Wondering how to teach a gifted student?
One of the most important things to remember as an educator is that motivated students who work hard and earn A's might not be gifted, and students who don't perform well or are disruptive in class very well might be gifted. Teachers should keep in mind that just as disabled students can require classroom modifications, gifted students sometimes need accommodations as well. The first step in working to help your students fulfill their potential is by identifying which children might be gifted. Parents observations are usually very accurate, but gifted students do not always have involved parents to advocate for them. Here is a helpful chart to help spot a child who is gifted.
If you find yourself needing help challenging academically gifted or talented students, check out some of these great strategies to incorporate into your classroom!
Independent Projects:
Gifted and talented students often have a lot of extra time during class because they can finish their work quickly. Let them explore and exercise their creativity by letting them explore a special area of interest that is related to what you are covering in class.
Academic Competition:
Academic competitions can be highly motivating for students who are bored in school. They can be held locally, or even on school grounds, with low registration fees. Usually they are computer driven and test knowledge across a variety of academic disciplines. They also provide a forum for students to develop leadership and group dynamic skills.
Vertical Enrichment:
Assignments that go above and beyond what is covered in class can be very helped to gifted students. By expanding their minds instead of just offering them "more of the same" your gifted students can be challenged across multiple disciplines while developing their problem solving skills.
Find a Mentor:
Mentors can be a great resource for gifted students to help work with him or her in an area that interests them. Ask parents, other teachers, or local organizations. Tutors aren't just for students who are struggling! You want to help every student reach their full potential and tapping outside expertise can help you do that.
Try a New Approach:
Scaffolding is a great way to help all your students. Changing your approach to help students discover information rather than just "giving" it to them can be inspiring and useful.
Use Bloom's Taxonomy:
Bloom's Taxonomy is a model of critical thinking that progresses from the most basic level to the most complex. It can be an extremely helpful resource when working working with gifted students. Gifted students should be pushed to utilize the upper three levels - analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
Multiple Intelligences:
Developed by Howard Gardner, a Harvard Professor of Education, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences states that all people possess at least seven different kinds of intelligences-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, body-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. According to the theory, these intelligences exist in varying degrees within each individual. Using this theory to your classroom activities ensures that every student will be challenged in one or more area.
Learning Centers:
Set up learning centers in your room so that students can work at their own speed.
Leveling Assignments:
Leveling assignments cover the same material but require different outcomes depending on the students' individual abilities. This strategy can also be applied to testing. Again, refer to Bloom's Taxonomy and include higher level questions on exams for gifted students.
Additional Literature
One of the most important things to remember as an educator is that motivated students who work hard and earn A's might not be gifted, and students who don't perform well or are disruptive in class very well might be gifted. Teachers should keep in mind that just as disabled students can require classroom modifications, gifted students sometimes need accommodations as well. The first step in working to help your students fulfill their potential is by identifying which children might be gifted. Parents observations are usually very accurate, but gifted students do not always have involved parents to advocate for them. Here is a helpful chart to help spot a child who is gifted.
If you find yourself needing help challenging academically gifted or talented students, check out some of these great strategies to incorporate into your classroom!
Independent Projects:
Gifted and talented students often have a lot of extra time during class because they can finish their work quickly. Let them explore and exercise their creativity by letting them explore a special area of interest that is related to what you are covering in class.
Academic Competition:
Academic competitions can be highly motivating for students who are bored in school. They can be held locally, or even on school grounds, with low registration fees. Usually they are computer driven and test knowledge across a variety of academic disciplines. They also provide a forum for students to develop leadership and group dynamic skills.
Vertical Enrichment:
Assignments that go above and beyond what is covered in class can be very helped to gifted students. By expanding their minds instead of just offering them "more of the same" your gifted students can be challenged across multiple disciplines while developing their problem solving skills.
Find a Mentor:
Mentors can be a great resource for gifted students to help work with him or her in an area that interests them. Ask parents, other teachers, or local organizations. Tutors aren't just for students who are struggling! You want to help every student reach their full potential and tapping outside expertise can help you do that.
Try a New Approach:
Scaffolding is a great way to help all your students. Changing your approach to help students discover information rather than just "giving" it to them can be inspiring and useful.
Use Bloom's Taxonomy:
Bloom's Taxonomy is a model of critical thinking that progresses from the most basic level to the most complex. It can be an extremely helpful resource when working working with gifted students. Gifted students should be pushed to utilize the upper three levels - analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
Multiple Intelligences:
Developed by Howard Gardner, a Harvard Professor of Education, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences states that all people possess at least seven different kinds of intelligences-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, body-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. According to the theory, these intelligences exist in varying degrees within each individual. Using this theory to your classroom activities ensures that every student will be challenged in one or more area.
Learning Centers:
Set up learning centers in your room so that students can work at their own speed.
Leveling Assignments:
Leveling assignments cover the same material but require different outcomes depending on the students' individual abilities. This strategy can also be applied to testing. Again, refer to Bloom's Taxonomy and include higher level questions on exams for gifted students.
Additional Literature
- Teaching Strategies For Twice-Exceptional Students, Winebrenner, 2003
- Practical Recommendations and Interventions: Gifted Students, Bauer, Benkstein, Pittel, Koury