Introduction |
| Anchor
Video |
| Concept Map |
| Project Calendar |
| Lesson Plans |
| Letter to Parents |
| Assessments |
| Resources |
| Modifications |
| Grant |
Acknowledging that
students learn at
different speeds and that they differ widely in their ability to think
abstractly or understand complex ideas is like acknowledging that
students at
any given age aren't all the same height: It is not a statement of
worth, but
of reality.
How to
Differentiate Instruction in
Mixed-Ability Classrooms (Tomlinson,
1995)
Although there is a wide
range of
literature about meeting the needs of
gifted students
in the regular classroom, there are a number of gaps in the research.
Experts
in gifted education suggest practices that they use and know to be
effective,
but there is very little research that formally tests their experience
and
recommendations. Few studies concentrate on gifted students in the
regular
classroom, and even fewer examine the effects of instructional
strategies on
both gifted and non-gifted students.
In a review of research on gifted students
in the regular
classroom, Johnsen and Ryser (1996) describe five overall areas for
differentiation: modifying content, allowing for student preferences,
altering
the pace of instruction, creating a flexible classroom environment, and
using
specific instructional strategies. The
bulk of the research concentrates on instructional
strategies that
have been linked to improved student achievement and have been shown to
increase
critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and creativity.
The following have
been established as
effective strategies (Johnson & Ryser, 1996):
§
Posing
open-ended questions that require higher-level thinking
§
Modeling
thinking strategies, such as decision making and
evaluation
§
Accepting ideas
and suggestions from students and expanding on
them
§
Facilitating
original and independent problems and solutions
§
Helping
students identify rules, principles, and relationships
§
Taking time to
explain the nature of errors
One of the most
extensive studies on
teaching gifted students in inclusive settings is a survey of classroom
practices in schools that have a well-established reputation for
meeting the
needs of gifted students. Westberg
and Archambault (1997) compiled case studies of teachers in elementary
schools,
identifying themes and common approaches to teaching gifted students in
regular
classroom settings.
The following
strategies occurred most
frequently (Westberg & Archambault, 1997):
§
Establishing
high standards
§
Making
curriculum modifications
§
Finding mentors
for students
§
Encouraging
independent investigations and projects
§
Creating
flexible instructional groups
§
Combination
of written,
verbal, and pictorial instructions with scaffolding
§
Repeated
demonstration of
procedure and support practice
§
Frequent
brief breaks
§
Preferential
seating to avoid
distractions and minimize extraneous stimuli
§
Scanning
and speaking
"pen"
§ Encourage students to outline their thoughts. It is important to get the main ideas down on paper without having to struggle with the details of spelling, punctuation, etc
§ Have students draw a picture of a thought for each paragraph.
§ Have students dictate their ideas into a tape recorder and then listen and write them down later.
§ Have them practice keyboarding skills. It may be difficult at first, but after they have learned the pattern of the keys, typing will be faster and clearer than handwriting.
§ Have a computer available for them to organize information and check spelling. Even if their keyboarding skills aren't great, a computer can help with the details.
§ Have them continue practicing handwriting. There will be times throughout a student's life that they will need to be able to write things down and maybe even share their handwriting with others. It will continue to improve as long as the student keeps working at it.
§ Encourage student to talk aloud as they write. This may provide valuable auditory feedback.
§ Allow more time for written tasks including note-taking, copying, and tests.
§ Outline the particular demands of the course assignments/continuous assessment; exams, computer literacy etc. so that likely problems can be foreseen.
§ Give and allow students to begin projects or assignments early.
§ Include time in the student's schedule for being a 'library assistant' or 'office assistant' that could also be used for catching up or getting ahead on written work, or doing alternative activities related to the material being learned.
§ Instead of having the student write a complete set of notes, provide a partially completed outline so the student can fill in the details under major headings (or provide the details and have the student provide the headings).
§ Allow the student to dictate some assignments or tests (or parts thereof) a 'scribe'. Train the 'scribe' to write what the student says verbatim and then allow the student to make changes, without assistance from the scribe.
§ Remove 'neatness' or 'spelling' (or both) as grading criteria for some assignments, or design assignments to be evaluated on specific parts of the writing process.
§ With the students, allow abbreviations in some writing (such as b/c for because). Have the student develop a repertoire of abbreviations in a notebook. These will come in handy in future note-taking situations.
§ Reduce copying aspects of work; for example, in Math, provide a worksheet with the problems already on it instead of having the student copy the problems.
