Gifted students continue to struggle in class because they
are restricted to learning the standard curriculum (Clark,
2002). Gifted learners cannot be confined to a proficient level of education
and therefore the need to advocate on their behalf continues. Not only can the
need be recognized by those in the classroom, but also by those outside of the
classroom with an interest in gifted and talented education.(Douglas, 2004)
(Kaplan, Summer 2004) Each year the students that are enrolled in gifted and
talented programs are asked to do an advocacy for gifted and talented
education. They take on different approaches with the majority of them building
on a personal teaching experience (Grant, 2002). While writing from three
different approaches, three teacher-students captured the totality of the needs
of gifted students as you will see in the following examples.
TEACHER ONE
One student made a connection to discoveries of the past
that illustrate the need to make special accommodations for persons of every
learning style.
He begins “Maybe advocacy for the
Gifted and Talented program began in the years between 514 and 520. In the
Allegory of the Cave, Plato uses a cave to explain the intellectual advancement
of certain individuals. He writes about those who are not content with the
bondage of circus, breaking free so that they may discover the cause of the
dancing shadows, only to return and find deaf ear.”
The body of his advocacy brought the Allegory of the Cave
into modern terms as he made connections between the cave and the modern
technology that could take on the same analogy. He also describes how we are
not all equal in that if you take a general poll of IQ scores, there is bound
to be an uneven distribution between the far-left end and the far-right end. After
thoroughly bringing the analogy into the world of academia he concludes his
advocacy:
“What of specialized programs? Do we not
already have them? Do we not encourage the artist in art class, the musician in
band, the athlete in football, and the scientist in science? Is not all of
academia suitable for the pursuits, desires of the characterized individual? Do
we not provide all students with the saw to cut through the toughest of chains
if so desired? The artist produces art, the musician, music and the athlete,
championships, but what of the scientist, do they produce science. To argue that
general curriculum is specialized or to be compared to other specialized
programs is inaccurate (Borland, 2002). One program is classified as an
elective where the other is core. One program makes the shadows and the other
stares in wonder. A musician has their solo, and the athlete has their run, but
what of the scientist. They are only instructed to measure. In the Gifted and
Talented program, the scientist can also run (Kaplan, Winter 2004).”
Although he has no
hands on experience with gifted learners, he is able to derive that there is a
natural presence of difference in this world. If it can be seen in the cave, it
must also be visible in the classroom. When there is a difference in learning
styles and strengths, there must be a difference in strategy as well.
TEACHER TWO
One of his classmates shared a story that took place as she
switched into a GT classroom. She thrives on the same idea that you have to
give the student the opportunity to excel in other areas besides their area
of giftedness, but she also moves on to confirm
that the techniques used to teach gifted students must be differ from the
techniques used to teach the “regular” student.
I moved from the Midwest to Houston with the intent
of teaching in a title one school. I expected for my students to be anywhere
from one to three grade levels behind. A few weeks before the beginning of the
school year, my principal told me that I would be teaching a third grade GT
class. I had no idea what she was talking about, and I literally asked, “What’s
GT?” Despite my uncertainty about what GT meant and my lack of knowledge about
how to best teach these students, my teaching assignment did not change. Third
grade is a Texas Assessment of Knowledge and skills (TAKS) testing grade, and I
assume my administration figured that a gifted class was the best place to put
an inexperienced first year teacher. As the year went on, these are a few of
the lessons that I learned while I was teaching a gifted class.
I was surprised to learn that a gifted child was not equivalent to a high
performing child. A gifted label does not necessarily mean that the child will
do well in school (as in receiving spectacular grades). I had a small group of
students who struggled with reading comprehension. There were other students
who had a difficult time understanding math problems. At first, I was confused.
I thought that all the children should be “smart” and should not struggle in
school, but I quickly learned that I was wrong. Giftedness is not the same
thing as most people’s definition of “being smart”. According to Barbara Clark,
“Gifted individuals are those who have developed high levels of intelligence
and therefore operate or perform, or show promise of operating or performing,
at high levels in any of the areas of intelligence.”
I also learned that this is a common misconception among teachers. This is true
for new teachers and teachers who have been teaching for many years. Most
teachers do not expect me to have any learning or behavior issues in my
classroom because I teach a gifted and talented class. That idea is completely
false. Gifted students can have trouble learning. They can also have problems
with their behavior. This is especially true if they are bored! Gifted students
can have difficulty getting along with others when having to work in a group
situation. Some students do not have a lot of patience while working with
students who are a lower ability level. Another behavioral problem can be that
they do not want to listen to the teacher. Other teachers will explain to me
that I just need to “tell my students” to do something (like take their time on
a standardized test). What these other teachers do not understand is that I can
tell my students (until I am blue in the face) that a test should take them at
least three hours, and they will not listen to me. I truly believe that some of
the students think they are smarter than I am, therefore, they do not need to
listen to me!
