusive, engaging environments that promote collaboration and innovation. Furthermore, the research underscores educational institutions' need to integrate soft skills training into leadership development programs, thereby equipping future leaders with the tools to navigate complex challenges effectively. In conclusion, this discourse emphasises that soft skills are not just ancillary traits but foundational elements of successful educational leadership. By prioritising these competencies, educational leaders can cultivate dynamic learning communities that empower educators and students, ultimately enhancing the educational experience and outcomes for all stakeholders involved.
... Esto, limita ofrecer procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje en perspectiva intercultural.Asimismo, perpetúa las relaciones de poder del sujeto no indígena hacia el indígena, representado en la figura del profesor hacia el sabio mapuche.En ese contexto, para revertir esta realidad es necesario avanzar en procesos efectivos y reales de colaboración entre los agentes educativos encargados de enseñar la lengua indígena en el aula. Lo anterior, asumiendo que la colaboración permite que dos o más profesionales se unan interdisciplinariamente, para contribuir con su experiencia individual en el desarrollo de una experiencia compartida(Mofield, 2020). Así, establecer procesos efectivos de colaboración permitiría el intercambio de saberes entre los profesionales antes, durante y después de implementados los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje de la lengua y cultura indígena en el aula. ...
El artículo discute los desafíos interpersonales y profesionales que emergen en las prácticas de co-docencia entre los profesionales encargados de enseñar la lengua y cultura mapuche en Chile. La metodología considera un enfoque cualitativo, mediante la aplicación de entrevistas semidirigidas a profesores y sabios mapuches que implementan la educación intercultural en la educación escolar monocultural. Los resultados dan cuenta de la necesidad de establecer lineamientos para el desarrollo profesional de ambos actores educativos, lo que permita abordar las problemáticas interpersonales y profesionales que inciden en las prácticas de co-docencia, para favorecer una educación en perspectiva intercultural. Concluimos que en la relación de co-docencia es urgente establecer un modelo de acompañamiento que favorezca sus prácticas profesionales en perspectiva intercultural. En esto, el reconocimiento y la colaboración mutua se constituyen como un marco orientador, para favorecer la enseñanza de la lengua y la cultura indígena en la educación escolar, fortaleciendo así la identidad sociocultural y territorial de los estudiantes. La contribución del artículo es aportar con pistas de acción para favorecer la implementación de la co-docencia en la educación intercultural, lo que posibilitará procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje interculturales basados en una relación dialógica del saber mapuche y escolar de forma simétrica.
... Moreover, by presenting differentiated instruction as a solution for early childhood education, the current study provided a new perspective to the existing literature within early childhood education regarding developmental differences (Mofield, 2020;Vakil et al., 2009), cultural and linguistic differences (Brown et al., 2022;Kardeş & Kozikoğlu, 2021;Lew & Choi, 2022;Phoon et al., 2013), and difficulties experienced with diversity. ...
Differentiated instruction (DI) is a teaching philosophy which addresses the learning needs of individual children. This multiple case study aimed to investigate the extent preschool teachers differentiated content, process, assessment, and learning environment within multicultural classrooms. Four early childhood teachers’ experiences were examined through observations, interviews, photographs, and field notes. It was found teachers used multiple strategies to differentiate their instructional process and content. Strategies of demonstration, providing physical support, peer observation, or repeating directions were prominent for concrete learning. Also, it was determined that teachers implemented several strategies such as using visual materials and activities, and/or diversifying the types of activities for similar topics to differentiate educational content in multicultural classrooms. Moreover, teachers used a limited number of strategies including managing time and resources flexibly as a means of differentiating the learning environment. Similarly, they rarely reported, nor were observed to differentiate assessment. Thus, teachers’ differentiated practices, especially those based on learning environment and assessment, should be developed with effective educational policies. Overall, the value of this study is undeniable in terms of providing a perspective to be able to handle these challenges of educators in implementing culturally responsive education in different countries.
... Researchers are grappling with the question of how best to meet the unique and differentiated needs of gifted learners (Mofield, 2020). This effort is particularly important as gifted learners are often integrated into mainstream school settings without the necessary accommodations to build on their abilities, attributes, and interests (Brigandi et al., 2019). ...
Mathematics is a fundamental subject in primary and secondary education. It is also a subject that requires students to think deeply and to relate known facts to new concepts. In this subject, gifted students stand out for the variety of their questions, their thinking, and their problem-solving style. To support their intellectual growth, it is important to provide them with opportunities to develop their skills. This article presents a review of the literature on the education of gifted students in mathematics. It emphasises the importance of providing gifted students with opportunities to develop their skills and reach their full potential. The article discusses different teaching methods such as cooperative learning and mathematical modelling, and tools such as GeoGebra. It highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to the education of gifted students, including identification procedures, specialised training for educators, and appropriate resources and support systems. The article also examines the challenges and barriers faced by gifted students and argues for prioritising their education. The aim of the article is to explore and present best practices and recommendations for working with gifted students in mathematics. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to address the educational options for gifted and talented children and the modern tools that can be used for this purpose through a literature review.
... However, it is also a method that places high demands both on other teachers and on their cooperation and preparedness. Ensuring the necessary time for the preparation of teachers is essential in terms of the effectiveness of co-teaching, which is also confirmed by the results of several studies in which the lack of time for planning was identified as a barrier to the actual implementation of co-teaching (Mofield, 2020). In addition to sufficient time for teaching preparation, technical equipment is a significant determinant of the success of virtual coteaching (Veteška and Kursch, 2019). ...
The teaching method of virtual co-teaching helps the mutual sharing of new experiences and methods of pedagogues in teaching in formal education, through digital technologies. It also facilitates the involvement of practitioners in teaching, which can be a key mechanism for ensuring quality education. This article focused on comparing the effectiveness of co-teaching in two environments, face-to-face and virtual. In terms of methodology, an experiment was used, which was implemented in three independently selected schools, from which eight groups of thirty students were formed. The phenomenon measured was the level of understanding of the material taught during these lessons of history, mathematics and a foreign language. The test results of the individual groups were subsequently analyzed. From the results, we can confirm the null hypothesis based on the independent samples t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test, which indicates that there is no statistically significant difference between the test results of the two groups. However, it is essential to emphasize the added value in virtual co-teaching, which is primarily in the economic aspect and flexibility. Specifically, it is a reduction in the cost of commuting, reduced time and easy availability of experts. These results form the basis for follow-up research that can focus on improving the quality of teaching using this method.
... In line with Tomlinson's thoughts (Bondie et al., 2019). Which states that differentiated learning is an effort to harmonize learning activities in the classroom in order to meet the learning needs of individual students (Mofield, 2020). Based on this definition, it does not mean that a teacher is required to teach students individually or differentiate teaching methods for 30 ways according to the number of students, namely 30 people. ...
