Gifted? Now What?

Gifted? Now What?

Ashley Chambless

It’s a week before the new school year starts. You are excited as you look over your class list for the year. You notice that two of your students are identified as gifted. You think to yourself, Gifted? I bet they will do great this year, but am I the right teacher for them? I work hard to meet the needs of my students, but how do I meet the needs of students who are well above where they need to be?”

This can be a very scary thing for a teacher to go through. Having a class composed of 25 different children, who all have different learning styles and abilities can be challenging. Due to this challenge, it can be easy to put more of your focus on students who are at or below grade level and think that the gifted students will be “fine.” This is doing a disservice to those children and their abilities.

As an educator, I have gone through this battle. I was giving good, quality instruction, yet my gifted students were just along for the ride. They were bored! I needed to find a way to reach all of my students and I needed to find it fast.

Of course, as a teacher I knew what differentiation was, but I didn’t fully understand how to implement it effectively. My first step was to make sure that I could define the process of differentiation and how it would help my gifted students.

“Differentiation is a way of teaching; it’s not a program or package of worksheets. It asks teachers to know their students well so they can provide each one with experiences and tasks that will improve learning.” (Scholastic) This definition alone shows that differentiation is going to allow teachers to meet the needs of all students by knowing who they are and what they need. There are three main aspects to focus on when differentiating: Process, Content, and Product.

Process- this is the part in which teachers are giving tiered activities for student learning. The process is being taught through a variety of things such as media, PowerPoint, song/video, verbal, movement etc. Students are provided student choice through manipulatives and activities and this will allow you to meet the needs of all learning styles in your classroom. Here is just one example of a learning style inventory quiz you can give to your students:

https://www.puc.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/13395/Learning-Styles-Inventory.pdf

Content- this is the part in which teachers are provided a variety of levels and support for what the students need. All students are working toward the same goal, but the level and support varies based on the needs of students. This is the time a teacher can have multiple students working on the same standard, but when deconstructing that standard, students will be working on a variety of material based on their understanding. Here in a link to a wonderful source that explains how to “unwrap” a standard in order to see what parts students need to accomplish:

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2015/03/unwrapping_the_standards_a_simple_way_to_deconstruct_learning_outcomes.html

Product- this is the part in which teachers give students options on how to show what they have learned and providing rubrics matched to their choice and level. This is a great time to provide students opportunities to work independently and at their own pace, or even in a group environment. Here is a link to a wonderful site that give multiple options on how to give student choice through learning: https://daretodifferentiate.wikispaces.com/Choice+Boards

All of these things will help your classroom ensure that it is meeting everyone’s needs and giving opportunities for students to show their talents. This process gives time for gifted students to really shine and ensures that they are working with material that will challenge them. While this is not the only way to ensure you are meeting the needs of gifted students, it is a great place to start! From here, the options are endless and more support can be added for those students!

As an educator, we need to do what is best for all of our students. Differentiation does take time, but it is a great place to start in learning about your students and challenging them through a variety of materials. Now when you see a child labeled as gifted on your roster, do not think they will just be “fine.” Challenge yourself and start making your lesson fit their needs through differentiation!

References: What Is Differentiated Instruction? (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/what-differentiated-instruction/

What Is Differentiated Instruction? (2017, March 16). Retrieved March 23, 2017, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction

My Child Is Not Weird

My Child is Not Weird – She Is Gifted!

Jessica Murrell

As a parent of a child who is gifted in many things, I often wonder where the off switch is. I want to just have a child who wants to do average things. Nevertheless, as a teacher I know that a child who is not challenged is not happy. I remember being a child like this. My parents made sure I was involved in everything from drama to sports, in and out of school hours. Within the class, teachers would always make special time for me where I could complete projects that went beyond the curriculum. I had many other gifted friends who needed attention. They usually were being fulfilled at school, but home was a different story. 

Gifted friends of mine usually were only getting their needs met if parents were aware and could afford the outside activities. Not only is this an issue, but as parents we also may wonder what is wrong with our kid? Why don’t they want to play with the neighbor? What do they like about crosswords? How does reading interest them so much? Then, we wonder again, why is my child so weird?

 This Caption was borrowed from Common Sense Media

The answer is they aren’t. They are gifted. They see things differently. They look at the world through different lenses. When we think things are cut and dry, they wonder why.

So, in turn, open your ears and your hearts. Your child has lots of room to grow. You may not always have the answer to their questions. You may not always want to talk about the advanced topics they do. Be open though, and do what you can!