Teaching Gifted Students
Gifted education is a form of special education, though that truth is often forgotten in the discourse about improving instructional practices. Teaching gifted students presents its own set of challenges and difficulties.
Teachers are often encouraged to differentiate their instruction that is, to modify and alter curricula and lesson plans so that each student completes work appropriate to his needs and abilities. Yet in educational discourse, the concept of differentiation often seems focused on the education of disabled students, English Language Learners, and others who suffer from academic delays. Rarely do educators really discuss in any depth the need to modify and accommodate when teaching gifted students.
As a result, nationwide test scores demonstrate that educational outcomes are improving for the worst-off students, and the lowest performers are indeed learning more than they were before. However, at the same time, the highest performing students are seeing a drop in their test performance. In other words, the most gifted and talented students are actually faring worse than they were a few years ago, as educators focus so intently on their underperforming peers and tend to de-prioritize teaching gifted students.
In reality, gifted students need more attention than most of their peers, not less. Their special abilities need to be nurtured and developed, not neglected as they so often are. Teaching gifted students does not mean handing them a copy of War and Peace and sending them off to read, glad that theyre out of your hair for the time being. And it certainly does not mean pairing them off with the struggling students to work as personal tutors, doing half your work for you. No, teaching gifted students is a responsibility and an ethical imperative.
When planning lessons, it is crucial to keep gifted students in mind. They should not be forced to sit in a classroom hearing lessons about topics theyve already mastered. They should not be given pointless busywork when, as always, they finish their work long before the rest of the class. Think ahead about teaching gifted students in your class. What are their particular interests? If you dont know, the first step is to find out. What work do they find most challenging? Even the brightest student has a stumbling block.
When working with especially talented and gifted students, you must differentiate to their needs just as you would for a struggling student. Teaching gifted students is not easy, not if you wish to do it right. But neglecting gifted students will only create more headaches for you in the long run, as you scramble to find ways to fill up your bored students time.
