One of the current seminal researchers of GATE is Sandra Kaplan. She is innovative and realistic. Her vision of GATE is not a single curriculum that will fill all the needs of high-level students but rather a set of principals that can be weaved into the average school class and day by a willing educator. Another thing that I admire about Kaplan's strategies are that they are not specific to GATE students, she suggests and recommends that they be used with all students to pique their interests and provide a unique style of learning. I have used several of Sandra Kaplan's strategies in my class, specifically the Depth and Complexity Icons. These icons may be similar to what someone may see in a GATE class but they are more than that. These icons give students the opportunity to discuss stories and literature in a whole new way. Instead of asking students questions like "what is the main characters best friend's name?" or "how old is Jimmy?" Kaplan's Depth and Complexity Icons give students the opportunity to create their own questions and discuss them on the spot. Literature conversations may related to things like unanswered questions, big ideas, patterns and multiple perspectives. These techniques bring up my whole class not just GATE students so I really admire Sandra Kaplan for her contributions.
6 Comments
Jeremy Smith
10/20/2019 04:30:08 pm
Hi Joel. Yes I agree that those principles look like good guidelines for teaching all students. Are GATE students more capable of doing these deeper thinking skills? Has there been research that compares GATE identified students' ability to think in more deep and complex manners? I often hear that they get bored if they are not challenged in these ways. Sometimes I wonder why we don't try to teach all kids like this, and the deep thinkers help us all with their shared thoughts and observations.
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Joel
10/21/2019 05:29:02 pm
I agree, I feel that many of the principals can and should be used with all students. I have begun testing out some of these "GATE" approaches in whole class settings. Thanks for the thoughts.
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Evrim
10/20/2019 05:27:55 pm
How do you define a gate student?
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Joel
10/21/2019 05:27:09 pm
Our school tests students each year to see if they qualify for GATE. I will begin by focusing on these students and maybe general high-achievers as I move along.
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Peter Abboud
10/23/2019 06:17:37 pm
It's always great when strategies work for all kids. As you do your project, I would love to hear about how you integrate these strategies into your every day practices and routines. Sometimes figuring out how to integrate these strategies into an already busy class is a struggle.
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Joel
10/28/2019 03:37:19 pm
Thank you for the response. Yes, implementation of the strategies into everyday teaching practice is a large challenge. I am hoping my research will give educators a blueprint or "how-to" guide when they work with GATE students.
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AuthorJoel Kriner of the Touro Innovative Learning Masters Program. Archives
June 2020
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