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Gifted learners are both impressive and challenging at the elementary level. Their gifted strengths can pop up in several categories, making it difficult to identify them at times. I believe gifted learners need the support of their classroom teachers to extend their learning and provide them with the necessary level of challenge throughout the school day. I'm always looking for ways to help "fast finishers" work in some higher-level thinking and expand beyond the general work that is completed. Questions: How can a teacher efficiently balance the needs of gifted learners with a classroom population that is majority on-level? What are some ways to engage gifted learners in group work that involves varying levels of skill?

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My beliefs about gifted learners are they exhibit thinking and creativity beyond the norm, but are hard to categorize.  The obvious cases usually stand out quickly within the first several weeks of school in their questioning and work / interest.  The more difficult are the GT students who exhibit behavioral issues, and those who come from different social / economic circles and haven't had the exposure to learning extensions and resources in their background.  But just as every child is different, every GT child is different in how they exhibit their gifts.  Questions would be more for extensions and team planning / collaboration on ways to extend learning opportunities for those children in a fast paced curriculum.

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I believe that a gifted learner is a learner that performs or has the ability to perform higher than the average students in your class. They often push past guidelines and expectations set forth by the teacher and will often approach a task from a perspective not thought of by others. Gifted learners often struggle socially especially in larger groups and more often than not, prefer to work on tasks by themselves. How can I best meet their Social and Emotional needs in a classroom setting as well as more unstructured settings such as lunch and recess. How can I meet their needs especially during this time when I suspect we will be spending more time doing independent work.

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Students can show their giftedness in a myriad of ways - and not all of them are necessarily positive.  It is important to look at the whole child when seeing them as a thinker and as a learner.  What may manifest itself as poor behavior or lack of interest in class may truly be an indicator that their needs aren't being met.
I want to learn how to better recognize giftedness in our youngest learners, especially in those that may not "test well" or even be able to communicate their thinking (be it because of maturity, ability, language, etc). I also want to be able to find ways to encourage this kind of thinking in all of our young learners.

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What are your beliefs about Gifted Learners?

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What are your beliefs about Gifted Learners?

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It is a common misconception that gifted learners have it easier, or academics come easier to them. They have a specific skill set that enables them to learn differently but it presents struggles as well. Their social and emotional needs are not always met or noticed as "differences". I believe that students who are labeled GT at a young age are also at risk for getting labeled high performers and their expectations rise along with that title. They do grow and change at the same rate of any other child however their mind or cognitive reasoning or understanding may be slightly above, that is a hard balance for a child who has expectations to be a certain way but yet still wants to act their age.

It is always interesting to see how parents respond to the news of their child and watching the at home vs. school support. I find that instantly parents want their children to fit a certain mold of "over achieving" when really that is not always the case.

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It's a myth that gifted learners are "the easy kids."  Their unique academic and social/emotional needs can present many challenges for teachers and parents.   Gifted learners are not necessarily high achievers.

What methods and supports can be put in place at school and home to support underachieving gifted learners?

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Over the years I have had experiences with many gifted learners and all were very different. Some gifted learners are strong in many academic areas but lack social skills, others have high interest in one or two areas, and others think completely out of the box yet lack motivation. I also believe that testing at the Kinder level is often inaccurate due to a child's inability to complete a paper/pencil evaluation at this age. I would like to have new ideas for challenging gifted learners and keeping them motivated.

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Gifted learners are unique little beings. They are sometimes difficult to figure out, and often times leave me asking myself if I did everything I could to challenge them academically. I think in the primary classroom often times pinpointing the gifted students can be a little difficult.

My question would be how to effectively challenge the gifted students who may not necessarily fit a tidy mold of how most gifted students think/feel/engage with others/ etc.

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Gifted learners certainly have unique personalities. They sometimes make me scratch my head and say hmmmmm - what are they thinking and how can I challenge them???? In listening to teachers of other grades, it seems kinder possible gifted students (identified mid year)  take some time to show their gifted side due to learning how to be a student in school. Since kinder is the first "big school" year, students are trying to find their way in school.
My question would be : how do I best work with the student who may be gifted but has difficulty with social and emotional needs?

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My beliefs about gifted learners is that their are many different types of gifted learners and that each one is unique in how they approach learning and the classroom. One commonality that I do to tend to see is how passionate each student is about things they are interested in.
My question would be how can I support my gifted students in areas that they are not so passionate in or even help connect their passions to our different content areas.

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I believe just like all learners, gifted learners can vary in their needs as well. I also think sometimes they are looked at as needing less because they are higher academically, but sometimes they are the ones that need the most. They are more emotional, verbal and creative. They question alot and we must foster that rather than squash that.
I want to know how to foster the needs of GT kids while they are in an intervention (twice exceptional students), and  how to help them (younger gifted students especially) when it comes to their emotional needs.

