Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Talented Students
in the Regular Education Classroom
The needs of all students are a constant struggle in the classroom. A teacher’s job in Texas is to teach the standards for a given grade level at the same time meeting the needs of all students in a classroom. At my campus there are RtI students in the same classroom at Gifted and Talented (GT) students. Addressing the needs of Gifted and Talented students in the regular education classroom is sometimes overlooked since teachers are trying to help the slower learners. Also, in my district the GT students are only seen once a week for one hour for enrichment with their GT pull-out teacher. How are the needs of the GT students being met in the regular education classroom? An action research plan must be implemented to find a way for the needs of the GT students to be met.
The main vision and objective of the project is improvement of the overall learning of the GT students. Student benefits of the program are the most important part of the whole GT program. The students are to be pushed with their learning so they are challenged to be their absolute best. To ensure students are brought to their highest level, the GT program must be performing at its best as well. I will help to improve the GT program through conducting an action research project.
The process I plan to follow:
1. Research internet, articles, other districts, and other sources outside the
campus on meeting the needs of GT students.
2. Review GT requirements and state laws. Acquire information and training information from Region IV.
3. Interview and gain information from campus teachers as well as from curriculum department.
4. Implement new information and strategies found into the classroom.
5. Observe student behavior in the classroom to monitor improvements
6. Survey teachers and parents on GT strategies and improvements to evaluate research.
In this action research project I have had the opportunity to review literature and articles with my Action Research Strategy in mind. One article I feel has best helped me learn another’s perspective on improving the learning of the GT student in the regular education classroom is by Carol Ann Tomlinson (1997). In her article she asks the question, “Can the learning needs of gifted students be effectively addressed in the regular classroom?” I feel that this article addresses the same question and need that I have found at my campus. How can the needs of the GT students be met in the regular education classroom? Tomlinson (1997) finds that a differentiated learning environment with differentiated materials is the best solution. She also explains that teachers having enough time to plan for differentiated learning is also a best solution. I have been trying to include the differentiated teaching style in my classroom through Tic, Tac, Toe boards etc. in addition to introducing new materials differently to students. These are the strategies that I will be sharing in the future with colleagues.
Sharing the vision of the action research with staff, parents, students, and other teachers, as well as community members is important so that they could benefit from the research I have completed. I have provided my background information and the design of the inquiry through word of mouth and blogging to my administrators, team members, and others in the community. Blogging and the use of the internet will be one of the ways I will be sharing my project with everyone. Blogs are useful tools, because unlike word of mouth or power point presentations, blogs are a 24 hour, 7 days a week tool. At any time anyone can pull up the information to view the background information and design of the research. Also, meeting the needs of the GT students is a campus wide need, so providing concluding thoughts will be communicated through blogs, but also written up as a report and shared. I will be holding a presentation to campus staff members as well. Holding a staff meeting to present the information in an informal setting where questions about the inquiry will be a positive moment where other teachers can gain knowledge from my action research. Information from a colleague versus an “outsider” can be a powerful influence. Teachers on campus could use strategies that proved beneficial in my research.
During my action research project the best tool I have thoroughly used and referred to manage the organization of the action research project is the Action Research Plan. When the plan was first written it allowed me organize the implementation of the project. I saw the vision of the project in my head and I knew what materials I needed and who was involved, however, this was only thoughts until I was able organize and input the data into an easy to read table. The Action Research Plan includes the steps needed, the persons responsible, timeline for completing the step, needed resources and/or materials, and the evaluation of the step. I have been able to communicate with staff members and my site supervisor using the plan. This plan has also streamlined student learning as I have implemented the new strategies in the classroom according to the timeline of the plan. The GT students have benefited from the added classroom extension to push them in their learning.
The Action Research plan has also benefited me as I manage the operations of the project. The timeline written in the plan has allowed me to set priorities for completing certain steps. This GT project is centered around the six Gifted and Talented students that were in my classroom the 2010-2011 school year because they are the largest group of GT students in a single grade level. I was able to implement new strategies in the classroom that I feel others on campus will be able to use to benefit the GT student on their class roster. At the conclusion of the school year I was able to complete the Gifted and Talented Program evaluation where I surveyed teachers from every grade level to build a consensus and resolved conflicts about the differences in the program at each grade level. Parents were also involved in this communication so that all needs were met in the needs assessment related to the GT program on campus.
The purpose of my action research project is to investigate needs of the Gifted and Talented students who live in the community. These students are the learners who have exceptional needs from very diverse backgrounds. The significance of this project is that the campus, teachers, administrators, and students will all benefit from this project. Any student who is identified through the GT testing process will have their exceptional needs met, plus be challenged in the classroom. Future GT students will also benefit as the teachers are more aware of the needs of the GT learners and GT program.
References:
Tomlinson, C. (1997). Tempo. Meeting the Needs of Gifted Learners in the Regular Classroom: Vision or
Delusion? Retrieved from http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=658
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