Gifted and Talented Education
Differentiating the curriculum for Stage 4 English students:
Williams model
Exposing the news
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
1
© State of New South Wales through the
NSW Department of Education and Training, 2006
©
State of NSW, Department of Education and Training, Curriculum K-12
Directorate, 2006
Copies of this document may be made for use with DET activities on the
condition that copies of the material shall be made without alteration and
must retain acknowledgement of the copyright.
Any enquiries about alterations, or about reproduction for other purposes
including commercial purposes, should be directed to Curriculum K-12
Directorate on (02) 9886 7743 in the first instance.
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
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© State of New South Wales through the
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Williams’ Cognitive-Affective Interaction Model
The Williams Cognitive-Affective Interaction Model, like many other models
adopted for differentiating the curriculum for gifted students, was originally
devised from research on engendering motivation or connectedness in the
education of all students. This model or design can be used by teachers to
encourage divergent approaches to integrating the cognitive and affective
domains in teaching and learning in the mixed-ability classroom.
There are three dimensions.
Dimension 1:
identifies and lists the subject matter of the school
curriculum.
Dimension 2:
consists of 18 strategies, approaches or behaviours of good
teachers that the research has identified as encouraging or
promoting positive thinking and creative learning
experiences for students.
Dimension 3:
lists eight processes identified by research that foster
cognitive and affective divergence.
As a model of interaction, none of the dimensions imply a hierarchy. Rather they
encourage creative processes within content-based experiences. Factors from all
three dimensions will be engaged in any particular activity.
Dimension 1
In this example, the English syllabus provides the Dimension 1 content-base for
students to explore their thinking and feeling experiences.
How might Dimension 2 strategies and Dimension 3 processes be incorporated
in the Stage 4 English curriculum?
Dimension 2 – Teacher strategies
The following table provides some ways in which each of the elements of
Dimension 2 might be considered and developed with regard to the English
Years 7-10 Syllabus. It would not be expected that all elements from the model
would be completed in any single topic. Rather these are ideas for illustration and
consideration. They might also be developed in conjunction with approaches
from other models for differentiating the curriculum.
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Dimension 2
Consider self-contradictory statements. These abound in literature,
e.g. Wordsworth’s “The child is father of the man”. Students can be
encouraged to examine and evaluate ideas in novel and exciting
contexts
Paradox
Analyse inherent properties or qualities by examining them in a
new light e.g. Identify individual characteristics of satire and how
they might be used creatively
Attribute listing
Identify similarities between things to establish a common link. An
understanding of this is fundamental to language and literature
development and gifted students require optimal opportunities for
demonstrating their ability to make unconventional comparisons
e.g. between the news and fiction
Analogy
Encourage the identification of gaps in knowledge and
understanding by offering students opportunities to investigate
differences between facts and perceptions e.g. select an issue in
the news where perspective is clouded by propaganda
Discrepancy
Questions are structured by both teacher and students to elicit
higher-order thinking e.g. a class discussion/debate on the topic “In
what instances can portraying human frailties be justified by the
media?”
Provocative question
Alteration, modification and substitution allow for change e.g. the
examination of the ways technologies influence the structure and
language of texts, or using imaginative texts as models to replicate
or subvert into new texts (Outcome 6, Content point 6.6)
Examples of change
Examine examples that demonstrate rigidity and inflexibility e.g.
stereotypical portrayal of people, places and ideas in the media
such as politicians or cultures
Examples of habit
Organised random search
Skills of search
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
Knowledge of a known structure allows the development of random
new solutions e.g. appropriation of text takes students from that
which is known to allowing them to create their own solutions and
interpretations
Research historical, descriptive and experimental evidence for how
things have previously been done e.g. the study of language and
literature is constantly allowing students to see how others may
have constructed texts to express the social conditions of their
times
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Tolerance for ambiguity
Allow freedom for intuition to be expressed e.g. the construction of
texts that enable students to reveal their feeling, hunches and
emotions either from their own experiences or in response to other
texts
Intuitive expression
Illustrate the benefits of serendipity and opportunities to grow from
failures and mistakes e.g. through composing their own news
presentation on video
Adjustment to
development
Study creative process
Creative reading skills
Creative listening skills
Creative writing skills
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
Analyse creative personalities and the processes by which they
compose and develop e.g. an author study of Tim Winton or John
Marsden, or a media personality study of Jana Wendt or Andrew
Denton
Explore solutions and conclusions with respect to consequences
and implications e.g. evaluate the way in which purpose, audience
and context affect a composer’s choices of content, language forms
and features and structures of texts (Outcome 5, Content point 5.9)
Evaluate situations
Visualisation
Present open-ended situations that challenge thinking within
problem situations, e.g. engaging with possibilities of creations in
fantasy literature or discussing future directions in text construction
Students generate many new ideas from their reading, rather than
just reading for meaning, e.g. the cleverness and joy of invention
(Outcome 5, Content point 5.13)
Generate opportunities and experiences for skill development in
listening e.g. students’ aural skills are trained to make connections
and to listen for inference and ideas as well as for information – it’s
not what you say but how you say it!
