More Art Than Science: Differentiating Instruction for the Gifted and Talented

Morgan P.Appel
Director, Education Department

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 Being gifted is a gift—unless you are the one experiencing it first hand (both
blessing and burden)
 Gifted have a tendency to look outwardly for approval and inwardly for blame
 May experience unique pressures to ‘perform’ as if the spotlight is always on—
even when alone
 The gifted individual employs a somewhat bifurcated approach to life (rational
and emotional)
 Solutions must be epiphany based to mitigate perceived threat against the
social personality and related pushback
 The greatest risk is the social risk, and the greatest challenges for educators
and parents alike are socioemotional
 Gifted tend to be great starters, but at times lack discipline for follow through
(beginnings are always fun!)
 It becomes magnified through the lifespan and pronounced during adolescence
 Things come naturally—without having to work hard.

Brian Bits:
Wisdom from
the Ancients
In ancient Egypt,
when humans were
preserved through
mummification, the
brain was discarded-
-viewed as a
superfluous organ. It
was believed that
the heart was the
center of all emotion
and learning.

Wisdom from the
Original
Renaissance Man:
Good Ol’ Leo
“As every divided kingdom
falls, so every mind divided
by many studies confounds
and saps itself.”
“I have been impressed
with the urgency of doing.
Knowing is not enough; we
must apply. Being willing is
not enough. We must do.”
“He who loves practice
without theory is like a
sailor who boards a ship
without a rudder and a
compass and never knows
where he may cast.”
“All our knowledge has its
origin in our perceptions.”

“When we are at work, we ought to be at work.When we are at play, we ought to be
at play.There is no use trying to mix the two.” – Henry Ford
“People rarely succeed at anything unless they are having fun doing it.”
– Southwest Airlines Mission Statement
The Conceptual Age/Knowledge Economy requires creativity; empathy; happiness;
meaning; critical thinking; problem solving; effective communication; metacognitive
abilities (sound habits of mind) and collaboration.
Providing manifold opportunities for flow compels students to be creative and
collaborative, playing important and more interdependent roles in the creation of
their own learning environments that address their cognitive and affective needs.

Brain Bits:
Teaching as Art
Versus Science
(Education)is an art form—
not a delivery system. (It) is
an arts practice. It’s about
connoisseurship and
judgment and intuition.We
all remember the great
teachers in our lives.The
ones who kind of woke us
up and that we’re still
thinking about because
they said something to us
or they gave us an angle on
something that we’ve
never forgotten.
--Sir Ken Robinson

More Art Than Science: Differentiating Instruction for the Gifted and Talented

How ManyWays From NewYork to LA?
Diverse
Routes to the
Same
Destination

 Involving
 Spirited/Manic
 Chaotic
 Porous/Focused
 Tense
 Artistic
 Creative Play
 Collaborative
 Competitive
 Energetic
 Purpose-Driven
 Synergistic
 Differentiated
 Epiphany-Based

GoodTeaching and
Archery
Good teaching has
nothing to do with magic
formulas, recipes or one-
size-fits-all solutions.
Good teaching builds
upon a solid pedagogical,
andragogical and
heutagogical base and
draws from a multitude of
strategies that can be
used at a given time in
particular circumstances.
Always make sure your
quiver is full!

ORGANIC, ROOTED IN
 Prior experiences
 Expertise
 Interests
 Learning Styles
 Readiness
 Ways of thinking
 Cultural Factors
 Linguistic Abilities
 Socioeconomic Status
CREATED
 Teacher manipulated
 Purposefully creating
learning opportunities to
meet learners where they
are and to build from that
point
 Teacher coordinates time,
space, resources and
activities to attend to the
needs of learners (at left)

Differentiated
Instruction
Differentiating instruction
means that you observe
and understand the
differences and
similarities among
students and use this
information to plan
instruction.
• Ongoing, Formative
Assessment
• Recognition of Diverse
Learners
• Group Work
• Problem Solving
• Choice
-- Laura Robb, from
Differentiating Reading
Instruction
Draws from Brain-Compatible Learning, Learning
Styles/Multiple Intelligences and Authentic Assessment

 Flexibility in use of time
 Diverse learning
management strategies
 Clarity of criteria for
individuals and groups
 Diverse and authentic
assessments
 Busy and messy
 Moves from
manipulation to
application to
abstraction
 Differences a basis for
planning (versus
addressing problems)
 Assessment drives
instruction (versus solely
determining mastery)
 Materials and resources
are diverse and tailored
to learning styles,
interests and readiness

Differentiation isn’t instantaneous – it is
developmental.You need not take on every
element of differentiation at once. Get
comfortable with a strategy or two and move
forward – iteratively and consultatively with
students and parents. Little successes tend to
breed much larger ones!

The gifted brain is
much like a volcano
on the verge of
eruption.
Chaotic, swirling, yet
somehow controlled
unconsciously
seeking order and
release.
The same neurochemistry
that fuels all we love about
our gifted and talented
students cognitively also
tends to wreak tremendous
affective havoc.

