I've Never Been a Gifted Female

I have never been a gifted girl so I cannot identify with the societal pressures of growing up as one. I am married to a gifted wife and the son of a gifted mother. As such, I have an outsider's perspective on the balance that they constantly try to strike among being an excellent mother and wife while striving to excel in their respective professions. One time I asked my wife if she felt more pressure to excel at one of those areas more than any other. She responded, "No, I feel the pressure to be excellent at all of them equally." That was one of the most powerful statements she has ever said to me.

Growing up, I often spoke with my mom about careers that were available to her when she was young. I remember her telling me that she was not allowed to be in the accounting club in high school (I thought to myself, who would want to be in the accounting club anyway...maybe they did you a favor - but I digress). She ultimately became a CPA and opened her own private practice - but not until I was in the middle school.

This module we will read and discuss gifted girls and underachievement. Take a moment to watch this short clip. Afterwards, share your feelings about the pressure you feel to 'do it all' and how you think that pressure is felt by today's young gifted females. Then describe three steps you can take in your school to create a 'Positive Female Program'.

How Does the Perseverance Model Fit?

Last module we read ch. 11 and Castellano's Perseverance Model. In that chapter, he described the model in relation to gifted Hispanic students. In reality, the elements of that model apply across all populations. Now that you have completed Module 3, please describe how the elements of this model can help you to identify giftedness among students in your classroom. Describe how this model helps you to understand the TABs in more depth?

How Do We Identify RELD Giftedness?

Now that we have finished the first two modules in this course, you should have a little clearer idea of the characteristics of giftedness across a few racially, ethnically, and linguistically different populations. Reflect on your new knowledge and think about your current classroom through the lens of the TABS. Are there students in your classroom that you would rank higher on the TABS now that you have completed the first portions of the class? Describe how you view your students now versus how you viewed them at the beginning of the spring semester.

What I Can Do to Address the Various Cultures in My Classroom

After completing the readings, watching the videos, and participating in class discussions you should be able to describe a few steps you can take to provide a culturally responsive classroom. In the space below, explain what it means to create a culturally responsive classroom and describe two ways to differentiate your curriculum so that it is more culturally responsive.

What are the Differences Between Cultural Competence and Cultural Sensitivity?

Before you begin this module, you need to consider the differences between being culturally sensitive and culturally responsive. It might seem like we are splitting hairs but there is a tremendous difference and understanding these differences impacts your classroom. It is important to understand that children come from different cultures, but 'understanding' alone is not enough to create culturally responsive classroom.

In the space below, describe what you think are the differences between the meaning of culturally sensitive and culturally responsive. Please know that this question is intended to be a pre-assessment as opposed to an assessment to test if you know the 'correct' answer. Please write what you think at this moment instead of researching an answer. 

What is a Culturally Responsive Teacher?

Most 21^st century classrooms have transformed into places where Racially, Ethnically, and Linguistically Different (RELD) students come together (Merryfield, 2000) to develop citizenship and career skills. Furthermore, many of today’s learning environments take advantage of technologies that allow teachers to connect with cultures and resources outside traditional classroom, thus globalizing instruction. As such, it is essential for teachers to be culturally responsive and teach young people to demonstrate critical thought, reflective judgment, and creative imagination while simultaneously exhibiting cross-cultural competence. Culturally responsive teachers “use cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and learning styles of culturally different students to make learning more appropriate and effective” (Ford, 2010, p. 52).

Before the course begins, define what it means to be a culturally responsive teacher and explain what you need to do in order to create a culturally responsive classroom.