Elizabeth Riker

Reflection on the Program Development Course

A major goal of the program development course was to ensure that

the needs of gifted students were met. Before I took the class, I thought that
gifted students needed their own curriculum than the on-level students so
that they would not grow bored. As a result of taking the program
development course, I have learned that TAG students can be challenged in
the mainstream classroom and outside of the classroom through enrichment,
acceleration, grouping, and advisement.
At Shakerag, we dedicate 45 minutes daily for an enrichment block
called Genius Hour. I am able to work with my on-level students and boost
their understanding of the curriculum. The students get to research topics
they wonder about. For example, one of my students was very curious about
why it rained outside. Therefore, she was able to use the search engine
called Facts 4 Me to research all about the weather. She presented her
findings to the class via an iPad app. As a result of this project, my student
declared that she would like to be a meteorologist when she grows up. The
enrichment block enabled my student to go beyond the state standards and
learning became real to her because she was given the opportunity to
research material that she was interested in.
Last year I had the pleasure of teaching an accelerated math course. A
handful of my students demonstrated mastery on various mathematical

concepts through a standardized test. As a result, they were taught material

that was a year ahead of them. These students greatly benefited from the
rigorous pace and challenges that the course offered them. Without this
opportunity, my students would have been very bored and would have
appeared uninterested in learning about math.
Grouping is another way to assist talented and gifted students. This
method works by putting like-minded students together in order to suit their
intellectual needs. These students could work on projects and assignments
together in order to accomplish a similar goal. I will use this method in the
future with my science unit. The students will be asked to research animals
and they will have to solve various tasks as a group in order to demonstrate
their understanding. Therefore, this method will benefit all of my students
regardless of their academic performance.
Advisement is most commonly witnessed at the middle school and high
school levels. These students are encouraged to take challenging courses in
order to receive college credit. When I was in high school, I took several AP
classes and received credit for my accomplishments. This was a rewarding
method because I was able to save money in college since I already fulfilled
the course and was able to take classes that better suited my interests. A
student can also be advised to apply for internships, scholarships, etc.
Ultimately, advisement is beneficial to a middle school or high school
student.

I really enjoyed the assignment about promoting excellence through

enrichment. I learned that the goal of the process was to build students
confidence and aspirations through a program that included a partnership
with University Gifted Center. I was happy to hear that there were programs
designed for gifted middle school students who live in rural settings and
have limited access to advanced curriculum. As a result of taking the
program development course, I learned that all students need an advocate in
order to succeed.