In an effort to provide challenging learning opportunities and to foster the development of 21st Century Skills, one class of fifth-grade gifted students were given a singular directive and complete autonomy to achieve self-determined goals.

1. Carte Blanche:
Giving Students the Freedom to
Develop Learning Tasks in a
Digital Environment
Angela M. Housand
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talented 2010
Winston-Salem, NC

3. AND

4. www.angelahousand.com

5. Self-Regulated Learning
Students are self-regulated when
they are, “metacognatively,
motivationally, and behaviorally
active participants in their own
learning process.”
(Zimmerman 1989, p. 329)

6. Active engagement in the
learning process produces
increases in academic
performance.
(Ablard & Lipschultz, 1998; Ames, 1984; Corno, 1986, 1989; Dweck, 1986; Schunk & Rice; 1985,
1987, 1991; Zimmerman, 1989; Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1990)

7. • Personal Effort
• Intrinsic Motivation
• Goal Orientation
• Self-efficacy
• Age
• Gender
(Blair & Razza, 2007; McWhaw & Abrami, 2001; Miles & Stine-Morrow,
2004; Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1986, 1988, 1990)

8. Gifted Students
Higher degrees of self-efficacy
for using successful learning
strategies
(Ablard & Lipschultz, 1998; Housand, 2008; Risemberg & Zimmerman, 1992; Zimmerman & Martinez-Ponz,
1990)

9. Frequently use
strategies related to
successful learning
– Organizing and
Transforming
– Self-Consequating
– Seeking Assistance
– Reviewing
Gifted Students
(Zimmerman 1986)

10. Strategy use impacted
by environmental
conditions
– Classroom management
– Organization
– Clear and consistent
expectations
– Required reflection and
progress monitoring
Gifted Students
(Housand, 2008)

11. Gifted Students
Use of strategies varies
widely within gifted group
(Ablard & Lipschultz, 1998; Housand, 2008; Risemberg & Zimmerman, 1992; Zimmerman & Martinez-Ponz,
1990)

12. Competence…
The state or quality of being
adequately or well qualified.
The ability to be successful.

13. Agents of Learning

14. Autonomy
The more autonomous (self-determined)
a person believes their behavior to be
the greater the personal satisfaction and
enjoyment from engaging in that
behavior.

15. The Program
Elementary – 5th
Grade
Enrichment pull-out program
Environmental science focus
Coastal region
Nearby lake and stream

16. 10 Fifth Grade Students
Gender
6 female
4 male
Identified
7 formal district
procedures
3 teacher
recommendation
Ethnic Diversity
6 European-white
2 Latino
2 African American

17. Complete Autonomy to:Complete Autonomy to:
• Engage in high-level content andEngage in high-level content and
real world learning focused on local,real world learning focused on local,
regional, and global contextsregional, and global contexts
• Research and critically examine theResearch and critically examine the
impacts of regional growth onimpacts of regional growth on
complex ecosystemscomplex ecosystems

18. Complete Autonomy to:Complete Autonomy to:
• Apply skills of leadership,Apply skills of leadership,
responsibility, productivity, and self-responsibility, productivity, and self-
direction to achieve self-determineddirection to achieve self-determined
goalsgoals
• Communicate and collaborate viaCommunicate and collaborate via
the Internet with students fromthe Internet with students from
NorwayNorway

19. The Instructor
PhD in Gifted Education
In depth knowledge of:
Dynamic learning communities
Curriculum for gifted and talented
Environmental science

20. Connection to Norway
Gifted students
Advanced contact and planning
between instructors
Surrounded by similar water bodies
Different climate

21. The Researcher
27 visits
February through June
Exploratory study looking for
emerging themes
Non-participatory
Non-instructional

22. What happened?

23. Major Finding #1
Insufficient access to the internet
Too few computers in classroom
Inadequate computer hardware
and software
iPhone used to circumvent school
firewall
Difficulty accessing technology

25. Inadequate technology may have contributed
to the failure of effectively creating a dynamic
learning community with students’ in Norway.

26. Enable NOT Disable
Technology Should...

27. Think Mobility

29. One
Laptop per
Child

30. (Eduventures)

31. Major Finding #2
Certain students emerged as
leaders
Lead to distractions
Impacted access to technology
and tools
Impacted opportunities to
contribute
Impacted group assignment
Self-advocacy and Self-promotion

32. Equal Opportunity
Be systematic
Encourage shy/quiet students
Provide opportunities for written
responses or idea generation
Provide different kinds of leadership
roles

33. Research Tells Us…Research Tells Us…
When the learning environment provides:
Choice and volitional control over
processes, timing, challenge level, and
outcome or product of learning tasks
Students Engagein Self-RegulatedStudents Engagein Self-Regulated
Learning BehaviorsLearning Behaviors

34. Volitional Control
Set clear expectations in advance
Provide reminders
Bring students attention to their
behavior when they lose self-
regulation

35. What are your interests?

36. • Tied to Student’s
Identity
• Personally
Interesting
• Integral to the
Student’s Vision
of the future
• Viewed as
Useful
(Eccles & Wigfield)

37. Major Finding #3
Instruction varied by learning
style, process, and product
Almost no whole group
instruction
Student groups were self-
selected
Increased student engagement
when products and processes
were authentic
Differentiated Instruction

38. Research Tells Us…Research Tells Us…
When the learning environment provides:
Opportunities for help-seeking from
resources, peers, and teacher (e.g. small
group instruction and differentiation)
Students Engagein Self-RegulatedStudents Engagein Self-Regulated
Learning BehaviorsLearning Behaviors

39. Depth and Complexity
Ask open-ended questions
Provide open-ended learning tasks
Provide students opportunities for
higher order thinking!

