Teaching Gifted Students
Helping Gifted Students Meet Their Potential
Do you think all gifted Students are successful in school? It is just a stereotype. The fact is many gifted students do not perform well for in school for different reasons. They may be bored in the classroom. They may even choose to do poorly in school to fit in better with peers. Below are some ways teachers can help these students succeed.
Intellectual Ability - Challenge
The gifted students who find themselves bored by the pace or complexity of the lesson. Teachers can provide the depth and breadth and encourage high order thinking by using differentiated instruction, and therefore, enriching the curriculum. Use the planning pyramid and develop 3 tiered activities, all students will learn the concepts of tier 1, most students will learn from tier 2, and then tier 3 will include the concepts or skills that will challenge some students, including those who are gifted. This could be done in a variety of ways. Provide independent work which asks for creativity, elaboration, or more time consuming large scale projects. Create dynamic and flexible groups including mixed ability grouping to provide opportunities for leadership. Additionally, gifted students may work at an accelerated rate or explore additional activities beyond the regular curriculum.
Social Skills / Anxiety
For some gifted students, it is peer pressure that prevents their academic success. Gifted students are generally intellectual and creative, which geneerates the myth that they will automatically be successful in school, but also commonly have heightened emotions and sensitives, which combined can lead to some challenges. There are 6 types of gifted students, and each category can have a different effect on the social/non-academic dimension of their life - which in turn affects academic success. For example: the "successful" gifted student may have feelings of perfectionism and anxiety; the "challenging" gifted student may feel defensive and is uncertain of their social role; the "dropouts" can be disruptive and depressive. The students need to learn to accept themselves and in their attributes and/or their deficiencies and need to learn certain social/emotional skills.
The Depressive Gifted Student
The Disruptive Gifted Student
The Anxious Gifted Student
References
http://www.abcontario.ca/resources-support/understanding-giftedness/myths-stereotypes
https://learn.etfo-aq.ca/d2l/le/45841/discussions/posts/4656901/ViewAttachment?fileId=1601250
https://learn.etfo-aq.ca/d2l/le/45841/discussions/posts/4656901/ViewAttachment?fileId=1601252
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10114.aspx
http://www.abcontario.ca/images/pdfs/iep_guide_rev_april_20.pdf