As teachers, we might have had experience working with gifted students. No matter who they are or how they behave, gifted students require attention just as much as struggling students. But you might be asking, “How? What can I do? I know they need me, but how do I help?”
Before we jump into that, let’s first answer the question: What is giftedness?
The definition is debated and disagreed upon, but a generally accepted, basic definition is gifted students show advanced ability in one or more areas compared to peers of the same age, environment, and experience. These students have some abilities that are developed well beyond their peers.
Additionally, something worth noting is that gifted students may also exhibit learning or processing disorders. These disorders may require assistance and intervention of their own. Gifted students may also need help to grow emotionally and socially as well.
Identifying Our Gifted Students
How do we find these students in our classrooms? We all have bright, capable students, but how do we know which ones are gifted?
While no students are ever exactly alike, many gifted children often share a few common characteristics:
- Learns quickly
- Has a strong vocabulary
- Naturally inquisitive
- Asks complex questions
- Uses logic to solve problems
- Shows advanced reading comprehension
- Has strong positive or negative emotions
- Ability to concentrate for long periods
- Has advanced communication skills
- Fascination with specific subjects or topics
- Sees connections/relationships between ideas
- Sense of humour
- Perfectionism and/or anxiety
This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a great place to start trying to identify a gifted student in your classroom. For more examples and information, please visit the Institute for Educational Advancement and the North Hills School District (Pennsylvania) websites on gifted children.
Now, let’s move on to how you can start working with gifted students in your classroom.
Working with Gifted Students – Engaging and Differentiating for Gifted Students
Now that we have a better understanding of gifted students, let’s discuss how to engage them and differentiate instruction in our classrooms.
Create an Individual Education Plan (IEP)
Depending on where you teach giftedness, students might qualify for an official identification and require an IEP. This is a legal document that outlines the areas where the student will be provided with enrichment opportunities.
Think About Their Interests
When working with gifted students, the best way to motivate and engage them (or any student, really!) is through their interests. Identify and keep your students’ interests in mind as you design and develop work for them.
Provide Pre-Assessments
Giving students a pre-assessment before starting lessons for a new unit can help you see which students already know what information. This is beneficial for all students, not just gifted ones. It allows you to tier/level assignments for all students based on their prior knowledge and compact the curriculum if needed.
Compacting the curriculum means removing information or tasks that students have already mastered and then providing alternative tasks. This differs from levelling assignments (which occur within the same curriculum), as you may need to switch curriculums.
Avoid Rote Practice Work
Once you have established your gifted students’ strengths, do not give them the same work as their peers if they have proven that they have mastered the concept. For example, having students do the same language and math homework does not serve them.
Gifted students might find rote learning (practicing concepts repeatedly until mastery has been achieved) ineffective since they already understand the concept they are working on.
Make Use of Levelled (Tiered) Assignments
When you modify assignments for struggling students, remember you can also modify assignments when working with gifted students. You can provide higher-level reading passages or more complex higher-order thinking questions. You can learn more about higher-order thinking questions, also known as Bloom’s Taxonomy, here, here, and here.
Levelled assignments can also be research-based. Gifted students can research information and then use it to create something, like a podcast, presentation, website, diagram, or even their own Kahoot!. This is also a great place to consider the students’ interests, as they could create or design something that interests them or pursue their passions.
Challenge gifted students to go further into their topics of interest, analyze complex problems, and have the freedom to think critically and creatively.
Additionally, adaptive websites, such as Khan Academy (which is free), that automatically modify and adjust difficulty based on student performance can be a quick and easy way to start levelling your assignments.
Using Article of the Week Differentiated Lessons is a great way to tier assignments for students of all abilities in your classroom. This resource includes four distinct Article of the Week assignments, each varying in difficulty level and assignment type. Whether it’s short answer responses, graphic organizers, essay writing, or peer-selected activities, you’ll find various options to cater to your students’ diverse needs.
Consider Real-World Scenarios
While all students need experience with real-world scenarios and problem-solving, this can be extremely helpful when engaging and working with gifted students. Gifted students often understand the topic/information, can answer questions, and breeze through lessons. However, pushing these students to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios can encourage them to think about how the information is used outside the classroom.
Career lessons are a great example of real-world lessons perfect for your gifted students. They will allow students to look into careers related to their interests and strengths. Career lessons will help gifted students plan for their future and bring some intellectually stimulating content as students work out how they can apply their strengths and interests to a future career.
You can find career lessons from 2 Peas and a Dog on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.
If you have math enthusiasts in your classroom, they might also enjoy some real life math lessons. These lessons will help students understand how some math concepts are used in everyday life. Check out this blog post for more information: Interesting Real Life Math Lessons.
Tutoring/Mentoring
Teaching or mentoring could be a part of some gifted students’ talents. Let those students help you and help themselves. Not all gifted students will benefit from this, but for some, reteaching your lesson or guiding a peer through your lesson with you may help them understand it even more.
There are many possible options for this. It does not have to be during your lesson, as there are times when that might inhibit the learning and focus of others. It could be before or after school, perhaps in your classroom with you. Remember, do not assume that your gifted students want to tutor or mentor others, but you can ask if it interests them.
Positive relationships build classroom community while also positively impacting learning and growth. Tutoring can occur during small group instruction, study time, or any other opportunity during your day that works for both students. Whenever possible, avoid using their lunch or “recess” time (if applicable) so that it does not feel punitive and does not limit their free time with their peers.
Partner With Gifted Peers
In this same manner, when working with gifted students, you can also partner them with other gifted students for assignments and projects. This allows them to challenge themselves and each other, as each has unique strengths and weaknesses. This can also aid them in practicing real-life skills, such as managing emotions and social skills. These types of collaborations provide an environment where students can thrive.
Let Them Work At Their Own Pace
When working with gifted students, allow them to work independently and at their own pace when possible. They are likelier to remain focused and engaged when working through their projects or levelled assignments at their own pace.
Perhaps these students could complete the smaller classroom assignments independently or be allowed to skip them. If coursework and projects are completed, students may be given time to explore or complete a project based on a topic of interest. Activities such as learning centres and choice menus can help students stay focused, work on levelled assignments, and complete the tasks at their own pace.
Collaboration with Families/Guardians
Keep families informed and involved in the education of their children. They are great resources for the strengths, needs, and enrichment areas that their children need. Reach out to families through email and/or a phone call, depending on the rules set forth by your school.
Out-of-the-Box Learning Activities
Help gifted students stay engaged in their learning with interesting activities. These out-of-the-box assignments will allow gifted students to showcase their interests and talents.
- Crime Scene Investigations Non-Fiction Article – This non-fiction article will challenge students as they learn about different science techniques used by crime scene investigators.
- Book Flatlay Project Book Report – This alternative to the conventional book report allows students to showcase their creativity by creating a flatlay representing the aspects of a book they’ve read.
- Pet Memes Narrative Writing Assignment – In this writing assignment, students can express their creativity as they write through the eyes of a pet. They will then work on their storytelling skills as they create a Day in the Life story about their chosen pet.
- Book Versus Movie Comparison Analysis Project – Students will love to dive deeper into their books vs movie thoughts using this project. This will get them to analyze a book alongside a movie to compare the differences and similarities between them.
- Persuasive Product Pitch Assignment – With this assignment, students will work on a product pitch similar to those on shows like Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank—but with books! They will work on their persuasive writing skills to convince their peers why they should or should not read a book.
- Book Unboxing Assignment – In this assignment, students will share their thoughts on the books they’ve read through a YouTube-style unboxing assignment. This can be done live or in video format, and students can share 3-5 books with the class.
Encourage Curiosity and Exploration
Create a classroom culture that encourages curiosity and exploration. Allow gifted students to pursue their interests and passions through activities and lessons that meet their needs. For ideas, check out these articles: Middle School Math Enrichment Lessons and Fun Middle School Fast Finisher Activities That Will Engage Your Students.
Provide Emotional Support
A supportive and nurturing environment benefits all students. Still, it can be even more crucial with gifted students, who may face unique social and emotional challenges, such as perfectionism, heightened sensitivity, or feelings of isolation. Make sure that you recognize this and give students the support they need.
Find Professional Development Opportunities
Through professional development opportunities, you can learn more about gifted education, such as strategies for effectively identifying and meeting gifted students’ needs. Look at these workshops, which will show you how to develop your classroom and program for all learners: Professional Development.
I hope this information can help you identify, engage, and continue working with gifted students in your classroom. Like many students, gifted students are unique, multi-faceted individuals. They bring unique personalities and skill sets to the classroom, and just like others, they deserve guidance and a push to excel in their strengths and weaknesses.
For more information and resources regarding gifted students, you can visit the Davidson Institute.
More Information About Working With Gifted Students
- Five Ways to Support Gifted Students in Your Classroom | Kaplan Early Learning Company
- What is Giftedness? | Gifted Definition & Meaning
- What is Giftedness?
- What is Gifted? – Institute for Educational Advancement
- Differentiated Instruction for Gifted Students | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- AIG Differentiation Training | Smore Newsletters
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