Educator Interviews
One of the objectives of the OAGC Teacher Division and #ohiogtchat is to connect as many gifted educators, administrators, advocates and parents of gifted children together as possible. We are stronger together when we work together than when we work alone.
Below is the start of what I hope will be a more reoccurring as aspect of the #ohiogtchat. By interviewing educators, administrators, and parents we hope to add more depth to the conversation about Gifted Education and its importance in the schools, families and communities these gifted children are in.
If you have an suggestion for a topic or a person who you think would help add depth, or highlight an important aspect of Gifted Education please tweet @jeff_shoemaker or @HeatherCachat.
Below is the start of what I hope will be a more reoccurring as aspect of the #ohiogtchat. By interviewing educators, administrators, and parents we hope to add more depth to the conversation about Gifted Education and its importance in the schools, families and communities these gifted children are in.
If you have an suggestion for a topic or a person who you think would help add depth, or highlight an important aspect of Gifted Education please tweet @jeff_shoemaker or @HeatherCachat.
Nov. 2016: How to Sustain Challenge in the Gifted Classroom: Laura Weaver
1. Tell me about yourself. (Where you teach, rewards you have received, what grades you teach, and how long.)
I am Laura Weaver, Gifted Intervention Specialist for Bowling Green City Schools. I've been teaching for 18 years, five in Mississippi, three in Georgia, and the rest in Ohio. While journalism and business administration were part of my first career, I began my second career, after completing certification for teaching grades 7-12, in 1998 teaching high school Business Education and Technology at Houston High School in Houston, Mississippi where I was also the advisor for FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America. I wrote a technology grant in 2001 and received 180K Challenge Grant which allowed us to bring our schools out of the dinosaur era to modern day with updated technology in the middle school, high school, and high school library. It also gave my Business Ed. students the opportunity to create the first web site for the district, which we were very proud of in a county where computers were obsolete in most schools.
I taught English Language Arts for grades 9-12, Journalism, and was Yearbook Advisor at Douglas County High School. While I was teaching in GA, I completed my certification for Gifted Intervention Specialist K-12.
I earned National Board Certification in 2003. I was named OAGC Teacher of the Year in 2014 and I am currently completing my Masters Degree in Curriculum and Teaching at BGSU in Bowling Green, OH.
In Ohio, I have taught ELA for middle school students at Ohio Virtual Academy and was part of the national accelerated program for online teaching team.
I joined the staff at Bowling Green City Schools in 2011 as the GIS serving grades 3-6 in a pull-out program which serves students one day per week at Kenwood Elementary School. The gifted and talented program is called P.A.C.E. which stands for Providing Acceleration, Creativity, and Enrichment. We have a successful program at BGCS because we have so much support from our administration, parents, and faculty. I stepped into some big shoes left by Cheryl Francis who served as the GIS for the district for many years and created a challenging program for students who needed enrichment and differentiation beyond the general education classroom.
I served on the Teacher Division for OAGC for three years, was a presenter at the OAGC Fall Conference and Spring Teacher Academy, and I am currently training to take over as Gifted Coordinator for Bowling Green City Schools next year. I will continue to teach three grades next year while serving as coordinator.
2. What is the process you go through when deciding what unit you will teach to your students?
I pick a theme each year which helps to guide the curriculum. In the past, we have done themes which were content specific such as Immigration, but I am trending towards themes which are more abstract and can utilize common core across the curriculum. I have used themes such as balance, equality vs. fairness, patterns, and this year, communication. I map out a curriculum for all four grades with the theme in mind and adapt the rigor to common core to make sure I am providing enrichment and an opportunity for differentiation.
I write a lot of grants for curriculum-based programs I want to incorporate into the classroom each year. I recommend seeking grants from your school's PTOs, foundation grant organizations, and seek opportunities online for grants to help supplement STEM activities.
3. What are some of the most common assessments you use to make sure your students are learning what you intended them to learn?
