Based upon your observations and experiences throughout your internship, describe how the diversity within the gifted population impacts your professional practice (e.g., choice of instructional strategies and resources, assessments, communication tools for parents and students, programming recommendations, etc.). (GEPO-K3, GEPO-S1, GEPO-S6, GEPO-D1, GEPO-D2, GEPO-D3, GEPO-D4, GEPO-D5)
Before this course, I would have assumed the characteristics of the gifted learner would have been a self-motivated, student who had high grades and test scores. However, after taking this course, that assumption is more like a stereotype and does not define all gifted students. Gifted characteristics appear in a variety of ways, not only through test scores and being self-motivated, but also through humor, creativity, outside the box questions and even some not so desirable behaviors such as students who are off task because they are bored. The National Association for Gifted Children defines giftedness as “Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).” Gifted students can also have disabilities, be unorganized, read constantly in class, be highly sensitive, daydream, and have an excellent memory. To me, one of the most eye opening pieces of knowledge I gained from this course was that even negative behaviors can be a sign of giftedness. As a whole, the gifted learner is unique and varies depending on the student.
This course and my observations really helped to show me that it’s not a “one size fits all” world when it comes to the gifted child, however there are some generalizations that can be drawn. For example, generally a gifted student is one who uses inquiry rather just being interested in a topic; one who thrives on complexity rather than straightforward information; one who is observant and infers rather than just being alert and understanding. The connections made by a gifted student go beyond just understanding and seek abstractions based on what they have learned in class. Therefore teachers of gifted students must recognize that the strategies employed in their classrooms must suit the needs of their students, especially by pushing them to connect the curriculum to their lives that goes beyond the classroom.
Dr. Barbara Swicord, President of the Summer Institute for the Gifted stated that gifted students require inquiry-based learning that pushes them to construct abstract ideas and draw new inferences from the curriculum. I observed TAG teachers employing strategies to reach the gifted learner that required rigor and was relevant to students’ lives and to their learning. Strategies consisted of those that examined and manipulated such as using Document Based Questions on history to those that push and challenge such as Socratic seminars.
My experiences lead me to discover that there is no “one-way” to teach a child, let alone a gifted student. I believe that a teacher must meet their students where they are and then push them further. Differentiated instruction, interactive activities, role-playing, games, collaboration, Socratic questioning, project-based learning, and the use of technology are all great methods of pushing the gifted learner. Sitting in a classroom listening to a PowerPoint and filling in a graphic organizer is not the best way to engage a TAG student. In order to meet the needs of these students, teachers must constantly stay up to date with ways to engage these learners in their classroom through strategies that take their learning to new heights. Gifted teachers will have to think outside the box for their lesson plans, incorporating strategies such mystery, inquiry and creativity into their teaching. This course, my observations and my experience have helped me create a goal in which I develop a classroom environment that nourishes and challenges the gifted learner through many different mediums, which allows them to explore areas of interest and enriches the curriculum.
http://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/Position%20Statement/Redefining%20Giftedness%20for%20a%20New%20Century.pdf
http://www.nsgt.org/differentiating-learning-for-gifted-students/
Before this course, I would have assumed the characteristics of the gifted learner would have been a self-motivated, student who had high grades and test scores. However, after taking this course, that assumption is more like a stereotype and does not define all gifted students. Gifted characteristics appear in a variety of ways, not only through test scores and being self-motivated, but also through humor, creativity, outside the box questions and even some not so desirable behaviors such as students who are off task because they are bored. The National Association for Gifted Children defines giftedness as “Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).” Gifted students can also have disabilities, be unorganized, read constantly in class, be highly sensitive, daydream, and have an excellent memory. To me, one of the most eye opening pieces of knowledge I gained from this course was that even negative behaviors can be a sign of giftedness. As a whole, the gifted learner is unique and varies depending on the student.
This course and my observations really helped to show me that it’s not a “one size fits all” world when it comes to the gifted child, however there are some generalizations that can be drawn. For example, generally a gifted student is one who uses inquiry rather just being interested in a topic; one who thrives on complexity rather than straightforward information; one who is observant and infers rather than just being alert and understanding. The connections made by a gifted student go beyond just understanding and seek abstractions based on what they have learned in class. Therefore teachers of gifted students must recognize that the strategies employed in their classrooms must suit the needs of their students, especially by pushing them to connect the curriculum to their lives that goes beyond the classroom.
Dr. Barbara Swicord, President of the Summer Institute for the Gifted stated that gifted students require inquiry-based learning that pushes them to construct abstract ideas and draw new inferences from the curriculum. I observed TAG teachers employing strategies to reach the gifted learner that required rigor and was relevant to students’ lives and to their learning. Strategies consisted of those that examined and manipulated such as using Document Based Questions on history to those that push and challenge such as Socratic seminars.
My experiences lead me to discover that there is no “one-way” to teach a child, let alone a gifted student. I believe that a teacher must meet their students where they are and then push them further. Differentiated instruction, interactive activities, role-playing, games, collaboration, Socratic questioning, project-based learning, and the use of technology are all great methods of pushing the gifted learner. Sitting in a classroom listening to a PowerPoint and filling in a graphic organizer is not the best way to engage a TAG student. In order to meet the needs of these students, teachers must constantly stay up to date with ways to engage these learners in their classroom through strategies that take their learning to new heights. Gifted teachers will have to think outside the box for their lesson plans, incorporating strategies such mystery, inquiry and creativity into their teaching. This course, my observations and my experience have helped me create a goal in which I develop a classroom environment that nourishes and challenges the gifted learner through many different mediums, which allows them to explore areas of interest and enriches the curriculum.
http://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/Position%20Statement/Redefining%20Giftedness%20for%20a%20New%20Century.pdf
http://www.nsgt.org/differentiating-learning-for-gifted-students/