Enrichment Clusters Renzulli Learning

1. Brian C. Housand, PhD East Carolina University http://brianhousand.com brianhousand@gmail.com

3. WHAT MAKES GIFTEDNESS? Task Commitment Above Average Ability Creativity A I U C C T P

4. Enrichment Triad TYPE I GENERAL EXPLORATORY ACTIVITIES TYPE II GROUP TRAINING ACTIVITIES TYPE III INDIVIDUAL & SMALL GROUP INVESTIGATIONS OF REAL PROBLEMS Regular Classroom Environment

11. From Renzulli Learning to creating Clusters …

12. Enrichment Clusters Are nongraded groups of students who share common interests and come together during specially designated time blocks to pursue these interests. ~ Renzulli & Reis

13. www.gifted.uconn.edu The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented

15. Enrichment Clusters Are NotMini-Courses! Enrichment clusters are groups of students who share common interests and come together during special time blocks to pursue these interests with adults who share their interests and want to help students develop their talents in this area and produce a product or service!

16. Major features of Enrichment Clusters • The Golden Rule of Clusters: All activity is directed toward the production of a product or service.

17. Major features of Enrichment Clusters 2. Students and teachers select the clusters in which they will participate.

18. Major features of Enrichment Clusters 3. Students are grouped across grade levels by interest areas.

19. Major features of Enrichment Clusters 4. There are no predetermined lessons or unit plans.

20. Major features of Enrichment Clusters 5. The authentic methods of professional investigators are used to pursue products and service development.

21. Major features of Enrichment Clusters 6. Divisions of labor are used to guarantee that all students are not doing the same thing.

22. Major features of Enrichment Clusters 7. Specially designated time blocks are set aside for clusters.

23. Major features of Enrichment Clusters 8. The Silver Rule of Clusters: The rules of regular school are suspended!

24. Clusters are modeled after the ways in which knowledge acquisition and application take place in real-world situations. In clusters, students make use of relevant knowledge and apply thinking skills to common problems identified by the group. (Renzulli, Gentry & Reis, 2003, p. 16)

25. 20%

26. Seven Steps to Implementing Enrichment Clusters on a Schoolwide Basis • Assess the Interests of Students and Staff • Set Up a Wall Chart • Create a Schedule • Locate People and Staff to Facilitate Clusters • Provide an Orientation for Cluster Facilitators • Prepare Cluster Descriptions and Register Students by Placing Them in Clusters of Interest to Them • Celebrate Your Success

27. Step 1 Learn about interests of students and staff • Interest Inventories • Questionnaires • Talk to them • Renzulli Learning Profiles

28. http://tinyurl.com/chestercluster

31. Top 3 Interest Areas Top 3 Learning Styles Top 3 Product Styles

33. Step 2 Set up a wall chart Start with student and staff interest areas in left column, categorized into larger groupings Right column – appropriate cluster possibilities

34. Step 3 Create a schedule: • The length of cluster blocks • The number of blocks per year • The length of each cluster session • Days of the week and time of day

35. Step 4 Locate facilitators: School – Teachers, Support Staff, Para-pros Community – Parents, community volunteers, older students, interns, retired teachers • Create a network • Call prospective volunteers • Meet with interested volunteers

36. PTO Friends Co-Workers Parents Federal and State Agencies Religious Organizations Partners in Education Retirees Businesses Community Service Clubs Colleges and Universities Teachers and Staff High School Students Para-professionals Administration

37. Step 5 Provide orientation for facilitators • TODAY’s workshop = ORIENTATION • Brainstorm cluster implementation • Enrichment Clusters Database http://www.gifted.uconn.edu

39. Step 6 Register students for clusters that interest them. Teachers -- you should offer clusters in areas that YOU are passionate about…

40. Step 7 Celebrate your success: • Newsletter • Product Fair • Slide show • Newspapers • Brochure • Open house • Web site • PTA Meeting • Video • School assembly

41. Questions?

42. Answering Real World Problemswith Real World Solutions usingReal World Technology NCAGT February 11, 2010 Dr. Elizabeth Fogarty Dr. Katie O’Connor Dr. Brian Housand

43. The whole process of education should thus be conceived as the process of learning to think through the solution of real problems. -- John Dewey, 1938

44. “We need students to get more deeply interested in things, more involved in them, more engaged in wanting to know, to have projects that they can get excited about and work on over long periods of time, to be stimulated to find things out on their own.” Interest and Rigor Lead To Creative Productivity

45. Joseph Renzulli What Makes A Problem Real?

46. What Makes A Problem Real? 1. A real problem must have a personal frame of reference, since it involves an emotional or affective commitment as well as an intellectual or cognitive one. (Renzulli, 1992)

47. What Makes A Problem Real? 2. A real problem does not have an existing or unique solution. (Renzulli, 1992)

48. What Makes A Problem Real? 3. Calling something a problem does not necessarily make it a real problem for a given person or group. (Renzulli, 1992)

49. What Makes A Problem Real? 4. The purpose of pursuing a real problem is to bring about some form of change and / or to contribute something new to the sciences, the arts or the humanities. (Renzulli, 1992)

50. What is a REAL Audience?