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As noted earlier, the Enrichment Triad
Model has been used as a way of offering academic alternatives for
students whose curriculum has been compacted. Alternatives often
exist to provide acceleration and/or enrichment for students whose
curriculum has been compacted. This step proved to be the most challenging
and the most creative for teachers. The possibilities for replacement
activities include:
- Offering more challenging content
(alternative texts, fiction or non-fiction works)
- Adapting classwork to individual
curricular needs or learning styles
- Initiating individual or small
group projects using contracts or management plans
- Using interest or learning centers
- Providing opportunities for self-directed
learning or decision making
- Offering mini-courses on research
topics or other high interest areas
- Using mentors to guide in learning
advanced content or pursuing independent studies.
- Helping students
to use the Internet effectively, gathering data and information
and helping them to use this to further their advanced reading
and information gathering techniques
Selecting Enrichment
Options
These enrichment materials may include self-directed
learning activities, instructional materials that focus on particular
thinking skills, and a variety of individual and group project oriented
activities that are designed to promote hands on research and investigative
skills. The time made available through compacting provides opportunities
for small group, special topic seminars that might be directed by
students or community resource persons, community based apprenticeships
or opportunities to work with a mentor, peer tutoring situations,
involvement in community service activities, and opportunities to
rotate through a series of self-selected mini-courses.
Decisions
about which replacement activities to use are always guided by factors
such as time, space, and the availability of resource persons and
materials. Although practical concerns must be considered, the ultimate
criteria for replacement activities should be the degree to which
they increase academic challenge and the extent to which they meet
individual needs. Great care should be taken to select activities
and experiences that represent individual strengths and interests
rather than the assignment of more-of-the-same worksheets or randomly
selected kits, games, and puzzles!
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