CHAPTER 5: TEACH TO DEVELOP STEM TALENT

CHAPTER 5: TEACH TO DEVELOP STEM TALENT

This chapter develops four Key Understandings (p. 88). Use these to guide your reading, and review them again at the end of the chapter to check for understanding.

In what ways have you experienced any of the causes of the STEM Talent Gap?

As with Chapter 4, this chapter can serve as a reference that you can come back to later when you are doing your own writing. For now, use the same reading procedure:

Read the STEM aptitude definitions, Table 5.0, p. 89.

Read the STEM aptitude descriptions, 1 – 5 (blue boxes).

Read the student-directed goals, Table 5.1, p. 91.

Choose TWO of the five STEM aptitudes and read the talent goal frame development process. Pay particular attention to the design features of the performances of understanding. You will be developing these in your Differentiated Lesson Plan and Unit Plan.

Which two STEM talent goals did you choose to read? Why?

In reading this chapter, what new insights have you gained about teaching to develop STEM talent?

This chapter opened with this claim: “By creating STEM talent goals, we activate the possibility that learners will discover and pursue their passions to one day become tomorrow’s STEM innovators” (p. 88). Are you persuaded? Why or why not?

CHAPTER 6: TEACH TO DEVELOP HUMANITES TALENT

This chapter develops four Key Understandings (p. 108). Use these to guide your reading, and review them again at the end of the chapter to check for understanding.

Have you encountered any of the misconceptions about the key role that the humanities play in our innovation economy? How would you explain the importance of the humanities to someone who questions it?

As with Chapters 4 & 5, this chapter can serve as a reference that you can come back to later when you are doing your own writing. For now, use the same reading procedure for Chapter 6:

Read the humanities aptitude definitions, Table 6.0, p. 109.

Read the humanities aptitude descriptions, 1 – 5 (blue boxes).

Review the humanities aptitude student-directed goals, Table 6.1, p. 110.

Choose TWO of the five humanities aptitudes and read the talent goal development process. Pay particular attention to the design features of the performances of understanding. You will be developing these in your Differentiated Lesson Plan and Unit Plan.

Which two humanities talent goals did you choose to read? Why?

Up to this point, we haven’t yet focused on the tools for assessing talent goals, the Talent Aptitude Learning Progressions (teacher and student versions). Because assessment is the topic of Chapter 7, let’s look at the learning progressions for the two talent goals that you listed in #3. These are presented in the figures in the “Assessing _______” sections.

Analyze the talent aptitude progressions for the emerging, progressing, and advancing levels. What design features can you observe? How are these progressions constructed?