I do a lot of short cycle assessments, tickets out the door, Socratic circles, student-led activities, Bloom's products and written assessments. I am constantly asking for feedback from them before ( prior knowledge/pre-assessment, essential questions), during (KWL charts, I have some very good and unusual graphic organizers which gives me a quick insight to their comprehension and allows them to give me more interaction with the material and understanding), after (peer evaluations of written assignments, short Prezis or Bloom's products to orally and physically showing understanding, answers to essential questions presented prior to lesson).
4. What do you do to make sure your students are challenged during one of your instructional units?
I pick challenging activities which are STEM or Project-Based type of activities. One of the biggest units the students do each year is an independent study research project. Students choose their own topic, create a thesis statement, write note and source cards, create 4-5 Bloom's Products using a different level of the hierarchy, type a works cited page and outline, create a Prezi for an oral presentation which requires an audience participation element. The project also meets the College and Career Readiness Standards. I am always amazed at the level of study the third graders choose and how well they do with the project each year. I use this lesson for my gifted research SLO assessment with the third grade and for OTES teacher evaluation requirements. This is the most challenging project we do each year and the requirements become more progressively in-depth each year as well, so that I know they are still being challenged even though they started doing them in the third grade. Students are also required to do one interview before they leave the program in the sixth grade. Presentations are videotaped and uploaded to my private YouTube account for self review which includes a rubric for the presentation elements and a rubric for the prezi elements.
5. As a veteran teacher, what suggestions would you give teachers to help them plan out units that challenge gifted students?
Seek out STEM and Project/Problem-Based type of lessons or units. I also make sure I choose units with heavy ELA and MATH foundations which are at least 2 grade levels above the student's current grade level. One thing I have managed to do over the past five years is to obtain a lot of resources by going through every and any giveaway within the district. Someone is always cleaning out their closets and I rummage through a lot of workbooks to find different and interesting units which might fit a theme or are above grade level. I also seek out retiring teachers who usually have some very good lesson plans which are tried and true and I adapt them to the gifted curriculum. I also make sure to keep an eye out for gifted resources at OAGC conferences and I shop a lot from Pieces of Learning, Prufrock Press, Mindware, etc... In addition, I peruse Goodwill for brain games and watch the papers in the summer for retiring teacher garage sales. I have found some brand new games at Goodwill because they are usually unwanted gifts which may have been too difficult to play. It is also a great place to find game boards and Brain Quest cards. The best part is they are all very affordable! I recycle a lot of items too. Being a pack rat seems to be a typical teacher trait and I am always thinking of things which might be easily discarded, but might be used for making or creating "robots," 3D artwork, or other hands-on activities (STEM). If you know your theme for the new school year, start looking for speakers, materials, lesson plans, etc...
For our theme, Communication, we have gone on field trips to our local parks where we are fortunate to have an educational naturalist who provided a day of activities about communication in nature. I am also bringing in two speakers who teach sign language and braille. I found a wonderful clay activity where students will make clay hand sculptures, paint a theme-related quote on the palm, and our art teacher will fire their products in the art room's kiln. I am always networking with teachers, community members, civic clubs, media partners, and anyone who can bring more to the classroom and is willing to provide resources for our units. As I plan out the curriculum each year, I always include some hands-on activities to keep students motivated, creative, and excited about learning. They have learned the year in P.A.C.E. will not only challenge them academically in the Common Core subjects, but they know we will be doing fun and educational hands-on activities too. It's a nice balance when it all works out before the end of the school year.
Academically, the lessons I plan for each grade are very rigorous. I have found gifted students will step up to the challenge of working at a higher level if given the opportunity. I don't always tell them what the grade level is, but if I find they are struggling, I remind them they are working two or more grades above their current grade level and they are more excited about the rigor. (plus, I have a 'No Whining Zone' sign in my room which is something we joke about when times get tough and they feel a little frustrated) I offer rewards for our PAX Behavior game activities which encourages them to work harder as teams. I also have Weaver's Wages which are awarded for good work, random acts of kindness, classroom jobs, good behavior, and reviews for quizzes and etymology honor roll tests. The Weaver's Wages look like money with my face on it and are used for a large auction which takes place at our PACE NIGHT at the end of the school year. Parents bring potluck and student work is on display.
6. When you find that students aren't as challenged as you wanted what are some ways you add rigor and challenge to your lessons or unit?
