DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTIONfor Gifted Students in the Regular Classroom

How do we accommodate for students who are gifted?

PACE

DELIVERY

PRODUCT

DEPTH

BREADTH

CHANGE THE PACEThe Ontario Curriculum is a guide of what to assess,

not what to teach. If a student already has mastered

an expectation, it does not need to be re-taught.

Many Gifted students will either already know the

concepts to be taught, or will learn them very quickly.

If a student can show mastery of the topic of

instruction, their time is better spent extending their

knowledge through an enrichment or extension

activity.

CHANGE THE PACE Pre-testing

Curriculum Compacting

Tiered Activities

Most Difficult First

Alternate Assignments

Learning Contracts

Independent Study

Learning Centres

Anchor Activities

Discovery Learning

CHANGE THE PACEWHAT MIGHT IT LOOK LIKE?

The class is given a pre-test before beginning a mathunit.

Jeffrey has demonstrated that he has alreadymastered most of the concepts to be presented. Hewill need instruction for only one of the concepts.

Jeffrey is given an alternate assignment to work onduring math class. When the class arrives at aconcept that Jeffrey has not mastered, he participatesin the lesson. He completes the most difficultquestions first, and if he shows mastery in the skill,returns to his independent project.

CHANGE THE DELIVERYGifted students need instruction in skills they have notyet mastered, but whole class modelling andrepetition of concepts may be frustrating.

Students may need to participate in the first lesson ona new topic, and then work independently to completethe task. They may not need lessons that review thesame topic, but could be ready to move forward andneed instruction on the next step.

Gifted students may also work on the same skills usinghigher-level texts or books with more abstract concepts.

CHANGE THE DELIVERY Mini-lessons

Different Resources

Independent Novel Studies

Curriculum Compacting

Independent Study

Open Ended Questions

Learning Contracts

Teacher Conferences

Reading Journals

Previewing Resources

CHANGE THE DELIVERYWHAT MIGHT IT LOOK LIKE?

The class is learning about Celebrations in SocialStudies. The teacher gives Nicole three books or articles about World Celebrations that are at herindependent reading level. Nicole reads these texts,and recommends the best one for the teacher to readout loud to the class, justifying her choice.

This text preview requires Nicole to think criticallyabout the texts as well as giving her a purpose forreading. It also allows Nicole to explore the sameconcept as the rest of the class while gearing it to heradvanced reading level.

CHANGE THE PRODUCTBy changing the product, gifted students are allowed

an opportunity to apply their knowledge of content to

their other talents and abilities.

Many gifted students are interested in technology or

the arts. Allow students to use these interests to

create their final product. Remember that you don’t

need to know how to use a piece of software or

technology - the student does!

CHANGE THE PRODUCT Choice Boards

Tic tac toe menu

RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic)

Game Show Menu

Student Choice option

Websites

Wikis

Podcasts

Movie Making

Game creation

CHANGE THE PRODUCTWHAT MIGHT IT LOOK LIKE?

The class is working on independent novel studies. Theteacher provides a choice board with activities such aswriting letters, performing skits, or creating posters to allowstudents to demonstrate their understanding of the book.The teacher also provides a “Your own idea” option.

Megan meets with his teacher and asks if she can create a“Book Trailer” for her book using images, audio, and textusing Microsoft Movie Maker. The teacher isn’t familiarwith the program, but conferences with Megan to makesure the learning expectations will be met in this form.

ADD DEPTHGifted students often quickly master the facts of a

new concept. They should be encouraged to delve

more deeply into concepts that are covered by the

Ontario Curriculum.

These students need to focus on the problems and

issues rather than the basic facts and information.

Allow the student to choose one specific area of the

topic of study that interests them and encourage them

to become an “expert” on that topic.

ADD DEPTH Tiered Activities

Open-ended activities

Higher level questions

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Curriculum Ladders

Students as Experts

Totally Ten

Increase the complexity

Decrease the structure

ADD DEPTHWHAT MIGHT IT LOOK LIKE?