40. Research Tells Us…Research Tells Us…
When the learning environment provides:
Complex tasks that extend over time, allow
for variation in expression style, and
integrate multiple processes, both cognitive
and procedural
Students Engagein Self-RegulatedStudents Engagein Self-Regulated
Learning BehaviorsLearning Behaviors

41. “From thestandpoint of the
child…heisunableto apply in
daily lifewhat heislearning at
school. That istheisolation of the
school - itsisolation from life.”
John Dewey

42. How does one engage
students authentically?
Present students with real-
world challenges that require
them to apply their relevant
skills and knowledge.

43. How does one engage
students authentically?
Have students engage
problems in the same ways
that professionals in the
associated fields do.

44. Facilitating Authentic
Investigation
1. Assess, Find, or Create
Student Interests
2. Conduct Interviews to
Determine Interest Strengths
3. Problem Finding and
Focusing
4. Formulate a Written Plan

45. Facilitating Authentic
Investigation
5. Work with Students to
Locate Resources
6. Provide Methodological
Assistance (Like the Pros)
7. Help Students Choose a
Question
8. Offer Managerial Expertise

46. Facilitating Authentic
Investigation
9. Identify Final Products and
Audiences
10.Offer Encouragement,
Praise, and Constructive
Criticism
11.Escalate the Process
12.Evaluate

47. Minor Finding #1
Supported by instructor
Occurred regularly
Lacked benchmarks for success
Goals did not escalate (repetitive)
Limited reflection and evaluation
Goal Setting & Planning

48. Research Tells Us…Research Tells Us…
When the learning environment provides:
Opportunities for students to participate in
the processes of goal-setting, tracking
progress, and evaluating their own work
Students Engagein Self-RegulatedStudents Engagein Self-Regulated
Learning BehaviorsLearning Behaviors

49. Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound

50. Set goals that are slightly out of your
immediate grasp, but not so far that
there is not hope of achieving them.

51. Goal Setting
Challenges students to give their efforts
a preplanned direction
Take responsibility for the key events
that give form to their experience
Provides opportunity for reflection

52. Complex Tasks
Give students a purpose for the task
During the process
For completion
Require student reflection
Progress
Process

53. Planning and Self-Monitoring
• What skills do I need to achieve this?
• What help or assistance do I need?
• What resources do I need?
• What can block progress?
• Am I on task or am I being
distracted?

54. Self-Reflection
Did I accomplish what I planned to do?Did I accomplish what I planned to do?
Was I distracted and how did I get backWas I distracted and how did I get back
to work?to work?
Did I plan enough time or did it takeDid I plan enough time or did it take
longer than I thought?longer than I thought?
In which situation did I accomplish theIn which situation did I accomplish the
most work?most work?

55. Failure is Part of the
Learning Process

56. The greater danger for
most of us lies not in
setting our aim too high
and falling short;
but in setting our aim too
low,
and achieving our mark.
-Michelangelo

57. Minor Finding #2
Degreased students’ generation of
alternative solutions to challenges
Increased attempts to please
teacher
Time Constraints &
Performance Pressure

58. (Amabile, 1983, 1996; Hennessey, 1996)

59. Interest and Depth lead to
Creative Productivity
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.
(Howard Gardner in an interview with R. Brandt, Educational Leadership, 1993)

60. -Thomas Edison
The first requisite
of success is the
ability to apply your
physical and mental
energies to one
problem without
growing weary.

61. Minor Finding #3
Students expressed fear of being
late to homeroom
Frequently late to enrichment class
Absences?
Lack of Homeroom
Teacher Support

62. What does it mean to place students
into cluster groups?
A group of gifted identified students is
clustered into a mixed ability classroom
with a teacher who is trained to differentiate
for gifted students.

63. Suggested classroom composition
30 students
in 3 classes
Gifted High
Averag
e
Averag
e
Low
Averag
e
Far Below
Average
A 6 0 12 12 0
B 0 6 12 6 6
C 0 6 12 6 6

64. Placing students in the classrooms:
• Determine placement for upcoming year following
spring testing
• Gifted students make up approximately 20% of
the gifted cluster class
• Create the number of gifted cluster classrooms
necessary to serve all gifted students in each grade

65. Special Considerations for Placements
Create procedures for determining
placement of the following groups:
• Kindergarten students
• New students enrolling during school year
• Twice-exceptional gifted students
• ELL gifted students

66. Questions?

67. Thank You!

68. Learning is
Cyclical and Ongoing

69. • What will I need to
work on my project?
• Where will I work?
• Who will I work with?
• What might hinder my
process?

70. • Am I accomplishing
what I planned?
• Is this taking longer
than I thought?
• Am I on task or am I
being distracted?

71. • Did I accomplish what I
planned to do?
• Was I distracted and how
did I get back to work?
• Did I plan enough time or
did it take longer than I
thought?
• In which situation did I
accomplish the most
work?

72. You must do the thing you
think you cannot do.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

73. Thank You!
-Angela Housand