Into the Light:
Understanding the Gifted
Using Plato’s Allegory of
the Cave
In many ways, the gifted and
talented are akin to the
imprisoned featured in Plato’s
Allegory. Their perceptions are
shaped by shadow, distortion and
exaggerated interpretation
emerging from their unique
neurobiology and socio-affective
characteristics.
Thus, one of the most important
duties parents of the gifted have
is to help bring them into daylight
and offer them a quality of life
with a lesser degree of anxiety
and intensity.
The same neurochemistry that
fuels all we love about the gifted
in the classroom and at home can
wreak havoc internally.That is
why counseling the gifted takes
all the king’s horses and all the
king’s men.

• The brain learns through multiple senses and modalities
• The brain thrives on process and making sense of new information
• The brain works in context when processing new information
• The brain uses patterns to make sense of information
• The brain uses scaffolding to process new information
• Neuroplasticity: the lifelong ability of the brain to reorganize neural
pathways based on new experiences
• Physiologically, like a coin making an impression in clay—the clay must
change to hold the impression of the coin
• Consider the old saw ‘Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to
fish and he eats for a week’
• The brain works in a very similar way: it thrives on making sense of process!
• Process reinvigorates the brain through re-establishing neural networks

1. The brain is a complex adaptive system.
2. The brain is a social brain.
3. The search for meaning is innate.
4. The search for meaning occurs through patterning.
5. Emotions are critical to patterning.
6. Every brain simultaneously perceives and creates parts and wholes.
7. Learning involves both focused attention and peripheral attention.
8. Learning always involves conscious and unconscious processes.
9. We have at least two ways of organizing memory.
10.Learning is developmental.
11. Complex learning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited by threat.
12.Every brain is uniquely organized.
Source: Caine and Caine (1997)

Knowledge
(Remembering)
Recalling facts, terms, answers
Comprehension
(Understanding)
Demonstrate understanding by
organizing, comparing, describing, etc.
Application
(Applying)
Using new knowledge in a different way,
applying to new situations
Analysis
(Analyzing)
Make inferences to support generalizations
Synthesis
(Evaluating)
Compile information together
(Make judgments about the value of ideas)
Evaluation
(Creating)
Present information on validity of ideas
(Create new product or point of view)
?

• Linguistic intelligence ("word smart")
• Logical-mathematical intelligence
("number/reasoning smart")
• Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")
• Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body
smart")
• Musical intelligence ("music smart")
• Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
• Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")
• Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")

Internalizing Values Creation of a system of values
that controls behavior
(changing behavior)
Organization Prioritizing values in order
Valuing The value a learner attaches
to something
Responding to
Phenomena
Taking an active role in
learning; participating
Receiving phenomena Awareness, willingness to
listen

• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1975, 1990)/positive psychology
• A Zen-like, intensive state in which an individual becomes
completely emerged in an experience
• “In the groove,” OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE, “In the zone”
• Time stops (almost a meditative state) or flies
• “Seeing the seams of the baseball” or “seeing the Matrix”
• Losing oneself so that one is so focused, s/he is unaware of
distractions, even bodily needs
• A universal and cross-cultural experience
• Connectivity between emotion, motivation and
internalization

• Balance between individual’s ability and level of
difficulty in the challenge (cannot be too easy or difficult
or flow cannot occur).
• Goals should be clear. Expectations are foreseen and
goals are attainable.
• High degree of concentration in a limited field of
attention—person should be able to focus and become
deeply engaged in the activity.
• A loss of self-consciousness is experienced (unaware of
self and what the self is doing).
• Sense of time transcendence (subjective experience of
time is altered—passes quickly/slowly/slow motion)

Many ELs are here
When in the flow state,
the brain is actively
seeking out information
from multiple sources
to engage in problem
solving activities.
Too many of our diverse
learners are left
out of the equation: for
example, gifted and talented,
English Learners and
special needs students.
Many ELs are here
Many gifted

 Remembers answers and
needs about 6-8
repetitions to master
 Alert and observant;
attentive and interested
 Pleased with own
learning and gets high
marks
 Works hard to achieve,
learns with ease
 Is a technician with
expertise in his/her field,
responds with interest
and opinions
 Perf0rms at the top of
the group and absorbs
information
 Is accurate and
complete, memorizes
well
 Understands complex
humor
 Enjoys company of age
peers
 Completes assignments
on time, answers
questions in detail
Source: B. Kingore, 2003. High Achiever, Gifted Learner, Creative Learner. Understanding Our Gifted

 Poses unforeseen
questions and is curious
 Knows without working
hard and is beyond the
group
 Needs 1-3 repetitions for
mastery
 Prefers company of
intellectual peers
 Ponders with depth and
multiple perspectives
 Is intellectual and
anticipates/relates
observations
 Infers and connects
concepts
 Creates complex/abstract
humor and is intense
 Initiates projects and
extensions of assignments
 Enjoys self-directed
learning and is
original/continually
developing
 Is an expert who abstracts
beyond the field; guesses
and infers well
 Is self critical and may not
be motivated by grades

