3.1.12 Supporting Gifted Students’ Need for Choice and Challenge to Maximize Gifts, Talents, and Potential

Unfortunately, academic disengagement often begins for gifted learners as early as elementary school (Ritchotte & Graefe, 2017). We know that in mixed-ability classrooms, gifted students often do not: (1) learn new material until months into the school year; (2) receive instruction that is a good match with their ability level; (3) or have the opportunity to dig deeper into topics that interest them. Even in advanced level courses (e.g., AP, IB), gifted learners often need modifications to be working at a level commensurate with their ability (Hertberg-Davis & Callahan, 2008; Hertberg-Davis, Callahan, & Kyburg, 2006).

Part of understanding giftedness is recognizing the affective and academic need for structured choice and challenge in school and how including these components can help to mitigate academic disengagement. This session will provide teachers with a research-based rationale for including choice and challenge in their instruction, supported by actual student quotes. Additionally, participants will get to view examples of student work developed when teachers differentiated to provide opportunities for choice and challenge. They will also be provided with resources, such as templates and rubrics, that they can immediately utilize in their own classrooms.

Author(s):

Amy Graefe
University of Northern Colorado
United States