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My experiences with gifted learners has shown that they do tend to have some similar characteristics.  Most of my GT students are more emotional, verbal,   and creative.  They are also very unique, and their giftedness shines through in different ways.  Due to their emotional depth and intensity, are they at a higher risk for depression and anxiety?  I am also very interested in twice-exceptional students.  How  do we identify students who have gifted traits, but can't perform for the testing due to attention or behavior problems?  I feel these issues make it hard to identify young, gifted learners.

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My belief about gifted learners is that each person learns their own unique way and each of these learners should be able to learn and push themselves further in their education. They are going to struggle in some things and succeed in other and I will be there to help guide them in whichever matter it is in.
What more can we do for these students socially and emotionally?
Is there more resources we have to help parents understand giftedness?

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I have seen several gifted learners over the years.  I believe that there are all kinds of gifted learners and that their giftedness does not always show up until they have exposure to different opportunities. A lot of times, I see children in Kindergarten that show characteristics of being gifted but don't qualify because of the test.  They don't have the stamina to complete it and so it takes a few years of maturity and exposure to school for them to meet the criteria on the test.
My biggest question is how can I support my students who are gifted but in different areas with different interest and still meet everyone's needs in the classroom?

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I believe that there are many different types of gifted learners and not all gifted learners exhibit the same attributes. Gifted learners need to have their needs met. Many times teachers are so busy teaching the curriculum and trying to bridge the gap of struggling students that the gifted students are sometimes neglected, not on purpose but due to pressure to raise scores and meet benchmarks.

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I believe that gifted learners are not all alike, especially in the primary classroom. I wonder if really "bright" children are identified as gifted because of their vocabulary.  Gifted learners can be highly motivated or lack motivation.  They often have an intense interest on a specific topic.  At times, gifted learners within the preschool classroom can have behavior concerns or lack of self control. This can "hide" the gifted talents that the child may have. A preschool child may not have the academic skills that teachers typically use to help identify a gifted learner. I'm wondering what nonacademic qualities a preschooler would exemplify in the classroom. What can be done in a preschool classroom that can promote opportunities for a gifted child.

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I believe gifted learners are children who are able to show high achievement in their particular domain. Each gifted child is different. They need modifications in the classroom so they can learn and realize their potential. A teacher must also help with skills emotionally and socially. I am excited to learn how I will support several gifted children in my classroom with different strengths?

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Gifted learners have their own types of "special needs". They require individualized challenges and an understanding of their own processes. Many times, gifted learners are either overestimated with their abilities or underestimated with their abilities. A teacher must take the time to get to know these learners and how best to serve them. It will be interesting to learn more about identifying and engaging primary gifted learners. One question I always have is "What are some new ways I can engage a gifted learner?" It seems there is always something new! Also, "How can I effectively engage a gifted learner that shuts down?" I am always looking for new suggestions!

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Gifted learners are not all the same. Some can be driven in a subject area that they particularly like and others may not be driven. Gifted learners can also be motivated, but can struggle when it comes to their social and emotional needs. Gifted learners can be more advanced than their peers and may need to be challenged in different ways. They can also be creative and have “out of the box” ideas or solve problems quickly. I would like to know how to identify these students at an early age when they have not been tested yet. I also wonder how to inspire these students in subject areas that do not motivate them.

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Gifted students are often thought of as the high achievers, but there is so much more to a gifted student than just high grades. Gifted students can see concepts through a different lens than their peers and often times need to be  challenged and pushed to reach their full potential. It is amazing to me that while I have taught many students in the GATES program, each of them needed to be supported in different ways. I am excited to learn how to better support these students in the primary grades, so I can then support teachers in planning small groups and activities.

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I believe that gifted learners need to be challenged in and outside of the classroom. They learn in different ways and their abilities need to be fostered so that they can achieve their goals to the greatest of their abilities. This year I will be moving from fourth grade to first grade this year, so I am looking forward to learning how to identify and support gifted children in the primary grades.

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To me a gifted learner is defined as a student who shows higher or advanced achievement than others of the same age. Students can be gifted in different areas not just academics.
How can I support gifted learners in Pre-K? I am looking for new strategies to use with Pre-K students along with being able to identify gifted learners early on. I was very excited to find this session and how it was addressed for younger learners.

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Gifted learners have special learning needs because they tend to learn concepts more quickly, make unique connections, and have a perspective that is different from their peers. Although gifted learners share many of the same markers of a learner, they can vary greatly from each other. My questions are linked to early identification and best practices for meeting the needs of gifted learners in those early formative years.

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I believe that gifted learners see things out of the box or in different ways. I believe there are many forms of giftedness.  Students can be gifted in fine arts, math, reasoning, etc.
How can I better design lessons with gifted students in mind? How can you support the SEL of gifted students?

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I believe that gifted learners have a different perspective. They are able to make connections. They think outside of the box. They are all different yet possess some of the same traits. Gifted learners need to be challenged! I decided to take this course because I want to learn more about how to reach the younger students. How can I help them grow early on.

