Please take note that although gifted students are most likely to pick up material quickly it is just as important to allow time for understanding in each area of learning. Acceleration and ability groups when conducting a work period are great but do not work for everyone. Below is the S.O.A.R program that is catered to learners who prefer exploring subjects independently.
S.O.A.R Program
The S.O.A.R Program was founded in the Avon District School Board, in Southern Ontario. It was created by Cindy Carlson of Stratford Central Public School and Shannon Empson from Seaforth Public School. It was created in hopes to provide more opportunities for students to demonstrate what they have learned in a wide variety of forms that reflect knowledge, excellence, and the ability to generate new ideas (Clarson & Empson, 2019).
S.O.A.R is an acronym for Self Directed, Opportunities, Achievements and Reward program. It develops gifted students as independent learners. What is unique and corresponds with the UDL principles. It fuels a concept of co-construction where students are apart of the educational decision making. This program thrives off of introspection, logical reasoning, problem-solving, research, and assessment. Assessment can be done through Portfolios, student-led conferences and report cards(Clarson & Empson, 2019).
“No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.”
- William Blake
Accommodations
It is a common belief that educators must teach gifted students to learn material quickly and much as they can. This can quickly result in a pressured and forceful way of learning that leads to negative outlooks on education. It is crucial to make note that enrichment means going deeper into the subject matter rather than faster. Moreover, it is also important to not segregate the student based on their gifted abilities. When developing accommodations and modifications for gifted students educators must shape their lessons using the two following factors in mind.
Resource and Product
Resource, meaning the curriculum content being taught in the classroom. Here we question what information the student will be receiving during the lesson. The product refers to what the student will be creating to exhibit their knowledge and how it will be assessed (Robinson, Shore & Enersen, 2006). In other words, it is important to consider what students will be using to deepen their understanding and what their final project will be. In doing so, educators may create projects and extensions that cater to the students’ abilities. This can be done by using the following strategies:
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Tiered-activities: creating assignments that are geared towards different academic skill levels. This strategy is inclusive and compliments the UDL principles.
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Multi-media outlets for creative reporting (Podcast, movie making, art creation)
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Extension Menus (Robinson, Shore & Enersen, 2006)
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Provide opportunities for students to interviews, surveys and get involved with the school community.
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Comprehension Ladders
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In-depth character analysis
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Text to the self, world, and other text connections
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R.A.F.T
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Provide opportunities to write for a variety of purposes: advertisement, newsletter etc.
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Make and use spelling, writing and math games.
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Provide horizontal enrichment in topics of interest
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Peer assistance and group leadership
