Gifted & Talented

Steve Young Supervisor

email: syoung@eccrsd.us   phone: 856.784.4441 x1226

• Curriculum Accommodations
• Eligibility and Services Summary
• South Jersey Model UN
  
  
  
• The Gifted and Talented Program at Eastern Regional High School is designed to provide various types and levels of enrichment to the Gifted of Voorhees, Berlin and Gibbsboro communities.  The Gifted Program offers students 4 years of specialized coursework, school supported enrichment programs and extensive support services administered by a designated, full-time staff member serving in the role of the Gifted & Talented Coordinator.

• Gifted and Talented Seminars are available to the Gifted population for four years.  Gifted and Talented Seminar courses are electives which include three thematic years with GT Seminar I (Year One) serving as an introduction to methodology used as well as resources available.  GT Seminar II (Year Two) and GT Seminar III (Year Three) use separate themes with GT Seminar II working in the field of futuristics and GT Seminar III examining philosophy and ethics.  GT Seminar IV (Year Four) includes creative problem solving and a yearlong capstone research project.  All of the courses include training in critical thinking skills with generous time commitments for independent study, based on a student’s interests.  Students learn to use advanced level research skills to address their research questions and share the results of their work in a variety of formats. 

• The Autonomous Learner Model by George Betts of the University of Colorado and the research of Joseph Renzulli of the University of Connecticut are used as the base for our work.

• The district offers students Advanced Placement courses in the academic and performing disciplines as well as an elective series of interdisciplinary courses entitled Gifted and Talented Seminar.  Eastern’s GT program is based on the School-wide Enrichment Model developed by Dr. Joseph Renzulli of the University of Connecticut National Center for Gifted Education.

• We believe that intelligence is not a unitary concept; therefore, single definitions cannot be used to explain the complicated concept.  Understanding that there is often a limited relationship between test scores and real world accomplishments, we open our program to students who demonstrate well above average ability, task commitment and creativity.  We direct our efforts toward developing gifted behaviors in our students.

The Gifted & Talented program offers:

• Model U.N. Conferences at local high schools and regional universities
• Field Trips to cultural and historical places
• Leadership workshops
• On-site and off-site speaker events
• Service Learning opportunities
• Partnerships with schools in Malawi and Uganda

 

GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM OVERVIEW

 

Gifted & Talented Seminar I – FRESHMAN YEAR /YEAR ONE

Course Content	Skills
Autonomous Learner Model Global Studies Bloom’s Taxonomy Independent Study Eminence	MLA Use of Databases and other academic publications Introduction to Bloom’s Taxonomy DeBono’s Cort Thinking and 6 Hats Presentation Skills Product Development

 

Gifted & Talented Seminar II – SOPHOMORE YEAR/YEAR TWO

Course Content	Skills
Autonomous Learner Model Leadership Strand SCAMPER Bloom’s Taxonomy Futures Content Clusters & Symposium Independent Study	Research, Writing, and Analytical Skills Drafting Bloom’s Workups Product Development Mastering Presentation Skills DeBono’s Thinking Skills

 

Gifted & Talented Seminar III – JUNIOR YEAR/YEAR THREE

Course Content	Skills
Leadership Strand:  Examples, Characteristics and Leadership Models Philosophy Content Clusters Ethics and Social Issues Career and College Exploration	Research, Writing, and Analytical Skills Drafting Bloom’s Workups Product Development Mastering Presentation Skills DeBono’s Thinking Skills

 

Gifted & Talented Seminar IV – SENIOR YEAR/YEAR FOUR

Course Content	Skills
Seminar and Initiative Facilitators Global Studies Portfolio Development Career and College Exploration Community Problem Solving at the local, regional and global arenas	Creative Problem Solving Research, Writing, and Analytical Skills Drafting Bloom’s Workups Product Development Mastering Presentation Skills DeBono’s Thinking Skills

 

Please visit the curriculum handbook to explore course offerings in the Gifted and Talented.

 

Revised: 8/2024