How to Teach Gifted and Talented Students

Gifted and talented (GAT) students can be a lot of fun to teach, but they can also be a challenge. The key is to get to know all your students and work on challenging all of them, gifted or not, at the level they're at. In a mixed classroom, that can mean allowing for some variation in projects, asking open-ended questions to stimulate thinking, and using hands-on activities to encourage students to finish their main work. It also means you'll need to find ways to make each student's education an individual experience that challenges them.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Meeting GAT Students’ Individual Needs

1
Have them complete an interest survey at the beginning of the year. An interest survey helps you tailor your lesson plans to students' interests. You can ask about things like their favorite subject, their favorite book, what sports they like to play, what hobbies they have, and who their friends are.^{[1]XResearch source}
- You may find it's easier to motivate a GAT student by using their interests to make a undesirable task more interesting.
- For instance, maybe one student loves animals, but you have a hard time getting them interested in reading. Hand them stories about animals, and they're more likely to devour them.
2
Assess students' levels at the beginning of the year. GAT students need to be challenged. That means you need to know what level they're at before you can provide the challenge they need.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Use a basic test with a wide range of difficulty to establish what skills your students have this year. You can also do one-on-one interviews to establish skill levels, such as having students read a few set texts to determine their reading level.
- Make sure to emphasize that these tests will not count as a grade to help your students relax.
3
Seek out mentors for each student. Help your GAT students find mentors that are experts in areas they're interested in. Connecting students with mentors helps them explore topics of interest more thoroughly. Mentors also give students something to aspire to, as they can see a professional in the field.
- Talk to other teachers, parents, and professionals outside of the classroom to find mentors.
- You could even start a formal mentoring program at your school, where you solicit a pool of interested adults who've undergone a background check. Then, you can draw from that pool when you get a group of new students.
4
Create flexible seating for younger classrooms. Flexible seating allows GAT students to get comfortable and really dig deep into a problem or a book. Beanbag chairs, balance balls, carpet squares, and large pillows are all great options.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Most of these can even be used at low tables.
- Be sure to include some traditional seating, too, as some students will prefer a standard chair.
5
Let students move when thinking. Many GAT students are fidgeters. They tap their pencils or flap their hands. They may pace or bounce. Doing so helps them think. If you discourage these movements, you'll slow down their thinking process.^{[4]XResearch source}
- You could even have items on hand they can fidget with, such as fidget cubes.
6
Set up a makerspace for downtime. GAT students need to be busy, and you can't always assign them something new when they finish an assignment. A makerspace is a great way to keep them engaged without giving them busy work.^{[5]XResearch source}
- A makerspace is an area where students can play around and build things. You can include things like Legos, cardboard, scissors, string, and tape for them to build with. You can also have items like paper towel tubes, egg cartons, and clean milk jugs for them to cut apart and use.
- For older students, try coding projects, robotics, and more complex building projects.
- It helps to have some project ideas on hand, along with the items to build them. Try having projects related to the unit you're working on in class!^{[6]XResearch source}
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Challenging Them Beyond the Class Material

1
Make regular coursework more challenging. It can be tempting to give GAT students more work to challenge them. However, instead, just make what they're already doing more challenging. For instance, instead of having them spew facts into a report on a novel, assign a creative project where they need to recreate the story in a modern setting.
- Avoid just piling on extra work. While adding challenges can be a good thing for GAT students, giving them work above and beyond the regular coursework can overload them. The key is to challenge them, not overwhelm them.
2
Add hands-on lessons that enhance the main unit. Have a hands-on lesson ready for when these students grasp the main concept and finish up their main work. That way, you give all students enough time to finish the main work, but you have something available to entice the GAT students to finish.
- A hands-on lesson could be a computer game, a fun coloring lesson, or even something like building a working model of a concept you're working on in class.
3
Try discussion groups for students who've already grasped the material. If some students still need repetition of the topic while others are ready to move on, introduce small group discussion for the ones who are ready to move on. That leaves you free to work with the students who need repetition.
- Partway through the class, assign the slower students a worksheet to work through while you go around and check on the small group discussions. Require the students to take note of what's being said so they have some accountability.
4
Ask your GAT students to tutor struggling students. Tutoring not only helps struggling students, it can help a gifted student solidify their knowledge. Have your advanced student help a peer who struggles with a certain subject. This helps them break down, apply, and better understand their class knowledge, and also helps bolster their confidence in their work. It also encourages compassion and collaboration in the classroom.
- Your school may offer a formal tutoring program, or you can simply ask your students to help one another. If an advanced student finishes an assignment early, for example, you may say, "Marco, can you go help Peter with questions 5-9?"
5
Assign independent projects based on students' skill levels. Each student, even GAT students, will learn at a different speed and have different skills. Independent projects allow students to work at their level, while still working on similar themes.^{[7]XResearch source}
- For instance, say your class is working on a unit in recycling. You might assign some students to research recycling centers in your area. You might ask other students to find ways to reuse household items and still others to develop a recycling program that could work in their school.
6
Pull GAT students together for projects. These students often benefit from working together. If you have several in the same grade who are in different classes, consider assigning them to work on projects together.
- Of course, you'll need the cooperation of other teachers for this to work, but it can encourage more in-depth learning across a variety of disciplines.
- For instance, you might have GAT students work on a project together that combines math, science, and geography, so students can work together during those classes on the project.
7
Encourage GAT students to enter contests and camps. Academic contests can be a great way for GAT students to challenge themselves outside the classroom. Help them find appropriate contests to enter, and encourage them to apply.
- Similarly, academic camps, like summer science camp, can give GAT students the challenges they need.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Keeping GAT Kids Engaged and Connected