With pre-assessments, either written or oral, before starting a unit or lesson, I have the opportunity to determine if the curriculum I've planned is rigorous. However, sometimes, I do have a student who will seem to breeze through the lesson and I have to provide a higher level of enrichment to make sure they are experiencing deeper thinking. This is where I utilize the books and resources I have acquired from higher level and grade level lessons. Many times I have to adapt the lesson to a high school level of enrichment to make it more challenging for students. Since I taught high school, I have additional resources on hand to extend lessons for deeper enrichment.
7. What technology do you embed in your instructional units that foster creativity and collaboration with your students?
Students use Google Docs, YouTube, Prezi, Kizoa, NEWZBRAIN online interactive quiz bowl, Newsela, SumDog, Quizlet, and any web-based sites which provide enrichment in the core subjects.
I use Google Docs, Smart Board interactive activities, Prezi, Moviemaker, Twitter, and many sites for research use. I also maintain a website and blog for our P.A.C.E. program for students and parents to keep up with class activities. The website provides a place for parents and students to find curriculum resources, practice PowerPoints for the Perennial Math competition, photos of yearly activities, and access to current lessons. The blog and Twitter posts provide communication to students and parents and is a quicker, more effective way to keep them in the loop of the program without time-consuming newsletters.
8. What do you do when you see students are struggling during a lesson and unit because it seems too hard?
I work with them one on one and assess why they are struggling. If it is something other students in the class may also struggle with, I engage the entire class to talk and work through the concept. I use the Smart Board a lot for teaching and students are very comfortable using it for showing work and explaining their answers. Sometimes, there may also be an underlying issue with the struggle due to lack of motivation. If this is the case, I talk through the lesson with the student, break it down into smaller steps to help them feel a little accomplished in mini steps instead of trying to tackle the entire lesson at one time. At times, I've had to create learning contracts to keep the unmotivated students on track and on task. Occasionally, I find the student may have some sensory characteristics which may be preventing them from completing or focusing long enough to finish a lesson. When I observe this, I trouble shoot to help them with the issue and talk to parents as well to make sure they are aware of the sensory issue. Sensory processing can also contribute to a student being twice-exceptional and this may be another reason they are struggling.
9. How do you effectively sustain challenge in your gifted classroom?
Each year, all grades participate in the following core academic programs:
While these are staples in my classes, I include a lot of ELA, math, science, social studies, and art lessons each week to make sure I am providing enough enrichment for CCSS.
10. What advice and resources would you give teachers about challenging gifted children?
Starting with a good Written Education Plan ( WEP ) is key to making sure you are providing a set of goals for challenging each student. At the start of the school year during the open house, I hand out a form for parents to complete and return to me to include in the WEP. The form allows them to tell me what they think are their child's strengths and weaknesses and goals they have for their students and how I can help their student reach specific goals in the classroom. It is a great tool for them to be more invested in their child's learning in the gifted program, and it provides a great basis for our fall conferences and writing the WEP. When I meet during conferences, the student, their parents, and I go over the goals and map out a plan for obtaining them throughout the year.
I would recommend making connections with the general education teachers of your gifted students. I try to meet with the teachers each year, especially first year teachers who have gifted students in their classroom, to make sure we are all on the same page about enrichment and differentiation in the general education classroom. I also like to communicate the goals of my program and the core curriculum being taught each year. Communication with everyone involved with the gifted student is a key component to providing the best learning environment for each student.
Resources for teachers include: National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), Ohio Association for Gifted Children ( OAGC ), National Society for the Gifted and Talented ( NSGT), Hoagie's Gifted Education Page, MENSA, Supporting the Emotional Needs of Gifted ( SENG ), and any books written by James Delisle.
I also recommend Northwestern University's testing opportunities for parents to have students tested in specific academic areas. We assess for superior cognitive abilities only at this time and Northwestern's Center for Talent Development NUMATS tests can help identify specific areas of acceleration. They also offer online courses, weekend and summer programs, and scholarship opportunities for students.
Most importantly, have a sense of humor and HAVE FUN with these wonderful students! The challenge to teach them can be daunting, but it is also immensely rewarding when you have accomplished your goal of helping them reach above and beyond their potential by offering a rigorous, but fun curriculum.
