Gifted and talented students (Талантливые и одаренные дети)

Gifted and Talented Students

With so much emphasis on meeting the needs of students who are struggling academically or making poor behavioral choices, teachers oftentimes overlook the importance of meeting the intellectual needs of their gifted and talented (G/T) students.  Most teachers will have gifted learners in their classrooms with exceptional general intellect, specific academic ability, creative productive thinking, leadership ability, or visual and performing art talents (Tomlinson, 1999). Gifted and talented (G/T) students often progress through their education with insufficient levels of challenge.  After learning how to identify students who are gifted and talented, you will become acquainted with a few teaching strategies to meet their intellectual needs.

Characteristics of Gifted and Talented Students

How will you know when you have an exceptionally gifted or talented learner in your class? Look for characteristics that distinguish students in your class, such as the following:

1. Advanced intellect. curious; asks intriguing questions; reads avidly; understands abstract concepts and ideas; learns quickly; memorizes easily; reads rapidly; follows and completes multiple and complex instructions; focuses on problem solving, processes, and explanations; retains information; pursues interests, knowledge, or hobbies different from peers of similar age; exhibits advanced understanding of mathematical reasoning

2. High verbal skills. has a keen sense of humor; uses advanced vocabulary; explains complex ideas in unique and creative ways; fluently exchanges ideas and information; easily completes word games and puzzles; influences thinking of others

3. Keen power of concentration. engages in activities for long periods of time; pays attention to novelty and complexity; becomes totally absorbed in an activity; is quickly observant and responsive; maintains interests and activities different from peers

4. Atypical response behaviors. may be more sensitive or creative than peers regarding issues or concerns; may take high-level risks; comes up with original ideas and relationships often missed by others; may exhibit perfectionism or procrastination behaviors (or both); displays a strong sense of self; influences behavior of others; identifies with adults or older peers; can display advanced inter- and intrapersonal skills along with leadership and motivational ability

5. Performance ability. displays high-level mastery in visual, physical, and performing arts; masters physical and artistic skills beyond  peers

Not all gifted students possess each one of these characteristics. They vary widely in characteristics and potential, just as special education students are different. Some G/T students are well-balanced, personable school leaders, whereas others are socially awkward or have serious emotional problems. Not all G/T students enjoy learning at school. Finally, many students from diverse backgrounds have been historically underrepresented in gifted education programs. Therefore, you need to learn how to address the needs of G/T learners in your general elementary and middle school classroom.

Strategies for Teaching Gifted Students

What can you do with gifted and talented learners who exhibit one or more of these characteristics? You can employ numerous strategies (Beisser, 1998) in your general education classroom.

Differentiated Instruction. As noted earlier, differentiation refers to instruction or curriculum that has been modified from a standard approach to meet the needs of particular students (Tomlinson, 1999). Although often used to accommodate students with special needs , this approach also works well for gifted students. This means the teacher modifies the lesson or unit to address the needs of G/T students by varying the lesson’s topics (content), the ways students practice their new knowledge (process), and the way students demonstrate what they have learned (product).

Vary Instructional and Grouping Strategies. An effective whole-class strategy is to use problem solving, inquiry-based lessons, or group investigation where G/T learners can thrive in their ability to think, reason, and do research independently. Use flexible grouping such as small cluster groups (Renzulli, Gentry, & Reis, 2003) to provide bright students with opportunities to learn and work together within the structure of whole-class or cooperative learning group assignments. Gifted and talented learners are also motivated by using advanced technology for instruction and communication.

Varied Questioning. Use higher levels of questioning at various times for gifted students so they can provide fluent or elaborate explanations, learn to think abstractly, and are not able to get by with quick answers.

Compact the Curriculum. Why make the G/T students review material or complete tasks they have already accomplished? If they have a sound grasp of skills and content, provide opportunities to demonstrate proficiency (e.g., assign the most difficult problems first or allow completion of the end-of-chapter test in advance) and then move on to more complex concepts and skills (Winebrenner, 2002).