This research aims to analyze the learning styles of grade 7 students at SMP Negeri 01 Jaya Pura for the 2023-2024 academic year in East Oku Regency, South Sumatra Province. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The subjects of this research were all 7th grade students of SMP Negeri 01 Jaya Pura for the 2023-2024 academic year in East Oku Regency, South Sumatra Province. The data collection technique used in this research is in the form of a questionnaire which will be filled out by research subjects. Then the data will be analyzed quantitatively by calculating the percentage that refers to the three VAK learning styles (Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic). The results of the learning style analysis of all 7th grade students at SMP Negeri 01 Jaya Pura for the 2023-2024 academic year showed that there were 40% Visual learning styles, 23% Auditory learning styles, 31% Kinesthetic learning styles, 2% Visual Kinesthetic learning styles, 1% auditory visual learning is as much as 1% of the auditory kinesthetic learning style and 2% of the visual auditory kinesthetic learning style. From this research, it was concluded that the learning style of students in Class 7 of SMP Negeri 01 Jaya Pura for the 2023-2024 academic year was dominated by the visual learning style at 40% of the total class of students. These differences in student learning style tendencies can be accommodated by conducting differentiated learning so that it can meet student needs and student characteristics.
... While it is commonly assumed to be a partnership between a regular classroom teacher and a special education teacher [23], co-teaching arrangements include myriad other professional pairings. For instance, general educators may team up with speech-language pathologists [22], gifted education teachers [24], or even teachers across multiple grade levels [25]. In our study, we examined schools in which pairs of general education elementary teachers collaborated in co-teaching literacy instruction for first and second-grade students. ...
School leaders play a pivotal role in fostering change and improvement, including via teacher-led interventions, such as co-teaching. Leaders’ vision and support create the conditions for teachers to maximize the effectiveness of school interventions. However, there is limited understanding of how school leaders provide support for the intervention of co-teaching. This gap in knowledge is crucial because co-teaching has the potential to be transformative, but teachers must actively drive pedagogical changes. We conducted a mixed-methods study involving 150 Norwegian elementary schools participating in a multi-year co-teaching initiative for literacy instruction. We collected data through open and closed survey questions, inquiring about school leaders’ beliefs and support practices regarding co-teaching. Our descriptive analysis examined school leaders’ practices and explored potential associations with their epistemological perspectives. Our findings indicate that leaders who approach co-teaching with cautious optimism tend to provide more thoughtful support compared to those who are overly optimistic and may underestimate implementation challenges. Moreover, most leaders prioritize structural support elements while potentially overlooking psychological and emotional support practices aligned with self-determination theory (SDT). We conclude with practical recommendations for school leaders to offer support to teachers that are grounded in the principles of SDT and organized according to implementation phases.
... Research has documented benefits of co-teaching for students with special needs (Davila, n.d.;Dyssegaard & Larsen, 2013;Friend & Barron, 2016;Mackey et al., 2018;Mastropieri et al., 2005;Murawski & Lee Swanson, 2001), but also for second-language students (Mackey et al., 2018) and for gifted students (Hughes et al., 2001;Mofield, 2020). More generally, it seems that students across group identities have a positive view of co-teaching (Wilson & Michaels, 2006), and co-teaching environments are reported to improve students' social interaction and collaboration, for students with and without special needs (Scruggs et al., 2007;Villa et al., 2013). ...
The idea of a change in educational practise is a central aspect in Norwegian curricular reforms in this millennium. Several governmental initiatives were introduced as a means to bring about such changes. Teacher-student ratio is among these initiatives. Large scale research projects were initiated by educational authorities (2016-2023) in order to explore the effects of increased teacher-student ratio, and a national norm for student-teacher-ratio was implemented in 2018. Still, research evidence remains inconclusive as to the effects of this initiative. In order to better understand this inconclusiveness, our article explores six Year 2 Norwegian literacy classrooms with two teachers in the class. We find that the teachers seem to fall into accustomed forms of collaboration and roles, with homeroom teachers who “own” the class, and co-teachers who take on the waiting and watching role before taking out specific students. We also find a somewhat counter intuitive use of organisational forms together with a tendency towards “shift work”. Co-teaching clearly represents pedagogic opportunities as well as challenges concerning ways to share professional responsibility and roles, and we discuss why the potential is not fully released.
... Collaborative teaching can also help to create a more positive and supportive learning environment for students. To implement collaborative teaching successfully, teachers should establish clear goals and roles, communicate effectively, and be open to feedback and constructive criticism (Mofield, 2020). ...
This study investigates collaborative teaching between special education teachers. In schools, mainstream teachers incorporate inclusive education. The set of standardized questionnaires were used to conduct the survey. The study sample was selected through a technical universal sampling method that involved 19 teacher respondents, comprising special education teachers and mainstream teachers in selected public schools in Talisay City Division. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using frequency counts, percentages, a weighted mean, and a t-test. The findings show that special education teachers and mainstream teachers have a " Very Positive" perception toward collaboration in teaching for the readiness aspect (weighted mean = 3.39), and a medium level of attitude (weighted mean = 3.20). While there is no significant difference between the perceptions of SPED and mainstream teachers about collaboration in inclusive education, The findings suggest strengthening collaboration between Special education teachers (SPED) and mainstream teachers to increase effective teaching in inclusive education in terms of knowledge, attitudes, and readiness.
... Therefore, collaborative learning makes learning more meaningful, encourages students to be responsible for learning, becomes more creative, and ultimately can improve cognitive learning outcomes as expected. Hari Srivinas stated that collaborative learning can achieve high learning outcomes for both teachers and students and is relevant to the development of values of caring, hard work, discipline, honesty, and openness, which are targets in learning (Mofield, 2019). There are many techniques or methods used by teachers in implementing collaborative learning (Barkley, 2012). ...
In Libya, social sciences teachers at Junior High Schools are known for their unattractive, traditional, text-based teachings. As a result, their students’ grasps of social sciences tend to be lower. This research using experimental research aims at evaluating and analyzing a teacher-lecturer collaboration on the Lesson Study approach to enhance the quality of teaching social sciences to JHS students in Libya. The students experiment Al-Bernawi Libyan JHS as subjects with a pre-and-post-test design in a quantitative method, where one-way ANOVA tests compare the reflections of Lesson Study variations on three groups of students: Group A (Lesson Study involving only teachers), Group B (Lesson Study involving only lecturers), and Group C (Lesson Study involving a collaboration of teachers-lecturers). The findings reveal that (1) Once Lesson Study is introduced into the teaching process in any of the Groups, the students’ learning system eventually improves their accomplishment, (2) In Al-Bernawi School Libya, the collaboration between teachers and lecturers (Group C) has been the most effective in the students’ learning as compared to the other variations (Group A and B). The one-way ANOVA test above shows that the lesson study approaches are efficient with teachers and lecturers (F = 78.14; p = 0.00 0.01). The Post Hoc test findings revealed that the combined approach of teachers and lecturers was more successful than the combined technique of teachers and lecturers alone (MD = -8.28; p> 0.05).