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Gifted learners tend to think differently than others. We often think of them as "smarter", but they can have struggles too. Sometimes they are really book-smart, but struggle with expressing themselves.
A question that I have is how can I best support my gifted learners through SEL? How can I support the emotional side so they can be successful in all areas?

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I believe that gifted learners, while having some predictable traits, are as unique as all other learners. Their giftedness does not guarantee success or ease in school and their giftedness may make attaining their full potential difficult. They deserve our specific attention as we work to design learning that reaches their needs and pushes them to the next level (think Vygotsky - Zone of Proximal Development).

My question is: How can I better design lessons and experiences that are appropriate for ALL learners in my classroom?

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Gifted learners are all very different. Some learn easier then others. Some are gifted in other areas then others. I do believe sometimes when students are tested, do not show up as gifted under testing. My biggest question, how can I identify gifted learners in my classroom that are not already identified? How can gifted learners who have zero motivation be easily motivated in areas they don't love?

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Gifted learners learn differently. They need to be challenged and pushed in the regular classroom.  I don't think they need to work harder just  differently. Most of the time they need to be motivated because most of them think outside of the box. My question would be what strategies work best for the gifted learner? How can I help them be motivated and not frustrated in the classroom?

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Gifted learners definitely have a unique outlook on life and a different way of learning. I do think that they need to be challenged, but I don't necessarily think that means they need harder work, just different work that makes them think in a different way. I do think that sometimes these gifted learners have a hard time expressing what their thinking/feeling, especially at an early age. I guess I'm wondering how to best motivate the youngest of learners and extend them, with them still being able to not feel frustrated or be able to tell me when they've reached that frustration level.

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Gifted learners learn differently. Every child learns differently. Gifted learners need a push and challenge that will keep them engaged. High achieving doesn't always mean gifted and sometimes it's hard to differentiate the two. I would love more strategies to keep my gifted learners thinking outside of the box and challenging them throughout the day. Those little tweaks to lessons can make all the difference.

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My belief about gifted learners is that they have the ability to interpret, understand, a concept with a different lens than other students.  As a teacher we need to recognize that, celebrate that, and nurture that!
I guess my question would be, how can I better carve out time in my planning period to focus on nurturing the needs of my gifted kids rather than spend all of my time focusing on how to nurture my low kids?

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Gifted learners can look very different from each other. They think creatively and catch on quickly, but sometimes they are not your most motivated learners. I've had gifted students who would rather read a book all day so they will rush through work that is less interesting. Then other students who will spend hours on one task to get it just right.
I love Laura J's question about what happens to those gifted students that for whatever reason don't get identified in kinder? What happens in first grade? Yes, they are gifted and they need those opportunities. As a first grade teacher I want to make sure I am giving them creative ways to express themselves and ways to dig deeper into a concept.

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Gifted learners are learners who need to be constantly challenged and pushed.  They excel in areas such as academics, leadership, creative thinking and critical thinking.  There are many types of gifted learners, which means that some gifted learners are not so easily identified, especially when they tend to be less-motivated students.
A comment made by Morgan R is something I think about often as a gifted specialist: if a student isn't motivated to do well on the GT testing, or has difficulty/anxiety with test taking, they may never qualify, even though they may very well be gifted learners.

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Gifted learners are students that need to be continually challenged and have creative ways to solve problems. They might get through their work very quickly, and cause distractions in the meantime if not adequately challenged.

How well can a written test determine if a student is gifted? Many students struggle with test taking, and might never be identified.

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I believe that gifted learners are learners that do not fit into one learning category. Sometimes, the emotional needs of the gifted learner can be high because they want to be right and complete tasks right then; not wanting to continue to the next day. When these students have this inner dilemma, what is the best way to help them feel accomplished, but be able to move on to the next task?

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I have seen several different types of gifted learners. I believe that they don't always show the same characteristics so that makes it hard to identity a gifted learner or a high achieving student. I would love more strategies to use in my first grade classroom for both gifted learners and high achieving learners.

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Gifted learners in kindergarten often are creative thinkers, fixate on certain subjects/ideas and some aren’t willing to try because they don’t want to be wrong.
Some of my questions about giftedness are- in kindergarten students who seem text book gifted but aren’t yet reading don’t do as well on the tests and by 2nd grade they test and qualify.  What happens to those kids in first grade?  They’re still gifted.

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Gifted Learners need to be challenged in areas that they are interested in, have opportunities to use that knowledge to teach and share and to be comfortable in their classroom.
How does a first grade teacher incorporate this in their classroom while meeting all the other needs.

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Gifted learners think outside the box! They don't always push themself though. Best ways to push and motivate them to their full potential in Kinder. 

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Gifted learners think outside the box! They don't always push themself though. Best ways to push and motivate them to their full potential in Kinder. 

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Ashley Inge

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I believe that gift learned are not all the same. They are not "better" but different from other children. They need to be engaged constantly and teachers need to get to know them and their passions. My question is when trying to identify a gifted learner, how early is too early to identify. age 4? Is it possible to identify them even earlier?