 Sees exceptions and
wonders
 Plays with ideas and
concepts
 Relishes wild, off-the-
wall humor
 Comprehends in-depth
and complex ideas
 Enjoys improvisation
and creating
 Is his/her own group
 Questions the need for
mastery
 Brainstorms
 Intuitive
 Inventor
 Enjoys working alone,
but the company of
creative peers
 Shares bizarre and
often conflicting
opinions

Differentiation IS Differentiation IS NOT
1. Proactive
2. Qualitative
3. Organic
4. A blend of different
grouping and teaching
styles
5. A focus on intake,
process and product
6. Student focused
1. Chaotic
2. Another way to provide
homogenous grouping
3. ‘Individualized
Instruction’ from days
gone by
4. Making small and
peripheral adjustments
Based onTomlinson, 2001 and de Oca, 2010

 What it is (core beliefs):
 Learning styles and profiles for
every student are different
 Active versus passive learning
(problem solving, etc)
 Making meaning versus
‘covering’
 Where you see it:
 Content (multiple intake
avenues)
 Process (multiple sensemaking
opportunities)
 Product (multiple ways to
showcase knowledge)
Broadly
Integrated
and Deep
(Cross-
Disciplinary)
Attends to
Unique
Learning
Styles and
Profiles
Engaging
Creativity
and ‘Flow’

 Depth (broadening understanding by
venturing more deeply into a given area
of study)
 Complexity (broadening understanding
by building bridges across areas of study,
associations, etc)
 Novelty (constructing
meaning/knowledge in a highly
personalized manner)
 Pacing (altering the speed of learning
and providing more sophisticated
resources to accelerate learning)
 Combines whole-class, small group and
individual instruction

DEPTH
 Moving from concrete to
abstract
 Moving from known to unknown
 Examine topics by determining
facts, concepts, generalizations
and theories therein applied
 Uncovering details and new
knowledge in a given area of
study
 Adopt perspectives and seek out
connections
 Becoming an expert in a subject
COMPLEXITY
 Making relationships
 Connecting other concepts
and layering
 Why/how approach that
connects to other disciplines
 Relate concepts in a more
sophisticated way
 See associations between
diverse subjects
 Divine multiple solutions
from multiple points of view
Source: RUSD, 2015

DI= Thinking Skills + Content +
Research + Product, contextualized
in a dynamic and respectful
learning environment.
Source: J.Taylor, 2015

…is a teacher’s response to learners’ needs guided by principles of differentiation
Respectful tasks Flexible grouping Ongoing assessment/adjustment
CONTENT PROCESS PRODUCT
Teachers can differentiate
According to a learner’s
LEARNING STYLESINTERESTSREADINESS
Using the following strategies
Multiple Intelligences/Jigsaw/Taped Material/Anchor Activities /IconicTeaching
Tiered Lessons/Tiered Centers/Varied Texts/Varied Organizers/Learning Contracts/Compacting
Small-Group Instruction/Interest Centers/Interest Groups – among many, many, many others

 Centers around teacher’s clarity of (high)
expectations
 Assessment drives instruction (always)
 Content, process and product are adjusted to
readiness, interest and learning styles
 Characterized by respectful work and
collaboration between students and teachers
 Flexible and scaffolded upon student differences
 Goals are maximum growth and individual
success
Source:Tomlinson, 2000

 Organizing opportunities and
learning experiences versus
fillers of heads (COACHING)
 Assessing readiness through
diverse means
 Creating opportunities to
gather and make sense of
information
 Reading clues/cues related to
learning styles and interests
 Create diverse opportunities
to express understanding

1. Teacher and class explore ideas/concepts together
2. Students engage in further study using varied materials based on
readiness and learning style
3. Students and teacher come together to share information and
pose questions
4. Students work at varied assigned tasks at varied levels of pacing
and complexity (sensemaking)
5. Whole class review, extension through sharing
6. Students select small groups to work on teacher-generated
problems related to study
7. Whole class receives process training for presentations
8. Students elect interest areas to extend understanding
9. And it all begins again…

 Must be planned and
designed to achieve a
particular curricular purpose
(purpose driven)
 Groups should be formed
based on available data that
you’ve collected along the
three criteria (readiness,
interest and learning style)
 Should change frequently,
based on content and
learning objective
 Groups are listed in folders,
mailboxes, whiteboards, etc
 Pre assigned ‘standing’
groups (TextTeams;Think
Tanks;TeacherTalkers; Peer
Partners)
 Watch for ‘tracking’
situations (for example, all
gifted or struggling pupils
working together all of the
time)
Source: Montes de Oca, 2010

 Differentiation happens consistently and is shepherded by teachers (not
self-taught by pupils) – emphasizes creativity and critical thinking
 Differentiation is engaging and process-focused (fires on all emotional
cylinders; has a clear ‘sticky’ message; and builds on prior knowledge)
 No matter what you title your groups, students typically know how you
are grouping them. Balance between teacher-assigned and student-
selected work
 Clarity around central principles and concepts is essential—assessment is
a key jumping-off point for this type of work (roadmap)
 What are possible outcomes of being more flexible in grouping students?
 Consider these alternatives:
 By Ability/Readiness, based on a pre-assessment
 By Interest, based on a survey of student interests
 By Learning Style, based on the ways that pupils engage content

 Curriculum Compacting is an instructional technique that is
specifically designed to make appropriate curricular adjustments
for students in any curricular area and at any grade level:
 Defining the goals and outcomes of a particular unit or segment
of instruction
 Determining and documenting which students have already
mastered most or all of a specified set of learning outcomes
 Providing replacement strategies for material already mastered
through the use of instructional options that enable a more
challenging and productive use of the student's time.