... Co-teaching most often refers to the collaboration between a classroom teacher and a special education (SPED) teacher (Friend, 2008). However, co-teaching arrangements also include pairing general educators with another professional, such as a speechlanguage pathologist or a reading specialist (Krammer et al., 2018), or a gifted education teacher (Mofield, 2020) or even pairing multi-grade-level teachers (Chandler-Olcott & Nieroda, 2016). In our work, we studied pairs of general education elementary teachers who co-taught literacy ...
Co‐teaching offers a unique opportunity space for literacy instruction; however, this opportunity is rarely optimized and the result on students' literacy growth is often unimpressive. We propose that co‐teaching is only a structural intervention, but it can become a powerful pedagogical intervention if teachers approach co‐teaching as an opportunity space to try out effective pedagogical practices that lead to student literacy growth. Studying, through mixed methods, the practices of literacy co‐teachers in early elementary, we identified important trends connected to student growth. We concluded that shared responsibility was a feature of highly effective pairs. Next, through interviews, we captured nuances of how effective dyads formed working relationships, planned together, communicated, reflected on instruction together, and organized resources. From such findings, we propose a model of change for how co‐teaching may lead to student growth—via positive co‐teaching relationships and continual shared reflection of instructional practice. Mirroring highly effective co‐teachers' approach, we provide a series of reflective co‐teaching guides to support other pairs of co‐teachers. These guides lead reading teachers throughout a school year and continually return to the essential question of: What can we do together that I cannot do alone?
... Teacher education is a crucial element of a successful educational process. There is a significant amount of research into professional development programs for general education, although research regarding teachers of gifted students is minimal (Besnoy et al., 2012;Mofield, 2020;Reid & Horváthová, 2016;Shaunessy, 2007). For getting successful outcomes in gifted students' education, it is fundamental to examine teacher education and conduct studies in this area (Seredina et al., 2016). ...
This study aimed to evaluate science teachers of gifted students who participated in a technology-based professional development program, how could be used the applications they learned in the program, and their use area for the gifted education. The case study was carried out with ten science teachers of gifted students. The data were gathered via interviews and open-ended forms and analyzed with the content analysis method. The findings showed that teachers stated that the program was beneficial for their professional development because of increasing the use of digital technology tools and their awareness of the opportunities for gifted education. Also, they became aware of using the applications for enrichment, supporting the class, evaluating, and integrating into the project-based learning process in science lessons. Another finding was that participants' evaluations of the program offered the advantage of providing communication and mentoring opportunities with the university and contributing to their professional development.
... This domain includes two clusters of competencies; They are cooperation, teamwork, and guidance. Capabilities like as communication, teamwork, accountability, and conflict management are included in these groupings (Mofield, 2020). ...
Taking care of gifted and talented students and appreciating them in a way that suits their abilities is an imperative and important strategy of upbringing strategies at the global level, as the educational institutions seek to reach all talented students with its services and provide them with appropriate care according to the best international standards. However, there is still a significant shortage in identifying the needs of elementary stage talented students, especially in Jordan. The present study provided a critical analysis of the Jordanian national standards of gifted and talented students. The study found that there is a significant weakness in including the metacognitive and higher-order thinking skills in the national standards. This paper discussed the literacy standards as a case representation of the national standards and found that there is a need to reformulate the national standards to be based on research-based evidences, which enable the educators and the administrators to consider how teaching and learning purposefully designed to intentionally engage students in the application of the 21st century competencies and habits of mind.
... Beyond increasing the classroom teacher's competencies in differentiating, benefits to student learning and engagement are consistently noted in the literature (Landrum, 2001;Lenard & Townsend, 2017;Masso, 2004;Mofield, 2020b). Many of the suggestions in this book are based on findings from Mofield (2020b) revealing teachers' perceived barriers and benefits to collaborative teaching. ...
... It provides a model of instruction in combined courseware and adaptive instruction centered-learners to support the implementation successfully. It illustrates the system approach through pedagogy and decision design that contributes to adaptive pedagogy learning, van Leusen, Cunningham, & Johnson, [22]. It shows that teacher-centered methods of instruction often rely on the use of textbooks, workbooks, computers, and other devices of instruction. ...
A self-regulated catalysts of learning and effective pedagogy of teaching provide the class in a route learning teaching and traditional method on the best factual learning and concept in an effective relationship between the teacher and students. The study aims to identify the self-regulated catalyst of learning in the teaching pedagogy approach among the respondents in the area of teacher-centered approach to learning, student-centered approach to learning, teacher-centered method of instruction, and student-centered method of instruction. The research employs descriptive quantitative research because this method describes the population and characteristics of the phenomenon under study. A non-probability sampling technique is utilized in the study which is convenience sampling and purposive sampling. It is the techniques that the researchers used to choose a sample of subjects/units from a population. The study comprised forty-five (45) respondents only. Results show that teachers are constantly changing themselves based on the interactions they have with their learners in order to produce intellectual and behavioral success, different approaches to teaching, educators gain a better understanding of best to govern their classroom, implement instruction, and connect with their students, Teachers can differentiate student access content, type of activities, product learning in a classroom setup, and teaching practice is tailored with instruction to meet individual student needs. Findings show that there is a significant correlation on the self-regulated catalyst of learning in the teaching pedagogy as observed by the respondents.. Keywords: Self-contained catalyst of learning, teaching pedagogy, teacher-centered approach to learning, student-centered approach to learning, teacher-centered method of instruction, and student-centered method of instruction.
... Collaboration is an activity that combines both educators and students, both of which can cross schools/campuses. Thus, the designer of blended learning must be in the form of collaboration, both between peers or collaboration between students and educators through possible communication tools such as chatrooms, discussion forums, e-mails, websites/weblogs, and mobile phones [32]. Of course, collaboration is directed to the construction of knowledge and skills through social processes or social interactions with others, which can be for the deepening of the material, problem-solving, and project-based learning. ...
The development of the ICT has influenced various fields of life, including the development of teaching materials for undergraduate students of elementary school teacher programs of a distance university. This research aims to describe the effectiveness of blended learning of the new generation of science learning materials for science process skills. This research implements a quasi-experimental type of research. Respondents in this research were 56 students in the UT Regional Office area of Jember East of Java Indonesia. The results showed the students' mastery of science process skills and learning outcomes in natural science learning materials in both moderate and high categories. Student responses showed great interest in the science content, the teaching materials, and the learning atmosphere. The constraints faced in blended learning are the internet network to support the ICT-based tutorials and the challenge to change the habit of using printed science teaching materials during teaching within blended learning.
... Gifted education studies gained much more importance and researchers seek to answer their questions about what the ways are to meet differentiated needs of gifted students (Mofield, 2020;VanTassel-Baska et al., 2021), who mostly attend regular classrooms and deprive of adjustments in classroom contexts or materials suitable to their differentiated needs, characteristics, and interests (Brigandi et al., 2019). However, based on the principle of educational equity (Van de Walle, Karp & Bay-Williams, 2013), it is the right of gifted students to benefit from differentiated educational opportunities (Wilkins, Wilkins, and Oliver, 2006). ...
... Collaboration and co-teaching, which has not been used sufficiently in Turkey, would be another way to address the regular school teachers' low sense of self-efficacy and professional deficiencies in gifted education. As suggested by Mofield (2020), this may provide growth in teachers' competencies and gifted students' learning, and overcome time constraints which usually exist in classes of high numbers of students with differential learning needs such as slow-learners or immigrants. ...
Gifted students differ from their peers in many areas, and require additional effort and skills from their teachers in regular schools. Teachers in regular education play a critical role in the identification of gifted students and education. Therefore, considering their attitudes toward these students and gifted education in general will provide a deeper understanding of teachers' needs regarding the quality of gifted education. The present study aims to examine teachers' perceptions about gifted students through the use of metaphors and attitudes toward gifted education. Qualitative data were collected from 136 teachers utilizing two open-ended questions. Teachers used metaphors based on three categories: gifted education, the social value and various characteristics related to giftedness. The results were discussed in terms of practical implications, teachers' training needs, educational strategies for gifted students and challenges endemic to the identification process in Turkey.
This chapter examines Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Protective and Compensatory Experiences (PACEs), and their management in school counseling. Research highlights ACEs' detrimental effects on development, emphasizing the need for PACEs to mitigate these impacts. School counselors play a vital role during the 0-18 developmental period, primarily shaped by home and school environments. Integrating technology into counseling addresses gaps like fragmented records across educational phases and enhances ACEs and PACEs identification and intervention. The chapter serves as a guide for counselors, educators, parents, and communities to collaboratively support schools in providing counseling services attuned to ACEs and PACEs.
Purpose: Gifted students are often motivated by complex mathematical tasks. Mathematical abstraction allows access to gifted students’ cognitive processes in knowledge construction. The question “How and why do the divisibility rules work?” evokes in them an intellectual need for constructing the working principle of a divisibility rule. Hence, this research focused on a gifted high school student’s abstraction process of divisibility rules. By examining mathematical abstraction through observable actions, this study presents a deeper insight into the gifted student’s thoughts, difficulties, and strategies regarding the working principle of divisibility rules. Design/Methodology/Approach: The data was obtained from a 9th-grade gifted high school student through clinical interviews in a case study research design. The data were analyzed using the RBC+C abstraction theoretical framework's epistemic actions: Recognizing, Building-with, Constructing, and Consolidating. Findings: The gifted student could recognize and use the necessary prior knowledge about divisibility to abstract the divisibility rules. In the construction process, the student explored the complex divisibility rules based on the place values of numbers with different digits. Highlights: The student needed guidance in the process of creating more complex divisibility rules. With the researcher's help, the student could understand even more complicated divisibility rules and consolidate the cognitive way.
Co-design of technology encourages participation and decision-making input of end-users. In the case of technologies for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), the end-users are historically left out of the design process. Further deepening the disconnect between this group and technology, they are also excluded from formal technology design knowledge sharing, such as college courses. To address this, our study investigates the efficacy of a formal classroom adaptation of co-design activities to encourage learning and participation. Through collaboration between educators and designers, we adopted user-centered co-design activities to facilitate knowledge and application of technological design methods within a class of 13 students with IDD. Findings uncovered factors contributing to co-teaching collaboration planning and reflection between educators and designers, and ways that activities can provide accessible collaborative learning environments for students with IDD by supporting collaboration, cognitive engagement, and meta-cognition. We discuss how these factors can support successful co-teacher collaborations that promote student empowerment. Finally, we contribute collaborative co-teaching strategies for educational co-design activities for individuals with IDD.
This study examined the dissatisfaction among Chinese medical students with online medical English courses, which overemphasize grammar yet fail to provide practical opportunities related to medical situations. This study compared co-teaching's effects, involving native and non-native instructors, with a single-instructor (traditional) model on student satisfaction in online medical English courses. Using a qualitative design, pre-and post-course interviews were conducted with 49 second-year medical students across seven classes, exploring their perceptions of instruction, curriculum, and course satisfaction. The findings indicated that the co-teaching model improved student engagement and satisfaction, not specifically due to the native English-speaking instructor but likely because of the focus on more interactive and discussion-oriented strategies. In contrast, the single-instructor model maintained the traditional grammar-focused instruction, leading to lower satisfaction levels. Both instructional models faced limitations related to their reliance on textbooks for delivering core material needed for the course's comprehensive exam. These results suggest that the instruction design and approach, rather than the native instructor alone, was the main driver of positive outcomes in co-teaching. The study's findings suggest a need for curriculum reforms that reduce textbook dependence and incorporate more practical, interactive learning strategies. Future research should consider applying various research techniques, such as mixed-method approaches, longitudinal studies, and experimental designs, to comprehensively assess the long-term effects of instructional strategies and curriculum innovations on student outcomes.
