In an effort to avoid gaps in gifted education and ensure that the services provided by a gifted education are sufficient, districts and school systems must choose and work with a curriculum model. We've discussed how important it is for there to be a model, no matter which one, in place. Without it, a gifted program lacks clear expectations and goals which ultimately help educators create lesson plans, ideas for projects, and strategies for differentiation. It also lacks organization and leaves teachers to scramble to figure out what has already been taught, what is expected to be taught, and how to teach it in the most efficient and effective way.
After blogging about the Student Enrichment Model (SEM) and creativity, I felt extremely partial to that model. I forced myself to do extra researching and reading up on the other models, because I wanted to be as informed as possible before making an ultimate decision. Even so, I would choose the Student Enrichment Model over any other model. This is simply because it can be easily integrated into any classroom, and works to engage students in hands-on activities based on their interests. It encourages students to master 21st century skills, all while delving into topics that spark creativity and foster a love for learning.
Although I've explained it before, the SEM is "a three tiered system of enrichment activities that gradually increase in rigor and demand independent exploration (Davis, Rim and Siegle, 2011). The three tiers encourage students to explore topics unfamiliar to them, develop the skills to complete an in-depth study on that topic, and execute a project that demonstrates the knowledge acquired as a result of their studies.
In addition to the use of this "Enrichment Triad," students are assessed individually to determine their abilities, interests, and style preferences (Davis, Rimm, and Siegle, 2011). This information is later used to establish curriculum modifications, which in turn creates more time for the enrichment activities. In essence, this is curriculum compacting—"a technique for differentiating instruction that allows teachers to make adjustments to curriculum for students who have already mastered the material to be learned, replacing content students know with new content, enrichment options, or other activities" (Curriculum Compacting, n.d.).
The identification process for the SEM is interesting, too. For the number of statistics I've read on exclusivity within gifted programs, the SEM does a adequate job of serving a large number of students because of the use of a talent pool and the Revolving Door Identification model (VanTassel-Baska, J., 1984). This model establishes that schools can participate in a year-round and ongoing search for students with gifted tendencies. This creates about a 10-15% increase in the gifted population of a school, simply because educators are identifying students throughout the year, rather than just at the beginning.
Overall, the SEM is an inclusive model that is named "schoolwide" for a reason. The activities that are performed by these students (especially the tier 1 and tier 2 activities) could be easily applied to a general education classroom without a problem. Between the talent pool and ongoing identification, this model makes the transition into a gifted program more seamless and natural. Because students are already participating in the exploratory activities that come with the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, students in general curriculum classrooms have experience exploring their own topics and interests. In the case that a child would be identified as a gifted student, that child has already practiced using the resources through the model and can begin working towards a more advanced, tier 3 project.
Ultimately, the SEM provides students with an enriched education, filled with opportunity for independent thought and creativity. It gives students an year-round opportunity to become identified as gifted, and works seamlessly with general curriculum classrooms. In my opinion, if students are not working towards something they're interested in and passionate about, they're not going to remember it or identify with it. However, the Schoolwide Enrichment Model provides students with this outlet, and with hands-on learning tailored to each student's needs.
References
Davis, G., Rimm, S., & Siegle, D. (2011). Education of the Gifted and Talented (Sixth ed., p. 47). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Curriculum Compacting. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2015, from https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/gifted-education-practices/curriculum-compacting
VanTassel-Baska, J. (1984). The talent search as an identification model. Retrieved November 11, 2015, from http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10087.aspx
