GIFTED STUDENTS AND THE USAGE OF DEPTH AND COMPLEXITY ICONS
Gifted students and students that are academically behind still are in need of our help as educators. They only difference is the type of needs. These students need to be challenged academically and the Icons of Depth provides just that. The purpose of the Depth and Complexity Icons is to raise the level of thinking by up-leveling questions through depth and complexity rather than focusing on surface knowledge.
DEPTH TOOLS
Depth encompasses an understanding of details to aid in the comprehension of new knowledge.
COMPLEXITY TOOLS
This includes the relationships and connections among other concepts and disciplines.
The Icons of Depth and Complexity are listed as follows:
Language of disciplines
This icon describes the type of language that one needs to know prior to going into a topic. This may not only include keywords and their meaning but also phrases, signs/symbols, figures of speech and abbreviations that are related to the content.
For example, if a teacher is directing a lesson on culture some of the vocabulary terms that the students would be required to know would be terms such as religion, ethnicity, and race. For a subtraction and addition math lesson, on the other hand, students would need to know the meaning of the words “sum” and “difference” as well as the meaning of symbols such as +, -, and = in order to be able to comprehend and read a mathematical sentence.Details
This icon describes the important features and characteristics that aid in the understanding of the concept. This icon may also be described with the questions who? what? When? Where? Why? How?
For example, this icon can be used in a lesson regarding animals such as learning about an Anteater. A detail about an Anteater would be its head shape that can aid the understanding of what and how the Anteater eats.
Point of view
This icon has students put themselves in other people's shoes and ask themselves how would others view a particular situation and why? Acknowledging different interpretations.
For example, having students view multiple perspectives such as how a person with no vision “sees” compared to those that do have vision. How would a home be seen by a contractor compared to a home interior designer?Patterns
This icon has students observing reoccurring themes and making predictions based on past events.
For example during a Mathematics lesson student may focus on numerical and shape patterns such as 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. what would come next? or ⧫⧫, 🔺🔺, ⧫⧫, 🔺🔺 what would come next? In contrast during a literature lesson, students would make predictions on stories, for example, the story of the 3 little pigs the wolf blows down the house of the first and second pig. Will the wolf blow down the third pig's house? Why or why not?Rules
The rules icon describes the standard, guidelines, and methodology of a particular item or procedure.
For example, in mathematics when solving operations students must know the rules of operations such a PEMDAS which explains the order in which the equation must be solved: parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and lastly subtraction.Big Idea
This icon focuses on the general theme or principle of the area being studied and supporting it with evidence.
For example, in literacy, this icon would focus on the main theme of a book. What was the main idea of the story? Similarly, in Science, a lesson on gravity may have students focus on Newton's laws of gravity.Ethics
This icon focuses on moral principles. Differentiating right from wrong.
For example, in science, lessons can open discussions on questioning rather or not scientist should experiment on animals. Why or why not? Similarly, in social studies, you would question if breaking the law is right or wrong?Trends
This icon consists of influences that cause patterns over a period of time. For every cause, there is an effect.
For example, in science, the trends icon can focus on why an object such as a helium balloon goes up when released. Similarly, in social studies, students may focus on why the population voted the way they did. What factors played a role in this outcome? Did the winning politician spend more on his/her campaign?Unanswered questions
This icon is intended to have students think about questions that are not answered or have yet to be answered. This teaches students to evaluate unanswered questions.
Evaluating unanswered questions consist of thinking and discussing why the question is unsolved. In science during experiments they may not answer the main question student can focus on why this is the case in order to fix the problem. This icon promotes problem-solving skills.Change over time
Comparing and contrasting concepts through time. Applying historical content to present knowledge.
In science, this icon would look at climate and how it has increased over the years. Why has this change occurred? In math, this icon would look at statistics changes over time of people with cancer.Interdisciplinary Relationships
This icon examines the relationship between and across different areas.
In social studies, we educators can focus on the similarities and differences among different cultures. How do Native Americans differ in their culture from African Americans? What foods do they eat? What beliefs and customs do they have?Incorporating Concepts into Classroom Lessons
Conclusion
The icons of depth and complexity teach students how to think rather than what they should think. It challenges gifted students to broaden their understanding and become critical thinkers.It creates challenging learning opportunities for students. I invite you to explore ways to engage with your students and meet their individual needs.Other Useful Tools for Gifted Students
Works Cited
Aspire Academy. Using Blooms and Depth and Complexity Icons to Drill Deeper Part 1. YouTube.Aspire Academy, 2 Mar. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvGWNdtk1c“Understanding Depth and Complexity.” Envision Gifted, http://envisiongifted.com/services/understanding-depth-complexity/.
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