I
am currently observing in a very differentiated classroom. I will be student teaching in this classroom
in the spring. This particular second
grade class has 20 children--four of the children have IEPs and two are
classified as "gifted." The two children who are classified as
“gifted” are finding second
grade very easy, especially in math. These children started the school
year at a third grade level and use the third grade math books. It
would be a huge help if I could get advice from my fellow classmates because my
concern is how to incorporate a wide variety of differentiation into my lesson
plans when I student teach. I have incorporated differentiation in classrooms
that had children with IEPs and children who are "above average," but
I have never had a class in which there were two children who were classified
as gifted. What are some "tips" you have that I might incorporate
into my lesson plans (specifically math)
that will allow me to focus on all learning levels while keeping the gifted
children still engaged and part of the classroom?
Kristen , I can relate to where you are coming from. The second grade class that I am in now and will be student teaching in has 29 students. 5 out of the 29 are on second grade reading level, the rest are kindergarten and low first grade levels. We have one student classified as gifted and I see him getting bored very easily with the work every now and then. Many of the students can barely read directions, while the one gifted students can read challenging chapter books easily. What I find that works very well in this situation, are centers. Centers are great, my coop uses these daily. In centers, we are able to group the students by what they are having difficulty with and need to work on; such as math, reading or spelling. For the gifted students, you could possibly group them in a center together and give them some challenging work while you have the other students working in centers that benefit their needs. In math centers you could possibly add something like using a deck of cards to add or multiply the numbers - by writing them down on a white board or creating their own word problems. There are so many things that can be done in centers - they do take a lot of planning so be prepared, but in the end they are really benificial to the students !
ReplyDeleteReferring back to Bloom's Taxonomy, the highest levels are synthesis and evaluation. While being in third grade may make abstract concepts not a easy to understand as in later grades, have external criteria as assessment is important. One thing that can be factored into one's lessons is the uses of students as assistants. The students can help "teach" the lesson and contribute to educating their peers. This would accomplish multiple things. First, the responsibility of the education becomes more that of the student. Second, the "gifted" students can develop other skills (community building) that would benefit the class as a whole. Third, having students learn to explain what they understand reinforces that knowledge and make them even more affiliated with the content. It is important to keep the students challenged to better themselves while they are young.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a unique case in which I am unfamiliar with. I really like Zeth's idea about using these gifted students as assistants or peer mentors. This would coincide nicely with Vygotsky's Social Learning Theory. These students will model how to appropriately complete the material while retaining the information themselves and are working as a team. I also think that centers would benefit the diversity of students as well. The teacher can better address what material needs to be reviewed based on the work completed and on observation of how each student works in a group setting.
ReplyDeleteWhen first reading Kristin’s question and thinking about her concerns for differentiating lessons for gifted students, my first instinct was: peer tutoring/ mentoring! I agree completely with the other comments about trying to prevent a gifted student from feeling bored and ostracized by encouraging him or her to help the other students. I love how Zeth touched on the fact that this would not only help the other children, but it could also help the gifted students improve social skills and communication skills.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I did not want to just offer the same tip to Kristin as she’s already read, so I did a bit of research on ways to motivate gifted children in the classroom. Scholastic.com has an article, see link, (http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/disabilities-special-needs/5-ways-to-help-your-gifted-child-reach-her-potential) with ideas for keeping gifted students engaged. Three of scholastic’s tips for gifted children in the classroom are: “Factor in free time for him or her to daydream, invent, and create what he or she wants”, “Encourage the student to follow his or her passions, even if you don't share them”, and “Introduce him or her to other gifted children.”
Based on the advice from the article, my idea for your student teaching placement would be to have the gifted students do an extended project (which might involve research, art, design, collected data from other books, visual performance) with the material you are teaching the other children. Gifted children tend to be extremely creative. I know it might seem overwhelming to differentiate the material of every single lesson you teach. If the gifted students are WAY advanced, sometimes having a whole different set of material may be necessary; but in some cases, I think it would be great to just have the gifted students do an EXTENSION of the material you are using for the other students. Whatever work they come up with can serve as inspiration for the rest of the class. A student-directed, critical-thinking type of project would mean having gifted students think about the lessons on a deeper and more independent level.
