Intelligence is by nature, a bell curve. In every class there is likely to be a few kids (usually the same few) who understand the concepts immediately and are finished before most of the rest of the class is even halfway done. In a perfect world (maybe one in which teachers had endless, paid planning time), those children would have curriculums designed just for them and be constantly challenged. But the world is far from perfect and you have 25 other students, all with their own styles of learning. So, here are some minimal-prep ideas of what to do with those bright kids to keep them challenged:
Ideally
- Have an extra challenge ready that allows the student to go deeper into the subject, learn a little more, or apply a skill he has just learned in a new way.
- Beforehand, help the child to create an ongoing individual project. Perhaps a report on something she is interested in, a PowerPoint presentation, or a creative writing project - anything that is motivating, educationally sound and can be worked on here and there.
- Critical thinking activities - logic puzzles, brain teasers and the like. Have them ready for whenever they are needed. Better yet, make a packet of a bunch of them that the student can get out and work on whenever he has some extra time.
- Journal writing - ideally with some focus or prompts, possibly related to what you are studying
- Silent reading - again, ideally with some focus - perhaps exploring a genra or subject with some kind of associated project or review, even if it is minimal.
- Give the child more of the same. Or give the child something different, but equally easy.
- Have the child help you by correcting papers, taking down bulletin board items, cleaning white boards etc.
- Have the child help a struggling student. I know, everyone loves peer teaching, but I don't. I believe it puts both the student teacher and the learner in difficult situations. A bright child is not necessarily a sensitive child, or a good teacher. Further, it isn't a good use of that child's learning time. "Teaching is learning twice" is true for sure, but odds are, your bright student doesn't need to learn it again. He already knows it, really well. As for the learner, that kid is struggling already. How much does it help that child's self-esteem to be paired with a student who gets it without even trying? Worse yet if the bright child is impatient, condescending, or just plain mean little learning is going to take place.
Creative and Critical Thinking Activities
Creative and Critical Thinking Cards
Tic-Tac-Toe Journal Prompts
6 comments:
My children finish their work early. My older daughter learned that there was something wrong with her and that she was a hasssle. My middle child is expected to help struggling students, she doesn't like this and one night at dinner announced that the kids she had to help were stupid. Since she was six at the time, I'm sure she didn't hide her disdain at school.
My children's job at school is to learn. It is not to teach. If they were grouped with the other bright kids in their grade, the class could move at a reasonable pace for them. the other classes could move at a reasonable pace for the students in the other class. Of course, this can never happen.
Really interesting, and an issue here in the UK too. There is a real problem with having 30 children of mixed abilities in a class and anything that helps is great.
Thanks for your comments! This post actually started as a rant about peer teaching, but I didn't want to rant without offering alternatives.
Good suggestions. It is too bad so many educators are recommending that bright students be kept in the same class as the not so bright students. (I've heard too many administrators say that it is good to keep them there). It isn't best for the teacher, and it isn't best for the rest of the students. Fortunately, some schools are experimenting with programs for highly gifted students. But other school districts are skeptical of the idea. We will see, I suppose. But, since many school districts are trying to keep classes with mixed aptitudes, your suggestions are good.
Your objections to peer teaching are especially right on. Besides your reasoning, I also think it is not fair to the student for a teacher to rely on a bright student to help teach the class, as he is not getting paid.
LOVE this. This is one of the MANY reasons we are homeschooling for the first time next year.
The problem with separating children by ability level is that more often than not, the "lower ability" children also have behavior problems. A child who is not preforming on grade level often feels frustration and acts out. In other cases the main reason why they are below grade level is because of disabilities such as ADHD or ODD. It is not fair for one teacher to have all of the behavior issues in one room. This is why administrators do not separate children by ability level. It is also against the law to keep children with these issues away from their peers. I agree that higher level kids should not be asked to assist struggling peers, but I do not think the answer is to segregate students who are below grade level. The answer is differentiation. All skilled teachers should be able to do this for their students. The suggestions that you gave are all perfect examples of how to differentiate for bright kids.
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