Fulfilling the Potential of High Ability Learners through Engaged Learning in a Brain-based Environment

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Fulfilling the Potential of High Ability Learners
through Engaged Learning in a Brain-based
Environment

• River Valley Primary School
• Singapore
• Sita Singh
• sita_singh_at_moe.gov.sg

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Background

• Local government school
• 1621 enrolment (955 boys, 666 girls)
• 90 middle to high income families

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School Vision

• An Inviting School Committed to
• Bringing Out the Best in Every Individual

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Rationale for Talent Development Programme

• People Singapores only resource
• In alignment with Learner-Centred Education
• Enabling each child to reach his maximum
  potential
• Peaks of excellence
• Flexibility and choice

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Rationale for Talent Development Programme

• gifted or exceptional children require a
  different model of teaching and learning to
  nurture their talents. The regular teaching
  approach, or benign neglect of the gifted, leads
  to underachievement and in some cases behavioural
  problems.
• Former Minister of Education
• Tharman Shanmugaratnam
• Gifted Education Conference 2004

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Providing Support
Purpose
Creating Systems
People
Resources
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Defining Purpose

• Large number of students
• in top 5 of national cohort
• 30 to 40 students per year
• High ability learners
• Academic excellence
• Achieving Personal Best

Purpose
Creating Systems
Resources
People
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Enabling People

• Selection
• Teachers with the right attitude
• Training
• FCTHAL by GE Branch
• Certificate for Giftedness by UNSW by NIE
• Empowerment
• Involvement in planning and implementation
• Create greater ownership

Purpose
Creating Systems
People
Resources
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Providing Resources

• Research Activist
• Offloaded 2 days a week
• Training and networking
• Carrying out research
• Consultation
• Contact time with experts
• Physical resources

Purpose
Creating Systems
Resources
People
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Talent Development Programme in River Valley
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Objectives

• Acquire knowledge content and apply higher order
  thinking skills
• Increase the engagement and motivation
• Achieve quality results
• Achieve personal best in area of interest

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Identification in RV

• Gifted students have
• outstanding abilities and
• are capable of high performance
• including those with demonstrated
• achievement and/or potential
• ability in any of the following
• areas, singly or in combination
• Singapore Gifted Education Branch
• Adapted from The Marland Reports

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Identification in RV

• Focus on Intellectual Ability
• Performance
• Potential
• Methods
• National Gifted Screening Test
• School Standardized Test
• Teacher Observations
• Recommendations

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Talent Development Programme

• Homogeneous class
• With-in curriculum programme
• Compact content to create more time to explore
  greater width and depth
• Carry out independent work through investigations
• Out of curriculum programme
• Learning beyond the curriculum
• Independent research study

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Talent Development Programme
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Underpinning Theories and Approaches

• Characteristics of high ability learners and
  their implications on curriculum
• Applying Blooms Taxonomy
• Brain-based environment
• Orchestrated Immersion
• Relaxed Alertness
• Active Processing
• (Caine Caine, 1991)

Higher Order Skills
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Underpinning Theoriesand Approaches

• Strategies to engage high ability learners in the
  regular classroom
• Curriculum compacting
• Curriculum differentiation
• with Maker Model
• content
• process
• product
• learning environment
• Independent research study

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Setting the Environmentfor the Brain

• Academic and Emotional brain

Authentic and relevant
Engaged Brain
Active Processing
Orchestrated Immersion
Making connections and meaning
Relaxed Alertness
Safe, joyful, yet challenging
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Curriculum Framework
Bloom's taxonomy
Diagnostic pre-test
Differentiated Regular Curriculum
Curriculum Compacting
Differentiated process
Differentiated content
English, Maths Science
Differentiated products
brain-based environment
Maker's model
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Research Design

• Focus on Science at P4 and P5 level
• 2 experimental group (4A/5A 2008) and 2
  comparison group (4A/5A 2007)
• Measures
• Science achievement scores
• PETALSTM survey results
• Teacher and Parent perception survey

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Research Design

• PETALSTM Framework

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Unit Modification

• Primary 5 Unit on Electricity
• Modified scheme of work
• Modified work plan
• Activity sheets

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Initial Findings (Teachers)
There was much support given by the school in
terms of our professional development and other
relevant resources. As well as advice from
experts.
It is challenging and rewarding to engage higher
ability students. They now often surprise me with
what they say.
I can see a good change. After the debating
module, they become more confident speakers. The
way they speak, the voice projection, the
clarityThey are able to apply the skills to
daily lessons too. They are more discerning and
do not accept things are face value.
The extra time off from work and the training I
received has really helped me in planning and
carrying out the research. I am able to read a
lot more and keep up to date with current trends
in education. This really helped in my work.
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Initial Findings (Students)
I feel that the lessons in terms 2 and 3 are more
interesting. We get to do a lot of group work and
we can do experiments on our own and learn from
them.
I enjoy my TDP lessons. We get to do things that
we normally would not get to do, like being
involved in debating, solving real life problems
and doing science investigations.
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Initial Findings (Students)
My favourite subject is now Science as I get to
do many many experiments with my friends. We will
plan them, carry them out and record our findings
like a real scientist!
I think that I am learning better now. I also
understand what I am doing. The teachers always
make it a point to help us see the purpose of our
work. I am also getting better results so my
parents are quite happy too.
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Initial Findings (Parents)
I always hear my son telling his younger brother
how enjoyable his lessons are and how smart his
teachers are. He feels he has learnt a lot from
his teachers.
My daughter loves English, but does not like
Science. The programme aroused her interest in
Science and now she enjoys her lessons. Her
results also improved.
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Students at Work

• Problem-based Learning
• - Exploring alternative sources of energy

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Students at Work

• Problem-based Learning
• - Building Bridges and Slides

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Students at Work

• News Broadcasting

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Challenges

• The curriculum is as good as its instruction
• Time for curriculum redesign
• Expert knowledge
• Stakeholders expectations
• Students
• Parents

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Moving Ahead

• Time, space and more resources for teacher
• Community of learners
• Sharing amongst teachers
• Going beyond intellectual giftedness
• Character Development
• Leadership
• Meta-cognition
• Engagement of Parents

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The End

• Website www.rivervalleypri.moe.edu.sg
• Email rvps_at_moe.edu.sg
• Thank You

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