Kimberly Russomanno
I am really glad that you asked this question because I feel that our learning of differentiation focuses primarily on how to help struggling students. I feel that we have not learned much on how to differentiate for the gifted students and how to make sure that the work is not too easy for them and that they are not bored. When I first read your question I had no idea how to help you because I have not been fully prepared to handle this situation. Like Morgan, I am unfamiliar with the situation. I do agree with Zeth's idea about using the gifted students as assistants or peer mentors. This would help the students not only retain the information but other students would benefit as well. It would help the students grow both academically and socially. I also think centers are a great idea because it allows the teacher to see how each student is working at his/her individual level. It also allows the gifted students to work at a higher level than their peers. However, you just have to make sure that you also have centers in which the students are in heterogeneous mixed groups. You do not want students to be judged based on what group they are in for centers. In the classroom I observe in, there are three students that are considered gifted so my cooperating teacher provides them with projects, such as fun book reports because they love to read, that they can work on while waiting for the class to finish. So maybe creating fun projects or something that the students can move on to while the rest of the class is finishing the work would be a good idea to keep them engaged and not bored.
ReplyDeleteThis blogpost got me to think that I really don't have any ideas of what I would do if it was me in your position. I feel as though we have never really been taught on how to differentiate for the gifted students. We always hear how they may be considered at risk students because they often just lose interest in school if the work is not appropriate for them. I agree with Nicole, I had no idea how to handle this situation but after reading the comments I agree with Zeth as well. His idea would not only benefit the gifted students but other students in the class as well. Differentiate your projects, give them the options for them to choose from. Part of the common core is being able to explain why, I would try to remember that when trying to plan your lessons. Some teachers forget that when teaching, especially when they are teaching math.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed some similar issues in my classroom! I have 23 first graders, at varying levels of development. Some are very advanced, while others still have trouble writing their names. I am trying my best to ensure the lessons I teach are not too difficult or too easy. I would suggest working closely with the "gifted" children and give them additional or more advanced problems to the lessons being taught. It is definitely a challenge teaching to a wide array of abilities, but I am confident that you can succeed!
ReplyDeleteI would give my higher level students slightly more challenging assignments. When I was in elementary school, I was involved in an enrichment program that would pull us out of class for a little while and have us cooperate on a small group project. We read a few different, more advanced books and completed assignments for them. I remember reading an Elvira Woodruff novel and then creating a mummy based off the book we read. Maybe the teacher may recommend them for an enrichment program if it is available in the district. Otherwise the only other option I can think of is for them to continue to receive more challenging work.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Danielle C. I would suggest working in small groups with the gifted students to really challenge them. I also think you could make up different worksheets and copy them in different color and have each group pick a different color worksheet that goes with their ability level, however always switch the colors so they don't catch on. It can be very difficult to meet all of the students intellectual needs in the class.
ReplyDeleteI am glad Kristin raised this questions, being that all of us are most likely going to be teachers and begin our student field experience. It is indeed hard to involve these"gifted students" within the class lesson(s) you will be providing. I strongly agree with Kim and Zeth.
ReplyDeleteOn the whole student as a teacher approach, these gifted students are able to access the capability of teaching others while presenting new ideas themselves. It is an effective strategy for both gifted and non gifted students to work well together by providing each other with thoughtful insight.
Going along with what Kim explained, I think it is a crucial element for these gifted students to excel on synthesis, or growing out of the leveled "knowledge" stage. Most of the time, teachers forget to include high leveled thinking within lessons, and loose the interest of most of these students. The idea that these gifted students are provided with research allows them to dig deeper within the context.
I have never been in any classroom with gifted students; however, I believe I can think of several things that you can do with them to keep their attention during math lessons. Since these two students learn from a third grade math book, I believe that your initial lesson with your IEP students and regular ed students should at the end incorporate third grade strategies. Incorporating the third grade level work, just a bit, will give your lesson rigor that will allow all your other students to be challenged. Once you have presented your initial lesson, combining second and third grade work, I would sit at a table with the gifted students and go into more detail with lesson on a third grade level, as a challenge you can incorporate fourth grade strategies into the lesson to challenge them. I believe a challenge when learning is fun because it allows the students to think and hopefully want to reach the answers and understand how to reach the answers on their own. I hope this helps you a bit.
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