All educators would agree that every student should have access to an education that challenges them to grow. And the only way to grow is by finding the goldilocks zone: teaching content that challenges a student enough not to demotivate them.
To do this, many schools group students by their ability level when looking at the beginning of the year diagnostic data. It makes it easier to decide which student gets what content in the classroom. For instance, your advanced students may get more complex and in depth math problems, versus a lower ability group getting more procedural and skill based work.
The end goal is that all students grow and meet grade level expectations. But where students start at the beginning of the year can be drastically different. Thus, differentiation is essential in the classroom.
I have talked about differentiation in general in other posts before and some tips on how to implement it. Today, I want to turn the focus towards a more complex group of students: our advanced students (sometimes called Gifted and Talented).
Who are the Advanced Students?
I would define an advanced student as an individual who picks up topics easily, completes work much faster than others, and consistently scores high on assignments in the classroom. They are not necessarily gifted and talented, but in comparison to other students in the class they require less teacher support to be successful in the content.
A common issue is that advanced students are left out in differentiation due to their high performance. A press release by the National Association for Gifted Children stated that evidence suggests gifted and talented students are left out in differentiation in terms of curriculum, instruction, and practice. Many times we know that advanced students understand the topics that they need to succeed, and believe that it is enough for them. We would rather focus some where else: special education.
In special education, we provide modifications and accommodations for students in the classroom depending on their IEP and 504 plans. A lot of time and resources are spent helping these students and pushing them to be on grade level. But differentiation does not need to start and end with special education. We can also provide similar resources towards our advanced students as well.
Before I get into talking about advanced students, I want to emphasize that in every classroom, all students deserve to get challenged. Most educators spend the majority of their resources helping students who are struggling versus pushing students into more difficult content. It is not choosing which one is more important, they are both equally important and needed in your classroom.
So how do we differentiate instruction for the most advanced students in the class, without having to teach them one on one? What should you even present to these students in order to challenge them? And how can you still align it with what you are currently teaching students in your classroom?
Differentiating for Advanced Students
Differentiation for advanced students should focus on two things:
More complex and in depth work
Learning more content
Many teachers get the first one correct. We can easily find other materials online of difficult problems, related projects, and other activities that challenge these students. It is not difficult to provide these students with more problems. However, that should not be the only tactic.
It is important that our advanced students are learning new things. A broader knowledge base of content is important for students in mathematics. By knowing more, students are able to have more tools to be able to solve complex problems.
Thus, differentiating for advanced students is a three prong approach. I consistently use this every year with my own students:
Students complete required work in the Unit we are currently covering (at a pace I set with videos attached)
Students complete more complex problems in the Unit we are currently learning about
Students watch videos, take notes, and complete lessons on topics that they have not yet learned yet.
Doing these three in order allows my advanced students to continually grow, be engaged during class, and limit the amount of potential distractions that they could cause. Of course, it takes some time to set up and teach the students the procedures, but the majority of these students pick it up very quickly.
Setting Up Advanced Work for Advanced Students
If you are worried about the time investment for the set-up, do not stress. There are plenty of online tools to help you out. For instance, with Khan Academy you can set a student on a specific track and look at their progress as they master each skill. You can have students watch the videos, take notes on the video, and solve the problems until they reach mastery on Khan Academy.
In my class, I will assign students specific problems on DeltaMath according to their beginning of the year assessment. DeltaMath provides videos that they can watch and take notes in as they complete the practice problems. When they finish one, I put it in the grade book, and assign them another one.
It is important that you still grade their work and give them deadlines. Some advanced students are not as disciplined or motivated as others, so holding them accountable will provide them with better results and keep them focused.
Furthermore, you want to make sure there are still opportunities for that student to be engaged with the general classroom. I still make my advanced students participate in reviews, games, quizzes, and all the tests we take. It allows them to review old content, and still feel a part of the general mood of class.
Differentiation can feel weird and messy, but it is totally worth it
A mentor teacher told me that differentiation for advanced students feels messy and weird. You could be providing whole class instruction, and have 5 students sitting in the back working on different lessons in Khan Academy. That is completely fine!! You are providing them with work that is benefiting and challenging them. They are still learning the content, it is just that the mode of their learning is different.
I hope you enjoyed this post and it inspires some thinking about your classroom. I’ve been a bit on a hiatus, but hope to post more frequently. As always, let me know your thoughts below.
Thanks for sharing, it is helpful