StATS: A model of collaboration to develop science talent among ...

This article was downloaded by: [Purdue University]On: 11 July 2012, At: 12:07Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: MortimerHouse, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UKRoeper ReviewPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uror20StATS: A model of collaboration to developscience talent among rural studentsMarcia Gentry a & Sharon Ferriss ba Assistant Professor in the Educational Foundations Department, Mankato StateUniversity, Mankatob Curriculum coordinator for Quincy community schools, QuincyVersion of record first published: 20 Jan 2010To cite this article: Marcia Gentry & Sharon Ferriss (1999): StATS: A model of collaboration to develop science talentamong rural students, Roeper Review, 21:4, 316-320To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02783199909553984PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLEFull terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditionsThis article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial orsystematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distributionin any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that thecontents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, anddrug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable forany loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever causedarising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.

PROGRAMSDownloaded by [Purdue University] at 12:07 11 July 2012StATS: A Model of Collaboration to Develop Science TalentAmong Rural StudentsMarcia GentrySharon FerrissThis article describes an environmental scienceprogram for talented, rural, middleschool students including the background,rationale, and the collaboration that made theprogram possible. Descriptive researchresults related to the effects of this programon student involvement, follow-up, and productdevelopment over eight program years arereported.Marcia Gentry is Assistant Professor in theEducational Foundations Department atMankato State University where she teachescourses in research, evaluation, and giftededucation. She also co-directs a new Master'sdegree in gifted education and talent developmentthat interfaces gifted education with generaleducation. Sharon Ferriss is a StATSfacilitator and has developed the program duringits tenure. She is the curriculum coordinatorfor Quincy community schools where previouslyshe taught middle school science andwas Michigan's Science teacher of the year.Studies for Academically TalentedStudents (StATS I) is a programdeveloped for rural, middle schoolstudents who demonstrate both talentand interest in environmental science.The major focus of the StATS I programis to develop research skills throughindependent and small group investigations(Renzulli, 1977) while increasingenvironmental awareness and the beliefthat one can make a difference andaffect change. Since its inception in1990, StATS I has enrolled approximately26 students annually from threerural schools in a year long, regularlyscheduled program. StATS I was originallyfunded through the EisenhowerExemplary Program competitivemath/science grants in 1990 and in1991. These funds were used to purchaselab equipment, computers, andresources to sustain the program in subsequentyears. Due to the popularity ofthe program and the students' demandfor follow-up, a second phase to the programwas developed that allows students316/Roeper Review, Vol. 21, No. 4to continue their studies with the supportof the StATS I facilitators. StATS II wasinitiated in 1991 and includes three components:an agri-environmental wildernessexpedition (AEWE), independentstudy/mentoring, and home-school supportservices.Program BackgroundStATS is the result of collaborationamong three rural districts in southernMichigan which have used theirresources and provided in-kind supportto make this program available to theirstudents. Each spring, students are invitedto apply for admission to the StATS Iprogram for the following school year.There is a parent/student meeting forthose interested in the program, duringwhich the application procedures andprogram are described and questionsanswered. Students must complete anapplication in which they describe theirinterest in the program, write an essayon an environmental issue of theirchoice, and obtain two letters of referencedocumenting their interest, commitment,and achievement in science.Applications are screened and studentswhose applications are exemplary areinterviewed prior to final placement. Ateam of adults, including both of theStATS instructors and local district representatives,interviews the students andselects 26 candidates for the program.Approximately half of the students whocomplete the application process areplaced in the program each year, and awaiting list is developed for the followingyear.A fter their selection for StATS I,xxstudents take home the EnvironmentalInterest-a-Lyzer (Gentry,1990), adapted from Renzulli's Interesta-Lyzer(1977), to complete before theprogram begins. This survey was developedspecifically for the StATS programand was designed to help students identifyand refine their interests and potentialinterests in environmental sciences.It contains two questions that assess students'awareness concern about severalenvironmental issues, followed by sixopen-ended questions regarding theirconcerns, knowledge, questions, andinvestigative interests about these issues.The survey concludes with two questionsabout the students' current conservationefforts and what efforts they maywant to begin. This information is disaggregatedin the areas of the student'senvironmental awareness, concerns,knowledge, questions, interests, andconservation efforts. The areas of interestvary with each new StATS I classresulting in a curriculum that changeseach year to meet the needs of the studentsand promote interest-based environmentalliteracy.Since 1990, seventh and eighthgraders have pursued theirshared interests and concerns aboutenvironmental issues through StATS Iwhich is scheduled for 17 half-day sessionsduring the school day throughoutthe year. Students from the three districtsare bussed (using existing bus service)to and from the StATS program atthe area vocational center. Students arereleased from their classes and teacherswork with the StATS facilitators to compactcurriculum and to eliminate extrawork for the students on these days.StATS is a team effort, facilitatedby a local science teacher and the vocationalcenter's Natural Resources AgriculturalTechnology instructor. The two,released from their regular duties, worktogether to develop curriculum, connectwith local agencies, and provide opportunitiesfor students to develop authenticskills in the environmental sciences.RationaleStATS is based upon the principlesof providing students with challenge,choice, interest, enjoyment, and personalmeaning in their educational experiencesas a means to motivate and todevelop lifelong learning habits. It alsoaddresses the need of students to workManuscript submitted March, 1998.Revision accepted September, 1998.