I am Laura Weaver, Gifted Intervention Specialist for Bowling Green City Schools. I've been teaching for 18 years, five in Mississippi, three in Georgia, and the rest in Ohio. While journalism and business administration were part of my first career, I began my second career, after completing certification for teaching grades 7-12, in 1998 teaching high school Business Education and Technology at Houston High School in Houston, Mississippi where I was also the advisor for FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America. I wrote a technology grant in 2001 and received 180K Challenge Grant which allowed us to bring our schools out of the dinosaur era to modern day with updated technology in the middle school, high school, and high school library. It also gave my Business Ed. students the opportunity to create the first web site for the district, which we were very proud of in a county where computers were obsolete in most schools.
I taught English Language Arts for grades 9-12, Journalism, and was Yearbook Advisor at Douglas County High School. While I was teaching in GA, I completed my certification for Gifted Intervention Specialist K-12.
I earned National Board Certification in 2003. I was named OAGC Teacher of the Year in 2014 and I am currently completing my Masters Degree in Curriculum and Teaching at BGSU in Bowling Green, OH.
In Ohio, I have taught ELA for middle school students at Ohio Virtual Academy and was part of the national accelerated program for online teaching team.
I joined the staff at Bowling Green City Schools in 2011 as the GIS serving grades 3-6 in a pull-out program which serves students one day per week at Kenwood Elementary School. The gifted and talented program is called P.A.C.E. which stands for Providing Acceleration, Creativity, and Enrichment. We have a successful program at BGCS because we have so much support from our administration, parents, and faculty. I stepped into some big shoes left by Cheryl Francis who served as the GIS for the district for many years and created a challenging program for students who needed enrichment and differentiation beyond the general education classroom.
I served on the Teacher Division for OAGC for three years, was a presenter at the OAGC Fall Conference and Spring Teacher Academy, and I am currently training to take over as Gifted Coordinator for Bowling Green City Schools next year. I will continue to teach three grades next year while serving as coordinator.
2. What is the process you go through when deciding what unit you will teach to your students?
I pick a theme each year which helps to guide the curriculum. In the past, we have done themes which were content specific such as Immigration, but I am trending towards themes which are more abstract and can utilize common core across the curriculum. I have used themes such as balance, equality vs. fairness, patterns, and this year, communication. I map out a curriculum for all four grades with the theme in mind and adapt the rigor to common core to make sure I am providing enrichment and an opportunity for differentiation.
I write a lot of grants for curriculum-based programs I want to incorporate into the classroom each year. I recommend seeking grants from your school's PTOs, foundation grant organizations, and seek opportunities online for grants to help supplement STEM activities.
3. What are some of the most common assessments you use to make sure your students are learning what you intended them to learn?
I do a lot of short cycle assessments, tickets out the door, Socratic circles, student-led activities, Bloom's products and written assessments. I am constantly asking for feedback from them before ( prior knowledge/pre-assessment, essential questions), during (KWL charts, I have some very good and unusual graphic organizers which gives me a quick insight to their comprehension and allows them to give me more interaction with the material and understanding), after (peer evaluations of written assignments, short Prezis or Bloom's products to orally and physically showing understanding, answers to essential questions presented prior to lesson).
4. What do you do to make sure your students are challenged during one of your instructional units?
I pick challenging activities which are STEM or Project-Based type of activities. One of the biggest units the students do each year is an independent study research project. Students choose their own topic, create a thesis statement, write note and source cards, create 4-5 Bloom's Products using a different level of the hierarchy, type a works cited page and outline, create a Prezi for an oral presentation which requires an audience participation element. The project also meets the College and Career Readiness Standards. I am always amazed at the level of study the third graders choose and how well they do with the project each year. I use this lesson for my gifted research SLO assessment with the third grade and for OTES teacher evaluation requirements. This is the most challenging project we do each year and the requirements become more progressively in-depth each year as well, so that I know they are still being challenged even though they started doing them in the third grade. Students are also required to do one interview before they leave the program in the sixth grade. Presentations are videotaped and uploaded to my private YouTube account for self review which includes a rubric for the presentation elements and a rubric for the prezi elements.