Rural children in South Korea exhibit higher foreign language anxiety and lower English competency. For such marginalized contexts where local communities cannot support children's learning, we propose and explore a new pedagogical approach, CRAYON (Community-based RelAY Online educatioN). In CRAYON, a pool of non-professional tutors take turns to meet and teach rural children in short relay sessions through mobile technologies. It uncovers and promotes volunteers' internal willingness to participate in community-based teaching, which could otherwise be fragmented and dormant in their tightly-woven daily lives. It greatly lessens the barriers to participation from multiple dimensions, i.e., time, space, and expertise, and encourages interested volunteers to easily join without taking much burden. As such, the approach can create new learning opportunities and help rural children overcome their motivational and environmental hurdles. Tutors could approach each child and share short but precious time with her; helping her experience repetitive and sufficient exposure to the language, each time with a newly met tutor. We conducted a short relay session-based English learning program for 5 rural children for 4 weeks in South Korea with 15 tutors. From the field deployment, we find that the rural children and the undergraduate tutors engaged in effective interactions and scaffolding, despite the constraints of partitioned short sessions. A particular pattern of interaction, i.e., continuous learner engagement support, emerged as they drew out the interactions over a short period of time. It was highly encouraging to observe that all children, including those who were disengaged in their classroom environments, actively participated in the CRAYON sessions. The findings elicited from the study have important implications in multiple dimensions. They suggest the possibility of extending the scope of learning environments to include first-met tutors and learners beyond re-established relationship. In a larger perspective, the findings imply a new direction to overcome the challenges of low childhood literacy in under-resourced areas. With adequate and sufficient support from educational institutions and CRAYON, this study argues that volunteer tutors with less experience can deliver effective instruction by sharing just a short period of time, and help a child who has been lagging behind the pace of the school catch up and re-engage.
A major challenge for sociology teachers is to teach students the complex sociology subject matter based on their learning needs. The purpose of this study is to explore the strategies used by sociology teachers in applying differentiated learning at the high school level in Makassar City. This research is a qualitative research that uses teachers and students as research informants. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation. Data analysis was done through the stages of data collection, data reduction, and data presentation. Results show that sociology teachers in Makassar City have implemented effective strategies for differentiated learning. These include the use of diverse learning resources other than textbooks, namely audiovisual materials in the form of videos and presentation slides; visual materials in the form of infographics, images, and maps; utilizing relevant articles from blogs and research articles; and initial assessments to identify students’ individual needs in the form of questionnaire filling, diagnostic tests, and pretests. Group formation is flexible based on the student’s ability and group members are rotated in each meeting, applying various learning methods and models, such as problem-based learning, and combining it with cooperative learning models. The teachers also provide additional support in the form of having discussions with students, answering their questions, assigning different assignments, and providing additional material. The findings of this research are expected to contribute to developing different learning approaches, especially in sociology subjects. Keywords: differentiated learning, sociology, strategy
Fractions are often problematic for learners to fully grasp. Teachers must therefore determine various approaches for teaching fractions to reinforce understanding. More so, teachers need to determine strategies that cater for a diverse learner population and promote meaningful learning. In the quest to find a possible solution to address this challenge, a qualitative study was conducted to demonstrate a neuroscience approach to teaching fractions in the intermediate phase through the application of the universal design for learning (UDL) principles. The universal design for learning through neuroscience was used as a theoretical framework to guide the study. Data was collected through a series of video-recorded observations and audio-recorded focus group discussions. The Free Attitude Interview (FAI) technique was used to guide the facilitation of group discussions. Four intermediate-phase teachers were purposefully selected to participate in the study. Data was analysed using content analysis and UDL guidelines. The findings of the study reflect the UDL-based practices that were used to optimise and promote meaningful learning of fractions. The study thus recommends the application of UDL principles to promote access, build strong foundations, and assist learners to internalise “fractions” (content). The study further recommends the application of UDL to promote meaningful learning. Keywords: Fractions, Intermediate Phase, Neuroscience Approach, Teaching
Teachers have professional capacity to influence their peers in a way that shapes improvement across the profession without the evaluative component principals carry as supervisors. To build this professional capacity, highly effective teachers may engage in instructional coaching to help teachers gain the necessary skills to increase efficacy and effectiveness. When teachers take on the role of instructional coach, there must also be an intentional purpose toward the relationships that take place between the principal, coach, and teacher to ensure an effective approach in commitment to teacher growth. Thjs chapter posits that elementary literacy is critical in building the foundational skills that are necessary for student success as they progress into secondary settings, providing college and career readiness. This chapter will address a conceptual framework for evidence-based instructional coaching to improve writing instruction in elementary schools.
We conducted a document analysis study in response to a request from district-level gifted education specialists about additional services to support their gifted high school students. Given the fact that these students are diverse in many ways (e.g., readiness, interest areas, and backgrounds such as race, ethnicity, culture, gender identity, and sexual orientation), it is important they have access to a continuum of differentiated services. Therefore, we applied a pragmatic lens to examine the 2019–2022 North Carolina gifted education plans from one region to identify how districts proposed they would serve gifted high school students. Our analysis yielded six topical themes and related services: (1) acceleration, advanced courses, and programs; (2) differentiation: curriculum, instruction, and assessments; (3) enrichment; (4) collaboration and advising; (5) social and emotional; and (6) learners from diverse groups. We conclude with practical suggestions for educators and recommendations for future research in this under investigated area.
Teacher collaboration is widely endorsed across the teacher continuum, including student teachers, due to its positive impact on teachers’ professional practice, knowledge and support, and learner outcomes. Notably, one’s definition of teacher collaboration informs beliefs and engagement in the process. Yet, little attention has been given to student teachers in this regard. Employing Broaden-and-Build theory (BBT; Fredrickson, 2004), this case study examines student teachers’ understanding and the perceived impacts they align to the teacher collaboration. 119 student teachers in one Initial Teacher Education (ITE) institution, in the Republic of Ireland completed a researcher-designed questionnaire seeking their definition of teacher collaboration and aligned impacts they afford to the process. Thematic analysis revealed participants’ understandings of collaboration included working together, sharing and a school-wide activity. Participants were positively disposed to collaboration, with enhanced intellectual, social and emotional resources attributed to collaborators. Inhibitory factors, such as lack of understanding, limited time and problematic working relationships were also identified as restricting collaborative opportunities and by extension associated gains. Discussion of the findings and their support of BBT are presented, as well as future research emanating from this study considered.
This study examined self-reports and instructional videos provided by 25 preservice teachers to demonstrate differentiated instruction in meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDS) in the United States. Self-reported journals were thematically analyzed and compared with corresponding instructional videos. The results revealed a mismatch between perceptions and practices of differentiation. Clearly, additional efforts must be taken to prepare preservice teachers to differentiate their instruction for CLDS in the areas of content, process, product, and environment. Teacher preparation programs must invest time and resources to adequately prepare preservice teachers for the challenge of differentiating instruction for CLDS.
Despite extensive interdisciplinary research on co-teaching over the last few decades, the existing body of work still leaves unanswered questions about what teacher collaboration looks like and how, precisely, co-teaching might enhance student learning or even teacher experience. In the first conversation analytic study to be done on co-teaching for gifted students, I examine one first-grade classroom where two head teachers with equal roles instruct accelerated children. I identify two interactional practices (synchronizing and amending) that co-teachers deploy which underlie and maximize the “co-ness” of their collaborative dynamic. In analyzing and describing these practices in detail, I reveal some of the ways in which co-teachers accomplish collaboration, and I also present evidence for how such collaboration can enhance both learning and teaching in a classroom with young students. Findings contribute to a nascent body of discourse analytic research on co-teaching, provide novel insight on co-teaching in gifted classrooms, and lay the groundwork for some practical suggestions for training materials for co-teachers.
