C&T 5302 Advanced Practicum

Observation Report
05/12/15
Hyeseong Lee
Teachers College

Introduction
When I first planned to visit several gifted schools in New York City, it was with the
goal of comparing and contrasting each schools curriculum. I wanted to know about each
schools unique approach to a curriculum for the gifted students, what textbooks or teaching
materials they utilized, the afterschool programs they provided, and whether they use either
an enrichment program or an acceleration program with their students. However, when I
visited each school the citywide gifted elementary schools that I was permitted to visit were
30th Ave School (Q300), Brooklyn School of Inquiry, and Hunter College Elementary School
for my observation, I realized that it was difficult to compare each schools program. I
thought it was illogical to evaluate and compare their curriculum with just a one-day visit. It
was possible that the class that I observed for the day could be different from their usual
classes due to certain contents being presented or the periods I observed. Thus, I decided to
adjust my goal and record observations of meaningful characteristics of the children and the
classes with the objective to analyze the behaviors of a successful gifted program.
In addition, during my visit to several gifted schools, I noticed that I was uncertain
about whether the excellent facilities and distinct features that I observed in the schools were
truly the characteristics of a gifted institution. As an international student, I have not
experienced attending any public school education system in the United States, thus it was
hard to tell whether the schools features are common to general school layouts in the States
or if it is specific to gifted schools. For this reason, I visited one public school P.S. 333
Manhattan School for Children as a comparison group.
Also, I wanted to visit an institution that works with preschoolers. It is known that
official tests for indentifying gifted children in New York City are taken for kindergarten and
1st grade students. At the beginning of taking courses for my masters degree, I thought that
children of this age are still too young to be identified as gifted. However, I was introduced to

the idea form the author of Dumbing Down America, James R. Delisle (2014) that questioned
what we should do if a childs giftedness appeared at the age of four. He compared the
situation of a four-year-old child who requires a special education. Gifted education services
were not offered until the age of seven, but he needed it immediately. Similarily, he insisted
that there should an early identification method and education system for young gifted
children. This motivated me to observe younger children who might have giftedness, and thus
I also decided to visit the Hollingworth Preschool where the children took an entrance test.
To sum up, I visited five different institutions for my advanced practicum. As
discussed above, I am going to describe the characteristics of the gifted children that I met,
the interesting features that I found in the schools, but not comparing these schools as it is
beyond the scope of this paper. In some parts, I will also make a comparison between the
system in the States and Korea based on my teaching experiences at public elementary school
in Seoul, South Korea.

1. Information of the Schools

30th Ave School (Q300)

Date of Visit
March 3rd (Tue) 2015
Grade
6th grade (29students)
Location
28-37 29th Street, Astoria, NY 11102

Brooklyn School of Inquiry

Date of Visit
March 11th (Wed) 2015
Grade
1st grade (28 students)/ 5th grade(24students)
Location
50 Avenue P, Brooklyn, NY 11204

Hunter College Elementary School

Date of Visit
April 1st (Wed) 2015
Grade
5th grade (22 students)
Location
71 E 94th St, New York, NY 10128

P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children

Date of Visit
April 20th (Mon) 2015
Grade
5th grade (22 students)
Location
154 West 93 Street Manhattan, NY10025

Hollingworth Preschool

Date of Visit
April 22nd (Wed) 2015
Grade
3-4 years old (16 students)
Location
309 Main Hall, Box 170, 525 W 120th St,
New York, NY 10027

2. Characteristics of Gifted Children

Renzullis definition of giftedness, a most commonly accepted definition, consists of
three components: above average intelligence, creativity, and task commitment (1986). In the
schools, I observed many students who possess these characteristics. Leaving the intelligence
set aside, here are some examples of students with either creativity or high task commitment.

Creativity

In the fifth grade math class in Hunter College Elementary School, the students were

learning about percentage. It was the last lesson of the unit, and they were going to
sell their products they made their products at an art class for three weeks,
magnifying or reducing the scale from the original object by determining their own
price. They were made to write their expectation price, however, it can be sold at a
lower price based on bidding papers (maximum $100) written by their friends. When
writing their desired price, every student wrote down a number, such as $20, $78, etc.
except one student. Ian, a student, wrote on his well-made soap case, whatever you
think is fair.

In the Brooklyn School of Inquiry 5th grade math class, the students were doing their
project work. It was the second period dedicated to working on their projects, and if
students were to finish early, they given extra math worksheets or reading a book
related to mathematics. While I was observing students doing their project at the back
of the classroom, one boy called Tony finished his work and came to me with a quiz
that he created. On the paper, he wrote an equation like 359=30 (The question
was a more complicated version of this). He said, I can put any of the four arithmetic
operations in the square or the parenthesis, and can also change the position of the
numbers to solve the equation. The answer did not cross my mind quickly, and after
few minutes, I asked him for the right answer. He said the answer is (9-3)5=30.
He looked so excited, and we gave the quiz to others turn by turn.