Provide opportunities for students to generate new ideas in their
writing e.g. variations in format promote scope for the imaginative
and creative composition of texts
Present opportunities for students to place themselves in a variety
of contexts that allow them to imaginatively respond to and
compose texts e.g. use verbal, aural and visual techniques to
create imaginative texts (Outcome 6, Content point 6.7)
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© State of New South Wales through the
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Dimension 3
Based on creativity research, Williams (1993) identifies the presence of the
following cognitive and affective processes within Dimension 3:
Cognitive-Intellective
factors
Indicated by the presence of:
Fluent thinking
a significant number of relevant responses
Flexible thinking
a variety in the directions and categories of
thinking related to questions, responses, etc.
Original thinking
unusual or novel responses that indicate
originality
Elaborative thinking
additional detail or specificity in ideas or
responses
Affective-Temperament
factors
Indicated by the presence of:
Risk-taking
a willingness to make guesses, express ideas or
take chances in investigating an unknown that
might expose the individual to failure or criticism
Complexity
depth or intricacy in elaboration
Curiosity
an inquisitiveness about ideas, in problems and
situations
Imagination
the ability to visualise and symbolise the unknown
Clearly these factors are integral to the English teacher’s strategies in the
encouragement of analysis and evaluation. We challenge students to envisage
themselves in the roles of characters in literature, to participate in debates where
arguments might not necessarily reflect the individual’s personal response or
ideas, and to provide opportunities for students to explore their own boundaries
in the relationship between language and meaning.
Comprehensive discussion of the Williams and other models is included in the
Policy and implementation strategies for the education of gifted and talented
students: Support package: Curriculum differentiation (2004) document.
Teachers may also use the booklet Activities for differentiating the curriculum
(available online) that contains templates for developing ideas in curriculum
modification.
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Curriculum K-12
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© State of New South Wales through the
NSW Department of Education and Training, 2006
Sample teaching unit:
Exposing the news
Programming in English provides many opportunities for gifted and talented
students to demonstrate unusual and creative responses. Characteristics of the
gifted such as their advanced levels of moral judgement and sense of justice,
their strong feelings and opinions and the presence of a sense of humour are all
encouraged in a unit such as this one.
Context
The unit Exposing the news was developed by Richmond River High School.
This sample demonstrates some ways in which an existing unit may be
differentiated to provide for the needs of students gifted in English. Its focus is to
encourage students to progress beyond the essential content outlined in the
syllabus for Stage 4. Activities are constructed so that gifted students are not
excluded from the mainstream classroom topics and discussion. Alternative tasks
also need to provide the students with a degree of choice or influence in the
direction of their learning. In some instances gifted students may undertake a
common task but be working to relevant Stage 5 outcomes rather than the Stage
4 outcomes identified in the original unit.
All tasks in Exposing the news are referenced to the NSW Quality Teaching
model of pedagogy. Some of these activities involve analysis, synthesis,
creativity or incorporating higher-order thinking skills, for example, and these
activities are suitable for gifted students to complete alongside their peers. There
is also a number of tasks, such as spelling, that would not provide the requisite
challenge in pace or complexity for gifted English students. The strategies
provided here include suggestions for appropriately differentiated tasks that could
be substituted at or augment the referenced items in the original unit of work.