Interviews with key informants are the most common means of data collection in qualitative descriptive research. Researchers have historically preferred face-to-face interviews but advances in technology have resulted in more options, including email exchanges, to conduct interviews. This article examines the practical utility and suitability of the email interview in qualitative research. The author will share personal experiences from a recent qualitative study involving email interviews of nurse educators. The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of nurse educators in developing and implementing concurrent enrollment ADN-BSN programs. Interviews of nurse educators describing their experiences of developing and implementing concurrent enrollment ADN-BSN programs offered a firsthand account of the process. A discussion of the potential advantages, disadvantages, and relative appropriateness of email interviews will assist qualitative
researchers in determining when this method of data collection may be preferred for their own research
In this autoethnography,I explored my daily challenges and frustrations working as a teacher of gifted students in inclusion classrooms in an elementary public school. Inquiring about how I coped with these challenges and eventually thrived in the position,I journaled weekly about my teaching experiences during a six-month period and collected e-mails to teachers and parents. I employed constant comparative analysis and five themes emerged: frustration,isolation,advocacy,collaboration,and influence. I discussed the themes within the greater social and cultural context,drawing upon psychology and educational theories.
An in-depth case study of one team of co-teachers’ practice from multiple perspectives is described. A high school science co-teaching team and their students with disabilities completed surveys about their perceptions of co-teaching. Additionally, observations of the two co-teachers occurred to determine roles and types of interactions for each co-teacher during science instruction. Observational data revealed effective teaching behaviors demonstrated by each co-teacher. Detailed descriptions of the co-teachers’ instruction are provided. The science educator was observed interacting with the large group twice as often as the special educator. The science educator also presented new content nearly three times as often as the special educator. The co-teacher surveys were consistent with the observational data. Both educators disagreed that the special educator was primarily the lead for instruction. Both educators strongly agreed they had an effective co-teaching relationship, although the science educator indicated stronger agreement for parity in roles and responsibilities than the special educator noted. Forty-three percent of the students identified the science educator as in charge of lessons, while 43% identified both educators. Most students thought teaching was divided in half, and all students enjoyed having two teachers in science. Eighty-six percent of the students indicated team teaching was the most frequently used co-teaching model, and 14% indicated one teach, one drift. Implications for co-teachers’ reflections on their collaboration, including the relevance of student perceptions (i.e., Who is the “real” teacher?), and the extent to which educators are prepared at preservice and inservice levels for co-teaching are discussed.
Students with special needs are increasingly being served in the general education classroom. Co-teaching is one service delivery option designed to meet those needs. The purpose of this article is to synthesize data-based articles pertaining to co-teaching between general and special education personnel. Of 89 articles reviewed, only 6 provided sufficient quantitative information for an effect size to be calculated. Effect sizes for the individual studies ranged from low (0.24) to high (0.95), with an average total effect size of 0.40. Dependent measures were varied and included grades, achievement scores, and social and attitudinal outcomes. Results indicate that further research is needed to substantiate that co-teaching is an effective service delivery option for students with disabilities.
Gifted education has often seemed isolated from general education, in part because of differing per spectives on equity and excellence goals and tensions resulting from those divergent viewpoints Recently, however, there have been calls from both educators of the gifted and general educators for an increased interface between the two fields. This article reports findings and suggestions from a study conducted by a task force commissioned by the National Association, of Gifted Children to determine attitudes of educators of the gifted and general educators regarding linkage between the practices, and to provide guidance from practitioners in both fields on increasing communication, cooperation and collaboration between the fields.
Response to intervention (RTI) is a new method of identifying students with learning disabilities. RTI's increasing implementation affects all teachers and students, in both general and special education. The authors provide educators with a practical understanding of what RTI may look like in the classroom and how co-teaching as an instructional service delivery model can make RTI more efficient, effective, and realistic. After introducing the RTI model and its role in supporting a paradigm shift for the identification of students with learning disabilities and the support of at-risk learners, the authors then highlight the important components of collaboration and review the key tenets of effective co-teaching. They provide specific examples to demonstrate how co-teaching and collaboration are critical to the systemic change required for schools interested in supporting an RTI model.
The purpose of this case study was to describe how a 4th-grade teacher and a TAG coordinator collaborated to improve services for advanced learners without the support of university faculty and with limited resources. Interviews, questionnaires, transcriptions of videotaped consultation sessions, and observations of classroom instruction showed that participants coplanned lessons, utilized collaborative teaching, and developed a close rapport. Service was provided directly through a pull-out model that offered little in the way of training the teacher for differentiating the curriculum. Moving to a more indirect model of service would require better communication of role and goal expectations between the two participants. However, given the shortage of resources in many schools and the highly competitive demands for time during the school day, implementation is "a long road" that is likely to be traversed over an extended time period.
A summary of inclusion and co-teaching syntheses was conducted to better understand the evidence base associated with collaborative models of instruction. Collectively, the syntheses represented 146 studies. The syntheses investigated research on collaborative models; student outcomes; teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions; and students' perceptions. Common themes of collaborative models were identified across the six syntheses, which included collaborative models; student outcomes; teacher support issues; and attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of collaborative models. Findings provide an empirical foundation to assist school psychologists in evidence-based decision making
This article summarizes findings from studies that employed electronic mail (e-mail) for conducting indepth interviewing. It discusses the benefits of, and the challenges associated with, using e-mail interviewing in qualitative research. The article concludes that while a mixed mode interviewing strategy should be considered when possible, e-mail interviewing can be in many cases a viable alternative to face-to-face and telephone interviewing. A list of recommendations for carrying out effective e-mail interviews is presented.
This article reports on a study of the complex and messy process of classroom technology integration. The main purpose of the study was to empirically address the large question of “why don't teachers innovate when they are given computers?” rather than whether computers can improve student learning. Specifically, we were interested in understanding the conditions under which technology innovation can take place in classrooms. For a year, we followed a group of K–12 teachers who attempted to carry out technology-rich projects in their classrooms. These teachers were selected from more than 100 recipients of a technology grant program for teachers. The study found 11 salient factors that significantly impact the degree of success of classroom technology innovations. Some of these factors have been commonly mentioned in the literature, but our study found new dimensions to them. Others have not been identified in the literature. Each factor can be placed in one of three interactive domains, the teacher, the innovation, and the context. The article discusses the 11 factors in detail and proposes a model of the relationship among the different factors and their domains.