§ Separate the writing into stages and then teach students to do the same. Teach the stages of the writing process (brainstorming, drafting, editing, and proofreading, etc.). Consider grading these stages even on some 'one-sitting' written exercises, so that points are awarded on a short essay for brainstorming and a rough draft, as well as the final product.
§ On a computer, the student can produce a rough draft, copy it, and then revise the copy, so that both the rough draft and final product can be evaluated without extra typing.
§ Encourage the student to use a spellchecker and, if possible, have someone else proofread his work, too. Speaking spellcheckers are recommended, especially if the student may not be able to recognize the correct word (headphones are usually included).
§ Allow the student to use cursive or manuscript, whichever is most legible
§ Encourage primary students to use paper with the raised lines to keep writing on the line.
§ Allow older students to use the line width of their choice. Keep in mind that some students use small writing to disguise its messiness or spelling.
§ Allow students to use paper or writing instruments of different colors.
§ Allow student to use graph paper for math, or to turn lined paper sideways, to help with lining up columns of numbers.
§ Allow the student to use the writing instrument that is most comfortable for them.
§ If copying is laborious, allow the student to make some editing marks rather than recopying the whole thing.
§ Consider whether use of speech recognition software will be helpful. If the student and teacher are willing to invest time and effort in 'training' the software to the student's voice and learning to use it, the student can be freed from the motor processes of writing or keyboarding.
§ Develop cooperative writing projects where different students can take on roles such as the 'brainstormer,' 'organizer of information,' 'writer,' 'proofreader,' and 'illustrator.'
§ Provide extra structure and use intermittent deadlines for long-term assignments. Discuss with the student and parents the possibility of enforcing the due dates by working after school with the teacher in the event a deadline arrives and the work is not up-to-date.
§ Build handwriting instruction into the student's schedule. The details and degree of independence will depend on the student's age and attitude, but many students would like to have better handwriting.
§ Keep in mind that handwriting habits are entrenched early. Before engaging in a battle over a student's grip or whether they should be writing in cursive or print, consider whether enforcing a change in habits will eventually make the writing task a lot easier for the student, or whether this is a chance for the student to make his or her own choices. Beware of overload, the student has other tasks and courses.
§ Teach alternative handwriting methods such as "Handwriting Without Tears." www.hwtears.com/inro.htm
§ Writing just one key word or phrase for each paragraph, and then going back later to fill in the details may be effective.
§ Multisensory techniques should be utilized for teaching both manuscript and cursive writing. The techniques need to be practiced substantially so that the letters are fairly automatic before the student is asked to use these skills to communicate ideas.
§ Have the students use visual graphic organizers. For example, you can create a mind map so that the main idea is placed in a circle in the center of the page and supporting facts are written on lines coming out of the main circle, similar to the arms of a spider or spokes on a wheel.
§
Do
papers and assignments in a logical step-wise sequence. An easy way to
remember
these steps is to think of the word POWER.
P - plan your paper
O - organize your thoughts and ideas
W - write your draft
E - edit your work
R - revise your work, producing a final draft
§
If
a student becomes fatigued have them try the following:
o Shake hands fast, but not violently.
o Rub hands together and focus on the feeling of warmth.
o Rub hands on the carpet in circles (or, if wearing clothing with some mild texture, rub hands on thighs, close to knees)
o Use the thumb of the dominant hand to click the top of a ballpoint pen while holding it in that hand. Repeat using the index finger.
o Perform sitting pushups by placing each palm on the chair with fingers facing forward. Students push down on their hands, lifting their body slightly off the chair.
§ Allow student to tape record important assignments and/or take oral tests.
§ Prioritize certain task components during a complex activity. For example, students can focus on using descriptive words in one assignment, and in another, focus on using compound sentences.
§ Reinforce the positive aspects of student's efforts.
§ Be patient and encourage student to be patient with himself.
Strategies for Spelling Difficulties:
§
Encourage
consistent use of spell checker to decrease the overall demands of the
writing
task and encourage students to wait until the end to worry about
spelling.
§
Encourage
use of an electronic resource such
as
the spell check component in a Franklin Language
Master® to further decrease
the demands. If student has concurrent reading problems, a Language
Master®
with a speaking component is most helpful because it will read/say the
words.
§
Have
the student look at each word, then close their eyes and visualize how
it
looks, letter by letter.
§
Have
the student spell each word out loud while looking at it, then look
away and
spell it out loud again several times before writing it down.
§
Have
the students break the spelling list down into manageable sections of
only 3 to
5 words. Then take a break after mastering each section.