OVERVIEW+of+Enrichment+Triad+Model



**History** The Enrichment Triad Model was first introduced in the mid-1970s by Dr. Joseph Renzulli as an enrichment program for gifted students. This model was originally used in school districts in Connecticut. The model proved to be very popular and requests to visit schools that used this program flooded in from all over the United States. Dr. Renzulli, seeing the need to continue this program, published a book about how to implement the Enrichment Triad Model in 1977. After years of research and field testing, Renzulli’s original Enrichment Triad Model eventually evolved into the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, which continues to be the basis for many gifted educational programs today. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model provides enrichment for all students and is intended for total school implementation. The Enrichment Triad Model, which provides the core for the present-day Schoolwide Enrichment Model, has been implemented, researched, and tested for over 30 years and continues to be a very popular gifted education model.

**The Enrichment Triad Model** “The Enrichment Triad Model was designed to encourage creative productivity on the part of young people by exposing them to various topics, areas of interest, and fields of study, and to further train them to //apply// advanced content, process-training skills, and methodology training to self-selected areas of interest” (Renzulli & Reis, []). The Enrichment Triad Model includes several types of enrichment activities, divided into three distinct tiers.

**Type I Enrichment** This is the first level of enrichment and is designed to expose students to a wide variety of topics, disciplines, hobbies, careers, people, places, and events that would not be taught in the regular classroom curriculum.

An enrichment team carries out Type I Enrichment activities. This enrichment team may be composed of the following people:
 * Who carries out Type I Enrichment? **
 * Parents
 * Teachers
 * Advanced students

**What do Type I Enrichment activities look like?**
 * Guest speakers on topics according to student interests
 * Mini-courses taught by teachers or specialists in a particular area or discipline
 * Demonstrations
 * Performances
 * Internet, CDs, films, DVDs or other non-print media on specific topics
 * Field trips

**Type II Enrichment** Type II Enrichment is designed to foster development of thinking and feeling processes. Type II Enrichment can be more general or more specific, depending on student needs.

__General Type II Enrichment__ usually takes place in the general education classroom or in a gifted resource pull-out program. These types of activities include: __Specific Type II Enrichment__ cannot be planned in advance because it focuses on the skills and interests of the specific student. Students are able to pursue advanced study in a specific domain by reading more advanced content about that specific area. For example, a student may become interested in anatomy during Type I Enrichment and chose to read advanced textbooks or participate in advanced training modules to learn more about anatomy.
 * What is the difference between general and more specific Type II Enrichment? **
 * Developing creative thinking skills
 * Developing problem solving and critical thinking skills
 * Teaching specific metacognitive skills (how-to-think or how-to-learn skills)
 * Teaching advanced-level reference and materials skills
 * Teaching communication skills (written, oral, and visual)

**Type III Enrichment** Students pursue advanced study on a self-selected topic or area of interest. Students must be willing to commit a great deal of time in order to gain advanced content knowledge and to assume the role of a first-hand inquirer or professional. Type III Enrichment often results in the development of an authentic product, which can be completed by an individual student or a group of students.

**What are the goals of Type III Enrichment?**
 * to allow students to apply their interests, ideas, creativity, and skills to a self-selected topic of interest
 * to allow students to gain advanced level knowledge and methodology that is used in specific disciplines
 * to allow students to act as professionals in their areas of interest
 * to allow students to develop authentic products related to their area of interests. These products should have a specific goal or audience in mind and be impactful
 * to teach students independent learning skills such as researching, planning, organizing, developing, and time management
 * to teach students the importance of task commitment, motivation, and accomplishment

**Schoolwide Enrichment Model** Over the years, the Enrichment Triad Model has evolved into the Schoowide Enrichment Model, which has become a very popular model used in many schools across the United States. The Enrichment Triad Model provides the theoretical and curricular basis for the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM).

Around 10-15% of high ability students are identified for the talent pool at each school. First, student learning styles and interests are assessed through a variety of assessment techniques in order to develop a Total Talent Portfolio for each student. This portfolio, which showcases strengths, weakness, and interests, is used to make decisions about what type of enrichment and acceleration experiences each student needs. Next, the Total Talent Portfolio helps teachers decide which students need acceleration and curriculum compacting in order to avoid repetition of curriculum and provide extra time for enrichment opportunities. The three types of enrichment activities that students participate in are organized around the Enrichment Triad Model (Type I, II, and III activities). Generally, Type III activities are more appropriate for gifted students with high ability, motivation, and interest.