User talk:Bthom039

I thought it was notable that you said you plan to make your lessons creative and interesting, but that you are also strict. I also hope to hold my students to high standards, but I wonder if that is harder to do in the real world? I'm curious because you said you have been teaching for several years. Do administrators support you when you feel you need to give a lower grade to a student who isn't working to his or her ability? Is it hard to maintain high standards when other teachers do not? I ask because I have seen low expectations in some schools and very high expectations in others.

Lroth009 (talk) 02:46, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Your philosophy is great. To exercise the mind and encourage the students to be creative at all times are skills that will last a lifetime. It is not a crime to make students learn because they are applying the information, rather than memorizing and reciting. I appreciate your philosophy and believe it will work wonderfully in your classroom.

Tre' Abroo015 (talk) 01:34, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

I think you have a Great Philosophy and a creative approach is always a great idea. The only thing that i think is that you may be a little to serious about being so strict. It may just be because im younger than you are but i feel that i never learned as well in a strict setting as i did in a not so strict setting. This week the teacher that im observiing told me that they are just kids and kids will be kids so let them have fun to some extent. IM sure you will be a great teacher though and best of luck to you.

Joseph Lucente JLuce004 (talk) 18:43, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Wow, you are very ambitious. I love school personaly and I'am glad to see someone working toward a masters degree. I will be working toward my masters degree next fall. If ODU doesn't find another class that I have to take. I don't know where they keep finding classes I feel that I have taken everything possible.I think that now a days teachers need to be strict. Kids think they can get away with everything. I think knowing another language is great. Good luck with everything you do. Cwhit107 (talk) 23:23, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

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I Brandie I did the peer review of your article. I thought it was very informative and very interesting. You had very few spelling errors however some parts confused me. An interview from a gifted student would be a plus. :)

peer reviewBold text Only concentrate on bolded words.'

The Needs of Gifted Students by Brandie Thomas

The label “gifted student” is one that requires special attention, no different than for a student labeled “learning disabled” or “ADHD.” There is no way to present every optional teaching method for dealing with gifted students in one article. I will simply attempt to present both sides to the question of whether gifted students can “take care of themselves.” There are many differing options on the subject with many reasons for each side. However, the beauty of this topic is that there are options for compromises, meaning a teacher may not have to choose one extreme (gifted students always independently teaching themselves and meeting their own needs) or the other (fully integrating them into a regular classroom). Let’s explore.

Learning Targets: Define differentiation and inclusion. Describe how inclusion and pull-out educational methods can be combined. Recognize appropriate methods to enrich streamlined lessons. Identify the pros and cons of both pull-out classes and integrated classrooms. I will include a sidebar here of a link to reproducible print-outs to use with gifted children.

Inclusion The first teaching method option supports the answer that yes, gifted students can take care of themselves. It is full integration of gifted students into a classroom. Before the details are discussed, it is important to note that 61% of teachers do not have formal training in teaching gifted children (National Association for Gifted Children, 2008). Inclusion is most commonly defined as “grouping of students in regular classrooms without regard to ability. It is based on social, not academic concerns” (Nordby, 2004). The fully-streamlined gifted student would be in a regular classroom all day with possibly only a few extra activities to occupy their minds. Another course of full integration is for children to enter kindergarten a year early or for first grade to be skipped altogether; that way, these gifted children are shooed onto the next level where learning in a regular classroom will theoretically be on their level. However, parents may choose not to do this when taking into consideration differences between their child and older children such as being too small for athletics or other concerns. Later, compromised versions of inclusion will be discussed. This teaching method of full integration holds the premise that gifted children can indeed take care of themselves, in the respect that they can keep themselves busy and on task on the many occasions when they finish their assigned tasks before other children. Enrichment in the regular classroom can be put into action with a variety of methods. Just a few of these are: grouping kids based on level of achievement (in reading, for example), called and discussed by Smutney et. al. as “tiered groups”; and having a gifted student become a “resident expert” in a subject of the teacher or student’s choosing.

Gifted students tend to think differently and often are plagued by other issues, just a few of which are feeling alienated for being “smarter” than friends, “super-high expectations” placed on them, and being “overwhelmed” by their over average skills (Delisle & Lewis, 2003). Smutny, Walker, & Meckstroth list several more major problems that are faced across the board by most gifted children. Some of these problems might be fairly difficult to identify or uncover like introversion, having difficulty finding a balance of control concerning independence and nonconformity, and being “deeply” concerned about the issues of the world and maybe feeling helpless about these situations. For any of these issues [and other issues that might come with being gifted] to be noted and addressed, teachers must have real time and pay special attention to their gifted students. In an inclusive classroom, it is extremely difficult to make that time. Also, a teacher might not have enough work to keep a gifted student actively learning and experimenting with new knowledge. Additional worksheets are neither a reward for finishing work early and correctly, nor are they effective learning tools all the time. These two issues are among the first discussed regarding why students should not be fully integrated into a classroom. Proponents of this stance claim that gifted students are not being allowed or coached to live up to their potential while they are taught with these methods. There are some positives to the model of inclusion. Integrated gifted students are around other kids their age. In a regular classroom, teachers can make sure the students are getting the information they need for their end-of-grade tests, not just working on projects or missing details by teaching themselves. Gifted students are less likely to be singled out even if they do finish work early. In an integrated classroom other students are more likely to see the gifted students as leaders whereas if they are taken out of the classroom, a negative connotation is easily pinned on them. There is also no extra work from a separate class if there is no extra class. That is something most students would appreciate, even if the “extra work” were fun activities and exercises. Finally, in this situation, other students’ parents are less likely to claim that gifted kids are getting special privileges (Smutny et. al.).