5. As a veteran teacher, what suggestions would you give teachers to help them plan out units that challenge gifted students?
Seek out STEM and Project/Problem-Based type of lessons or units. I also make sure I choose units with heavy ELA and MATH foundations which are at least 2 grade levels above the student's current grade level. One thing I have managed to do over the past five years is to obtain a lot of resources by going through every and any giveaway within the district. Someone is always cleaning out their closets and I rummage through a lot of workbooks to find different and interesting units which might fit a theme or are above grade level. I also seek out retiring teachers who usually have some very good lesson plans which are tried and true and I adapt them to the gifted curriculum. I also make sure to keep an eye out for gifted resources at OAGC conferences and I shop a lot from Pieces of Learning, Prufrock Press, Mindware, etc... In addition, I peruse Goodwill for brain games and watch the papers in the summer for retiring teacher garage sales. I have found some brand new games at Goodwill because they are usually unwanted gifts which may have been too difficult to play. It is also a great place to find game boards and Brain Quest cards. The best part is they are all very affordable! I recycle a lot of items too. Being a pack rat seems to be a typical teacher trait and I am always thinking of things which might be easily discarded, but might be used for making or creating "robots," 3D artwork, or other hands-on activities (STEM). If you know your theme for the new school year, start looking for speakers, materials, lesson plans, etc...
For our theme, Communication, we have gone on field trips to our local parks where we are fortunate to have an educational naturalist who provided a day of activities about communication in nature. I am also bringing in two speakers who teach sign language and braille. I found a wonderful clay activity where students will make clay hand sculptures, paint a theme-related quote on the palm, and our art teacher will fire their products in the art room's kiln. I am always networking with teachers, community members, civic clubs, media partners, and anyone who can bring more to the classroom and is willing to provide resources for our units. As I plan out the curriculum each year, I always include some hands-on activities to keep students motivated, creative, and excited about learning. They have learned the year in P.A.C.E. will not only challenge them academically in the Common Core subjects, but they know we will be doing fun and educational hands-on activities too. It's a nice balance when it all works out before the end of the school year.
Academically, the lessons I plan for each grade are very rigorous. I have found gifted students will step up to the challenge of working at a higher level if given the opportunity. I don't always tell them what the grade level is, but if I find they are struggling, I remind them they are working two or more grades above their current grade level and they are more excited about the rigor. (plus, I have a 'No Whining Zone' sign in my room which is something we joke about when times get tough and they feel a little frustrated) I offer rewards for our PAX Behavior game activities which encourages them to work harder as teams. I also have Weaver's Wages which are awarded for good work, random acts of kindness, classroom jobs, good behavior, and reviews for quizzes and etymology honor roll tests. The Weaver's Wages look like money with my face on it and are used for a large auction which takes place at our PACE NIGHT at the end of the school year. Parents bring potluck and student work is on display.
6. When you find that students aren't as challenged as you wanted what are some ways you add rigor and challenge to your lessons or unit?
With pre-assessments, either written or oral, before starting a unit or lesson, I have the opportunity to determine if the curriculum I've planned is rigorous. However, sometimes, I do have a student who will seem to breeze through the lesson and I have to provide a higher level of enrichment to make sure they are experiencing deeper thinking. This is where I utilize the books and resources I have acquired from higher level and grade level lessons. Many times I have to adapt the lesson to a high school level of enrichment to make it more challenging for students. Since I taught high school, I have additional resources on hand to extend lessons for deeper enrichment.
7. What technology do you embed in your instructional units that foster creativity and collaboration with your students?
Students use Google Docs, YouTube, Prezi, Kizoa, NEWZBRAIN online interactive quiz bowl, Newsela, SumDog, Quizlet, and any web-based sites which provide enrichment in the core subjects.
I use Google Docs, Smart Board interactive activities, Prezi, Moviemaker, Twitter, and many sites for research use. I also maintain a website and blog for our P.A.C.E. program for students and parents to keep up with class activities. The website provides a place for parents and students to find curriculum resources, practice PowerPoints for the Perennial Math competition, photos of yearly activities, and access to current lessons. The blog and Twitter posts provide communication to students and parents and is a quicker, more effective way to keep them in the loop of the program without time-consuming newsletters.
