Gifted students are talented—academic, artistic, athletic, and social. It’s not enough to just have the talent, but they should be using that talent to achieve at very high levels. A few characteristics of Gifted Children include: perfectionist, problem solvers, abstract and complex thinkers. These gifted learners usually possess one or two subjects of unusual talent such as: creative thinking (creates and invents), general intellectual ability (large vocabulary), specific academic ability (good memorization ability), leadership (likes structure), psychomotor (high energy level), and visual/performing arts (desire for producing “own product”).

 

Independent projects are a great way to allow creative juices to flow and to prevent down time distractions. 

Academic competitions allow students to test knowledge and to develop leadership skills and group dynamics.

Find a mentor for the gifted learner that is willing to dedicate some time to work with them on a particular area of interest in order to help them reach their full potential.

Multiple Intelligence tests are a great way to incorporate every student in classroom activities and to ensure they will each be individually challenged in one or more specific area.

These are just a few ideas that can be implemented into a classroom to help meet the needs of gifted learners in a classroom.

1.     Cluster groups: they allow for students of the same intellect to interact together for a more interesting discussion which results in more learning.

2.     Allow or give an alternate assignment to gifted learners that they would find more challenging or interesting

3.     Allow them to occasionally be a teacher assistant on a topic that is being taught if they already know the information that is being taught

4.     Allow them to teach lessons to part or even the entire class

5.     Allow them to join a higher-grade’s class 

6.     Consider having a gifted child skip one or more grades as long as the student is motivated

2.     Let go of “normal”: not all students learn at the same pace, don’t be afraid to let students complete work that is more advanced because learning based on development and ability is far more effective than curriculum based on age.

3.     Conduct informal assessments: periodically administering assessments to help determine where a student is at before you begin a unit can save them the boredom of having to learn something they already are competent in.

4.     Re-familiarize yourself with Piaget & Bloom: developmental theorists whom relate to learning through the description of developmental stages and the opportunity to utilize higher level thinking skills like analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

5.     Involve parents as resource locators: parents are often invested in their children’s learning and want what’s best for their child, if they’re willing to work with the teacher and can be flexible and willing to think differently, this can be a win-win situation.

6.     Learn about distance learning opportunities: online AP classes, great substitute for more challenging curriculum, generally aren’t free but an option if willing to pay.

7.     Explore acceleration: accommodate learning needs with flexibility because these students should not have their opportunities limited because of age or any factor beyond their control.

8.     Learning from the experiences of others: remember to not ask gifted students to serve as tutors for students who are struggling; to not give gifted students more work to do when they finish early; and only allowing gifted students to move ahead when they complete the grade/age designed work assignments with 100% accuracy.

9.     Utilize outside resources