with others who have similar abilitiesand interests (Rogers, 1991; Robinson,1991). Researchers have suggested thatgrouping students according to ability orinterest, in class or across classes, isbeneficial in meeting the academicneeds of gifted students (Gentry, 1996;Kulik 1992; Parke, 1989; Rogers 1991),a premise upon which the identificationprocedure for the program is based. Asnoted by Spicker, Southern and Davis(1987), this is especially important forstudents from small rural areas whereopportunities and resources might otherwisebe limited. Finally, StATS is basedupon the rationale from gifted educationadvocating the use of authentic methods,development of research skills,through the development of real-worldproducts and services (Renzulli, 1977;Renzulli & Reis, 1985; Renzulli, 1994).In the StATS program, as recommendedby Renzulli (1988), many of themethodological activities and productsare completed with the help of professionalsfrom local and regional agenciesso that the students learn first hand frompracticing professionals. The ways inwhich challenge, choice, interest, enjoyment,and personal meaning are developedin StATS provide the rationale forthe program.Challenge is an integral part ofgifted education and can helpensure excellence. The methods andprocesses by which challenge can beoffered include: presenting high levelcontent, using advanced thinking skills,using advanced and authentic methodologies,developing products or servicesfor a real audience, and compacting curriculum(Bloom, 1985; Reis et al, 1993;Renzulli, 1994; Schlichter, 1986; Treffinger,1986; US Department of Education,1993). Vygotsky (1962) supportedthe notion of challenge in his theoryabout the Zone of Proximal Developmentin which he asserted that the onlygood instruction is that which proceedsslightly ahead of the learning developmentof the child. The federal report,National Excellence: A Case for DevelopingAmerica's Talent (US Departmentof Education, 1993), recognized that theregular curriculum is often not challengingfor students and called for morechallenging curriculum standards andfor providing students with more challenginglearning opportunities. Recentnational studies on curriculum compacting(Reis et al., 1993) and ClassroomPractices (Archambault, et al., 1993)also provided compelling evidenceabout the need for increased levels ofchallenge.Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 12:07 11 July 2012Choice is a powerful motivator andhas been consistently recommended toenhance student learning (Bloom, 1985;Dewey, 1913, 1916; Goodlad, 1984;Holt, 1983; Renzulli & Reis 1985;Shore et al., 1991; Wang & Lindvall,1984). Shore, Cornell, Robinson, andWard (1991), suggested broad curricularchoices for students related to inquiry,discovery and problem solving. Renzulli(1977; 1994) advocated that students begiven opportunities to choose problemsto pursue. He suggested that when studentsare grouped together by commoninterests and focused on the developmentof an authentic product or service,students choose the tasks that meet theirstrengths and talents. StATS gives studentschoice within educational activities,providing students ownership andcontrol of their learning, thus relevanceand achievement may be enhanced.Interest is another powerful motivatorfor students and, when nurtured,can lead to personal and educationalaccomplishments. This is not a new educationalconcept. William James (1890)proposed that awakening and nurturingchildren's interests are central to learning,and later, Dewey (1913) suggestedthat educators need to draw out the abilitiesand interests of the child. Gruber(1986) argued that the main force in theself-construction of the extraordinary isa person's own activities and interests.Educators in gifted education havecalled for interest to be central in determininga child's educational program(Gallagher, 1985; Maker, 1982; Parke,1989; Passow, 1982; Renzulli, 1978;Ward, 1980). Further, Deci and Ryan(1985) suggested that because peopleenjoy tasks that interest them, studyinginterests can lead to an understanding ofmotivation and learning. In a review ofrecent research related to the concept ofinterest, Schiefele (1991) discussed therole of interest in learning and motivation,pointing out that people naturallyapproach activities that interest them,making interest a directive force. Hesuggested that adapting instruction tostudent interests may have long termpositive motivational effects. Tobias(1994) also investigated the role ofinterest on learning and reported thatinterest has an energizing effect onlearning and leads to a deep comprehensionof subjects.Enjoyment is also instrumental forstudent involvement in the learningprocess (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990;Dewey, 