Outcomes
Outcome 1, Content point 5: students learn to respond to texts from different
reading positions as an aspect of their developing moral and ethical stances on
issues
•
Outcome 7, Content point 6: students propose, support and elaborate points
in an argument and draw conclusions
•
Outcome 7, Content point 9: students learn about the ways bias, stereotypes,
perspectives and ideologies are constructed in texts, including the codes and
phrasings that signal them
•
Outcome 8, Content point 4: students track and explain the treatment of a
common theme or idea in a range of texts in different modes and media
•
Outcome 9, Content point 2: students learn to relate the content and ideas in
texts to the world beyond the texts
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Curriculum K-12
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Outcome
Content
Activity
Students respond to
and compose
increasingly
sophisticated and
sustained texts for
understanding,
interpretation, critical
analysis and
pleasure
Students learn to apply the
Information Skills process to
locate relevant Internet site,
locate information, make
judgements and draw
conclusions about apparent
contradictions based on prior
knowledge (of ethics in
journalism)
Students locate then
read the Wendt article
online and mindmap
instances of
contradictions between
realities in journalism and
the ideal
Students learn about the ways
bias, perspectives and
ideologies are constructed in
texts
Students think
critically and
interpretively using
information, ideas
and increasingly
complex arguments
to respond to and
compose texts in a
range of contexts.
Compose and deliver a
sophisticated and sustained
argument
Students investigate
relationships
between and among
texts
Analyse and make
connections between context
and issues
Experiment with ways of
representing the real world
imaginatively
Recognise similarities or
differences of approach,
attitude, intent, point of view
and perspective by different
composers
Demonstrate an
understanding of the ways
texts reflect personal and
public worlds
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
In a short oral
presentation students
present an analysis of
the paradox: Integrity
gets in the way of a good
story
Students’ choice in topic
and mode of delivery in
research on the
following:
1. Australia is promoted
as the clever country.
Do the media support
this in their
reporting?
2.
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© State of New South Wales through the
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How do the media
contribute to the
Australian habit of
cutting down our tall
poppies?
Students
demonstrate
understanding of the
ways texts reflect
personal and public
worlds
Students work well
with others
Appropriately select medium
of communication
Evaluate and draw
conclusions regarding context,
significance and priority of
items
In small groups students
prepare a news bulletin
for a teenage audience
Demonstrate own emerging
sense of style in composing
texts
Demonstrate features of
increasingly complex
imaginative, factual and
critical texts, including
cognitive, emotional and moral
dimensions of the text and its
linguistic and structural
features
Assessment
Pre-testing will establish the level at which students will need to be introduced to
the differentiated activities. These can be done both formally and informally.
Feedback to students may be provided orally during class work, or in writing in
response to individual written work. Students should be encouraged to reflect on
their learning through continued discussions and communication with the teacher
and, in the case of group, work their peers. All criteria for assessment should be
issued to students before they commence any task.
Formal assessment
Informal assessment
Work portfolios, including written and
other media responses, demonstrate
prior levels of thinking and skill
achievement.
e.g. Mindmaps, oral discussions,
Guidelines provided for peer assessment
of the oral extension activities.
Teacher provides ongoing oral feedback
concurrent with class activity.
Student self-reflection
Additional ideas for applying the Williams model to this topic are illustrated in the
following suggestions for Dimension 2.
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
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© State of New South Wales through the
NSW Department of Education and Training, 2006
Williams Model Matrix: Dimension 2
SUBJECT:
STAGE 4 ENGLISH
TOPIC:
MEDIA
Exposing the news
Unit Additional Stage
item 4 Outcome and
content points
Stage 5 Outcome
and content
points
PARADOX
Present a short argument on: Integrity gets in the way
of a good story
4.6
5.2, 5.3
1.5, 6.5
ATTRIBUTE
LISTING
Rank the key attributes of a good reporter. Identify
1.7
and comment on any conflicts with the Code of Ethics.
9.10
7.4, 7.6
ANALOGY
News reporters are like … Complete your own
analogy and justify your comparison.
1.6
6.5
8.3
DISCREPANCY
Mindmap key contradictions between reality and
ethics in journalism as identified in Wendt’s lecture.
1.7
7.15
1.5, 7.6, 9.2
PROVOCATIVE
QUESTION
Why should war correspondents risk their lives
reporting from the frontline?
