Gifted Education International

This article includes an introduction to the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM), with its three components: a total talent portfolio for each child, curriculum differentiation and modification, and enrichment opportunities from the Enrichment Triad Model. Also included is a brief history of the SEM and a summary of 30 years of research underlying this programming model in gifted education and talent development. Exciting new directions in SEM are introduced, including Renzulli Learning, an internet-based tool that identifies students' interests, learning styles, and expression styles that subsequently matches students with thousands of differentiated resources.

Three decades ago, Dr. Joseph S. Renzulli reflected on the state of the art in gifted and talented programs. His work in schools and his evaluation of existing programs made it patently clear it was time to review existing definitions of gifted and talented students and to develop defensible programs for the gifted and talented. The result was the creation of the Enrichment Triad Model which offered a new conception of giftedness and outlined three types of enrichment activities to engage students in challenging learning opportunities as described in the journeys of three students.

The Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) has been one of the most widely used models in the education of the gifted in Brazil. It has inspired the political and pedagogical project of the Centers of Activities of High AbilitieslGiftedness recently implemented in 27 Brazilian states by the Ministry of Education. In this article, our experience in implementing the SEM in Brazil will be described with respect to: (a) steps followed for identifying gifted students based on the model, (b) Type I, Type II, and Type III enrichment activities that have been carried out, and (c) information concerning professional staff development. Research data regarding the SEM implementation will also be provided.

This article summarizes how the components of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model were used to dramatically reduce the achievement gap in a school with a high at-risk student population. The theories of enrichment and instructional differentiation replaced an existing remedial paradigm and a strength-based methodology was embraced by the school community. The school improvement process that included an analysis of all aspects of the community provided a clear direction for this innovative approach to enrichment teaching and learning. Staff development was essential to the success of all new initiatives and teachers were provided with training, modeling, coaching, and planning time. The enrichment concepts that were presented and implemented are provided herein through authentic illustrations and anecdotal information.

A successful program needs a team approach which encourages teachers to undertake professional initiatives to enhance student growth. Such initiatives include: Type Ill's; workshops; Lunch with an Expert; an Expert in the Classroom; field trips; before; during and after school enrichment clusters; mentorships; assembly programs; speakers; starting a center; and Authentic Science Research. In addition, schools should prepare early to celebrate students' successes with a symposium and prepare early for the eventual evaluation.

This article provides a principal's perspective on how the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) has the power to change a school in amazing ways! The faculty and staff, the parents, and the students will perform beyond expectation when embarking on the SEM's enriched approach to learning and teaching. The model will become the catalyst for producing the type of results that guarantees students become proficient in the curriculum to which they are exposed. Schools will become places where learning is enjoyable and teaching is accomplished in an atmosphere of collaboration and collegiality, with continuous academic improvement for the students and top-quality professional development for the faculty.

This article provides a summary of efforts and projects related to the provision of gifted students and talent development in Swiss schools and with partners in the German speaking Central Europe. In the first part, relevant activities about teacher education in Switzerland based on a cooperative arrangement with the University of Connecticut will be discussed — as will the international impact and influence of new professional and scientific networks in this specific field of the teacher education. The second part describes best practices from three different schools in different parts of Switzerland: an elementary school (KG - 6th) in Central Switzerland; a middle school (7 – 9) from East Switzerland; and a Gymnasium (High School; 11 –13) from Northwestern Switzerland.

The New Zealand Marine Studies Centre has developed a programme for secondary gifted and talented students offering hands-on science in the real world. These programmes are designed to include elements of the Enrichment Triad Model (ETM), specifically the three types of enrichment, and, to a lesser degree, some aspects of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM). By applying the principles of the curricular models to the real-world context of marine studies, gifted and talented students are encouraged to know, think, act, and feel like a scientist working with a team. The transferability of the principles of enrichment teaching and learning in different settings, for different populations of students, and across different delivery models requires continual evaluation and dissemination.

Why isn't talent development included on the Individual Educational Plan of 2E students? Twice exceptional students have unique issues that respond especially well to a talent development approach especially within the context of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model Through case studies and a review of successful projects using SEM with at risk populations, this article provides a rationale for using a talent development approach. The article concludes with an in-depth look at a school designed for 2E learners showing how the elements of the Model are helping this special population of students to thrive.

This retrospective study examines the lives of students twenty-five years after they participated in an elementary gifted program based on The Revolving Door Identification Model (Kenzulli, Reis, and Smith, 1981). The purpose of the multiple case-study research was to investigate the relationship between students' early interests and their subsequent vocations and avocations as young adults. Five themes emerged from the investigation, including a correlation between students' early and subsequent interests. The results from the study provide support for an enrichment model that develops the talent of young people.

Through reflection on his years as an enrichment teacher in Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) programs, the author describes significant ways the social and emotional development of his students was shaped by their involvement in enriched teaching and learning. Through portraits of his students engaged in Type II and Type III enrichment, the author highlights eight important influences upon the affective development of gifted and talented students. Implications for educators in enrichment programs are presented.

This article summarizes an experimental study that investigated the use of Renzulli Learning on oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, science achievement, and social studies achievement among 383 elementary and middle schools students. The Renzulli Learning System is an online educational learning system and profiler designed to match student interests, learning styles, and expression styles with highly challenging enrichment resources. Students were randomly assigned to use Renzulli Learning for 2–3 hours each week for 16-weeks, and those students who participated demonstrated significantly higher growth in reading comprehension, oral reading fluency, and social studies achievement than control group students who did not participate in Renzulli Learning.