Taking Care of Themselves: Pull-Out Classes Delisle & Lewis break down the different levels of pull-out classes and this breakdown is summed up in Figure 3.7 on page 67 which shows a triangular diagram of “appropriate pacing” of these levels: enrichment in the regular classroom to special classes up to special schools. (The first level, enrichment in the regular classroom, was discussed in the inclusion section of this article.) This diagram is not suggesting that all gifted students participate in all three levels but to instead find the level which is most appropriate for their learning needs. Of course, all school districts do not offer these choices. In my research, my experience as a teacher and gifted student and in talking with a mix of teachers, having special classes for gifted students is probably the most effective pull-out class route. Some schools offer as part of their gifted students’ enrichment program “extras” like seminars, or year-long projects that teach more about writing skills, go more in-depth, and maybe require a hands-on project, for example. All three of the year-long project components delve deeper into the learning realm that these students would be receiving in a regular classroom. Also in elementary and middle schools are classes that students attend, taking time out of their regular classes or classroom that expand on regular classroom lessons. Delisle & Lewis also mention regional and national scholarly competitions that advocate creative thinking and/or problem-solving, such as Odyssey of the Mind (which I participated in and had a wonderful experience) and Science Olympiad. At the high-school level, Honors and AP classes are offered.

Some downsides to pull-out classes are more reasons that make them impossible to endeavor, not reasons why they are not an effective teaching choice. Funding is a top reason pull-out classes might be difficult to start and maintained, cited by principals and administrators across the country. Trips have to be paid for, a formally-trained teacher found and salaried, more supplies have to be bought for the many projects to be done, and parents have to be persuaded to participate in the extras of the gifted child’s pull-out education, just to name a few issues. When students have a routine pull-out class, it takes a great deal of coordination for the gifted teacher to coordinate the timing and content of her projects with those of the regular classroom teacher. Delisle & Lewis also notes some tendencies I call lazy and just mean. These authors talk about the rare case where teachers punish pull-out kids by making them make up every single page of work they missed while they were out of the classroom, or by planning field trips or other fun activities during the pull-out class time. Having gifted students leave the room for special instruction may also be a pass for the regular classroom teacher to not challenge the gifted students while they are in the class.

The advantages of pull-out classes are myriad. In a pull-out class, children get to work with students who reason as they do and who are all on higher intellectual levels. There is often a creative and original curriculum in these classes so they keep students interested in school and teaches them more about the different ways to learn. Delisle & Lewis point out that in this scenario, there is one central person per school district through whom all students, problems, questions, and curricula flow so it keeps the gifted program organized and with a good gifted teacher, this is the getting the job done efficiently. The Compromise

There are many compromises between the two extremes. One is differentiated teaching methods and activities. Delisle & Lewis introduce curriculum compacting which is skipping materials that gifted students already know. Why waste time, right? Independent study inside the classroom is also an option (becoming a “resident expert” is a good example). During research projects, while students are practicing their research strategies, teachers might take this time to expose the gifted students who already know those strategies new technologies and higher-level resources. The aforementioned year-long, multiple-pronged project is a great differentiation experience. A teacher can also provide more complex and in-depth centers using “tiered groups” (Smutny et. al.). While having computer lab time, gifted students can, after mastering regular curriculum, be introduced to advanced computer programs. Also having students think of real-life problems in the world or situations they come in contact with promotes creative thinking on a higher level as well, and can be done while in a regular classroom, after having finished assignments.

Teachers and administrators have serious considerations to mull over and plan for. Not meeting the needs of gifted students puts in jeopardy these kids’ learning potential and desire. Gifted students have minds that, if taught how to open them up, produce unbelievable creativity. Each school district must decide which program best meets the needs of their students: inclusion, pull-out classes as the meat of a gifted program, or a combination of the two. One study shows how specific this process is and offers some insight on how to go about making this decision. One key component is to identify goals for gifted students and for the teachers who teach them (Weber, Boswell, & Smith, 2008) because every gifted program must be focused or it will end in chaos and the students will not learn what they need to.