 Have a strong rationale to
differentiate along readiness,
interest and learning profile
 Begin at a pace comfortable
for you (learning curve)
 Time activities for student
success
 Anchor activities can be used
by completers to free time to
work with students
 Create and deliver
instructions carefully (clarity
is king!)
 Have a ‘home base’ for
students (flexible grouping) –
where pupils start and end
 Make sure you know how
students can get help as you
work with others (managing
traffic)
 Bestow responsibility for
learning upon the student
 Talk about classroom
procedures and processes—
ownership of process
 Use flexible groupings
(readiness, interest, learning
style)
Source: Montes de Oca, 2010

 These are activities that take planning (not
spur of the moment) and incorporate a
steeper learning curve
 These are activities that require quite a bit of
flexibility—but the results are so very well
worth it!
 We start with IconicTeaching, Content
Imperatives and UniversalThemes

The ‘duck face’
seems to be a
universal theme
spanning centuries.
Boldly going
where no selfie
has gone before.

 Iconic teaching is a way in which
the core principles of
interdisciplinary differentiated
instruction (depth and complexity)
are integrated into instruction and
student work
 Icons (symbols developed by
Sandra Kaplan at USC) represent
different aspects of depth and
complexity that are used in the
course of instruction
 Highlights scholarly behavior –
‘thinking like a (multi-)
disciplinarian’ – what experts know

Trends: How do things change over time? What factors
(socioeconomic, political, geographic) serve as catalysts for
these changes?
Rules: Through the use of this icon, students are instructed on
how to define the organizational elements affecting the specific
curriculum which is being studied. This process requires the
identification and description of factors, either human-made or
natural, which affect the information at hand.
Ethical Considerations: Students are instructed to identify and
analyze the possible rights and wrongs of a given idea or event.
This allows them to determine the elements that reflect bias,
prejudice and discrimination. Through this focus on ethics,
students develop the ability to state pro and con arguments
in terms of ethics.
Source of Depth and Complexity icons: Dr. Sandra Kaplan/USD/Javits Institute; SantaAna USD

Recognize the Details: This icon involves elaboration of an
idea or event. The student's ability to describe something is
integral in the learning process thus the teacher encourages the
students to elaborate and describe.
Language of the Discipline: Instructors encourage the use of
appropriate language when addressing specifics in the
curriculum. Part of being a scholar requires the use of appropriate
terminology.
Patterns: This icon is used to instruct the students to identify the
recurring elements or repeated factors of an event or idea.
It also focuses on the order of events which occur. Finally,
students are asked to identify the pattern and to predict what
comes next.

Unanswered Questions: What ideas are unclear?
What information is unclear? What don't we know?
What areas have not been explored or proved yet?
Do any of our conclusions need further evidence or
support? These are questions which arise when using this
icon in discussion of an area of curriculum.
Big Idea: The big idea is in other words a generalization,
principle or theory about the curriculum being studied.
The students are directed to: (1) make a conclusion from
evidence that explains a collection of facts or ideas;
(2) explain a group of facts or ideas with a summary
statement; (3) identify a rule or general statement
based on repeated/recurring observations of data,
information or collection of ideas

 What are the rules
involved in solving this
problem?
 Does changing the rule
yield a different result?
 What elements of the
equation are missing?
What would we need
to know to solve for x?
Framing a statistical presentation,
a strategy to be discussed later.

Relate OverTime: How are elements related in terms of
the past, present, and future? How and why do things
change?What doesn’t change?
Multiple Perspectives: How would others see the situation
differently?
Across Disciplines: Relate the area of study to other
subjects within, between, and across disciplines.

 How do stakeholders
involved in the economic
collapse view the situation?
How do these viewpoints
shape their actions?
 How do cycles of educational
reform remain similar and
different across the decades?
What factors contribute to
supporting gifted and
talented education?
 How can the Arab Spring be
understood through the arts?

 Also developed by
Sandra Kaplan as a
means to increase
rigor and to
complement depth
and complexity icons
 Enhances
differentiation and
builds on depth and
complexity

 Can be used as a preface to a lesson or bridge
to prior knowledge (building motivation)
 Used individually or in conjunction with icons
of depth and complexity during a lesson to
motivate discussion and further study
 Can be used as a follow-up to a lesson or in
guidelines for differentiated assignments

Origin: how things got started or began.
Paradox: how things can simultaneously
pose conflicting or opposing ideas.
Parallels: how areas of study share common
characteristics.

Convergence: how ideas come together to
form new or different ideas
Contribution: the benefit or effect of some
action or attribute.