In the craft class in Hunter College Elementary School, 5th graders were making a

chair with wood. Students were sawing and sandpapering a piece of wood, except a
boy, Max, who was doing something else. When I approached him, I found that he
was solving a Kenken question (numerical quiz) on the newspaper which was spread
on the table as covering when constructing the chairs. Remembering that he also
quickly solved the math questions at the previous class I asked him what his favorite
subject is, anticipating the answer of mathematics. Contrary to my expectation,
however, he asked me back smiling, Do I need to have a favorite subject? I like
many.

Task Commitment

In computer class, Max, again, a 5th grade student in Hunter College Elementary
School was making a video clip based on his teachers instruction. They were to
insert the pictures and music they liked and add some text too. As it was their first
time dealing with a movie-making program, some students were having a hard time,
thus raising their hands to ask for a help. When the class was almost done, their
working status was all different. The teacher then announced to the class that students
are welcome to visit the computer lab during lunch time to catch up on work and only
three minutes are left for todays lesson. Most of students were preparing to save the
file, while Max was still struggling with the program. It seemed like Max really
wanted to finish the work, however, it was too complicated for him. He made a
groaning sound of pain, and the teacher, who seemed familiar with Maxs behavior,

came and tried to sooth him. I could read Maxs mind that he was desperate to finish
his job, but he was stressed that he could not do it in short time.

It was the last day of finishing a math project in the Brooklyn School on Inquiry.
Almost every 5th grade student completed their work except one girl, Amia. When I
looked around the class and found Amia, she was not even finished with one third of
her work which seemed impossible for her to accomplish so little during the entire
class period. She looked alert and understood every concept when I questioned her.
The reason why she was so slow compared to other students was that this was her
third time recording the work. She said that she did not like the previous products, so
she decided to start all over again. She seemed like a perfectionist, and she gave her
all in every task.

Students were going to have a NYC math standardized test the day after I visited P.S.
333 Manhattan School for Children. To prepare for the test, the teacher combined two
math classes as a block time so that, students had plenty of time to practice what they
had learned over the course of the year. The teacher prepared a worksheet of 25
questions, and she told students that they need to pick at least 14 questions to work
out. Student started solving the problems, and they were allowed to ask for a help to
their classmates if they did not know how to solve it. During the class, the teacher
gave extra explanation to a group of four students who need more instruction. As the
students had enough time, some did not concentrate and talked with their friends.

Many of students were not giving their full attention to the work, however, two girls
really concentrated on the math questions. They did not chat at all, and in a short time,
they completed it. They also mentioned that they like individually solving math
questions rather than doing a team project like in a typical math classes.

3. Meaningful Features
Along with the gifted students, there were a lot of features that caught my eyes in the
schools. There were interesting classes which stimulate students intellectual needs, wellestablished relationship with teachers, excellent facilities and items that I hope can be
imparted to every student.
Interesting Classes
A Teacher Choice Time: Applying different methods to every child in the same class
is required to fulfill each ones needs. One of the methods that the teachers frequently
use is giving the students a choice to pick an activity that they prefer. It is a great
opportunity for them to choose their work based on their learning style or personality
(Tomlinson, 2014). However, a problem with this method is that students might not
try something outside of their comfort zone, since they already have a familiar
working style in which they can show their best performance. I observed a great
method to alleviate this concern in the Hollinworth Preschool (3-4 years old class). In
the teacher choice time, different from the usual student choice time, students are
placed in a certain area to work by teachers decision. They can be assigned to a
section to practice skills that they usually do not prefer. The best part of this is that
students can earn extra time to finish their remaining project work during this time.
On the day I observed, around eight students were moved to another space to finish
their job with the assistant teacher.

An Active Music Class: In the Brooklyn School of Inquiry, 5th grade students were

learning and how to express their feelings with body movement after they listened to
music. The theme for the day was hard times, and the teacher made students to talk
about their hard times. After sharing students experiences, the teacher lead the
students emotions through few well-organized steps. First, she made them close their
eyes to just listen to the music and then later only read the lyrics without music. After
few minutes, she let them talk about the content, and later asked them to move their
body based on the content or how they felt. At the beginning she demonstrated her
feelings so that the children do not hesitate to express themselves. For the last activity,
as an application, they were to decide one topic related to hard time and organize
their movement as a group. I expected them to express the feeling such as a wish to
not do homework. However, surprisingly, the topics they chose were the hurricane
Katrina, World War II and illegal immigrants. The teacher kept encouraging their
students by giving some feedback or new ideas while walking around the classroom.

