Learning in the Fast Lane

    What comes to mind when you think of gifted students? Perhaps words like genius, brilliant,  or intelligent jump out at you. Maybe you’re one of the many who get intimidating, anxious, or unfamiliar. Gifted students come in all shapes and sizes, ages, genders, and abilities. As different as they can all be from one another, one thing usually remains the same: having gifted students in the classroom can cause a lot of anxiety for the teacher. But anything is scary and intimidating when you don’t know much about it.

    I used to fear driving on the 401 because I’m just a small town girl who grew up in a hamlet where a few stop signs were more than enough to manage traffic. Once I began driving those major highways and familiarizing myself with the pattern of the roads, the drive wasn’t all that bad. And let's not forget to give due credit to the iPhone Maps app. 

    Teaching gifted students is quite similar. They learn in the fast lane and like to have multiple opportunities to arrive at their destination. Their thirst for knowledge and their impressive abilities to exceed normal expectations can send teachers into a panic! “What if they’re smarter than me? What do they do if they finish half an hour before everyone else? How can I prevent the behaviours that stem from their boredom?” As Francis Bacon once famously said, “knowledge is power”, and this truth can be applied to the student as well as the teacher.

    Provide the gifted students with the opportunities they need to be successful and watch them excel beyond your wildest dreams. Educate yourself on the needs and characteristics of your gifted students and you’ll be able to provide the best learning environment for those children.
    It's important to remember that gifted students are very similar to students with learning disabilities. Both parties have been formally identified and have Individual Education Plans designed specifically for their needs. The same effort you put towards differentiating your instruction for a child with learning disabilities should be applied to a child who is gifted. Both are exceptional meaning they both need accommodations and modifications in their programming.

    The following is a short presentation that educates you on gifted children in the math classroom. I used an online program called Prezi; I have seen it used many times, but had never used it myself. After a few hours of clicking and exploring, I came up with a simple, yet informative presentation on learning how to provide an inclusive learning environment for the gifted child. Just follow the few short instructions before beginning and enjoy!

1. Click on the picture below. You will be redirected to the Prezi website
2. Begin the presentation by clicking the Fullscreen icon at the bottom right corner of the video
3. Once the music begins to play, navigate at your own pace using the arrow keys