YOU CAN GO WITHTHIS
 What were the political and
economic factors that
converged to serve as
catalysts for the Civil War?
 What are the origins of our
laws and how did they
develop over time?
 What parallels can you find
between the songs ‘Blackbird’
and ‘I’m Black and I’m proud?’
How do they reflect
conditions today?
ORYOU CAN GO WITHTHAT
 What factors led up to the
Civil War?
 Why are our laws they way
they are today?
 How did musical artists
reflect what was going on
in the 1960s?

YOU CAN GO WITHTHIS
 How did the setting
contribute to the overall
feel of the story? How did
the setting impact the
characters?
 What conflicting opinions
created the problem in the
story? How do you
determine fact from
opinion?
ORYOU CAN GO WITHTHAT
 Where was the story set?
 What was the main
problem in the story?

 Just about anything can be mixed and
matched, as in combining icons
 One way to do so is through framing
(described below)

 An organizing concept that supports work in
concert with depth and complexity and
transcends time and place
 Students use universal themes to connect
seemingly unrelated ideas

 Abuse of power
 Action versus apathy
 Beating the odds
 Beauty
 Coming of age
 Corruption
 Courage
 Effects of the past
 Faith
 Fall from grace
 Family
 Fate
 Fear of failure
 Freedom
 Friendship
 Greed
 Hate
 Heritage
 Heroes
 Honesty

 Innocence
 Justice
 Love
 Loyalty
 Manipulation
 Nature
 Need for Change
 Obligation
 Parent-Child
Relationships
 Peace
 Peer Pressure
 Perseverance
 Power of Mind v.
Authority
 Prejudice
 Price of Progress
 Pride
 Quest for Knowledge
 Religion

 Revenge
 Secrecy
 Security/Safety
 Seizing the Moment
 Survival
 The Overlooked
 The Road NotTaken
 War
 Winners and Losers
Billy Shakes will tell you that
some things are timeless.

What does a picture frame do?
Draws our focus here…
Structure supports
our focus.

This is a great way
to introduce the concept
of framing and a means
by which the gifted can
speak about unique
socio-emotional issues
without the spotlight
shining directly on them.
You may consider the
Introduction of one or
two UniversalThemes
here (fear of failure).
This is our focus.
Note presence
Of Content Imperative

 Using the frames provided, create a self-
focused framed lesson based on the grade
level and subject you teach
 Please feel free to use blended icons and
content imperatives as best suits you
 Pick one or two at your table that you would
like to share with the larger group

 Using the story of
Goldilocks
 Feel free to suggest
your own grade level
and subject and/or
choose one as a group
 Generally speaking,
what background
knowledge and skills
are required?
 What’s the big idea
that we are trying to
get across (draw upon
icons and universal
themes)
 How are we tiering,
and how many tiers
should we use?
 Let’s differentiate by
process and product

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a
walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and,
when no one answered, she walked right in.
At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks
was hungry. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
"This porridge is too hot!" she exclaimed.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
"This porridge is too cold," she said
So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.
"Ahhh, this porridge is just right," she said happily and she ate it all up.
After she'd eaten the three bears' breakfasts she decided she was feeling a
little tired. So, she walked into the living room where she saw three
chairs. Goldilocks sat in the first chair to rest her feet.

"This chair is too big!" she exclaimed.
So she sat in the second chair.
"This chair is too big, too!" she whined.
So she tried the last and smallest chair.
"Ahhh, this chair is just right," she sighed. But just as she
settled down into the chair to rest, it broke into pieces!
Goldilocks was very tired by this time, so she went upstairs to
the bedroom. She lay down in the first bed, but it was too
hard. Then she lay in the second bed, but it was too soft. Then
she lay down in the third bed and it was just right. Goldilocks
fell asleep.

As she was sleeping, the three bears came home.
"Someone's been eating my porridge," growled the Papa bear.
"Someone's been eating my porridge," said the Mama bear.
"Someone's been eating my porridge and they ate it all up!" cried the Baby bear.
"Someone's been sitting in my chair," growled the Papa bear.
"Someone's been sitting in my chair," said the Mama bear.
"Someone's been sitting in my chair and they've broken it all to pieces," cried the
Baby bear.
They decided to look around some more and when they got upstairs to the
bedroom, Papa bear growled, "Someone's been sleeping in my bed,"
"Someone's been sleeping in my bed, too" said the Mama bear
"Someone's been sleeping in my bed and she's still there!" exclaimed Baby bear.
Just then, Goldilocks woke up and saw the three bears. She screamed, "Help!" And
she jumped up and ran out of the room. Goldilocks ran down the stairs, opened the
door, and ran away into the forest. And she never returned to the home of the three
bears.

 Tier I: Examining the big ideas of the story, as explored through
multiple perspectives, converging factors and details therein.
Making a case for one or more characters.
 Tier II: Looking at Goldilocks as an ethical allegory, contextualized
in changing perspectives over time, based on what we do and
don’t know.
 Tier III: Looking at the story in terms of socioeconomic and
political issues (internationally) and the rule of law—based on
ethics and changing perspectives over time and drawing parallels
to global situations.
 Does everyone get where they need to go—individually and
collectively?

