Capturing the Imagination and Intellect of the Underachieving Student

1
Capturing the Imagination and Intellect of the
Underachieving Student

• First Annual Summit on Curriculum, Instruction,
  and Assessment
• December 10, 2008
• Marlborough, MA
• Deborah Walker and Lurline Muñoz-Bennett, Ph.D
  Office of Humanities
• Diane Modest Framingham Public Schools
• Diane Daily Massachusetts Cultural Council
• Peggy Burchenal Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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Purposes of this Session

• Provide information on activities that spark the
  interests of underachieving, yet potentially
  talented students, in academics and the arts
• Share information about the Departments regional
  Gifted and Talented Resource and Support Centers
• Share research on the impact of the arts on
  students learning
• Discuss the benefits of school partnerships with
  artists and cultural organizations

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Underachievement and Gifted Students

• In her book Gifted Children Myths and
  Realities, Boston College and Harvard affiliated
  psychologist Ellen Winner reports that about
  half of the top U.S. students (top five per cent
  in IQ measures) are underachievers.
• She says these kids get bored and negative about
  school, and theyre also at risk emotionally
  because they feel so different and isolated.

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Massachusetts Gifted and Talented Resource Centers

• There is a line item in the state budget for a
  gifted education grant program
• The philosophy behind the grant program is that
  all students need opportunities to grow and learn
• In 2008-2009, 4 districts received grants to
  received grants to serve as regional resource
  centers
• These districts have strong track records for
  serving a wide spectrum of students well
• They provide other districts free consulting,
  graduate coursework, resource collections, and
  access to software and online programs for
  identification of students, differentiation of
  instruction, and acceleration of curriculum.

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Gifted and Talented Resource and Support Centers
are partnerships between districts, colleges and
universities, and cultural institutions

• Barnstable Public Schools, UMass Amherst,
  Fitchburg State, Mass Maritime Academy, Cape Cod
  Collaborative, Cape Cod Maritime Museum, Cape Cod
  Symphony, Cotuit Center for the Arts
• www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/gateway/gateway.html
• East Longmeadow Public Schools, UMass Amherst
• http//webpages.charter.net/costaej/
• Framingham Public Schools, Framingham State,
  Cambridge College
• http//pages.framingham.k12.ma.us/sage/Implementat
  ion20Center/Main20Page.htm
• Triton Regional School District, Historic New
  England, Mass Audubon, University of Connecticut
• http//www.trsd.net

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The Arts and Equity

• The Arts dance, music, theatre, visual arts
• Arts integration and other innovative program
  development based on research
• Professional development Pathways to Learning
  in the Arts
• Resources dissemination
• Planning for Review of Arts Curriculum Framework
• Collaborative work with
• College Professors of Arts Education
• Massachusetts Cultural Council
• Arts organizations and institutions

• Equity Equitable Teaching Practices and their
  Impact
• Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement
  (TESA)
• Looks at how expectations affect students or have
  an impact on their learning, performance, and
  achievement
• Generating Expectations for Student Achievement
  (GESA)
• Examines disparities, and how behaviours
  influence students learning
• Encourages the use of research based proactive
  instructional practices and resources to
  eliminate disparities and support high
  expectations

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The Arts in Education Some Examples of Impact

• Develops and improves communication skills
• Promotes gains in problem solving, thinking, and
  analytic skills
• Improves language and literacy skills
• Fosters gains in overall improvement in other
  academic subjects e.g. mathematics, science,
  writing, social studies ----
• Supports the students development physically,
  psychologically, and socially
• Improves risk taking, creative skills, good study
  habits
• Revives or reactivates interest in school
  activities
• Improves self confidence, self esteem,
  co-operative learning skills

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Cultural Organizations and InstitutionsWorking
to Capture Students Imagination

• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
• Thinking Through Art
• Museum/School Partnership Program Promotes
  Critical Thinking
• Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS)

• Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency
• Funding for Arts Education Programs
• Creative Schools Programs
• Free WillLetting Shakespeare Loose in the
  Classroom
• Science and Theatre Arts

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Grade 3-8 Students and the Isabella Stewart
Gardner Museum

• The School Partnership Program aims to help
  students learn to look through the use of an
  inquiry-based pedagogy called Visual Thinking
  Strategies or VTS, which starts with asking three
  questions to prompt students to make observations
  and provide evidence for their ideas 
• Whats going on in this picture?
• What do you see that makes you say that?
• What more can we find?

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Contacts

• Deborah Walker Office of Humanities
• 781-338-3347, djwalker_at_doe.mass.edu
• Lurline Muñoz-Bennett, Ph.D Office of
  Humanities
• 781-338-6285, lmunoz-bennett_at_doe.mass.edu
• Diane Modest Framingham Public Schools,
  Director of the SAGE Gifted Education Program
• 508-626-9134, dmodest_at_framingham.k12.ma.us
• Diane Daily Program Manager, Creative Schools
  Program Massachusetts Cultural Council
• 617-727-3668, diane.daily_at_art.state.ma.us
• Peggy Burchenal Curator of Education, Isabella
  Stewart Gardner Museum, pburchenal_at_isgm.org