An Evidence Base for Advanced Learning Programs

This week our guest was #gtchat Advisor, Dr. Jonathan Plucker, Julian Stanley Endowed Professor at Johns Hopkins University.

There are a substantial number of studies validating effective Advanced Learning Programs (ALPs). It’s important to look at research targeting specific interventions and not those attempting to cover broad generalities. Research, at its best, should offer a preponderance of evidence regarding the effectiveness of specific educational models rather than gifted programs overall (Plucker & Callahan, 2020).

There are 3 specific interventions considered the best in supporting GT students with ‘acceleration’ having the most compelling evidence available. Convincing evidence also exists that within class ‘flexible ability grouping’ (not to be confused with tracking) is a proven strategy which promotes advanced learning (Gentry, 2018). Implementing pre-differentiated, prescriptive curricula with precisely stated learning outcomes, formative assessment, and lesson plans informed by student data greatly benefits GT students (Plucker & Callahan, 2014).

There are traditional and widely-used strategies in today’s gifted programs which are evidence-based, but need additional research. Although promising, existing research on the use of ‘enrichment’ especially in the elementary years regarding its impact on soft skills without negatively impacts on other areas is needed. Most schools throughout the US offer AP and/or IB classes with positive outcomes for most students, but research is needed to determine how these options can benefit a wider range of students.

Unfortunately, there are strategies employed by many schools which do little to advance learning for GT students with most being used in heterogeneous classrooms. ‘Differentiation’ has been used widely in recent years as an attempt to individualize the learning process. However, few teachers have the time, training, or resources to effectively implement it. Psychosocial interventions such as ‘grit’ or ‘growth mindset’ are often used to claim that gifted programming is unnecessary, but recent research has failed to show significant benefits for advanced learners (Sisk et al., 2018; Burnette it al., 2020; Gandhi & Raver, 2020).

What does the path forward look like for Advanced Learning Programs? There is a strong need for more research concerning ALPs especially when considering race, gender, and SES of students identified for support. The importance of individualized learning has grown in acceptance in recent years; especially as educators confront growing educational gaps after Covid. It is important that interventions be matched to the student rather than trying to find a one-size-fits-all approach to ensure all students have the tools to reach their potential.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at 1AM GMT to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community.

About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com

Resources:

Do Growth Mindset Interventions Impact Students’ Academic Achievement? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Recommendations for Best Practices. | APA PsycNet

The Effects of Two Mindset Interventions on Low-Income Students’ Academic and Psychological Outcomes (pdf) | Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness

Contested Knowledge: A Critical Review of the Concept of Differentiation in Teaching and Learning (download) | Warwick Journal of Education

Myth 7: Differentiation in the Regular Classroom Is Equivalent to Gifted Programs and Is Sufficient–Classroom Teachers Have the Time, the Skill, and the Will to Differentiate Adequately (synopsis) | Gifted Child Quarterly

Fundamentals of Gifted Education: Considering Multiple Perspectives 2nd Edition (book)

The Future of Intelligence Research and Gifted Education | Intelligence

Research Deep Dive: What We Know about Gifted Education (Audio, 34:48) | Education Gadfly Show Podcast

What One Hundred Years of Research Says About the Effects of Ability Grouping and Acceleration on K–12 Students’ Academic Achievement: Findings of Two Second-Order Meta-Analyses (pdf) | Review of Educational Research

Giftedness and Gifted Education: A Systematic Literature Review | Frontiers in Education

Multidisciplinary Perspectives and Field Strengthening Questions for Gifted Education Research | High Ability Studies

Academic Acceleration in Gifted Youth and Fruitless Concerns Regarding Psychological Well-Being: A 35-year Longitudinal Study | Journal of Educational Psychology

The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience (book)

The Case for Gifted Education

NJ Leading the Way in Advanced Education

Advanced Learning Literature Review (pdf)

The Evidence Base for Advanced Learning Programs

How Firm Are the Foundations of Mind-Set Theory? The Claims Appear Stronger Than the Evidence

Describing the Status of Programs for the Gifted: A Call for Action (pdf)

Photo courtesy of Dr. Jonathan Plucker.

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

Using Chatbots in the Classroom

Historically, chatbots were simply a computer program which responded to questions (think FAQs) with answers pre-written by a developer. Today’s chatbots are much more sophisticated. AI chatbots use complex computer programs to communicate through voice responses which utilize natural language processing to respond to students’ queries. Specifically, AI chatbots are contextually aware and have the ability to learn the more they interact with human language (IBM) via deep machine learning algorithms.

It’s important for teachers and students familiarize themselves with new terminology related to AI to fully take advantage of all its capabilities. AI is based on algorithms which locate patterns and features in large data sets to make predictions and operate based on rules. NLP (natural language processing) enables AI to mimic human language. Machine learning is how chatbots are trained to learn while deep learning goes a step further to look for and recognize complex patterns with little to no human supervision. The newest terminology – GPT – stands for ‘generative pre-trained transformer’; most notably used by ChatGPT4 from OpenAI (Ch’ng, 2023).