In this
example, we
frame the
story as a
means to
discuss
its larger
themes. We
look to do so
by exploring
details,
perspectives
and the
factors that
converge to
tell the story.
Goldilocks, Bears

In this
example, we
frame the
story as a
means to
discuss
ethics. We
look to make
An ethical
case based on
details; how
different
perspectives
change over
time and what
we don’t
know.

In this
example, we
frame the
story as a
means to
discuss
rules and
laws. We
look to make
Arguments
based on
details; how
different
perspectives
and ethics
change over
parallels to
bigger issues.

 Tier I:
 Character monologue (plea before the court)
 Summary of story with recommendations and
lessons learned
 Graphic novel featuring characters and themes
 Staged talk show with a moderator and
characters as guests
 Trial of Goldilocks

 Tier II:
 Identifying conflicting and recurring themes and
leading a Socratic Seminar to discuss them
 Research paper examining the influence of
socioeconomic, political and cultural events on the
way ethics are interpreted by diverse individuals
(including discussions about cultural relevance) and
how the story relates
 Supreme court decision in United States and Bears v.
Goldilocks and Does 1-12 (rule of law couched in
ethical discussions, use language of discipline)

 Tier III:
 Explaining how Goldilocks and similar stories help
us to interpret larger universal themes through a
variety of lenses—how do these stories contribute
to our understanding of ourselves?
 Draw parallels between Goldilocks and the
Occupy Movement, surfacing relevant issues and
cross-cutting socioeconomic and ethical themes
 Express findings through the arts (photography,
song, dance, etc.)

 Make sure to include grade level and subject
 Ideas about tiering, sensemaking and
assessment
 Products that will demonstrate that
objectives have been reached
 Consider and combine UniversalThemes as
well as elements of depth and complexity
 Nominate a spokesperson to discuss what
you’ve done with the rest of the class

 Choice boards (orTic-
Tac-Toe boards) are a
way to empower
students through
choice and to
accommodate varying
levels of interest,
learning style and
readiness
 Indispensible for tiering
activities

 Work is different, not
more or less
 Equally active and
engaging assignments
 Similar learning goals
and skills, use of key
concepts
 Objectives focus
 Learning contract –
teacher directed
 Variety of formats
(choice boards,Tic-Tac-
Toe, menus)
 Students select options
most appealing to
them
 Empowerment—can
also choose specialized
items not on the menu

 Nothing is more empowering in the learning process than having a say in
how content is mastered: CHOICE
 A useful strategy is to differentiate usingTIC-TAC-TOE. Students have to
connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally to demonstrate mastery of a
given topic
Complete even problems in
Chapter 12 of your
mathematics text
Design a test problem using
slope and intercept. Please
make sure to include
detailed answer sheet.
Describe how the slope/intercept
formula is used in the real world,
providing at least three examples
Research the origins of the
slope/intercept formula and
report back to the class
In your group, create and
perform a dance that
demonstrates the concept
of slope and intercept
Complete the problems at this
website: www.slopeintercept.com
Free Space:
Design an activity and have
it approved by teacher

Visual Auditory Kinesthetic
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Choice menus allow greater flexibility in mixing and matching differentiated
opportunities for learning.And, just like at your favorite restaurant, you can
choose one from each column to feed your brain and the senses!

 Incorporating modified KWL (Know, Want to Know,
Learned)
 Arts Infusion (especially valuable for English Learners)
 RAFT Projects: Role, Audience, Format,Topic (can be used
for individuals and groups)
 Anchor Assignments/projects –independent, yearlong
activities (designed for early finishers and useful in small
group instruction)
 Socratic Seminars
 Web Quests
 Contract Learning/Guided Independent Study

 Ongoing assignments
that students can
undertake
independently upon
completion of work
 Meaningful (not rote)
extension of what is
being studied in class
 Tie into content and
instruction (not ‘busy
work’) and designed to
be enjoyable
 Enhances behavioral
management
 Examples (elementary):
mind maps; research
questions; learning logs;
journals; website
activities and ‘brain
busters’
 Can be differentiated
 Example (secondary):
illustration of an
assigned poem, etc.

Role Audience Format Topic
Tutor Beginning Math
Students
Instructions Show me how to do
y=mx+b
Attorney Judge and Jury Speech (opening
argument)
Goldilocks is not
guilty of breaking
and entering/ theft
Television Reporter Television Audience
(adults)
In-depth report (ala
60 minutes)
Environmental
impacts of global
warming
Advertiser/
Advocate
Television or radio
audience
2-3 minute ad Negative impacts of
smoking/anti-
smoking ad

Another From
the Ultimate
Renaissance
Man
Everything is
connected to
everything else.
--look at daVinci’s
Design for a Flying
Machine to
appreciate the
merits of this
simple, yet
profound
declaration.

The Arts Tell
Our Stories
From the cave
paintings at
Lascaux that told
the stories of
those who resided
therein—what
they encountered
and how they
lived…

The Arts Tell
Our Stories
…to the
Modernist Era of
the early 1960s
that captured our
consumer culture
and commented
eloquently on the
state of society...