1.4
6.8
9.1, 9.5
EXAMPLES OF
CHANGE
Analyse 5 examples that illustrate how society’s
attitudes to censorship of news has changed.
1.5
9.2
9.1
EXAMPLES OF
How do the media contribute to the Australian habit of
1.6
9.2, 9.10
9.1, 9.5
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
10
© State of New South Wales through the
NSW Department of Education and Training, 2006
HABIT
cutting down our tall poppies?
ORGANISED
RANDOM SEARCH
Research media ownership in Australia. How is this
reflected in sources selected for this task? What
implication does this have for Australia’s future?
SKILLS OF SEARCH Using the National Library of Australia’s web site,
identify key developments in Australian news
reporting. Report these findings by creating your own
web page.
1.4
11.14
3.4
5.3
2.1, 11.14
3.3, 11.5
TOLERANCE FOR
AMBIGUITY
Australia is promoted as the clever country. Do the
media support this in their reporting?
1.5
9.6, 9.10
9.5, 10.3
INTUITIVE
EXPRESSION
Imagine you are Ray Martin. How did your role in
news reporting change during your career?
2.6
6.7
6.6
ADJUSTMENT TO
DEVELOPMENT
How does satire allow us to be more critical of the
media? (View an episode of Frontline or The Games
for comparisons to be made).
2.2,
5.1
1.5, 1.18, 1.19
3.9
STUDY CREATIVE
DEVELOPMENT
Study the imagery of journalists during World War II,
the Vietnam War and today. What similarities and
differences are there?
3.2
7.15, 8.1, 8.3
3.4
EVALUATE
SITUATIONS
Investigate the ‘cash for comment’ scandal regarding
Alan Jones or John Laws. Was public outrage
justified?
4.6
8.8
1.5
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
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© State of New South Wales through the
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CREATIVE
READING SKILLS
Write a book review of the children’s picture book
Fairytale news by Colin & Jacqui Hawkins. How does
this compare with traditional fairytales?
3.3
2.6
2.6
CREATIVE
LISTENING SKILLS
Listen to/watch a ‘news headlines’ promotion, then
listen to/watch the full news bulletin. Evaluate the
significance of the promotional items.
2.5
8.4
4.5,
2.3
5.3
2.1, 2.3, 4.6
1.4,
5.3
5.4
2.1, 2.3, 3.5, 4.3
CREATIVE WRITING Create and record a 30 second promotional item for a
news program.
SKILLS
VISUALISATION
GAT Unit
Curriculum K-12
Prepare a news broadcast targeting a teenage
audience. Which medium would you choose? What
value would you place upon informing versus
entertaining your young audience?
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Resources
Gross, M.U.M., Sleap, B. & Pretorius, M. (1999). Gifted students in secondary
schools: Differentiating the curriculum. Sydney: University of New South
Wales, GERRIC (Gifted Education Research, Resource and
Information Centre).
NSW Department of Education. (1989). Information skills in the school.
Sydney.
NSW Department of Education and Training. (2004) Policy and
implementation strategies for the education of gifted and talented
students: Support package: Curriculum differentiation. Sydney.
Williams, F.E. (1993). The Cognitive-Affective Interaction Model for enriching
gifted programs. In J.S. Renzulli, (Ed.), Systems and models for
developing programs for the gifted and talented (pp. 461-484). Highett,
Vic.: Hawker Brownlow Education.
Additional resources for this unit include:
Cilauro, S. et al. (1995). The art of interview [videorecording]. Sydney:
ABC/Frontline Television Productions.
Cilauro, S. et al. (1998). Frontline [videorecording]. Australia: ABC Video.
(Contents include: Behind the Frontline, a look at the making of Frontline;
Basic instincts; Keeping up appearances; Give ‘em enough rope; Divide
the community, multiply the ratings). Teachers will need to be aware that
this compilation is rated PG – others in the Frontline series are rated M
and would not be appropriate at this junior level.
Hawkins, C. & Hawkins, J. (2004). Fairytale news. London: Walker Books.
National Library of Australia online. Available at http://www.nla.gov.au/
Wendt, Jana. (1997). Andrew Olle Lecture 1997. Available at
http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/stories/s285549.htm
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Curriculum K-12
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© State of New South Wales through the
NSW Department of Education and Training, 2006