The purpose of this case study was to describe how a 4th-grade teacher and a TAG coordinator collaborated to improve services for advanced learners without the support of university faculty and with limited resources. Interviews, questionnaires, transcriptions of videotaped consultation sessions, and observations of classroom instruction showed that participants coplanned lessons, utilized collaborative teaching, and developed a close rapport. Service was provided directly through a pull-out model that offered little in the way of training the teacher for differentiating the curriculum. Moving to a more indirect model of service would require better communication of role and goal expectations between the two participants. However, given the shortage of resources in many schools and the highly competitive demands for time during the school day, implementation is “a long road” that is likely to be traversed over an extended time period.
Thirty-two qualitative investigations of co-teaching in inclusive classrooms were included in a metasynthesis employing qualitative research integration techniques. It was concluded that co-teachers generally supported co-teaching, although a number of important needs were identified, including planning time, student skill level, and training; many of these needs were linked to administrative support. The dominant co-teaching role was found to be "one teach, one assist," in classrooms characterized by traditional instruction, even though this method is not highly recommended in the literature. The special education teacher was often observed to play a subordinate role. Techniques often recommended for special education teachers, such as peer mediation, strategy instruction, mnemonics, and training of study skills, self-advocacy skills, and self-monitoring, were infrequently observed.
Co-teaching has been developed as an instructional approach to support students with disabilities in general education classrooms. The purpose of this study was to identify teachers’ and students’ perspectives of co-teaching and the efficacy of this teaching approach. Forty-five co-teachers and 58 students with disabilities (N = 103), all of whom were new to co-taught classrooms during the 2004 through 2005 school year, participated in this study. Data were collected from surveys, observations, and records review. Significant differences in student academic and behavioral performances were found in comparisons between the year before co-teaching and the year of co-teaching. Students with disabilities and their teachers also reported positive perspectives about co-teaching. Based on these preliminary results, co-teaching appears to be an effective instructional delivery option for meeting the needs of students with disabilities in general education classrooms.
This article discusses five reconsiderations (lessons) the research on the education of the gifted and talented suggests. Although several of the considerations derive from traditional practice in the field, some reconsideration is warranted because of more currently researched differences in how the gifted learner intellectually functions. It is argued that thinking of the gifted learner as idiosyncratic, not necessarily one of many classified as “the gifted,” requires a reconceptualization of how to appropriately and fully serve this unique learner. The research synthesized here covers the period from 1861 to present and represents the entire body of published research studies and representative literature (theory, program descriptions, and persuasive essays). Implications for service development and implementation are also discussed.
A recent evaluation of the Catalyst Program, a resource consultation and collaboration program in gifted education, was conducted in order to investigate the effects of student academic performance and teacher competencies, as well as the effectiveness of the consulting process applied to gifted education. In a two-year pilot program, general educators and gifted education specialists at 10 elementary schools in a large, urban school district consulted and collaborated with one another to provide differentiated educational experiences to gifted learners. Results indicate that the model was an effective service delivery strategy for providing differentiated education to gifted learners, had positive spill-over effects for the entire school, led to a redefined role of the gifted education specialist, and initiated an articulation of the nature of the consulting process when applied to gifted education.
The Collaboration Research Study examined the incidence of collaboration, as well as the assumptions of those who entered collaborative alliances. Collaboration was defined as "dialogue and planning between professionals in which the goal is to provide differentiated services for high achieving students." Two hundred and eighty-nine enrichment specialists, classroom teachers, and administrators, selected purposefully, took part in this national, descriptive, ex post facto research. The response rate from the three groups was 61%, 55%, and 51%, respectively. Results indicate that more than 80% of those sampled engage in collaboration. Data suggest that classroom teachers and enrichment specialists enter the collaborative relationship with different, and sometimes conflicting, sets of assumptions about the skills and attitudes of their collaborative partners. These empirical findings suggest that collaboration is a complex, interpersonal process. Implications of the study are twofold. First, collaboration depends upon highly developed interpersonal skills. Second, successful collaborative relationships rest upon the match between the assumptions that each party holds about the other. In order to ensure collaborative alliances that can produce high quality, differentiated learning options, the assumptions of each party need to be understood and, if necessary, bridges need to be built when gaps exist between the assumptions and the actual skills and attitudes of collaborative partners.
Educators concerned about gifted learners are moving toward an evidence-based perspective focusing on children with exceptionally advanced learning needs who require flexibly responsive educational attention. This article describes two system-wide implementation experiences, one in a mixed urban/rural public school board and the other in an urban board of affiliated parochial schools, designed to meet the educational needs of diversely competent students. The authors discuss the intersecting roles of consultants, teachers, administrators, and parents, and some creative applications they have implemented that illustrate a respect for (a) teachers' professionalism, (b) individual developmental diversity, and (c) context-specific opportunities and constraints. The authors discuss ways that this flexible collaborative approach to integrating consultative processes into board-wide practices addresses the diverse educational needs of gifted learners, and also encourages high-level outcomes in learners not formally identified as gifted.
Urban schools, noted for their diverse student populations and variety of instructional resources and personnel, often are challenged in providing a coherent and differentiated instructional program for the wide array of learners served. In this article, we describe coteaching instructional models to support ELL students in elementary general education classrooms. ELL and general education teachers collaborated in planning, teaching, and reflecting on their instruction. Despite an expedited timeline for implementation and decreased personnel resources in the 2nd year of the study, collaborative teaching relationships were productive and rewarding. Of greatest importance, ELL student achievement increased substantially. Implications for practice include building the knowledge that supports collaboration, strategically allocating instructional personnel, and providing ongoing opportunities for collaborative learning and development.
This article reports on a study of the complex and messy process of classroom technology integration. The main purpose of the study was to empirically address the large question of "why don't teachers innovate when they are given computers?" rather than whether computers can improve student learning. Specifically, we were interested in understanding the conditions under which technology innovation can take place in classrooms. For a year, we followed a group of K-12 teachers who attempted to carry out technology-rich projects in their classrooms. These teachers were selected from more than 100 recipients of a technology grant program for teachers. The study found 11 salient factors that significantly impact the degree of success of classroom technology innovations. Some of these factors have been commonly mentioned in the literature, but our study found new dimensions to them. Others have not been identified in the literature. Each factor can be placed in one of three interactive domains, the teacher, the innovation, and the context. The article discusses the 11 factors in detail and proposes a model of the relationship among the different factors and their domains.