The Arts Tell
Our Stories
…to the music that
helped communicate
information about the
quality of life from
Compton to Oakland to
NewYork…
The arts tell our stories
in ways that are non-
traditional, rich and
unusually robust.They
belong to us all, and
compel us to think
about things differently.
The arts serve as
catalysts for flow.

 Need for holistic metacognitive training as well as
organizational/time management skills
 Multimodal, multisensory learners
 Great integrators of information
 Tremendous analytical skills
 Frequently bored, unchallenged
 Naturally drawn to aesthetics
 Seek out the tacit, tangible, ‘real world’ applications
 Enjoy hypotheses, role playing, etc
 The brain intuitively seeks multisensory patterns to make
sense of the world

 Provides ‘safe’ environments for gifted learners (no ‘right’ or
‘wrong’ answers
 Facilitates freedom of expression and seeing ‘shades of gray’
 Provides unique opportunities for flexible grouping, tiering and
differentiated instruction (ability, learning style and interest)
 Provides opportunities to move from concrete (manipulation) to
application and abstraction
 Socially constructed learning that connects to the ‘real world’ –
answers the question ‘when will I ever use this again’
 Offers challenges to students at all levels—students can find their
own levels, automatically (self differentiation)
 Measure longitudinal progress, including closure events

Although we all see lines and boxes, our
Experiences will dictate whether we see the
front as nearest to us or in the back. A rather
rudimentary tool like the Necker Cube can
compel gifted pupils to think beyond black and
white and ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. Important in ethics,
important in physics.
Is the front here?
Is the front here?

 The theory of ‘transference’ has not been proven (that is,
arts knowledge does not transfer in a linear way to other
disciplines)—although the arts have been shown to develop
‘sound habits of mind’
 As the benefits of the arts are developmental in nature,
students do not show the same gains from ‘one shot’ arts
events, ‘holiday arts’ experiences, or arts as reward for good
behavior
 Benefits are enhanced by meaningful teacher participation
(not as a time to grade papers)
 One does not have to be an artist to integrate the arts across
the curriculum—just have an artistic spirit!

 Enhances biological survival (hard wired for music—
attracting mates, imitation, etc.)
 Advances cognitive systems (visual-spatial; analytical;
mathematical; creative)
 Advances stress-response systems
 Improves memory, concentration and recall
 Improves ability to follow directions, work collaboratively
and/or individually
 Positively affects emotional systems, including
enhancement of cultural understanding; social skills;
personal skills
Source: Jensen, 2001

The arts and
higher-order
thinking
Education in art is an
invitation to use the
reasoning skills of an
artist.The artist
visualizes and sets goals
to find and define the
problem, chooses
techniques to collect
data, and then evaluates
and revises the problem
solution with
imagination in order to
create.The artist, in his
or her creative process,
requires a high-order
thought process (Goertz,
2002).

 Again, hard wired as part of survival mechanism—also a
‘sketchpad’ to accompany the spoken word
 Link between visual arts and improvement in creativity, critical
thinking and reading (no easy answers!)
 Can enhance awareness in cognitively and culturally diverse
classrooms
 Improvement in vocabulary and writing skills
 Improvement in recall, identification of patterns and outliers
 Provides students with ‘choice’ and greater levels of motivation
(attendance, participation)
 Improved levels of task commitment and self control; teamwork,
time management (especially relevant for twice-exceptional
pupils)

Wisdom from
Pablo
Picasso
Every child is an
artist.The problem is
how to remain an
artist once (s)he
grows up.
We tend to lose our
enthusiasm for the arts
around third grade,
when we feel less free to
color outside the lines
and become more
aware that our
renditions look less and
less like the ‘real thing.’

 Enhance cognition, positive attitudes, confidence—may grow new
brain cells
 Enhance ongoing development of various neurobiological
systems, including cognition, immune, circulatory and perpetual-
motor
 Provide unique challenges and environmental constraints that
require the application of multiple tools/systems to manage
(versus seatwork)
 Compels making rapid decisions, keeping attention up, alertness
for potential problems, scaffolding upon past experiences
 Increases Emotional Intelligence (monitoring own emotions,
reading those of others)

Healing
Thyself
Research undertaken
with medical residents
immersed in the visual
and performing arts as
part of the core
curriculum indicate
improved diagnostic
abilities and
understanding of non-
verbal cues. ‘Bedside
manner’ was also shown
to have improved
(empathy, self regulation
of emotions, stress
management).

 Inspire creativity because of a ‘natural recipe’ for brain growth:
challenge, novelty, feedback, coherence and time
 Improve understanding of sequencing, time, and collaborative
interpretation skills
 Improve learning through multimodal reinforcement (running
from state to state)
 Opportunities to relate with the opposite sex in a non-threatening
setting that calls for social discipline
 ‘Language’ of dance
 Improve Emotional Intelligence, empathy (puts oneself in the
shoes of another)
 ‘Feel good’ chemicals run high: noradrenaline, dopamine

The Language
of Dance
Laban notation is a
symbolic language (not
unlike hieroglyphs or
today’s Emojis) that
provide us with a way to
choreograph and
understand human
movement.
Dance, like music, offers
a unique interpretation
of cultural perspectives,
histories and
traditions—for example,
the Hula or the
Vietnamese Harvest
Dance.