1
Encourage GAT students to take on challenging problems. Many GAT students make "A"s in school while only half trying. They may not have been truly challenged before entering your classroom. When they are challenged, you may find they flail a bit and want to quit before really working on the problem.^{[8]XResearch source}
- Start by giving the students the skills they need to solve the problem. Provide support and encouragement for the students as they work through tough problems, then let them try it on their own.
2
Let students work ahead when they can. GAT students get bored easily, especially when they are forced to work on problems or skills they've already mastered. When a student shows proficiency in a skill, let them move on to problems they haven't mastered yet.^{[9]XResearch source}
- When your older students test at high levels in a subject at the beginning of the year, you may feel frustrated since you're required to teach certain subjects. If your students already know them, particularly your GAT students, they're going to get bored. The key is to add complexity to the curriculum while staying within guidelines.
- For instance, instead of assigning worksheets to see if students understand a concept, assign projects, such as building a working model of a cell.
3
Give options on individual projects. Providing flexibility in project options gives GAT students the opportunity to challenge themselves. Plus, it gives them a chance to find the best fit for their skills and keeps these students from growing bored.^{[10]XResearch source}
- For instance, if you're assigning a visual project, don't just tell students to draw a picture. Tell them they can draw a picture, create a model, build something out of clay, or create another visual aid in a different medium.
4
Ask open-ended questions to stimulate critical thinking. Yes-or-no questions or questions with a 1-word answer don't require your students to think much. GAT students like to be challenged, and asking open-ended questions gets their gears turning.
- For instance, if you're asking questions about a science experiment, don't just ask questions like, "What ingredient should we add next?" Instead, ask questions like, "What do you think will happen when we add the next ingredient?"
5
Focus on the higher levels of thinking for GAT students. Give GAT students the chance to create and analyze, rather than just understand, remember, and apply. GAT students need the challenges of the upper levels on Bloom's Taxonomy.
- Bloom's Taxonomy is a pyramid based on how people learn, developing the bottom-level skills before the top-level thinking skills. At the bottom of the pyramid is the skill "remember," then "understand" and "apply" is above that. Next is "analyze" followed by "evaluate" and then "create" on top.^{[11]XResearch source}
- So, for instance, if your students are learning about geography in the United States, they first have to remember the names of states, then understand each name represents a geographical area. Eventually, they'll move up the pyramid to things like analyzing how the states interact.
- Activities that encourage these upper levels of thinking include doing experiments, designing a game, coding and designing a website, or writing an editorial.
6
Let students figure out their own route to the end result. One way to challenge GAT students it to let them work through a project or problem without telling them how it should be done. Often, GAT students have their own way of doing things, and they may falter if you tell them there's only one "correct" way to do it. Giving them the freedom to find their own way helps push them to use their best skills.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Be specific about the end result you want and what you expect to see there. For instance, you could say, "I want a model of a cell with all the parts labeled. However, how you design the project is up to you."
7
Create open-ended assignments. Flexible assignments can help keep all your students engaged, including your GAT students. Look for chances to create assignments that allow students to express their understanding of a subject through media comfortable for them. This encourages creativity and engagement from your advanced students, and also allows other students to demonstrate their strengths in subjects in which they may not normally excel.^{[13]XTrustworthy SourcePubMed CentralJournal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of HealthGo to source}
- For example, instead of assigning a book report, you can assign a book response project. Have students brainstorm a creative project and present it to demonstrate their understanding of a class reading. This encourages confidence and problem-solving.
- That way, a student that is an avid reader but not a strong writer doesn't feel isolated. Instead, they may choose to make a sculpture about a pivotal scene from the book.
8
Listen to students about their education. Most GAT students know when they're not being challenged enough, and they'll have ideas about what can be done. By sitting down and talking with them, you can create strategies to help meet each student's needs.^{[14]XResearch source}
- For instance, some students may want to work independently on a project or be able to read ahead in their studies while still checking in with you.
- Allowing students some control over the education helps them engage.
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