There are many ethical concerns to be considered when using AI chatbots in the classroom. Top priority needs to be given to privacy issues, surveillance practices, and data mining of the user’s personal information. Teachers, parents, and schools should understand that AI responses are susceptible to disinformation, inaccuracies, and even biases of its programmers. The use of AI chatbots challenges traditional methods of educating students to go beyond standardized tests and cut ‘n paste products. Chatbots should be seen as another tool in the toolbox which can inspire thinking and creativity.

Beyond ethical concerns, there are still some disadvantages and challenges to using chatbots beginning with the obvious misuse of responses regarding copyright and plagiarism. Responses garnered from AI chatbots need to be scrutinized for misinformation, outright fabrication of untrue information, and impersonation or misrepresenting sources. Finally, the need to continually monitor student use of AI and be present in the learning process as a guide and facilitator will insure that independent and creative thinking is not stymied.

Done right, the potential benefits of using AI chatbots for education are endless for both teachers and students. Mundane tasks performed by chatbots such as record keeping, testing, and answering questions could free up time for teachers. AI chatbots can aid in lesson planning, providing personalized learning to students which can improve learning outcomes, help with time management, and improved study skills. For our GT students, AI chatbots can assist them in exploring passions and new ideas, test hypotheses, create adaptive learning experiences when needed (#2ekids), and even be used as a way to advance foreign learning language.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Resources:

ChatGPT For Students: How AI Chatbots Are Revolutionizing Education

How do Chatbots Work? A Guide to Chatbot Architecture

How does an AI chatbot work, and what does it mean for the future?

An Introduction to AI Chatbots

What is a Chatbot? | IBM

Bill Gates says A.I. chatbots will teach kids to read within 18 months: You’ll be ‘stunned by how it helps’ | CNBC

ChatGPT: Teachers Weigh In on How to Manage the New AI Chatbot | Education Week

10 Of The Best Use Cases Of Educational Chatbots In 2023

Chatbot as a Teaching Tool | Stanford Graduate School of Education

AI Chatbots for Education: How They are Supporting Students and Teachers? |EdTech Review

ChatGPT, Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence in Education

What Is the Impact of ChatGPT on Education? A Rapid Review of the Literature

ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it | MIT Technology Review

I asked ChatGPT : In what areas you can never be as good as humans?

30 Best ChatGPT Prompts for Teachers In 2023

Unlock The Power Of AI: 30 ChatGPT Prompts For Educators

20 Ways Teachers Can Use ChatGPT to Make Their Lives Easier

ChatGPT Prompts for Busy Educators | TCEA

Using ChatGPT in Math Lesson Planning | Edutopia

ChatGPT: Here’s What You Need to Know

AI and ChatGPT: What Educators Need to Know with Rachelle Dené Poth (YouTube 1:03)

The Pros and Cons of ChatGPT for Students

How to Create a Rubric with ChatGPT | TCEA

User Generated Education: Applications of AI Tools in the Gifted Education Classroom – A Conference Presentation

User Generated Education: Artificial Intelligence: Generative AI

User Generated Education: ChatGPT in the Classroom

Instructional Methods: Teaching with ChatGPT

AI in and for the Classroom (Wakelet )

27 AI In Education Statistics You Should Know

To Teach Better Writing, Don’t Ban Artificial Intelligence. Instead, Embrace it.

ChatGPT Prompt Library for Educators

Educating Artificial Intelligence and Algorithms (Canva)

Bringing AI to School: Tips for School Leaders

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

Leveraging AI to Enhance Gifted Education

A recent study at the University of Georgia has found that AI can improve creativity assessments used to identify gifted students which can potentially increase the number of students receiving services. Using AI in gifted education can improve Socratic learning with more astute questions as well as improve investigative learning and student self-reflection. The use of AI can promote effective communication and collaboration assisting GT students to improve their ability to work with both age-peers and intellectual peers.

In the future, AI will fundamentally change the nature of work. GT students benefit from reduced time spent on rote learning in the classroom and greater emphasis on creative thinking. AI can enhance creativity benefitting GT students by offering novel ideas, promoting design thinking, and fostering interdisciplinary skills. It can improve problem-solving skills essential for GT students by presenting innovative solutions for complex issues.

Changes to pedagogy are not keeping pace with the meteoric rise of AI in all phases of life. AI literacy must me made a priority in the classroom to prepare students for the future. Many school district policies and PD offerings have not kept pace with AI integration into education and are blocking technology essential for using AI. AI lacks the fundamental ability of providing human interaction and SEL. Limitations must be acknowledged. AI can facilitate the transfer of knowledge, but it can’t think for students.

AI assistants can help with classroom management by allowing teachers to keep their attention on students, and reduce distractions and disruptive behavior. AI has the potential to change how teachers teach by alleviating “the burden of knowledge transfer” (Kanwal & Jaskol, 2023). It can assist with essay scoring, spaced interval learning, teacher assessments of students, and providing student feedback (Srdanovic, 2017).