Surprisingly, it does not bother me. I think this is because I know that they
are different, and they will do things their own way. I also think that I
understand them. Last year, Trey completed his math Texas assessment o knowledge and skills (TAKS)
test within forty-five minutes. Afterwards, he told another teacher, “It was so
easy I almost laughed.” The amount of time he spent on the test was horrifying
to the teacher administering it. She believed it should have taken him the
whole morning. The truth is that he doesn’t the need the whole morning. He
missed a few questions, and I am sure he could have gotten a perfect score if
he would have taken a little more time. I know that it doesn’t matter to him
though. Many gifted children do not care about grades and test scores
(Dole,2001). That is not what motivates them. I wish I could explain all of
this to other teachers at my school. It is difficult to work around the
misconceptions that surround a gifted class and gifted children.
I know people wait years to teach a gifted class because they perceive it as
“easier”. It is not easier to teach gifted children. It is just different.
Gifted children will demand the type of education that all children (despite
their level) should be getting (Douglas, 2004).
They expect a day that is filled with interesting learning experiences that
will meet their needs. These students want to learn about things that interest
them, and they expect authentic activities. Differentiating and compacting is a
must. They need projects that develop their creativity. Basically, they demand
more than a day filled with “seat work”.
I write about my lessons learned, not to complain, but to try to shed some
light on common misconceptions about gifted students. I want people to know
that a gifted child may be gifted in only a certain area. They can still
struggle in school or even have special needs. Gifted children may not care
about grades, but they may be motivated by authentic learning instead. Behavior
problems do exist in gifted classrooms. Most importantly, I want people to know
that teaching a gifted class isn’t easier. It is simply different.
If Gifted and Talented students are recognized, there must
be teachers that can continue to educate them without causing them to be bored
and loose interest in school (Baker and Nimz, 2002). A child must go to school,
and educators are responsible for ensuring that each child is able to thrive in
the classroom.
TEACHER THREE
A third student captured the devastation of not establishing
and supporting gifted and talented programs in her advocacy. She too does not
address any classroom related experience, but her research supported ideas advocate
gifted and talented students.
When a plant grows for too long in its container,
it generally becomes root-bound. With no room for additional
growth, roots become tangled, matted, and grow in circles. This results in a
choked condition, stunting the plants growth and potential. (davesgarden.com)
Just
as the confines of an ill-fitting pot can stunt the growth of a plant, a
limited academic environment can induce this same “choked condition” for gifted
students. Whereas plants require an ample amount of space to spread their
roots, gifted students need ample opportunities to utilize their abilities,
expand their horizons, and realize their fullest potential.
It is a common
misconception that gifted students can thrive on their own, requiring no
additional services. Brain research reveals that an individual will progress or
regress depending on the amount of stimulation provided. “Just to retain their
giftedness-not to mention furthering their potential-gifted students must have
educational materials and experiences appropriate to their level of
development.” (Clark, 8) It is through quality
gifted programs in schools that students are given access to these materials
and experiences, all of which are vital nutrients in helping a gifted child’s
learning progress.
SUMMARY
Although it has been thought that every child is receiving
the education they need, for gifted and talented students, this is often not
the case. Gifted students should be able to thrive as well as those that have
not been identified as gifted. It is an injustice to try to teach a gifted
student against the same standards as a student without an area of giftedness.
These three teacher-students establish the need to specialize the curriculum,
put forth the work to meet the needs of gifted students and provide an
environment that nurtures their giftedness. The examples used help illustrate
the presence of gifted students in regular classrooms and their needs as
learners.
REFERENCES
Baker, B. D., et. al., Is a Federal
Mandate the Answer If So, What Was the Question. Roeper Review v. 25 no. 1
(Fall 2002) p. 5-10.html
Barry Grant .Justifying Gifted Education: A Critique of Needs Claims and a Proposal.
Journal for the Education of the Gifted 25 no4 359-74
Summ 2002
Borland, J. H., et.
al., Ability grouping and acceleration of gifted students: articles from the Roeper
review. Roeper Review v. 24 no. 3 (Spring 2002) p. 100-1
Bruce D. Baker; Reva Friedman-Nimz.
Is a Federal Mandate the Answer? If So, What Was the Question?. Roeper Review
25 no1 5-10 Fall 2002
Clark, B. (2002).
Growing up gifted. (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ:Merrill/Prentice
Hall.
Douglas, Deborah. Self-Advocacy: Encouraging Students to Become Partners in
Differentiation. Roeper Review 26 no4 223-8 Summ 2004
Dole, S. Reconciling contradictions: identity formation in individuals with
giftedness and learning disabilities. Journal for the Education of the Gifted v. 25 no. 2 (Winter 2001)
p. 103-37
Grant, B. Justifying Gifted
Education A Critique of Needs Claims and a Proposal. Journal for the Education
of the Gifted v. 25 no. 4 (Summer 2002) p. 359-74.html
Kaplan, Sandra N. The Spill-Over
Effect: An Advocacy Strategy. Gifted
Child Today (Waco, Tex.: 2000) 27 no1 48-9 Wint 2004
Kaplan, Sandra.
Using Their Words to Support Our Advocacy
Efforts. Gifted Child Today (Waco, Tex.:
2000) 27 no3 59, 65 Summ 2004
