Instructional Methods for Gifted Learners
You are familiar with the district wide acquisition lesson plan templates. Let me introduce to you some other curriculum models that represent best practices for teaching and working with gifted learners. You can easily transfer the elements of these models to the ALP format by writing assessment prompts for work periods that students spend completing their tasks/projects/work. Please understand that these are models and not a format for writing acquisition lesson plans.
Something that all of the below curriculum models share is an emphasis on student-driven learning. Students drive the process that run the lessons. In these lesson models the role of the teacher is that of a coach, "coaching" students to learn. Instead of having an inflexible set plan of when each part of the process will occur, as a coach you respond to individual students and groups throughout the experience always being an expert in the content they are using and finding ways to scaffold student connections between their work and content.
As a result of this coaching model, learning is more authentic and engaging. These models demonstrate best practices for gifted students because they naturally lend themselves to differentiation while maintaining a high level of student engagement. These factors combine provide an ideal environment for students to challenge themselves and grow as learners.
As an upper grades elementary teacher you may be hesitant to give this much freedom to your students because often they have not had opportunities like this. Be sure to spend extensive time before a new model practicing it with students to help them understand what the lesson and work should look like. For example, have students come up and model an inner and outer circle set-up for a Socratic seminar and explain the expectations of the seminar itself with a practice round. "Practice rounds" will benefit many of these models.
The benefits and challenges of each model are certainly not inclusive of all of the benefits and challenges that can be attributed to that model. Many models share similar benefits and challenges because they are all rooted in the coaching model of student-driven learning. Furthermore, applications for each model are endless.
Something that all of the below curriculum models share is an emphasis on student-driven learning. Students drive the process that run the lessons. In these lesson models the role of the teacher is that of a coach, "coaching" students to learn. Instead of having an inflexible set plan of when each part of the process will occur, as a coach you respond to individual students and groups throughout the experience always being an expert in the content they are using and finding ways to scaffold student connections between their work and content.
As a result of this coaching model, learning is more authentic and engaging. These models demonstrate best practices for gifted students because they naturally lend themselves to differentiation while maintaining a high level of student engagement. These factors combine provide an ideal environment for students to challenge themselves and grow as learners.
As an upper grades elementary teacher you may be hesitant to give this much freedom to your students because often they have not had opportunities like this. Be sure to spend extensive time before a new model practicing it with students to help them understand what the lesson and work should look like. For example, have students come up and model an inner and outer circle set-up for a Socratic seminar and explain the expectations of the seminar itself with a practice round. "Practice rounds" will benefit many of these models.
The benefits and challenges of each model are certainly not inclusive of all of the benefits and challenges that can be attributed to that model. Many models share similar benefits and challenges because they are all rooted in the coaching model of student-driven learning. Furthermore, applications for each model are endless.