The Discovery Program works directly with classroom teachers to identify, challenge, and nurture students' gifts and talents. Teachers are encouraged to differentiate their curriculum, as well as use the services of the Discovery Program, to ensure that the needs of high-achieving students are met. Listed below are some strategies that teachers can use to make the classroom a more interesting and engaging place for gifted students.
Effective Strategies for Working with High-Ability Students
1. Build a Positive Relationship: The most important action you can take with a high-ability student--or any student, for that matter--is to build a positive relationship with him/her. Getting to know the student, his/her strengths, weaknesses, insecurities, humor, etc. will set the tone for a relationship of trust, respect, and acceptance.
2. Assess Often: Give students the opportunity to take a pretest so you can see what they know about a concept or topic. Let the results guide your plans for the unit. Continue to assess their progress to ensure that high-ability students are receiving targeted and meaningful instruction and assignments.
3. Compact the Curriculum: Let students move quickly through curriculum content. Offer them a pretest to see what their knowledge on a topic/concept is. Or let them study the chapter on their own and take the post-test. After they have met the goals for the chapter/unit, let them explore other topics—either topics related to the unit of study or topics of their choice.
Research shows that 40% to 50% of content could be adapted for gifted students. It is important for teachers to provide alternative challenging activities for them to do instead of grade level work that they already know. Discover what their interests are and build projects around those interests. Encourage them to self-select topics that encourage higher-level thinking, creativity, research, and/or helping others.
4. Most Difficult First: Gifted students can learn new concepts more quickly than their peers. They need much less practice than average students. Allow students to complete 5 of the most difficult problems first before assigning the rest of assignment or some portion of the assignment. If they understand it, let them choose activities that interest them (for example, an ongoing project, reading, some kind of enrichment, or anything that doesn’t disturb others) or apply/extend/deepen their knowledge in a subject.
5. Differentiate: Differentiate the curriculum in order to address differences in the rate, depth, and pace of learning, and/or to offer higher level thinking skills. This will enable all students in the class to learn at their own ability level.
6. Offer Choices: Offering choices for students lets them use their knowledge in different ways. Give them options, or let then choose how they would like to demonstrate what they have learned. But keep them accountable for what they learn.
7. Encourage Higher-Level Thinking: Think about Bloom’s Taxonomy to promote higher-level thinking. Focus questions and activities that require students to think in the top four levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy: application, analysis, evaluation, and create.
8. Open-ended Questions: Ask open-ended questions—questions that involve more than just one correct answer. These questions are usually thought-provoking and intellectually engaging. They call for higher-order thinking skills and often involve integrating subjects and transferring knowledge and skills.
8. Allow Gifted Students to Work Together: Research shows that enabling gifted students to work together in groups boosts their academic achievement. When gifted students work together, they challenge themselves in unexpected ways. They bounce ideas off one another and take a peer's idea to a new place. They also learn that as smart as they are, they, too, must exert effort with challenging content—and that they'll sometimes fail along the way.
Working with other gifted students is critical. Children need opportunities to work with their intellectual peers. Some gifted children may seem socially inept when we observe them with their age peers, but put them together with like minds and many function just fine. Provide opportunities for gifted students to work with their intellectual peers in the classroom and in pullout times.
NOTE: When students leave the classroom for enrichment opportunities, think carefully if they need to make up all of the work they missed, just some of the work they missed, or none of the work they missed. Remember they are working in the Discovery Room for a reason. Don’t “punish” students for working in the Discovery Room by making them complete unnecessary work when they get back to the classroom.
10. Independent Study: Gifted students are often passionate about topics that may not be connected to the curriculum. Once they have demonstrated that they understand the required concepts in the curriculum, allow high-ability students to learn something they are interested in. In each project, encourage students to engage in active research, to ask relevant questions, and to share what they learned with an appropriate audience. Encourage students to be curious!
11. Be Open to Alternatives: Think about encouraging high-ability students to get involved with after school/community/online programs that challenge their abilities. Or consider online courses that offer language learning or other learning opportunities. Or connect them with a mentor in an area they are interested in exploring. Be creative in finding ways for gifted students to engage in school and find learning interesting!
12. Involve Parents: It is important to communicate with parents of high-ability learners. Let them know the strengths and weaknesses you see in their child, as well as modifications you are implementing. They can support these ideas at home and help to keep students accountable for the work that needs to be done.
http://celebratingourgifts.wikispaces.com/11+Tips+for+Teaching+Gifted+Students