As a field, gifted education does not endorse any one approach to serving students because of the range of student abilities and resulting concomitant diverse needs. Therefore, service delivery in gifted education is still heavily teacher dependent. Yet, many of the components of Response to Intervention (RtI) are employed in gifted education, albeit inconsistently, such as preassessment. Although some of the current gifted curricular and instructional models embed key components of RtI within them, they are not implemented in a coherent or strategic fashion and educational policies undergirding both RtI and effective practices in gifted education are scant. Unless RtI has leadership support and district and/or state policies, it will not be implemented with fidelity and will lose its potential as a framework for overall student achievement. Leadership and policies become the infrastructure for RtI to not only become operational but systemic. Therefore, a need exists to create state and local policies that allow for the congruence of RtI and gifted education. In the absence of federal laws or mandates governing gifted education, state and local policy are the cornerstone driving gifted education programming in school systems across the United States. The need for coherent policies in gifted education that address the components of RtI is an opportunity to bring a comprehensive perspective--one from special education, gifted education, and general education--to the table to create policies that address differentiation, tiered services, and teacher education from a common framework. As the use of state standards and accountability measures intensify, the gifted field will find it necessary to use policies as the base for creating an infrastructure to support student growth. The way people approach the practice of education is experiencing tidal waves. There are competing demands for limited resources. People can ill afford to operate on separate agendas if they want to address the need for developing optimal opportunities for their best learners. The essential question is how to embrace the betterment of all learners, including the gifted. As a result, considering a model such as RtI affords the field an opportunity to partner with regular education and special education in developing policies undergirded by research that are more dynamic and comprehensive in nature by merging and integrating the best of each field. Gifted learners and indeed all learners' educational futures depend upon it. (Contains 1 table.)
The 14 chapters in this volume are intended to facilitate differentiated curriculum development for gifted students that is substantive, rigorous, and in keeping with disciplinary structures. The chapters are: (1) "Content-Based Curriculum for High Ability Learners: An Introduction" (Joyce VanTassel-Baska); (2) "Accelerating Learning Experiences in Core Content Areas" (Joyce VanTassel-Baska and Beverly Shea); (3) "Incorporating Higher Order Process Skills into Content" (Jeanne M. Struck); (4) "Developing Creative Student Products" (Janine M. Lehane); (5) "Concept Development and Learning" (Linda D. Avery and Catherine A. Little); (6) "Adapting Language Arts Curricula for High-Ability Learners" (Catherine A. Little); (7) "Adapting Mathematics Curricula for High-Ability Learners" (Dana T. Johnson); (8) "Adapting Science Curricula for High-Ability Learners" (Beverly T. Sher); (9) "Adapting Social Studies Curricula for High-Ability Learners" (Molly M. Sandling); (10) "Selecting Resources and Materials for High-Ability Learners" (Linda D. Avery and Li Zuo); (11) "Making Appropriate Instructional Choices" (Jeanne M. Struck and Catherine A. Little); (12) "Assessing Student Learning" (Li Zuo and Joyce VanTassel-Baska); (13) "Aligning Curricula for the Gifted with Content Standards and Exemplary Secondary Programs" (Catherine A. Little and Wendy T. Ellis) and (14) "Implementing Innovative Curricular and Instructional Practices in Classrooms and Schools" (Joyce VanTassel-Baska). An appendix provides the "Standards for the English Language Arts Aligned with Curricular Emphases." (Individual chapters contain references.) (DB)
In this article, the author makes a distinction between two kinds of change: tinkering change and systemic change. Tinkering change includes reforms intended to address a specific deficiency or practice. Such tinkering change can be contrasted to what Shakespeare termed "sea change" in "The Tempest" ("a sea change into something rich and strange") and what some writers refer to as "system" or "systemic" change. System change, or systemic change, or sea change, is change to the overall structure and mission of an institution. To consider a sea change, individuals need to examine why their society has schools at all, what they want to accomplish in them, and what makes success difficult to achieve. What disrupts the accomplishment of the education of youth? The answer, of course, is youth: youth forced against their will to be in this class at that time during the day. The result in middle schools and high schools is an inordinate amount of time and energy spent managing classrooms and disciplining unruly students. Tinkering changes to address the issue include in-school suspension, mandatory meetings with parents, and unwritten contracts between teachers and disruptive students that if the students won't disrupt, the teacher won't try to teach them. A system change would be to repeal compulsory school attendance laws for children over the age of, say, 13. If education were truly the primary purpose of public secondary schooling, then the teaching-learning process would be sacrosanct. The author suggests: 1) repeal compulsory attendance laws for secondary school-age students; and 2) jettison the age-grade organization of elementary schools. Such change proposals require that the society look hard at why it has schools at all and what it wants to accomplish in them.
This study was an investigation of staff development programs designed to provide teachers with strategies through which all learners, including gifted, minority, and limited-English proficient students, can be appropriately served in a middle school environment sensitive to diverse learner academic needs. Participants in the study were assigned to either one of two experimental groups (Differentiated Instruction or Differentiated Authentic Assessment) or to a comparison group. Using a concurrent mixed method design, data were collected and analyzed relating to (a) the effects on teachers and students of a staff development program focusing on differentiated instruction, and (b) the effect on teachers and students of a staff development program focusing on differentiated authentic assessment strategies. Results suggest that differentiation of instruction and assessment are complex endeavors requiring extended time and concentrated effort to master. Add to these complexity current realities of school such as large class sizes, limited resource materials, lack of planning time, lack of structures in place to allow collaboration with colleagues, and ever-increasing numbers of teacher responsibilities, and the tasks become even more daunting. (Contains 77 tables and 4 figures.)
Although collaboration among service providers has been a hallmark of special education almost since its inception, co-teaching, the sharing of instruction by a general education teacher and a special education teacher or another specialist in a general education class that includes students with disabilities, is a relatively recent application. As a result of recent federal legislation and related policy changes, co-teaching has evolved rapidly as a strategy for ensuring that these students have access to the same curriculum as other students while still receiving the specialized instruction to which they are entitled.Despite considerable enthusiasm expressed by those who write about co-teaching and those who implement it, co-teaching illustrates the complexity of conceptualizing and studying collaboration in special education. Most inquiry on co-teaching has emphasized co-teachers' roles and relationships or program logistics rather than demonstrating its impact on student achievement and other key outcomes, and far more literature exists describing co-teaching and offering advice about it than carefully studying it.Contributing to the admittedly equivocal evidence base for co-teaching are factors such as the still emerging understanding of this special education service delivery vehicle, inconsistencies in definitions and implementation, lack of professional preparation, and dilemmas related to situating co-teaching in a supportive, collaborative school culture. The future of co-teaching may be dependent on increasing the quantity and quality of research on it and placing co-teaching in the larger context of school reform and improvement.
Curriculum implementation, management, and assessment: Special considerations and best practice
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