Overview
This lecture provides six practical strategies to support gifted and bright students in regular classrooms without significantly increasing teacher workload.
Cluster Grouping
- Divide students into groups by ability for parts of the day to better address gifted students' learning needs.
- Grouping allows bright students to engage and challenge each other, reducing boredom and enhancing growth.
Alternate Assignments
- Let gifted students propose more challenging or personalized assignments instead of standard tasks.
- Teachers can also suggest alternative activities that cater to higher ability levels or interests.
Roving Assistant Teacher
- Occasionally let students who have mastered a topic act as assistant teachers to help classmates with that content.
- This role should be used sparingly to ensure bright students still receive challenging material.
Student-Led Lessons
- Have students teach lessons to a small group or the whole class to deepen their understanding and communication skills.
- Teach student-presenters how to structure and deliver effective lessons.
Higher Grade Placement
- Permit advanced students to attend higher grade classes for specific subjects to access appropriate challenges.
Grade Skipping
- Consider allowing gifted students to skip one or more grades when they are capable, motivated, and appropriately supported in the new environment.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Cluster Grouping — Dividing students into groups based on ability for more tailored instruction.
- Alternate Assignment — A different, often more challenging, task given in place of the standard classwork.
- Roving Assistant Teacher — A student who helps peers with work on topics they have already mastered.
- Grade Skipping — Promoting a student to a higher grade ahead of schedule due to advanced ability.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Decide which strategies to implement in your class and write them down as a reminder.
- Experiment with selected ideas and adjust or discontinue based on their effectiveness.
- (Optional) Share your experiences or additional ideas with teaching peers.