Teaching Methods

A number of teaching methods and approaches can be used to meet the needs of gifted students in the regular classroom.

The actual methods include such things as concepts, facts, themes, and problem solving that students actively research.

Gifted students often have similar interests to older students, they tend to absorb information faster and make connections within that level better.

Therefore, these students will need to work at an advanced pace and with a wider selection of materials.

Below is a list and some details about several methods of teaching:

Telescoping: This means reducing the quantity of time a student needs to cover the program. Gifted students need less time to cover and retain information.

This can mean overlapping subjects from one grade level to another as necessary. This lets the gifted child advance at his or her own rate.

Acceleration: This teaching method involves placing the student at a higher level to better meet his individual needs.

This may include entering kindergarten early, grade skipping or subject advancing.

Compacting: This means the amount of time a student spends on the standard program is reduced.

This gives the student free time to work on other of interest. For example, if the student is at a higher level in language arts more time is giving to concentrate on that area and the reading material is geared more to the child’s reading level.

Learning Stations: This is an actual area within the classroom that lets gifted students absorb what they learn and lets them think deeper about it.

Independent Study: This gives an opportunity for student-directed learning with the teacher as guide. The student gets to choose the topic, and how he will complete the assignement.

Problem Solving: This involves creating a situation that presents the student with several problems to think about from many angles.

The idea is to create the best way for dealing with the issue.

Case Studies: Students are given a real life situation that includes a problem. Students read the information and form groups to discuss the questions that arise.

Afterwards, the teacher can get the class discussing different viewpoints and ideas.

For a wealth of resources for all who work with gifted and other high achieving learners visit:

Educators for the Gifted Organization.




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