Teaching Gifted Students NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

Teaching Gifted Teaching Gifted StudentsStudents

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

TEACHERSTEACHERS

DefinitionDefinition Giftedness:Giftedness: Refers to children Refers to children

and youth with outstanding and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the talent who perform or show the potential for performing at potential for performing at remarkably high levels of remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared accomplishment when compared with others their age, experience with others their age, experience or environment.or environment.

OverviewOverview

Gifted students exhibit high Gifted students exhibit high performance capability in performance capability in intellectual, creative, musical intellectual, creative, musical and/or artistic areas, possess an and/or artistic areas, possess an unusual leadership capacity or unusual leadership capacity or excel in specific academic fields.excel in specific academic fields.

They require services not They require services not ordinarily provided by schoolsordinarily provided by schools

PrevalencePrevalence It has been assumed in It has been assumed in

Federal reports and Federal reports and legislation that legislation that approximately 3-5% of the approximately 3-5% of the school population can be school population can be considered gifted or considered gifted or talented.talented.

PrevalencePrevalence Since each state establishes its own Since each state establishes its own

definition of giftedness, percentages definition of giftedness, percentages of children identified as gifted and of children identified as gifted and talented vary from state to state.talented vary from state to state.

In general, children are not In general, children are not identified and placed into gifted identified and placed into gifted programs until at least the 3rd programs until at least the 3rd gradegrade

Overview: Bright Versus Overview: Bright Versus Gifted StudentsGifted Students

If you ask the teacher who the gifted If you ask the teacher who the gifted kids are, they are likely to point out kids are, they are likely to point out the ones that are the ones that are brightbright. .

Bright kidsBright kids are a normally a joy to are a normally a joy to teach. In general, they listen well, teach. In general, they listen well, rarely question the teacher, work rarely question the teacher, work hard, and answer questions. They hard, and answer questions. They don't challenge the teacher's don't challenge the teacher's competence or stray off the competence or stray off the curriculum.curriculum.

Bright Versus Bright Versus Gifted StudentsGifted Students

The gifted student on the other hand The gifted student on the other hand may be spending almost all of the may be spending almost all of the school day thinking or doing school day thinking or doing something other than what the something other than what the teacher wants. teacher wants.

Gifted students find the constant Gifted students find the constant repetition so boring that they often repetition so boring that they often don't shine in the classroom. You don't shine in the classroom. You might find the gifted student day might find the gifted student day dreaming, looking out of the window, dreaming, looking out of the window, reading a book instead of listening. reading a book instead of listening.


A Bright A Bright student....student....

Knows Knows the the answeranswer

A Gifted student....A Gifted student.... Asks the Asks the

questions - questions - sometimes sometimes deep probing deep probing questions of questions of an abstract an abstract naturenature. .



Enjoys Enjoys group group projectsprojects

A Gifted student....A Gifted student.... Has a Has a

preference for preference for individualized individualized workwork



Is Is interesteintereste

dd

A Gifted student....A Gifted student....

Is very Is very curiouscurious


A Bright student....A Bright student....

Carries out Carries out school school assignments assignments and follows and follows procedures procedures very wellvery well

A Gifted A Gifted student....student....Is very creative-Is very creative-Likes to play her Likes to play her own wayown way

Creativeness and Creativeness and inventiveness-“hiinventiveness-“highest form of ghest form of giftedness”giftedness”

CreativityCreativity is the is the production of new production of new and original ideasand original ideas



Answers Answers the the questions questions


Discusses Discusses in detail, in detail, elaborateselaborates



Is in the Is in the TopTop academic academic Group(s) in Group(s) in schoolschool


Is Is beyond beyond the groupthe group


A Bright A Bright student...student...

Listens with Listens with interestinterest


Shows Shows strong strong feelings feelings and and opinionsopinions



Learns Learns with with ease ease


AlreadAlready y knows knows



6-8 6-8 repetitions repetitions for mastery for mastery


1-2 1-2 repetitions repetitions for masteryfor mastery



Enjoys Enjoys peers peers


Prefers adults, Prefers adults, older children older children or seeks out or seeks out other very other very bright or bright or gifted peers.gifted peers.



Completes Completes assignmentassignments s


Initiates Initiates projectsprojects



Copies Copies accuratelyaccurately


Creates a Creates a new new design design



Enjoys Enjoys schoolschool


Enjoys Enjoys learning - learning - but may but may hate hate school. school.



Good Good Memorizer Memorizer


Outstanding Outstanding Memorizer, Memorizer, often doing often doing so without so without even trying even trying



Is alertIs alert


Is keenly Is keenly observant - observant - seems to seems to remember remember fine details.fine details.



Is pleased Is pleased with own with own learninglearning

A Gifted student....A Gifted student.... Is highly self-Is highly self-

critical - can critical - can be be perfectionistic perfectionistic to the point of to the point of tantrums when tantrums when young.young.



Enjoys Enjoys straight-straight-forward and/or forward and/or sequential sequential presentationpresentation


Thrives on Thrives on complexity - complexity - needs the needs the whole whole picture. picture.

Teaching Strategies for Teaching Strategies for Gifted StudentsGifted Students

Quicken the pace of learning.Quicken the pace of learning. Gifted students need their Gifted students need their academic curriculum to move at academic curriculum to move at a more rapid pace to keep them a more rapid pace to keep them interested and motivated in interested and motivated in school.-After a while will not school.-After a while will not distinguish work from playdistinguish work from play


Broaden the range of Broaden the range of experiences.experiences. Give the student Give the student more opportunities to expand more opportunities to expand his horizons.his horizons.


Give them challenging Give them challenging problems.problems. Gifted students Gifted students enjoy complex and challenging enjoy complex and challenging situations. They take great situations. They take great pride in being able to figure out pride in being able to figure out complex and detailed types of complex and detailed types of problems.problems.


Create projects that involve Create projects that involve more creative thought.more creative thought. One of One of the qualities of gifted students the qualities of gifted students is that they tend to be very is that they tend to be very creative.creative.


Challenge them with questions Challenge them with questions where there is no correct where there is no correct answer. answer. One of the beauties of One of the beauties of working with gifted students is working with gifted students is that they enjoy trying to solve that they enjoy trying to solve problems for which there are no problems for which there are no solutions i.e. If you were on a solutions i.e. If you were on a boat with your family and could boat with your family and could only save one of them, whom only save one of them, whom would you save.would you save.


Allow the student to pursue Allow the student to pursue individual projects that require individual projects that require sophisticated levels of thinking. sophisticated levels of thinking. Gifted students enjoy working on Gifted students enjoy working on their own and should be encouraged their own and should be encouraged to do so. Do not make the to do so. Do not make the assignments easy either-Challenge assignments easy either-Challenge them and try to avoid giving away them and try to avoid giving away answers.answers.


Teach them how to play chess.Teach them how to play chess. Chess requires great skill, Chess requires great skill, concentration, and strategic concentration, and strategic planning. This is an ideal game planning. This is an ideal game for gifted students to learn how for gifted students to learn how to play.to play.

Documents

Teaching Gifted Students NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS