introduction to teaching gifted students

Teaching Gifted Learners in the

Regular Classroom

Presentation at UMN New Teacher Conference

Dr. Liz Fogarty (foga0017@umn.edu)

THINKWho are gifted kids?

PAIRHow do gifted kids learn

differently?

SHAREIn what ways should instruction

for gifted kids be different?

From: It’s About Time by Alane J. Starko, Mansfield

Center, CT: Creative Learning Press, 1986.

Put Gifted

Kids on

Your Radar

Knows the answers

Asks the questions

Is

InterestedIs Highly

Curious

Has good ideas

Has wild, silly ideas

Listens with interest

Shows strong feelings & opinions

6-8 Repetitions for mastery

1-2 Repetitions

Understands ideas

Constructs abstractions

Enjoys peers

Prefers adults

Enjoys school

Enjoys

learning

DON’TDO

(Tomlinson, 1997)

DO PACE IN RESPONSE TO

STUDENTS’ INDIVIDUAL

NEEDS

DON’T ASK THEM TO

DO WHAT THEY

ALREADY KNOW HOW

TO DO

I’ve mapped out the concepts I've already

grasped to save you time.

COMPACTING

Approximately 40-50% of traditional classroom

material could be eliminated

for targeted students.

Students

1. Allison

2. Debbie

3. Jake

4. Jamie

5. Mary

6. Matthias

7. Paige

8. Sullivan

9. Thomas

Se

qu

en

ce

of

Eve

nts

Te

xt

Org

an

iza

tio

n

Ca

teg

ori

ze

& C

las

sif

y

Su

bje

cts

/Pre

dic

ate

s

P P P P

P

P

P P

P

The CompactorJoseph Renzulli & Linda H. Smith

Student’s Name Allison

Areas of Strength Documenting Mastery Alternate Activities

Reading/

LA

92% on Theme 1

Pretest

-will attend group mini-lessons on only

those activities she did not master

-will spend her time finishing her novel

Math Chapter 2

Addition/

Subtraction

91% on Pretest -Worked on addend/inverse sentences

w/class

-Did all extra activities with the class, as

well as her project

Reading / LA 98% on Theme 2

Pretest

-Will be involved in Birchbark Book group,

continue her novel and attend mini-lessons

on skills she has not mastered

DON’T ASK THEM TO

DO MORE OF THE SAME

STUFF FASTER

DON’T CUT THEM LOOSE

FROM PEERS AND TEACHERS

FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME

DON’T HAVE GIFTED

STUDENTS BE A TUTOR

BECOME

AN

EXPERT

DON’TGIVE THEM

ACTIVITIES

TO JUST

FILL THE

TIME

DO GIVE THEM A HIGHER

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY

Minimum Requirements

Build a complex machine which is made up

of at least two simple machines and can

move a roll of pennies 3 feet.

Exit Ticket

What was most

helpful to you about

today’s session?

What do you most

wish to learn about

next?

Best Books for

Differentiation

http://www.nagc.org

http://www.megt.org

“In a completely rational society, the best

of us would aspire to be teachers and the

rest of us would have to settle for

something less, because passing civilization

along from one generation to the next

ought to be the highest honor

and the highest responsibility

anyone could have.”

-Lee Iacocca

Questions

?????????

fogartye@ecu.edu