How To Support A Gifted Learner

Written by Abena Sey

October 18, 2022

Abena Sey is the co-founder of Sey Education Solutions, an educational consultancy that provides services to families, schools, and organizations to support students’ literacy and numeracy goals. She is a passionate teacher, virtual tutor, and lover of all things teaching and learning. She specializes in early literacy in both English and French, and spends her time sharing her experiences and knowledge with parents and educators through her blog.

In Dona Matthews’ Ph.D. “Gifted Education: Losing the Racism and Elitism” she discussed a more inclusive approach to giftedness and meeting the needs of learners through optimal matching. According to Matthews, the optimal match approach “offers an alternative perspective on understanding and meeting diverse kinds of gifted learning needs.” Using this approach, students can have their learning needs met, if they are “way above others in one subject or another.” One of the challenges that classroom teachers face is meeting the learning needs of all students in their care. No classroom contains a homogeneous group of learners. Students come to our classrooms with various learning styles, experiences, interests and strengths. A teacher's goal should be to incorporate good pedagogy that reaches all learners, and this includes meeting the learning needs of gifted students.

How can a teacher support learners that display giftedness in a specific subject area?

Here are 3 approaches:

1 - Differentiate your instruction and assessments

This is a strategy to target specific skills for all learners. An effective way to differentiate is to work with students in small groups. This strategy involves a teacher working with students in small groups or with individual students to target a specific skill or learning goal. When you have identified a learner’s giftedness in a specific subject area, research and plan ways to challenge the student and engage them in content and assessment related to their area of interest. You may choose to further enrich the learner using resources that are above the student’s grade level, and continue to do so as the learner progresses. The idea is to challenge the student just enough to maintain their interest and to enrich their learning experiences in the classroom.

2- Collaborate with the teacher in the grade above

You can enlist the help of the teacher in the grade above by coordinating a time in the day where the gifted learner can participate in activities that will challenge and enrich the learner to support their learning needs. This could be participation in centres (or, small group lessons) targeting specific skills, or participation in a specific lesson or performance task that aligns with the student’s learning goals.

3 - Share resources with the student’s parents

You can enlist the help of the student’s parents to support their learning goals. Have a meeting with the student’s parents and communicate what you have observed in the classroom. Explain the student’s strengths and passions, detailing what makes them unique and how you would like to continue helping their student progress. Share what you are doing in the classroom to tap into the student’s strengths and learning goals that you would like to pursue, and how parents can help you. Provide the parents with resources from school, or ones in the community that they can explore to further enrich their child.

What can parents do to support their gifted learner?

Parents, if you receive feedback from your child’s teacher about their giftedness, it is highly encouraged that you explore the resources the teacher has provided, and follow up with your child’s teacher about what you’re doing at home to continue learning. You may also choose to network with other families that are in a similar position. This could be getting involved in community organizations that are related to your child’s area of interest, joining virtual communities through various online social platforms, and doing your own research on what you can do to support your child at home. There are many ways to keep your child engaged and enriched outside of the classroom, so choose activities that lead your child towards their learning goals.

Gifted learning is a unique opportunity to meet a student where they are through equitable practices. If an educator takes the right approach, it can be an inclusive and enriching experience for the student where they can be challenged and engaged in their subject area(s) of strength. A gifted student’s learning goals can be achieved through the support of the teacher, the teacher's colleagues, and the student’s parents in order to promote learning and help the child progress in their area(s) giftedness.

References

Matthews, D., Ph.d. (2021). Gifted Education: Losing Racism and Elitism. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/going-beyond-intelligence/202109/gifted-education-losing-the-racism-and-elitism

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