 Designed reinforcement and redundancies across the
curriculum
 Slower, more interactive learning versus ‘teaching to
the test’ (takes longer, but builds more complex and
intelligent neural networks)
 Arts yield mutually reciprocal benefits (other
disciplines help to develop proficiency in the arts)
 Affords opportunities for informed intellectual risk
taking, as well as the opportunity to pursue the tacit,
tangible and emotionally inspiring

The
Monuments
Men
The story of the Monuments
Men is inspiring for a number
of reasons – a good movie
and an even better read.
Beyond preserving our
shared cultural history as war
raged through Europe, the
epilogue of the Monuments
Men helped bridge science
and the arts.
The field of conservation and
restoration involves a host of
scientific tools and concepts
(infared, x-rays, chemistry,
among others)—with many
techniques pioneered by Lt.
Cdr. George Stout (played by
George Clooney in the
movie).

 Students study history and geography through the
arts, creating multimedia representations of
significant events using multiple perspectives (such as
analyzing the life of an historical figure using music,
visual representations and speeches)
 Study art phenomena during a particular period of
history, explaining how the arts depict the time
 Apply scientific concepts (such as the study of light
and light waves, looking for patterns and outliers,
prediction) to an artistic composition
Source: Smutny, 2003

1940s2000s
Elements of
Depth and
Complexity
• Details
• Big Picture
• Perspectives
• Ethics
• OverTime
• Rules
• Language
• Patterns
• Unanswered ?s
• Across Disciplines

 Math, art and science explore the ‘true nature’ of the world
around us. Exploring works of art help students understand and
explain whether things are what they seem.
 Investigate works of art from two sides of a conflict—how is the
world depicted by each side using music, visual, dramatic arts?
How are the arts used to tell stories and present causes (WWII
propaganda is particularly telling)
 Students design a low-cost, eco-friendly (but saleable) car,
including marketing media (commercials, print ads, etc)
 Teaching artists help teach across the curriculum using the arts
(many have their own equipment)

Yo trabajaba, mis hijos iban creciendo
Todos nacieron bajo de esta gran nacion
-- y mis derechos los han ido pisoteando
van formulando leyes de constitucion
Que ha ya viejo si me quitan mi dinero --
yo solo quiero mi seguro de pension
LosTigres del Norte, “Mis dos Patrias,”
1997
Now fill your glasses up, my boys, a
toast come drink with me,
May Erin's Harp and the Starry Flag
united ever be;
May traitors quake, and rebels
shake, and tremble in their fears,
When next they meet theYankee
boys and Irish volunteers!
God bless the name ofWashington!
that name this land reveres;
Success to Meagher and Nugent,
and their Irish volunteers!
Chorus--God bless the name, etc.
“The Bonny Blue Flag,” 1861
What are the
similarities/
differences?

1940s, Iwo Jima 2000s, Baghdad
What is the symbolism? How do things change over time?

When was this car built?
How do you know?
How does the design of the
car reflect the times?
Beyond style, is there purpose
behind the design?What is it? How
do you know?
Your assignment: Design a modern car with a ‘retro’ influence—taking into consideration
cost, price, fuel efficiency, environment, etc. Alternatively, design a car that best depicts
the times we live in today!

The Night
James Brown
Saved Boston
Say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud!
Say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud!
Some people say we've got a lot of
malice, some say it’s a lot of nerve.
But I say we won't quit moving until
we get what we deserve.We have
been bucked and we have been
scornedWe have been treated bad,
talked about as just bones.
But just as it takes two eyes to make a
pair, ha Brother we can’t quit until we
get our share! Say it loud: I'm black
and I'm proud! Say it loud: I'm black
and I'm proud!
One more time! Say it loud: I'm black
and I'm proud! I worked on jobs with
my feet and my hand. But all the
work I did was for the other man Now
we demand a chance to do things for
ourselves.We're tired of beatin' our
head against the wall And workin' for
someone else.
--James Brown, 1968

Blackbird
Singing in the
Dead of Night
Blackbird singing in the
dead of night
Take these broken wings
and learn to fly
All your life, you were
only waiting for this
moment to arise
You were only waiting for
this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for
this moment to arise
--Paul McCartney, 1968

Trust a
scientist
Creativity is seeing
what everyone else
sees, but then thinking
a new thought that has
never been thought
before and expressing it
somehow. It could be
with art, a sculpture,
music or even in science.
Dr. Neil deGrasseTyson

Transformation
Monitoring and
Assessment
Creative
Innovation
Stimulation
‘Flow’
Cross-curricular
Integration
Differentiated
Instruction

Morgan Appel, Director
Education Department
UC San Diego Extension
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0170-N
La Jolla, California 92093-0170
mappel@ucsd.edu
858-534-9273
extension.ucsd.edu/education

More Art Than Science: Differentiating Instruction for the Gifted and Talented

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