8. What do you do when you see students are struggling during a lesson and unit because it seems too hard?
I work with them one on one and assess why they are struggling. If it is something other students in the class may also struggle with, I engage the entire class to talk and work through the concept. I use the Smart Board a lot for teaching and students are very comfortable using it for showing work and explaining their answers. Sometimes, there may also be an underlying issue with the struggle due to lack of motivation. If this is the case, I talk through the lesson with the student, break it down into smaller steps to help them feel a little accomplished in mini steps instead of trying to tackle the entire lesson at one time. At times, I've had to create learning contracts to keep the unmotivated students on track and on task. Occasionally, I find the student may have some sensory characteristics which may be preventing them from completing or focusing long enough to finish a lesson. When I observe this, I trouble shoot to help them with the issue and talk to parents as well to make sure they are aware of the sensory issue. Sensory processing can also contribute to a student being twice-exceptional and this may be another reason they are struggling.
9. How do you effectively sustain challenge in your gifted classroom?
Each year, all grades participate in the following core academic programs:
- Perennial Math Competition - three teams for Rookie ( 3/4) Intermediate (5/6) Advanced (6/7)- accelerated logic math competition
- Michael Clay Thompson's Etymology Textbook "Word Within the Word"
- Etymology Honor Roll tests - Four lists of 25 stems each year
- 5-8 grade-based Spelling workbooks & Words Their Way Enrichment
- Independent Study Research Project
- Latin
- SAT vocabulary words
- Pizza Hut BookIt! Reading Program - 3rd graders only
- Creative Writing and Diagramming Sentences
- Independent Reading Project with the "classics" ( students choose a classic novel and complete a series of activities including a novel journal, Bloom's product, and essays with parent involvement)
- Class reads - The Giver, Gathering Blue, current Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Wizard of Oz, Ungifted, The City of Ember, The People of Sparks, etc...
- Published Book - School Mate Publishing - free published book for grades K-5. Parents and students LOVE this project! The book is based on the current theme for the program.
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens - 6th grade only
While these are staples in my classes, I include a lot of ELA, math, science, social studies, and art lessons each week to make sure I am providing enough enrichment for CCSS.
10. What advice and resources would you give teachers about challenging gifted children?
Starting with a good Written Education Plan ( WEP ) is key to making sure you are providing a set of goals for challenging each student. At the start of the school year during the open house, I hand out a form for parents to complete and return to me to include in the WEP. The form allows them to tell me what they think are their child's strengths and weaknesses and goals they have for their students and how I can help their student reach specific goals in the classroom. It is a great tool for them to be more invested in their child's learning in the gifted program, and it provides a great basis for our fall conferences and writing the WEP. When I meet during conferences, the student, their parents, and I go over the goals and map out a plan for obtaining them throughout the year.
I would recommend making connections with the general education teachers of your gifted students. I try to meet with the teachers each year, especially first year teachers who have gifted students in their classroom, to make sure we are all on the same page about enrichment and differentiation in the general education classroom. I also like to communicate the goals of my program and the core curriculum being taught each year. Communication with everyone involved with the gifted student is a key component to providing the best learning environment for each student.
Resources for teachers include: National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), Ohio Association for Gifted Children ( OAGC ), National Society for the Gifted and Talented ( NSGT), Hoagie's Gifted Education Page, MENSA, Supporting the Emotional Needs of Gifted ( SENG ), and any books written by James Delisle.
I also recommend Northwestern University's testing opportunities for parents to have students tested in specific academic areas. We assess for superior cognitive abilities only at this time and Northwestern's Center for Talent Development NUMATS tests can help identify specific areas of acceleration. They also offer online courses, weekend and summer programs, and scholarship opportunities for students.
Most importantly, have a sense of humor and HAVE FUN with these wonderful students! The challenge to teach them can be daunting, but it is also immensely rewarding when you have accomplished your goal of helping them reach above and beyond their potential by offering a rigorous, but fun curriculum.