AI can play a significant role in personalizing learning by reducing the time teachers spend on administrative tasks and free up time to spend with individual students. It can help create personalized learning experiences based on individual strengths, weaknesses, and interests allowing students to learn at their own pace (Ellis, 2023). AI can generate research supported approaches for creating differentiated materials and broad approaches to instruction (Nieves, 2023).

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Resources:

Ethics of Artificial Intelligence | UNESCO

AI CEO: Regulations will be Critical to Reduce Risks

As AI and Chatbots Get more Sophisticated, Educators and Students are Getting Savvy Too | Student Leadership Network

AI-Driven Emergence: How Chatbots Could Shape Education

3 Educational Challenges for Personalized AI Tutors | Psychology Today

AI Draws Attention at G7 Summit, With Leaders Calling for Guidelines

How AI Can Enhance Education | TCEA

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools Spur Classroom Creativity | TCEA

5 Ways to Use AI Tools to Meet Students’ Needs | Edutopia

Three Ways AI Can Help Teachers Save Time Now

Cybraryman’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Page

Foundational Skills and Lifelong Learning are Key in a World of AI

Robo-Writers, Translators, Chatbots: Developments in NLP and What it Means for Education (02/22)

The Ways to Use AI in the Classroom (YouTube 48:08)

U.S.: Education Department Issues Recommendations on AI

Is AI the future of education?

The Importance of Teaching Generative AI

AI Could Improve Creativity Assessments to Identify Gifted Students

Integrating AI into Gifted Education

How AI Can Make the World More Fair for ‘Gifted’ Kids

How AI Will Impact Talented Kids In The Future

Humanoid Robots for Skill Augmentation of Gifted Children

Using Technology With Gifted Students

Teaching AI Ethics in Robotics

Advantages and Challenges of AI in Education for Teachers and Schools

Harvard EdCast: Educating in a World of Artificial Intelligence

AI Will Transform Teaching and Learning. Let’s Get it Right. | Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence https://stanford.io/3NVcqHx

AI+Education Summit: Is AI the Future of Education? (YouTube 1:31)

Intelligent Classrooms: What AI Means For The Future Of Education | Forbes

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Education: Will A.I. Disrupt eLearning?

AI Exploration for Educators | ISTE

ChatGPT Isn’t the Only Way to Use AI in Education | WIRED

Can AI Improve Education? Here are 4 Potential Use Cases | World Economic Forum

How Effective is AI in Education? 10 Case Studies and Examples

AI for Educators: Learning Strategies, Teacher Efficiencies, and a Vision for an Artificial Intelligence Future (book)

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

Building an Equity-Centered GT Classroom

Our guest this week was Autumn Arnett, Executive Director of the BEE (Brilliance, Excellence, and Equity) Project. Founded as thinkLaw’s* nonprofit arm in 2021, The BEE Project is redefining who qualifies as gifted and who gets to teach gifted children by inspiring, training, and certifying Black and Latinx educators to equitably design and lead gifted programs. These programs identify and meet the unique needs of brilliant Black and Latinx children and their families who have been overlooked and underestimated by our current system.

How do we change the face of who’s teaching gifted education? To change the face of who’s teaching gifted education, it’s imperative to raise awareness of inequities that exist, provide training in bias-awareness and how it affects gifted education including complex situations where students may be 2E. Changes can be achieved by providing PD centered on best-practices in identification with emphasis on shifting mindsets regarding services and resources. Consideration should be given to exploring novel approaches to how individual students are viewed – their strengths and aspirations; then, look at ways to improve on these strengths.

What role does cultural framing play in identifying black, brown, & low SES students for gifted programs? Cultural frames can include race and ethnicity, class and economic conditions, and gender among other factors. Cultural framing can make learning more relevant by taking into consideration students’ cultural backgrounds, lived experiences, and individual perspectives. How student behaviors are viewed can reflect cultural framing – while a student self-advocating in class may be seen as a sign of eagerness to learn, in another student it is seen as aggressive behavior.

What impact does raising awareness of the disparities in gifted education have on teaching methods? Raised awareness of disparities can lead to improved teacher practices in areas such as developing high-order creative and critical thinking. Addressing disparities can inspire teachers to transform instructional approaches from ‘sage on the stage’ to learning facilitators allowing for student-led learning. Motivated and empowered teachers raise expectations for all students and work to challenge them through differentiated instruction, continual assessments, progress monitoring, and scaffolding as needed.

Expanding, not eliminating, gifted education is the first step in building a more diverse pipeline of high academic learners into these programs. Addressing the myth that these students will do fine on their own is also necessary. Better and fairer identification begins with equitable tests (nonverbal or quantitative) with multiple data points, universal assessments, use of local/building norms, classroom observation, and input from community members who know the student outside of school. Districts can also improve diversity in gifted programming by providing acceleration opportunities, high-quality relevant PD for teachers, and mandating identification procedures.

An equity centered GT classroom’s population will reflect the school’s overall general population. Equity in a GT classroom can be reflected in the adaptation and use of culturally affirming curricular strategies. Equitable GT classrooms affirm the potential of students to exhibit academic strengths and talents not based on racial or economic factors.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.