An Open Science Class: In a 6th grade science class in the 30th Ave School, students
had an experiment of filtering oil from pebbles. At the back of the classroom, there
were diverse materials such as oil control films, gauzes, pipettes, sponges, and
charcoal. After making a plan with their group members, students gathered the
disposal equipment to eliminate the oil with a limited amount of money. After a fiveminute time period, teacher gave them a white paper collect the oil on the surface of
the water. Students then counted the number of the oil circles and added up the points
from the chart which shows scores based on the size of the oil circles. The team with

the lowest score was the winner. It was such a fun experiment that students actually
plan the strategies after discussion with their group members. I remembered a similar
experiment that I had with my 6th grade students in Korea; it was making a water
purifier with similar materials. After the set-up, children poured the muddy water into
the purifier and the team with the cleanest water won. However, I did not give them
an opportunity to decide the materials they used, but instead gave them a template to
follow. If I have a chance to do that lesson again, I will be sure to give them plenty of
autonomy.

Interaction with the Teachers

The most interesting part that I observed during the practicum was the interactions
between students and the teacher. In the Hunter College Elementary School 5th grade
classroom, the relationship between the main teacher and the students seemed so
strong that every lesson progressed as he had planned. During the math class,
students were actively engaged with the work, and laughed at the teachers jokes.
When students and the teacher gathered together on the rug for the 10-min reading
time, everyone paid attention to the teacher. They wanted to listen more when the
teacher finished the reading for the day. At first, I thought that it is because they are
gifted children filled with curiosity and an ardor for study. However, I realized that it
was not because of their giftedness, but instead because of the well-built relationship
with their teacher. When they visited the science lab, they were not as energetic as

they were in the regular classroom. They did not pay full attention, and I felt like I
was observing different kids.

The biggest difference between the gifted schools and the public school was the
number of teachers in a classroom. Both in Hunter College Elementary School and
Brooklyn School of Inquiry, there was an assistant teacher in each classroom. They
could assist students who needed extra help during the classes and help the head
teacher in preparing lesson materials. Also, in the 30th Ave School it is a newly open
school, thus only has one class of kindergarten, 1st grade, and 6th grade two teachers
were always in the same class. When the math/science teacher had lessons, the social
studies teacher would play a role as an assistant and vice versa. Surprisingly,
Hollingworth Preschool had four teachers (One head teacher and three assistant
teachers) in one classroom. While students were doing their works or having a lunch,
each student could receive enough attention and care from their teachers. It also
allowed the school to run an extra class during the teacher choice time. However,
when I went to the P.S. 333 Manhattan School for Children, there was no assistant
teacher in the classroom (I heard that the public school is only able to hire the
assistant teachers based on their school budget). The teacher had to take care of all of
the students with different levels of ability. If there was an assistant teacher walking
around the classroom and giving individual feedback, I believe the children could
have reached their objective more efficiently.

Facilities

Every gifted elementary school that I visited had individual laptops or I-pads fully
equipped in the classroom. When the students need to find information or do a project
work, they could use the school laptops simultaneously. Also, it enables teacher to
contrive new instructional methods using computers. Students learn some lessons
more effectively through technology. These schools also possess special classrooms
such as a crafts room which has the wood-working tools and machines, a computer
lab filled with state-of-the-art computers and a music room with individual violins.
Unfortunately the facilities that the most of public schools have are not always like
these gifted schools. The excellent facilities are not only good for gifted children but
also good for every student. I hope these materials and facilities will be installed in all
schools.

Closing
Although I could not evaluate the system of the schools and do a comparative
analysis due to my limit of visiting just for one day, it was such a great opportunity to observe
gifted students and the institutions. It was a valuable experience to see the diverse gifted
children in New York City, and their real school lives. In graduate school, we learn the
theories, advanced knowledge, and do research. If these are not founded on actual life, or are
not applicable to the real world, it would be regarded a dead knowledge. In this sense, the

experience that I had in this semester made me advance one step further; I became convinced
that I need more experience in the education field before I apply for the doctors degree.
In general, I described the great features of the gifted students and the schools that I
visited in this paper. However, there were also several problems that need to be improved or
further researched. Many of the gifted schools lacked diversity, which is an old critique of
gifted education. There is lack of awareness among educators that students with disabilities
can also possess giftedness. There also exists a level difference in gifted education
institutions, since the students were evaluated only once when they were seven or eight years
old. As they grow, it is possible that some childrens giftedness can disappear for some
reasons. Lastly, it is hard to find the schools that have systematic acceleration program for the
gifted children which are highly valued from many scholars in the gifted education field.
These features made me feel that I really want to further study possible improvements of
gifted education for every child.

Reference
Delisle, J.R. (2014). Dumbing Down America: The War on Our Nations Brightest Young
Minds (and What We Can Do to Fight Back). Texas: Prufrock Press.
Renzulli, J. S. (1986). The three-ring conception of giftedness. In R. J. Sternberg & J. E.
Davidson (Eds.), Conceptions of giftedness (pp. 53-92). New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all
learners. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.