Parallel Session Proceedings »
4.5.8 Teachers of the Gifted Learning in Online Courses through Group Strategies
Gifted students have special learning needs that have to be understood by their teachers. Therefore, teachers who want to teach gifted students need to gain new knowledge and skills in order to effectively teach this special population. Teachers are often enrolling in online courses to gain this specialized knowledge. Although learning is ultimately an individual endeavor, learning takes place in environments in which communities naturally develop and learning can be enhanced by understanding and using the interaction of groups. The terms group and community are interchangeable as describing the coming together of persons. The bringing together of persons online provides a platform for cultivating learning through group interaction. Ultimately, the most important fact is how the group interactions are structured in the online courses. This presentation provides group strategies that will enhance group interactions in an online environment, even when the interaction is asynchronous. Research has indicated that group counseling is beneficial and that there are specific group strategies that enhance the group experience. These strategies have been implemented in developing online group interaction and have been likewise effective. The group strategies include forming and structuring online groups, using facilitation skills to exact continual interaction in the group, and enhancing learning of content through group interaction. Both instructors of online courses for teachers of the gifted and teachers of online courses for gifted students would benefit from this presentation. Professors and teachers who teach and develop online courses will learn strategies for enhancing group interactions. Although the online format may be asynchronous, group interaction can be developed and sustained throughout the term of the course. From this presentation, participants will develop methods for appropriately forming and structuring online groups; develop facilitation skills in order to exact continual interaction in the group; and develop strategies that will enhance learning of content through group interaction.