Acceleration. Gifted students require faster paced instruction for content, skills, and processes so they can move rapidly through the curriculum. Perhaps they can read above grade-level materials (e.g., supplying chapter books for a kindergarten child), leave the class to work with an upper grade level (e.g., a second grader going to fourth-grade math), or take classes earlier than their peers (e.g., taking college algebra while in high school). Many high school students take college-level courses through local institutions or online offerings.

Independent Study. Challenge gifted students to explore individual topics of interest. Let them investigate a central question, gather multiple and varied resources, make inferences, provide a hypothesis, explain findings, and cite the sources. An important step in independent study is to share results with an appropriate audience that will appreciate the work they have completed (e.g., a research project on the extinction of the Siberian tiger should be shared with a naturalist or environmentalist).

Tiered Activities. Tomlinson (1999) suggests that teachers can focus on the same understanding and skills but at different levels of abstraction and complexity. For example, all students may be reading books with “chocolate” as a central theme but will use texts with a variety of reading levels and engage in tasks differing in complexity associated with each book level.

Interest Centers. Renzulli and Reis (1997) suggest that students don’t know what interests them until they explore various topics. Establish classroom interest centers with frequently changing themes that may focus on timely events, such as presidential elections or the Olympics, as well as diverse themes derived from students, such as exploring Stonehenge, techniques of playing chess, or serving people in poverty.

Apprenticeships. Because gifted learners may have interest and skill areas outside of your classroom curriculum, you may find community resource personnel a valuable asset. For example, arrange for a stockbroker to work with a small group of students interested in investing in the stock market or encourage students to be mentored by field area specialists at a local university after school hours.

Teacher Advocacy. Above all, provide educational and emotional support for the gifted student within a rich classroom environment with advanced activities, resources, technology, and choices (Beisser, 1998). Hold high standards that help bright students reach their potential. Accept gifted learners in your class, as they have individual needs for challenge and support. The power of a positive, supportive teacher is immense. Learn through the parents of gifted students. They have lived many years with the gifted child who has been placed in your classroom. Speak out on behalf of gifted and talented students at educational meetings and programs. Become informed of local and state curriculum planning decisions or budget allotments for gifted learners. It is easier to have an impact on key decisions before they are made, rather than trying to undo unfavorable determinations. Seek professional information from your state and national gifted education organizations such as the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). They have numerous materials and professional growth opportunities such as conferences and workshops. NAGC has a Curriculum Studies Division that focuses on issues, models, and practices related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of curricula for the gifted (see www.nagc.org).

Gifted learners are entitled to be served by teachers who possess personal and professional traits that promote successful learning for G/T students. Build your expertise in appropriate differentiated content and instructional methods through ongoing professional development. Seek assistance from educational specialists and community members to find additional resources to meet your G/T students’ needs.

POINTS TO PONDER

1. Who is the most gifted person you’ve personally known? Why do you consider that person to be gifted?
2. Locate an online lesson plan. Summarize the lesson activities. How can you adjust these activities to meet the full spectrum of abilities in your future classroom? Please be specific.
3. Visit the NACG website (www.ncag.org). What will you do to address the needs of the gifted/talented children in your future classroom? Please provide specific examples.

References

Beisser, S. R. (1998, March). Parent to parent: ABC’s of parenting your gifted child. Parenting for High Potential, p. 25.

Renzulli, J. S., Gentry, M., & Reis, S. M. (2003). Enrichment clusters: A practical plan for real-world, student-driven learning. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.

Renzulli, J. S., & Reis, S. M. (1997). The schoolwide enrichment model: A how-to guide for educational excellence. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.

Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Winebrenner, S. (2002). Teaching gifted kids in the regular classroom: Strategies and techniques every teacher can use to meet the academic needs of the gifted and talented. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit.