Full course description
Course Description
In today’s classroom, flexibility is key to gaining student investment and commitment. This course provides best practices and implementation strategies with content, product, and process differentiation for elementary students. The culminating assignment will ask participants to create a content menu or tiered lesson.
Participants
This course is designed for any K-12 educator or mentor who serves in roles as teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, or other professional positions working with students or potentially working with students who receive Gifted and Talented services.
Course Objectives
Upon completing this course, you will meet Domain II: Competency 004 & 005 of the TExES Gifted and Talented Supplemental state certification exam components —
- Applies knowledge of program and grouping options as required by the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students (e.g., students work with other gifted students, with other students, and independently).
- Demonstrates knowledge of requirements of the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students for modifying curriculum and instructional options (e.g., array of learning experiences, continuum of learning experiences).
- Understands the relationship between the curriculum, state content-area standards, and the use of benchmarks based on expert performance and applies knowledge of the principles of vertical alignment of curricula.
- Knows the importance of grounding curriculum in disciplinary content and conceptual understandings and demonstrates an understanding of the benefits of emphasizing concepts over coverage.
- Applies principles of a differentiated curriculum that reflect the characteristics and needs of gifted and talented students; knows how to adjust the curriculum and adapt the depth, complexity, and pace of lessons to meet the characteristics and needs of gifted and talented students; and applies knowledge of strategies for adapting curricula to address student characteristics and needs (e.g., individualized research, exploratory activities, instruction based on student interests, curriculum matched to formative assessment).
- Applies skills for developing organizational and management plans that promote students' pursuit of independent projects leading to professional-level products and knows how to use the products and/or performances of experts in the field to plan instruction and promote student aspiration and excellence.
- Identifies the characteristics and features of differentiated instruction as they relate to the modification of curriculum and instruction options required by the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students, including modifications to content, process, product, and learning environment.
- Knows how to adapt the learning environment to address the characteristics and needs of gifted and talented students (e.g., maximizing choices and opportunities, encouraging students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, providing appropriate resources and audiences for student work) and makes instructional decisions based on student needs, interests, and choices and knowledge of research-supported program models and designs.
- Analyzes teacher roles (e.g., facilitator, advocate, researcher, collaborator) in the education of gifted and talented students and demonstrates awareness of the importance of involving students in planning, implementing, and evaluating their own educational programs.
Scope and Sequence
- Introduction to GTC 0010: Voice & Choice for Elementary Students
- Unit 1: Voice & Choice Introduction
- Unit 2: Survey Gathering
- Unit 3: Menus
- Unit 4: Tiering
- Unit 5: Assessing Voice & Choice
- Unit 6: Voice & Choice Application
Required Course Materials
Please visit the Computer Requirements page to view minimum device, internet, and application requirements for all UT High School courses. Generally, a desktop or laptop device five (5) years or newer with access to an office suite, such as Microsoft Office or Google Workspace, will be adequate to participate in most UTHS courses.
Course Structure
The course consists of 6 modules/units:
- A good way to help break up the course and to manage your time is to set aside 1 hour for each module totaling 6 hours of work per course.
- Each module includes 2-6 lessons, 1 major graded assignment, and 1 or more minor assignments (self-assessments/discussions).
- You MUST complete all assignments before moving on to the next assignment. Assignments can take many forms. Assignments can be in the form of a quiz, a text entry, a discussion, or a file upload.
- The course has an interactive notebook for you to process your knowledge. The completion of the interactive notebook is OPTIONAL and for your use only.
Course Grade
For successful completion of the course:
- You MUST complete all lessons including surveys, quizzes, and graded-assignments and successfully pass 5 of 6 graded assignments to earn your certificate of completion for the course.
- Graded assignments begin with a number (01 to 06) and are followed by the phrase —Graded Quiz or Graded Assignment.
- Graded assignments will specify a maximum number of attempts (between 1-3).
- Re-dos may be required to earn your certificate of completion.