Teaching the Gifted Student
Gifted and Talented Teacher Toolkit http://www.texaspsp.org/toolkit/GT_Teacher_Toolkit.html
Summarize how you address the needs of the gifted and talent student in your classroom based on the any of the following:
- While some contend that all students are capable of each of the processes in Bloom’s taxonomy, educators often advocate that for gifted and talented students, more time and greater attention should be spent at the higher levels (thus inverting the triangle as seen in the toolkit).
- J. Bruner believes “that learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge. The learner selects and transforms information, constructs hypotheses, and makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure to do so. The instructor should try and encourage students to discover principles by themselves. The instructor and student should engage in an active dialog (i.e., socratic learning). The task of the instructor is to translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learner’s current state of understanding. Curriculum should be organized in a spiral manner so that the student continually builds upon what they have already learned.”
June 12th, 2008 at 8:05 am
I believe a combination of teacher guidance toward higher level activities and student discovery is most effective.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:06 am
I believe that students do learn through current and past knowledge and can spiral down from what they have learned. Once they have learned things and then things can spiral down from what they have learned.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I am a dyslexia teacher and must follow a prescribed program with my students. At this time, I do not have any students identified as G/T. However, if I did, I would probably enrich my lessons with research on the origins of our language and do some metcognition skills with the students using the computer.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I believe in a combination of the two theories. Although students need to be continually challenged at the upper levels, they also need to have more opportunities to spiral their learning and build from blocks previously experienced/learned.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I believe in both theories. I use higher-level thinking and questioning, and I feel that they should discover many things on their own.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Striving to find time for the gt students among the many in one class is always a challenge for me.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:10 am
I believe that you teach based on their knowledge and extend where needed. When teaching gifted children I always pre-assess the concept before teaching.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:10 am
I believe in both statements. Gifted and talented students do build on what they have learned/experienced, but so due non GT students. The style of teaching should not be different, but it needs to be on a level that adheres to all students in a challenging way.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Because I teach kinder I do believe that learning should be an active process. It is my job as an educator to provide the opportunity for all children to experience hands and exploration time, snd yes, I agree that a classroom should be learner driven. And what better way for children to learn, than from experience and from their peers.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Although 5 year olds haven’t experienced a lot, it is still an effective way to teach them because they get so excited about everything they have done. I find that bringing up a subject and getting them to share what they know about it is a wonderful lead in to my lesson of the day. Once I get them started, it’s hard to stop them.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:11 am
The teacher needs to help develop each student and some times your enriched students get left out. If you have a mixed class it is important to teach to the enriched students and the other will learn just as well. I have found that once student know what to expect they will work.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:11 am
I agree with Bruner’s statement. With my GT students I find that in some areas. such as Social Studies, they have a lot more background knowledge…sometimes their preconceptions are correct and sometimes they are a little off. I love having the students do their own investigations to prove or disprove their assumptions and then report back. In addition, the students always have extension questions. I often will not answer them, but challenge them to find their own answers. Sometimes I will suggest websites if their own searches are not fruitful, but I usually don’t have to. I love to see what connections the students draw and what directions their investigations lead them. We then summarize all of our new knowledge and I usually find that they have not only covered what they needed to but also have gone far beyond requirements. Their enthusiasm is contagious.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:12 am
I actually ONLY teach the GT kids @ DPE, PWE, DWE so the majority of our curriculum was written to make sure we stay focused on Bloom’s Higher Levels of Thinking.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Using the Bruner idea, the use of a lesson in which students reach their own conclusions, without being told of the results in advance, has been more beneficial to students than traditional methods. Students seem to retain the information longer as it made more of a point or impact on their understanding of the concept.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:13 am
differentiating instruction, offering choices, going deeper into curriculum,
higher order questioning, Bloom’s taxonomy, and spiraling instruction and curriculum
June 12th, 2008 at 8:14 am
- assign projects that are beyond regular students’ capabilities
- ask gifted students to comment on current issuies in Chemistry
June 12th, 2008 at 8:14 am
My teaching is more like number 2. I am a strong believer that G/T should be grouped homogeneously and not pulled out once/twice a week or expected to be peer tutors in a heterogeneous classroom. G/T doesn’t mean more work, projects etc. They need activities based on their leanring styles as well as HOT skills. They need a totally differfentiated and self-choiced classroom situation with daily use of technology.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Gifted and talented students learn at higher levels so teaching the concepts at higher levels would be good.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:17 am
