INTERVIEWS+AND+VIDEO+CLIPS



CLICK THE PICTURES BELOW TO SEE VIDEOS ABOUT THE ENRICHMENT MODEL AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION







BELOW IS AN INTERVIEW WITH KATHERYN HUNTER, A GIFTED EDUCATION TEACHER IN CLARKE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHO IS USING THE ENRICHMENT MODEL **Is there anything you are currently working on writing/researching personally to assist you in executing this model?** Maybe if I had time! Ha, I do want to do some data with our enrichment program, but I haven’t quite figured out what to do for that. Any ideas?

**What do you see is the model’s biggest contribution to gifted education?** I don’t know if I can say the biggest contribution, but I think the model really allows all students the opportunity for enrichment. Within this, when students are interested in what they are learning about they are probably more motivated, and thus may show more gifted characteristics. I like how the model really calls for enrichment for all students, but also notices the need for some students to be challenged even more with the Type III projects. I also really like the revolving door idea, that students can work on a Type III as it happens for them.

**What is currently lacking in gifted education?** For a lot of schools- diversity. I know I wish our program had a more diverse population, or that it was “easier” to recognize gifted behaviors in students that are not white and middle class.

**What are the pro’s and con’s of executing this model?** It is a lot of work to get everything set-up, and doing things like enrichment cluster does take away from the regular curriculum. However, I think the pros outweigh the cons in that the students are more motivated to be at school, especially on cluster days, they get to explore something entirely different, they meet other students and teachers, etc. The teachers are also exposed to a new style of teaching and learning, which we hope to see becoming a part of the regular classroom. There is more of an emphasis on actual thinking skills, rather than just memorizing information. All of the students are exposed to new ideas and are expected to be active in their own learning. Enrichment clusters are great because the students are all mixed up and there is no “gifted” or “not-gifted” label in their cluster.

**Walk me through some of the steps needed to make this model a success in the school / classroom.** Time! You definitely need time to get everything set-up and going. You also need dedicated teachers who are willing to try to be more of facilitators. One person cannot do everything alone, so you also need a committee or team to get things done.

**How can we best train teachers to teach this model in gifted children?** Dr. Hebert did a presentation at my school about SEM, going over Type I, II, and III, with a lot of examples. His whole presentation really helped our teachers to see what a SEM school could look like, and how they can incorporate these steps into their classroom.

**What influence, if any, has this gifted education model had on your regular education classrooms?** I think teachers are more aware of gifted education best practices. They are looking for behaviors in students that they might not have paid attention to before. The enrichment clusters have helped students share their interests with others, and I think teachers are able to see the students under the light of their interests. This year, we have tried to emphasize the Type II Process Skills a little more, and I see teachers interested in creative thinking skills. A number of teachers have added a thinking skill center (creative/critical thinking skills) to their literacy centers.

**How, if at all, is technology incorporate to assist the learning goals laid out by the model?** Technology helps to motivate the students. The kids want to use technology and I think it encourages them to participate. If we did more Type III’s, I think technology would be a great thing for the students to use as they are making their products.

**What growth have you seen from your students since implementing the model?** Motivation; task commitment;

**What type of partnership exists between the teachers / administrators / policy makers to help this program be a success?** Our administrators are huge supporters of enrichment clusters. Our assistant principal helps to co-facilitate one of our clusters, and our principal has been a big part of implementing clusters at our school.

**Are there other gifted models that your program has pulled from and merged with the Enrichment model to function in the classroom and if so, which ones?** I am not really sure. I am trying to really grow the enrichment part of our program, but I guess our gifted program is influenced by a number of different models. We use a collaborative teaching model and resource pull-out for our regular gifted schedules. In our gifted resource classes, we do not follow a specific model, but design our “curriculum” around the students. Our fifth grade participates in the Future Problem Solving Program, but I guess this is a kind of enrichment. A few of our grade levels use the SEM-Reading Program.

**How successful is this program in motivating students to learn?** I think allowing students the opportunity to explore something they are interested in is a huge motivator. Even with SEM-R, the kids get to pick out the books they read, which allows them to practice making decisions. From clusters, I have had a classroom teacher tell me that she noticed a big turn-around in one of her students throughout the cluster sessions. She had a better attitude about school and became more involved in her learning. In her cluster, she had the opportunity to immerse herself in something she really cared about, and this carried over into the regular classroom.

**If you could give advice to anyone wanting to implement this program in their gifted / regular classroom, what would it be?** I think you need support. I have never heard of anyone just doing it in the classroom, but I am sure it can be done. Maybe try to implement in pieces, rather than doing it all at once, if the teachers are overwhelmed. There are some great resources for Type II skills, you just have to search for them. With Type III projects, definitely start small and encourage the kids to really think about what they can accomplish. In our clusters, for example, we often have clusters that try to accomplish so much, but they get discouraged when they don’t have enough time. Start small, and encourage the kids to do the same. They can always go back and continue developing their project. Since we are still developing our program, our Type III’s are not currently happening, but if I was doing them, I would make sure to really work on the Type II skills first. There are just some things that they need practice with.