新编英语教程5Unit7教案.doc

Unit Ten
TEXTS 1 & 2
GROUPING THE GIFTED: PRO/CON
Kenneth Mott / Bruno Bettelheim

Objectives: to comprehend the texts independently with peer collaborations.
to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of gifted grouping in both Text 1 and Text 2.
to debate on grouping the gifted.

Section one
Pre-reading questions: (15 mins.)
1. What sort of people do you consider ‘gifted’?
2. What do you know about IQ and IQ scores?
(See Lib. Work)
3. Do you think gifted children should be treated differently from children at large? Give your reasons. i.e. Do you agree with Kenneth Mott that the ‘gifted’ should be grouped?

In-reading:
Step 1. Answer the questions given by individual work or peer collaboration.
Read this passage carefully this time and answer the following questions by figuring out the sentences in the text and interpreting them in your own words in written work: (40 mins.)
1) What does Mott define ‘the gifted’? How is his definition different from the commonly held one? Do you think this is important? In what way is this relevant to his argument? (comp.3-1, O &Ｄ1) (paras.1, 2)
2) What does Mott think of the way to deal with the gifted? (paras.3, 4)
3) What opposing views does Mott single out for refutation? How does he defend his ideas? (O&D2) (paras.5 - 13 )
4) Are there any advantages and disadvantages of heterogeneous classes talked about? If any, what are they? (paras. 14, 15)
6) How does the experiment in reading program go and what’s the result? (paras.16, 17, 18, 19)
7) How does Mott conclude his argument? Do you think this is a good way to conclude? Why or why not? (O&D3)
(This is actually the preparation of the text in class so that the teacher can see how well the students can do the job individually and independently.)
Step 2: Class discussion on the questions given above. (25 mins.)
1. Definition of the ‘gifted’.
1.1. What does Mott define ‘the gifted’? (comp.3-1, O &Ｄ1) (paras.1, 2)
According to Mott, the gifted are those who possess some quality or innate ability which has been recognized and identified by any number of testing and observation devices and who manifest interest and success in either physical, intellectual, or artistic pursuits. (Split and paraphrase the sentence) (LW5-1, 6-1)
(Splitting 1: In my opinion, gifted children usually possess some special quality or innate ability which has been made known and verified by means of testing and observation devices. Moreover, gifted children show interest and achieve success in either physical, intellectual, or artistic pursuits.)
Paraphrasing: In my opinion, gifted children are children who are specially endowed with natural abilities which rank high on testing scales.
These might be children who are gifted athletes but who have real trouble mastering academic subject matter, or students who are poor athletes but are highly intellectual ‘quiz kids’ who knock the top off all measuring devices. (Split the sentence) (LW5-2)
Splitting 2: These children might be gifted athletes but rather poor academically. Or, they might be poor athletes but very strong intellectually.
Gifted may describe pupils of average intelligence who have exceptional ability in art or music, or it may refer to the child with an IQ of 135 who excels in everything.
Some gifted, though they are not specially intelligent, have special ability in art or music; some have an IQ score as high as 135 indicating they are very superior in everything.
(The splitting and paraphrasing exercises are done only when the students have difficulty in understanding these sentences demonstrated in their answers. Or the keys to the exercises can be used by the teacher in his sum-up of the students’ answers.)
1.2. How is his definition different from the commonly held one?
The notion of the gifted is normally associated with a high level of intelligence, but Mott’s definition emphasizes interest and ability as well as intelligence.
1.3. Do you think this is important? In what way is this relevant to his argument?
Mott begins his essay by making clear what he means by the gifted. This is definitely important. Mott’s argument is to a large extent based on the definition of the gifted. Whether grouping the gifted can yield positive results has Much to do with what the gifted is taken to mean. Note the 1st sentence of para.6.
2. What does Mott think of the way to deal with the gifted? (paras.3, 4)
I firmly believe that we should group them as nearly as possible according to interest and ability (giftedness) and challenge them with a type of program that will help them to grow to the fullest extent of their abilities and capacities. (paraphrase) (LW6-2)
I am of the opinion that children should be grouped according to their interest and ability and be subject to a form of training that will develop their abilities and capacities to the utmost.
i.e. to group the gifted according to their interest and ability and offer them relevant programs in order to maximize their potential.
This grouping can take the form of special subject arrangements in the elementary grades, a situation in which a class is heterogeneously grouped most of the day but is divided at times into special interest or ability class groups for special instruction. (split: LW5-3)
The grouping could take the form of special subject arrangements in the elementary grades. According to this plan, a class is heterogeneously grouped most of the day, but is divided at times into special interest or ability class groups for special instruction.
i.e. In the elementary grades, the gifted can join heterogeneous classes most of the time, but attend sometimes the class to meet their special interest or ability by special instruction.
In high school, it may take the form of grouping students in regular classes according to any number of criteria but basically those of interest and proficiency (or lack of proficiency) in various subject areas.
In high school, the gifted may be grouped (into regular classes) according to their interest or talent/proficiency.