The class is looking at websites about the War of 1812 forHistory and Media Literacy. The teacher creates three Tiers ofexpectations. For the Tier One assignment (for students workingbelow grade level), the teacher provides several websites to thestudents. They use a prepared worksheet and analyze each site based on the given criteria.

For the Tier Two assignment for students working at grade level,students work in groups and find three websites on the sametopic to compare. Students then work individually to analyze thesites, then compare their results within the group.

The Tier Three assignment is for those who need extensions. Josh and Greg work together to create a 4-point rubric forevaluating websites using five or more features. The studentswork together to find one website that exemplifies each level,justifying their decisions.

ADD BREADTHGifted students often are able to make connections

between ideas, subject areas, and concepts. Encourage students to see the “big picture” by connecting history to art and science and examining how one influences the other.

Use choice and flexibility to allow students to find an interest that they are passionate about it and connect that passion to the broader theme.

ADD BREADTH Tic Tac Toe Menu

Interdisciplinary Units

Orbital Studies

Totally Ten Menu

Your Own Idea option

Choice Boards

RAFT Assignments

Interest Centres

Case Studies

Role Play/Simulations

ADD DEPTHWHAT MIGHT IT LOOK LIKE?

Tyler’s grade 6 class was studying Space in Science.Tyler has been interested in Space for several years,and has already mastered the expectations of theunit. Tyler and his teacher work together to create aninterdisciplinary unit to explore Space from all areasof the curriculum. Tyler examines the history of thetelescope, creates a work of art that incorporatesconstellations and the signs of the zodiac, writes apiece of speculative fiction about colonizing a planet,Compares personal written accounts by theastronauts on Apollo13, and calculates the time thatwould be needed to travel to other planets and stars.

DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION

It is not always possible nor advisable to move tothe next grade’s curriculum when a studentrequires enrichment in a subject. Often,differentiating instruction will allow a giftedstudent to gain deeper, broader understanding ofcontent. By changing the pace of instruction,allowing independent work and choice ofassignment, and encouraging students to bringtheir individual talents into their classroom work,the needs of the gifted learner can be met in theregular classroom.

FOR MORE INFORMATION... Beales, B. (2008, November 21). Differentiating Courses using Learning Styles (Workshop). (B.

Beales, Performer) EdGO Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Cooper, D. (2007). Talk About Assessment: Strategies and Tools to Improve Learning. Toronto:

Thomson Nelson. Delisle, J., & Galbraith, J. (2002). When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers. Minneapolis, MN:

Free Spirit Publishing, Inc. Education, I. S. (2008). Curriculum Ladders. Retrieved March 19, 2009, from For Idaho Teachers:

http://www.foridahoteachers.org/curriculum_ladders.htm Lambton Kent District School Board Differentiated Instruction Team. (2008). Differentiated

Instruction Binder. Retrieved March 17, 2009, from Lambton Kent District School Board: http://www.lkdsb.net/program/elementary/intermediate/di/index.html

Matthews, D. J., & Foster, J. F. (2005). Being Smart about Gifted Children. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press, Inc.

Ministry of Education. (2009). Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner Special Education Companion. Retrieved 01 24, 2009, from Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner Special Education Companion: http://www.ocup.org/resources/documents/companions/speced2002.pdf

Powers, E. A. (2008, Summer). The Use of independent Study as a Viable Differentiation Technique for Gifted Learners in the Regular Classroom. Gifted Child Today , pp. 57-65.

Expert Panel on Literacy and Numeracy Instruction for Students with Special Education Needs(2005). Education for All. Toronto: Queen's Printer for Ontario.

Westphal, L. E. (2007). Differentiating Instruction with Menus: Math. Waco, TX: Profrock Press, Inc. Westphal, L. E. (2007). Differentiating Instruction with Menus: Science. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press,

Inc. Winebrenner, S. (2003). Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit

Publishing. Wood, P. F. (2008, Summer). Reading Instruction with Gifted and Talented Readers. Gifted Child

Today , pp. 16-25.