Today one of my pod besties posted this on my Facebook wall. Since we are both teachers of Talented and Gifted students, we are constantly sharin' articles, newsletters, etc. about Gifted. Obviously, the title grabbed me immediately and I just had to read to find out....are we failin' gifted students?
At my school, we have seven Gifted endorsed teachers that provide Gifted services from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade. The pod I live in(no, I don't really live there, but it's my second home) houses full time TAG classes in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. Every year our program changes a little dependin' on the students, but after teachin' inclusion classes, regular classes, and TAG classes, I can say, "Hands down, Gifted is my favorite!" This article really spoke volumes to me and I wanted to share for any of you teachers out there that also specialize in Gifted students or have a Gifted student in your classroom. The article is linked below. Go on...read it!
I loved the five "C's" in this article. I have already written them down as a constant reminder to myself to practice these with my lil' rockstars...more than I already do.
I have been so blessed to be chosen to be a Gifted teacher for the past several years. I can honestly say that there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not personally challenged or learnin' something new from my students. They definitely keep me on my toes and help me strive to be innovative, creative, and thoughtful in my plannin'. I know this isn't just something that happens because I'm a Gifted teacher. I feel strongly that all teachers feel this way...no matter their specialty.
Thoughts?
I sometimes feel like Caring is one of the most important of the 5 C's because it sets the stage for everything else. From my perspective as a student and a teacher if I didn't feel like a teacher cared---then I didn't.
ReplyDeleteThat sets the table for just about everything because then you can hit all those other objective C's.
Being in special ed, I'm a bit on the opposite side, but I have to have my students understand that I care for them--because then I can challenge, push, and ask for more. the relationship piece is an absolute must because it breaks down so many barriers students have when it comes to learning.
I think one of the tougher aspects is giving control to students. That is tough, but it is one that we should have happen more. I understand why it happens, but the kids today are really capable of using that control (of their learning) for their benefit. I just think project based-learning is an under-utilized skill that they should be using to benefit themselves and their learning opportunities.
Quick story, today I had to sub in a classroom because there was a missing teacher. A student can up to me (who I knew was very bright) and in the midle of the lesson asked to go to the bathroom. I looked at him and said "you'll be missing out on a great learning opportunity". He stopped, thought a second, and then said with a smile "good point". He sat back down and finished the lessons with me. It was so cool, but I gave him the option and he made a great decision. This was a third grader. Very cool.
matt
Digital: Divide & Conquer
Matt, I 1,000% agree about the caring part. I've been on the opposite end with special ed before and the more I challenged and pushed with a big caring heart, the more the kids learned. There is NOTHING more rewarding than seeing a kid finally have that "a-ha moment".
DeleteI think I have a pretty good balance in my class with the control aspect. It's definitely gotten better through the years and helps having big kids. I think I feared giving up that control when I taught little ones because of the whole behavior/management aspect. Silly thoughts on my part and definitely wrong. There are some phenomenal PBL ideas out there! I know you and I have similar beliefs about that. Definitely under-utilized.
LOVE the story from your experience today with the bright student addressing that you made a good point. Those are the best!
I struggle with this a lot. I'm not a G&T teacher, and I find that the emphasis on bringing our strugglers up to goal, while hugely important, does a disservice to those who need to be challenged in different ways. Thanks for posting about this. It's often left out of the conversation and I think we need to remember it, as parents of G&T students need to know we're doing our best for their children as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Wild Rumpus
Absolutely! It's a great reminder no matter what type of student we teach...they all deserve to be challenged and for us to give them our all and reach their learning styles.
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