1916; Renzulli, 1994; Schiefele,1991). Phenix (1964) emphasized theimportance of appeal to the imaginationfor learning to occur, however in hislandmark study, Goodlad (1984) reportedthat most classrooms had flat toneswith neutral emotion, ambiance, and apaucity of praise and guidance, suggestingthe need to create a more enjoyableatmosphere conducive to learning. Renzulli(1994) proposed that learning ismost effective when children enjoy whatthey are doing, and that creative productiveindividuals perform at optimal levelswhen they are doing what they mostenjoy. Csikszentmihalyi (1990) foundthat topic interest was significantly correlatedwith involvement, enjoyment,concentration and activation.Creating meaningfulness providesopportunities for studentsto explore and to pursue topics andproducts through self-directed learningand to develop personally meaningfulproducts. As StATS is selected by studentswho share a common interest, it issimilar to an enrichment cluster (Renzulli,1994) because students want to bethere and work together for a commonlyagreed upon purpose. In a recent studyon the effects of enrichment clusters onstudent product development, Reis,Gentry and Park (1995) found that over90% of the students involved in theclusters produced products. Moreover,when a child loves an area of study, thenlearning becomes personally meaningful,helping him or her construct knowledge.Therefore, offering opportunitiesfor students to conduct individual andsmall group investigations helps to providepersonally meaningful educationalexperiences (Renzulli, 1994).ResultsCollaboration, connection, and afocus on student interests has made theprogram strong and contributed to itssuccess. The program is popular withstudents year after year (more interestthan spaces, no attrition, and voluntaryhigh level productivity by students).Further, although it affects the schedulesof three middle schools and pulls studentsout of school during regular classtime, it maintains the support of personnelfrom those schools. Communicationthrough the students, by facilitators, andvia projects that connect to the homeschools—such as the StATS newsletter,surveys, and recycling efforts—havehelped to integrate StATS with thehome schools. Consequently there havebeen few problems with the program'sacceptance. Further, by using existingpersonnel, resources, busing, and facili-May/June, 1999, Roeper Review/317

Downloaded by [Purdue University] at 12:07 11 July 2012dents attend training sessions prior tothe week-long backpacking trip. Trainingincludes low impact camping andsafety, photography, journalizing techniques,and field research methods. Duringthe trip, students conduct an interestbasedresearch project and journal theexperience. Upon completion of a portfolioproject, they earned 1/2 highschool credit. Since its inception,AEWE has involved 210 students inweek long low-impact camping andfield experiences to Isle Royale NationalPark, MI; Porcupine Mountains NationalPark, MI; Smoky Mountains NationalPark, TN; Algonquin Provincial Park,CAN; Boundary Waters WildernessArea, MN; Yellowstone National Park,WY; and White Mountains NationalForest, NH. Students produced a varietyof products in this program including aphoto exhibit and community forum, ahiking manual, several newspapercolumns and photo essays, and animpact survey regarding the effects ofhumans on the flora of National Parks.Several students involved in AEWEhave expressed interest in pursuingenvironmental-related careers.Independent Study/ MentorshipsIndependent study enables studentsto collaborate with mentors after submittingan acceptable research proposal.For example, in 1995-96 an eleventhgrade student submitted a proposal towork with the soil conservation districtto develop a video tape that describedthe wetland restoration project in thecounty. This video was designed as aeducational training tape and was submittedto the state of Michigan'sDepartment of Environmental Qualityas a part of a grant awarded to the countyfor improving water quality in thecounty. The student worked with fieldagents from the soil conservation district,then wrote, filmed and edited thetape. She sought professional narrationand editing assistance through a localmedia specialist who helped her developa professional product. As a result ofthis student's work with the soil conservationproject and field agents whoacted as mentors, this tape is now usedstate-wide as an educational tool.Another example of a student initiatedindependent study/mentorship experienceis that of a ninth grade student whosubmitted a research proposal to workwith a limnologist from Eastern MichiganUniversity to study the effects ofgrazers on algae decomposition of cattails.The experimental