Section two
Step 2: Class discussion on the questions given above. (30 mins.)
3. What opposing views does Mott single out for refutation? How does he defend his ideas? (O&D2) (paras.5, 6, 7, & 10, 11)
3.1. Two opposing views are singled out for refutation.
a. Grouping the gifted will create a caste of intellectual snobs, while the average and slow students would come to regard themselves as inferior.
b. Gifted grouping does not affect achievement significantly. No significant change in achievement results when children are separated into slow and accelerated classes.
3.1.1. How do you understand the expression ‘a caste of intellectual snobs’? (comp.3-3)
a caste - any of the hereditary Hindu social classes of a formerly segregated system of India
snob - one who despises those considered inferior to him in terms of social status, income, etc.
a caste of intellectual snobs - a group of students who consider themselves superior to others because of their outstanding ability and achievement, and special treatment they receive from the teachers
3.2. Mott defends his 1st viewpoint by applying the method of using analogy to convince, e.g., gifted grouping in speech, music, etc.
There exist the schools for gifted athletes, gifted debaters, musicians, artists, and writers for many years, and there is little signs that these gifted regard themselves as superior and despise others, neither signs that the less talented students in these areas feel inferior. This kind of school doesn’t show any apparent ill effect. (paras. 6, 7)
According to the author, if any such feeling arouses, it is the teacher, the parents, or administrators that should be responsible for. (paras. 8, 9)
3.2.1 Paraphrase The teacher, not the manner in which a class is organized, determines students’ attitudes toward individual differences (LW 6 - 3).
It is the teacher, rather than the way that the classes are formed, that influences the students in how they look at differences in ability among themselves.
3.2.2 Paraphrase I have confidence that if teachers accept and respect individual worth, that if they challenge and spark interests in young people, the individual student will mature and grow successfully along the lines of his interests and abilities. (LW6-4)
I am confident that if teachers are aware of individual differences and motivate young people in different ways, the students will develop through cultivating their own interests and abilities.
3.3. Mott defends his 2nd viewpoint by applying the method of finding fault with the opponents’ supporting evidence, e.g., grouping pupils according to their IQ scores, which are far from reliable.
The reason that no apparent achievement results when the gifted are grouped is that their attainment can’t be measured by IQ scores because they are specially interested or talented in these areas as music, sports, arts, etc. Their growth in creativity, attitudes, personal adjustment, latent interest and talent, and innate capacity can hardly be reliably measured. Yet, their learning skyrockets, which is observed from the author’s personal teaching experiences.
Gifted grouping results in the rapid increase of knowledge of the gifted because they are motivated, challenged, and inspired by a type of schoolwork that meets their particular needs.
3.4. Pointing out erroneous notions held by the opposing party, e.g., the traditionally held definition of the gifted.
3.5. Arguing from first-hand experience.
The last two methods are not included in these paragraphs.
4. Are there any advantages and disadvantages of heterogeneous classes talked about? If any, what are they? (paras. 14, 15)
Disadvantages: Heterogeneous classrooms frequently produce frustration not only in the gifted because they are not properly challenged by their schoolwork , but also in the non-gifted as they are unable to do the same work that most of the other children do.
The gifted are likely to get content to proceed at a snail’s pace and to be a top student in a class with less ability so that their giftedness is wasted away.
5. How does the experiment in reading program go and what’s the result? (paras.16, 17, 18, 19)
Two groups: experimental gp and control / regular-procedure gp.
EG: a slow-reader class, an average-reader class, a fast-reader class with 3 different teachers in each class
CG: one class with one teacher who has to divides his time among different groups of readers at different reading levels.
Result: After 2 years, EG achieves greater overall progress than the CG. And within the group, individuals achieve upward mobility in reading proficiency.
6. How does Mott conclude his argument? Do you think this is a good way to conclude? Why or why not? (O&D3)
Mott concludes by citing the result of a successful experiment in grouping pupils according to their different reading ability.
This does not seem to be a strong, supportive way to end the argument. In the experiment he cites, the grouping is done according to the pupils’ ability, which is very close to the criterion of intelligence used traditionally to distinguish between the gifted and the non-gifted. This makes the ending sound very much like a compromise.

Post-reading:
1. Individual work: Skim and scan this text and finish the comp.1, 2. (5 mins.)
2. Check the answers to comp.1, 2 in class and see the correct rate of comprehension. (5 mins.)

TEXT 2
GROUPING THE GIFTED: CON
Bruno Bettelheim

1. Group work: Scan the text and identify all the disadvantages of gifted grouping mentioned by Bruno. Exchange opinions and make the disadvantages as complete as possible. (15 mins.)
3. Class discussion: List the disadvantages on the blackboard and provide necessary explanations.
(15 mins.) (comp. 1)
1) A gifted student who is bored by his studies is an anxious child. Putting him in a special class does not help him as a human being.
2) A gifted child does not learn only when pressed by the curriculum. When placed in an ordinary class, he has the energy to branch out, broaden his interests, and can understand far more deeply.
3) Grouping the gifted deprives the less-gifted of stimulation.
4) Speeding up the pace of education for the gifted might deprive the society of some men of broad social vision it might need in the future.
5) ...

Language work (10 mins.)

Section three
Post-reading debate: (25 mins.)
1. Divide the class into two groups: the pro and the con. Debate on the gifted grouping by giving evidences learnt in TEXT 1 and TEXT 2.
2. Summary (5 mins.)

Language work

Pre-class Work for Unit 10
Study the text and answer the questions：
1) What does Mott define ‘the gifted’? How is his definition different from the commonly held one? Do you think this is important? In what way is this relevant to his argument? (paras.1, 2)
2) What does Mott think of the way to deal with the gifted? (paras.3, 4)
3) What opposing views does Mott single out for refutation? How does he defend his ideas? (paras.5 - 13 )
4) Are there any advantages and disadvantages of heterogeneous classes talked about? If any, what are they? (paras. 14, 15)
6) How does the experiment in reading program go and what’s the result? (paras.16 - 19)
7) How does Mott conclude his argument? Do
you think this is a good way to conclude? Why or why not?
Comp. 3 & LW5,6
7