Nancy L. Heilbronner - The Schoolwide Enrichment Model in Science: A Hands-On Approach for Engaging Young Scientists

The
Schoolwide Enrichment
Model in Science

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Renzulli, Joseph S., author. | Helibronner, Nancy N., 1957- author.

Title: The schoolwide enrichment model in science : a hands-on approach for engaging young scientists / by Joseph S. Renzulli and Nancy N. Helibronner.

Description: Waco, Texas : Prufrock Press Inc., 2016.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015029567 (print) | LCCN 2015042116 (ebook) | ISBN 9781618214997 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781618215000 (pdf) | ISBN 9781618215017 (ePub)

Subjects: LCSH: Science--Study and teaching--United States. | Gifted children--Education--United States. | Curriculum planning--United States.

Classification: LCC Q181 .R475 2016 (print) | LCC Q181 (ebook) | DDC 507.1/2073--dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015029567

Copyright 2016, Prufrock Press Inc.

Edited by Lacy Compton

Cover design by Raquel Trevino and layout design by Allegra Denbo

ISBN-13: 978-1-61821-501-7

No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. The purchase of this book entitles the buyer to reproduce student activity pages for single classroom use only.

At the time of this books publication, all facts and figures cited are the most current available. All telephone numbers, addresses, and website URLs are accurate and active. All publications, organizations, websites, and other resources exist as described in the book, and all have been verified. The authors and Prufrock Press Inc. make no warranty or guarantee concerning the information and materials given out by organizations or content found at websites, and we are not responsible for any changes that occur after this books publication. If you find an error, please contact Prufrock Press Inc.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

Understanding the Gifted Learner

Theoretical and Research Background Underlying the Schoolwide Enrichment Model in Science

How can we develop high levels of interest, engagement, and enthusiasm for scientific inquiry in young people? What services should be provided to all students and what opportunities, resources, and encouragement should be provided to students with special interests and aptitudes for advanced-level scientific work? The Schoolwide Enrichment Model in Science (SEM-Science) was developed to address these two questions. In this chapter, a chronology of how the SEM model was developed, a description of the original Enrichment Triad Model, and a summary of pertinent research highlights are presented (Renzulli & Reis, 1994).

The SEM promotes engagement through the use of three types of enrichment experiences that are enjoyable, challenging, and interest-based, and the SEM-Science extends and applies that model into science. Separate studies on the SEM have demonstrated its effectiveness in schools with widely differing socioeconomic levels and program organization patterns (Olenchak, 1988; Olenchak & Renzulli, 1989). The SEM was developed using Renzullis Enrichment Triad Model (Renzulli, 1977; Renzulli & Reis, 1985, 1997, 2014) as a core. It has been implemented in thousands of schools across the country (Burns, 1998) and interest in this approach has continued to expand internationally. The effectiveness of the SEM has been studied in more than 30 years of research and field-tests, suggesting that the model is effective at serving high-ability students and providing enrichment in a variety of educational settings, including schools serving culturally diverse and low-socioeconomic populations.

A Brief History of the SEM

The original Enrichment Triad Model (Renzulli, 1976), the curriculum core underlying the SEM, was developed in the mid-1970s and initially implemented as a gifted and talented programming model. The model, initially field-tested in several districts, proved to be quite popular and requests from all over the country for visitations to schools using the model and for information about how to implement the model increased. A book about the Enrichment Triad Model (Renzulli, 1977) was published, and increasing numbers of districts began implementing this approach. It was at this point that a clear need was established for research about the effectiveness of the model and for other vehicles that could provide technical assistance for interested educators to help develop programs in their schools. Different types of programs based on the Enrichment Triad were designed and implemented by classroom, gifted education, and enrichment teachers. In some of these programs, the focus was on many different types of introductory enrichment, such as speakers, presentations, films, and other enrichment exposure opportunities. In others, the focus was on process skills, such as problem solving and critical and creative problem solving. In some Triad programs, high levels of student creative productivity occurred, while in others, few students engaged in this type of work. In some programs, enrichment opportunities were offered to students not formally identified for the enrichment program, while in others, only identified gifted students had any access to enrichment experiences. Some teachers and coordinators were extremely successful in implementing the model, while others were not. Certain professional development opportunities and resources proved to be extremely helpful in enabling some teachers to better implement the program, and staff development opportunities were provided to make enrichment services available to larger numbers of teachers and students. And, of course, increasing interest in why the model was working and how we could further expand the research base of this approach led to almost 30 years of field-testing, research, and dissemination.

Present efforts to develop giftedness are based on a long history of previous theoretical or research studies dealing with human abilities (Sternberg, 1984, 1988, 1990; Sternberg & Davidson, 1986; Thorndike, 1921) and a few general conclusions from the most current research on giftedness (Sternberg & Davidson, 2005) provide a critical background for this discussion of the SEM-Science. The first is that giftedness is not a unitary concept, but there are many manifestations of gifts and talents and therefore single definitions cannot adequately explain this multifaceted phenomenon. The confusion about present theories of giftedness has led many researchers to develop new models for explaining this complicated concept, but most agree that giftedness is developed over time and that culture, abilities, environment, gender, opportunities, and chance contribute to the development of gifts and talents (Sternberg & Davidson, 2005).

The SEM-Science focuses on both traditional scientific academic development and the development of creative productive giftedness in the area of science. Creative productive giftedness describes those aspects of human activity and involvement where a premium is placed on the development of original material and products that are purposefully designed to have an impact on one or more target audiences. Learning situations designed to promote creative productive giftedness emphasize the use and application of information (content) and thinking skills in an integrated, inductive, and real-problem-oriented manner. In the SEM, traditional academic gifts are developed using curriculum compacting, acceleration, differentiated instruction, and various forms of academic enrichment. Our focus on creative productivity complements our efforts to increase academic challenge when we attempt to transform the role of the student from that of a learner of lessons to one of a firsthand inquirer who can experience the joys and frustrations of creative productivity (Renzulli, 1977). This approach is quite different from the development of giftedness that tends to emphasize deductive learning, advanced content and problem solving, and the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of information. In other words, creative productive giftedness enables children to work on issues and areas of study that have personal relevance to the student and can be escalated to appropriately challenging levels of investigative activity.