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Instructional Delivery for Gifted

From the Advanced Learner: Multi-Tiered System of Support Guide, the following instructional delivery methods are how students need to be taught:

Accelerated Pace

What Is It?
Students at all grade levels K-12 may work through their course work as quickly as they like.

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)
Motivated students are able to finish their classes as soon as the content is complete, maintaining a rigorous and challenging pace for gifted and high-achieving students

Why Use It? (Research Support)
Allows students to work and complete content at a pace that meets their learning.

Competitions

What Is It?
Students participate in contests outside of school using the knowledge and skills they have learned.

Competitions range from subject specific (math bee’s,Battle of the Books for reading, writing essays, computer or technology) to creative thoughts (Odyssey of the Mind, Destination Imagination, Future Problem Solving Program International, Lego League) Students are able to take their passion, pursue it and join others with similar interests.

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)
Each competition has its own guidelines and requirements. The best place to start is at the competition website.

Sample of those in Iowa:


Why Use It? (Research Support)
Competitions can show any person how to deal with both success and defeat. This is a valuable life skill, having students interact with other high achieving peers and the sense of comradery, perseverance, and task completion. Competitive activities do not make a Gifted program, but can be a capstone event for demonstrating learning. Competitive activities do not have to be expensive, stressful, or time-consuming that they disrupt the students life.

Flexible Project Deadlines

What Is It?
Teachers are flexible with a due date on a project.

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)
Students negotiate for more or less time to complete a learning experience and its matching product or performance

Why Use It? (Research Support)
Today students experience more anxiety and stress than ever before. In extreme cases, the pressure of perfection can have adverse effects on students as they attempt to complete work. 

Flexible deadlines also help  students who need additional time to locate and obtain resources or materials not commonly found, but needed for their unique project.

Flexible Tasks

What Is It? 
Students (or teachers) change the requirements and parameters of a required product or performance

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)
Students and  teachers  discuss the task required and agree to a task with the depth and complexity that matches the learners interests or passion.

Why Use It? (Research Support)
High ability students must move through the curriculum at a faster pace and can handle content that is deeper, more complex and more abstract than the regular grade level provides.

Independent Study/Learning Contracts

What Is It? 
Students research teacher-chosen or self-chosen topic on their own, developing either a traditional or nontraditional product to demonstrate the learning acquired.

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)

Why Use It? (Research Support)
Independent Study offers students input into their own learning while providing challenge and critical thinking skills.

Inquiry

What Is It?
What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)
4 Phases Of Inquiry-Based Learning: A Guide For Teachers

Why Use It? (Research Support)
Inquiry-based learning enhances the learning process by letting students explore topics themselves.. This helps foster more curiosity about the material and teaches skills students can use to continue exploring topics they are interested in.

One-on-one Tutoring

What Is It? 
Tutoring, one teacher or mentor to  one student. Tutoring is centered on the  students' own personal goals, needs, strengths, and challengers. 

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)
Teachers customize instruction for each student’s unique learning needs. They can meet the depth and complexity  the advanced student needs.  Exemplar(s)

Why Use It? (Research Support)
One-on-one tutoring allows students to be taught at their level and at their pace.

Open-endedness, creative thinking

What Is It? 
Open-ended tasks have more than one right answer, and multiple routes to solve which encourages students to reason, reflect and think creatively. 

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)

Exemplar(s)
Open-Endedness

Why Use It? (Research Support)
The Importance of Asking Questions to Promote Higher-Order Competencies

Problem-based learning

What Is It? 
A student-centered approach in which students learn about a subject by working in groups to solve an open-ended problem. This problem is what drives the motivation and the learning. 

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)

Exemplar(s)

Why Use It? (Research Support)
Research Spotlight on Project-Based Learning

Question Typology

What Is It?
A look at the types of questions teachers ask and the answers/logic that they produce.

How Do I Use It? (Process, Strategies, Steps)

Recalling and reviewing of Knowledge and information

  • Terminology
  • Procedures
  • Content
  • Events and context

Procedural: Directing the work of the class

  • Going over directions and assignments
  • Clarifying
  • Checking for attention, agreement.
  • Task completion
  • Organizational and management related

Generative: Exploring the topic

  • Authentic questions or wonders that teacher doesn’t know the answer to.
  • Essential questions that initiate exploration of a topic

Constructive: Building New Understanding

  • Extending & Interpreting
  • Connecting & Linking
  • Orienting and focusing on big ideas, central concepts, or purpose
  • Evaluating

Facilitative: Promotes the learner’s own thinking & understanding

  • Requesting elaboration, reasons, evidence, justification
  • Generating discussion among the class to hear different perspectives
  • Clarifying and Uncovering

A Typology of Classroom Questions

Why Use It? (Research Support)
A Learning Typology: 7 Ways We Come To Understand