I usually address the G/T students in my ELA classes with higher level questioning, more enriched projects that require research or some other use of the computer. Sometimes, I have them each become the leader of a group assignment to help lead the other students and to help the G/T student show leadership and construct learning.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:18 am
I challenge all my students to reach for the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy but especially for those that are gifted and talented. I often allow the students to struggle thru a math problem working on it in many different ways to see who can solve it. I will offer clues or guidance as needed but never just give them the answer. I saw it written “No Child Left Bored” and I believe that is one of the reasons some students don’t acheive to their full potential.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:23 am
“The instructor should try and encourage students to discover principles by themselves. The instructor and student should engage in an active dialog (i.e., socratic learning). ”
The phenomenon that I see most often with GT students in the reg. ed. classroom is that GT students are allowed to fill in their own gaps. I think the quote from Bruner fits what I attempt to keep in mind when working with GT students in my classroom, that it is a partnership that only effectively functions through a dialogue involving both parties.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:23 am
I believe in both statements. Gifted and talented students do build on what they have learned/experienced, but so due non GT students. The style of teaching should not be different. My teaching should enhance all the learning taking place in my classroom.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I focus on open-ended questioning, how and why prompts.. My students must be able to explain answers at all times.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:24 am
In secondary math, most of the GT students are grouped into advanced mathematics courses which allows the teacher to focus on their needs and adressing their unique learning ablities in the methods described. These students thrive in a socratic enivornment, so following that method as much as possible with these students provides the greatest success (both for students and teacher).
July 24th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I try to structure my lessons so that they are student centered. I like the students to explore the concept and then we have discussions about it after they have drawn some conclusions on their own. I keep “lecturing” to a minimum because I know that my students learn better when they are allowed control of their own learning.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Once the basic knowledge is acquired, all students benefit from the spiraling effect. To truly challenge the mainstream student and the G/T student an affective teacher must take them all up Blooms taxonomy at each ones pace and level.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Develop a relationship with the students to learn about them and their interests. Based upon their interests, allow students to dig deeper into those areas.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:26 am
After teaching a concept, I will encourage the GT student to develop and explore their own ideas based on their current knowledge.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:26 am
As I teach my GT math students, I follow the advice of a former principal of mine…don’t treat them differently, teach them differently. My efforts to do that include assignments that encourage creative problem solving - math puzzles, both concrete and theoretical. I also like to present a math skill and have them tell me how it could relate to them personally and how they could accomplish it in an easier way.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Gifted and talented students need to be challenged by going deeper into the curriculum and exloring concepts through projects. I also feel they benefit from goup work and differentiated instruction.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:27 am
It is important for students to experience things on their own and be exposed to higher level concepts. We do many projects and hands on activities as well as higher thinking skills.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:27 am
I think an effective classroom combines both theories.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Karen Horn Says: G/T students have emotional needs that need special attention as well as academic needs. In my role as an elementary counselor, I strive to support those needs in a variety of ways.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Offering the GT students projects that they could complete in the lab or classroom; offer choices
July 24th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Music is a very creative subject so I use creativity to address the needs of all students and particularly the gifted. I provide many activities that give the students the opportunity to create, evaluate, transform and perform to suite their needs.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Karen Horn Says: G/T students have emotional needs that need special attention as well as academic needs. In my role as an elementary counselor, I strive to support those needs in a variety of ways.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:31 am
It is always a challenge to teach a class where you have GT students in the same room with below and average students. It gives me an opportunity to have the other students learn from the gifted students. I have to use any approach possible to challenge the gifted learner without losing the other ability learners. Using differentiation is a necessary tool that enables the gifted learners to interact with each other and also share their enthusiasm and/or knowledge. I have found this teaching style to be a very effective teaching tool for all learners.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I pre-access the children and teach where needed as well as extend upon lessons where needed. Differentiated instruction and student choices are always a priority in my classroom as I plan lessons from day to day.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:10 am
I believe that a combination of both concepts is needed for instruction to be effective. Differentiation and spiraling of instruction are integrated into my classroom activities.
August 13th, 2008 at 4:59 am
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