design was presentedat the Michigan Academy of SciencesAnnual Meeting in April of 1997.Another student developed an ideafor an original board game that exploredthe effects of calories and cholesterol onhealth. During the next four years, thisstudent developed the concept, fieldtested a prototype of the game, maderevisions and worked with a professionalin the graphic arts field to lay out anddesign the final version. A US copyrightwas applied for and granted, and the studentis working with a marketing professionalto distribute the game.As part of the StATS II independentstudy/mentorship option,students interested in teaching havewritten and implemented lesson plansfor environmental studies with elementarystudents. An outdoor pond dayexperience initiated by independentstudy students has become part of theregular elementary science curriculumin one school district. Other studentshave pursued their interest in journalism,and under the supervision of theeditor of the local newspaper are workingon staff. Their articles are published,and one student has a regular column.Home-School Support ServicesA third way in which the StATS Iprogram is extended is through supportof home school activities for StATS students.Program materials are loaned tostudents, instructors give additional timefor technical assistance, and small minigrantsare available to fund acceptablestudent proposals. This opportunityallows StATS students across the countyto become more involved in advancedtopics for science fairs, special projects,research, and competitions such as ScienceOlympiad. Additionally, StATSproducts and resources are made availableto local teachers as a means of supportingthe home schools and buildingbridges between the programs.Discussion: Limitations,Implications, and TrendsAlthough the descriptive results ofthis project were impressive, there existseveral limitations to the current studyincluding the ex post facto nature of thedata; the lack of valid/reliable instrumentation;and the generalizibility of thisrural program to other settings. To providedocumentation of the effectivenessin future research or replication studiesof similar special programs, the authorssuggest planning the research at theonset of the program. The StATS programs,as with many innovations in education,was not designed as a researchstudy, and only after several years ofwhat seemed to be successful existencedid those involved consider reportingresults. By planning and collecting dataas programs are developed, implemented,and carried out, and by employing acombination of quantitative and qualitativemethods, more substantive findingsthan those reported here may beachieved. For example, yearly exit interviews,as well as follow-up interviews atscheduled intervals, with students wouldhave provided valuable insight into boththe short-term and long-term effects oftheir involvement in the program.Although the descriptive, ex post factoapproach used in this study providedinsight into the programs, their activities,and effects on students, adding a quantitativeapproach would have providedgreater insight. By using pre and postmeasures on variables such as achievement,product quality, self-efficacy, andself-concept, more definitive outcomescould have been measured. Combiningquantitative and qualitative methodswould serve researchers, coordinators ofgifted programs, and program developersby providing a more complete pictureof the observable and measurable effectsof such programs when they are implemented.Although the information in thisstudy may not be entirely newto the field of gifted education, it doesserve to illustrate how some strategiescan be integrated and developed into aprogram that transcends traditionalschool boundaries in a rural setting. Forareas with limited resources and smallpopulations, such cooperative programmingshould be considered as a meansby which resources can be pooled andstudents' special interests and talentscan be served. In the absence of cooperationand creativity on the part of theschool districts and educators involved,such programs would not exist. Thisprogram can also serve as a model forusing student interests and strengthstogether with real-world problems andcollaboration within educational venuesfrom special programs to the "regularclassroom."After eight years, StATS continuesto grow and change in response to studentinterests and directions. In a ruralarea with limited resources, this programhas managed to offer enrichingeducational experiences to students thatwould not be found in their ownschools. The numbers of students whoproduce products in StATS I (85% andgreater, each year), and the number ofstudents who continue their studies afterthe conclusion (35% and greater, eachMay/June, 1999, Roeper Review/319

year) are a indicative of the program'ssuccess. In a county with 6000 studentsattending 3 rural school districts, thenumbers of students in any one middleschool with a passion for the environmentprobably would not sustain anintensive program such as StATS. However,with collaboration, these students,bonded by their common interests andstrengths have been able to come togetherregularly during the school year topursue these interests.StATS currently serves as amodel program for educatorsinterested in developing similar collaborativeventures that concentrate on areasof student interest and talent development.The facilitators of the StATS programhave made presentations about theprogram at regional, state, national andinternational conferences. Chosen as oneof 35 programs from a national searchfor exemplary environmental programs,StATS is highlighted in the EPA'sguide, Getting Started: a Guide toBringing Environmental Education IntoYour Classroom (Bones, 1994). Additionally,StATS demonstrates what ispossible when the learning is authentic,challenging, meaningful, and groundedin student interests. Perhaps an additionalvalue of such a program is to remindus that students can accomplish greatthings that go well beyond our curriculumand standardized tests, if we onlyprovide them the time and latitude toexplore their interests, dreams, and passions.As suggested by Renzulli (1994)this is most likely to occur when studentswith common interests areDownloaded by [Purdue University] at 12:07 11 July 2012grouped with facilitators who will helpthem pursue these interests in a rigorous,challenging, authentic manner.REFERENCESArchambault, F. X., Westberg, K., Brown, S. B., Hallmark,B. W., Emmons, C. L., & Zhang, W. (1993). Regularclassroom practices with sifted students: Results of anational survey of classroom teachers. Storrs, CT: TheNational Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.Bloom, B. S. (Ed.). (1985). 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Schools for talent development: Acomprehensive plan for total school improvement.Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.Renzulli, J. S., & Reis, S. M. (1985). The schoolwide enrichmentmodel: A comprehensive plan for educationalexcellence. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative LearningPress.Robinson, A. (1991). Cooperative learning and the academicallytalented student. Storrs, CT: The NationalResearch Center on the Gifted and Talented.Rogers, K. B. (1991). The relationship of grouping practicesto the education of the gifted and talented learner.Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Giftedand Talented.Schiefele, U. (1991). Interests, learning and motivation.Educational Psychologist, 26, 299-323.Schlichter, C. (1986). Talents unlimited: Applying the multipletalent approach to mainstream and gifted programs.In I. S. Renzulli (Ed.), Systems and models for developingprograms for the gifted and talented (pp. 352-390).Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.Shore, B. 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Gordon (Ed.), Review of researchin education (Vol. 11) (pp. 161-226). Washington, DC:American Educational Research Association.Ward, V. (1980). Differential education for the gifted. Ventura,CA: Ventura Superintendent of Schools Office.Distance education for the gifted and talented:An interactive design modelDavid H. McKinnonC. J. Patrick NolanIn 1994, the New South Wales Board of Studies, Australia, introducedthree high level Distinction Courses for gifted and talented students:comparative literature, cosmology, and philosophy. All are offered bydistance education but the cosmology course employs an interactivedesign model and an extensive communication system that differentiatesit from the other two. This article explains the model and the way itis used in practice to organize, sequence and deliver the course. Discussionaddresses ways in which the model might be used to design awider range of courses for gifted and talented students.David H. McKinnon is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education atCharles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia. He is the Course Coordinatorof the Cosmology Distinction Course. His main academic andresearch interests are curriculum development, education with computers,science education and the education of the gifted and talented.C. J. Patrick Nolan is the director of the Educational Research andDevelopment Center and Associate Professor of Education at MasseyUniversity, New Zealand. His main academic interests are curriculumdevelopment, education with computers, experiential learning, andschool development and administration.320/Roeper Review, Vol. 21, No. 4