Beginning in Spring 2015, we identified our first two schools and began to develop the partnership leading to the creation of Talent Development Academies at Angel Oak Elementary and Springfield Elementary Schools in Charleston County School District. Both faculties gathered together for a three-day, total immersion during July 2015.

After school started in September, teacher support in the form of individual and small group coaching, lesson plan development using newly acquired instructional strategies, and demonstration teaching in TDA classrooms has been provided by Dodie Marshall and Lara Kessler for ELA and Meta Van Sickle and Denise Zacherl in Science. Karen Reed and Heather Grant have held numerous training sessions on M3 and M2 (mathematics). TDA teachers have deepened their knowledge and skills in one of more of these content areas: ELA, science, and math.

On September 23, 2015, the first half-day of professional development sponsored by CCSD, Angel Oak and Springfield faculties met in the multipurpose room at Springfield to hear from nationally known expert, Dr. Tamra Stambaugh of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.  Dr. Stambaugh shared a synthesis of her research related to identifying, nurturing, and developing the talents of culturally and linguistically diverse students.

TDA teachers learned more about the

• Basics of talent development;
• Links of Stambaugh’s CLD model to specific curricular examples and students; and
• Benefits to all students of keeping the ceiling high.

After the whole group session, TDA teachers broke into three smaller groups to meet with their strand leaders from the July summer teacher development. In those small group sessions, teachers discussed successes they had experienced with the content strategies and models they learned about in July; they discussed and sought advice on the obstacles and challenges they were experiencing as they worked to ramp up the challenge and rigor for all of their students; they explored next steps in what would best support their development as TDA teachers.

October 28^th was the second half-day TDA teacher development session, again held in Springfield Elementary’s multipurpose room. This session had three distinct segments.

First, Dr. Anne Gutshall spoke to the whole group, both faculties from Angel Oak and Springfield, on academic persistence and strategies teachers might employ to promote and encourage the development of “grit” in their students. As we have acknowledged through our work in TDA with the ELA models, the 5 Es in science, and Talk Moves, classroom responses should support high-end learning for all students. Dr. Gutshall shared strategies to create more supportive environments that embrace a growth mindset, and develop students’ grit and perseverance.

Next, Marie Sanders from Angel Oak and two of her fellow teachers shared examples of student work and insights they gained from use of TOPS: Teachers’ Observation of Potential in Students.   These teachers provided insight into WHY teachers would need and want to gain the requisite skills in spotting student talent. Ms. Sanders and her colleagues helped all to see that when you are able to spot talent, you can better tap into and nurture it.

Marie shares a student work sample and what she learned about this child.

In the final segment of the day, teachers split into two smaller groups to learn more about and practice with TOPS: Teachers’ Observation of Potential in Students.

Teachers share their synthesis of TOPS.

Teachers left the October session with the assignment below:

TOPS in the Classroom:
The Whole Class Observation Form

•  Between November 2- December 11, observe your class for a minimum of 3 consecutive weeks.
•  Using the inside of the TOPS folder, the first time a child shows behaviors within a given domain, write the child’s name inside the TOPS folder, in the box for that domain.
•  Each additional time you observe that child’s behavior within a noted domain, add a tally mark beside his or her name.
•  After your observation period is completed and before the holiday break, record your observations on the Whole Class TOPS Profile found on the back of the folder. For each child, indicate which domains were noted and why, either due to the intensity or the frequency of behaviors seen in that domain.

The next TDA whole group session will be in February 2016.