In the classroom
Learners of all abilities are routinely taught in inclusive classroom settings that are not designed exclusively for the educational needs of the brightest students. This means that teachers need to develop a broad range of strategies to provide suitable opportunities and learning experiences to challenge and stretch the more able.
Gifted and talented learners respond well to high expectations and high cognitive challenge. However cognitive challenge and stretch is not provided by increasing a learner's workload but by enhancing the complexity. Teachers therefore need to acknowledge this and provide personalised learning tailored to the needs of the individual.
What makes the learning environment beneficial for the gifted and talented learner? One that promotes independence, enquiry and collaboration and offers stretch and challenge.
Depth and breadth
Gifted and talented learners require opportunities that offer stretch and challenge.
Find out morePreparing a lesson
The most effective lessons for gifted and talented learners are those that are planned.
Find out moreThinking skills
The phrase 'think about it' is often heard in the classroom, but if learners are not taught how to think, how do they know what is expected of them?
Find out moreBloom's taxonomy
Read this synopsis of the novel and classify the questions using Bloom's Taxonomy
Find out moreDalton's questions
Write out questions that will challenge the interpretation of this excerpt from Touching the Void
Find out moreRelevant documents and links
- Provision for the most able students: acceleration or enrichment? – Will acceleration or enrichment benefit able children the most? The benefits and drawbacks of each strategy are presented here.
- Accrediting prior learning – What are the best strategies to use to find out what students already know about a topic and how do you respond to this? This document includes some information on mind mapping.
- Aide memoires – A document to aid task design and help your students to benefit even more from the lesson.
- Diagramming – Diagramming involves representing a written text in diagrammatic form. Some examples are shown here.
- Managing and developing the learning culture – Consider how to cultivate the most effective learning environment possible with the ideas presented in this document.
- Overview of provision – Flash film on providing for gifted and talented pupils.
- Guidance on teaching the gifted and talented (National Curriculum) – Identifying gifted and talented learners: what does gifted and talented mean?
- Oxford Brookes - gifted and talented professional development – Professional development materials on gifted and talented provision.
- The National Association for Gifted Children – intensive area-based programmes in disadvantaged areas through the Excellence in Cities initiative; resources that support teaching and learning nationally and; a new focus on regional support, initially in London.
- QCA site – National Curriculum tasks and tests.
- Making the Modern World – Stories about science and invention from the 18th century to now.
- DfES Standards site – Guidance on teaching G and T.
- G&TWISE - Support for Gifted and Talented Education – Reviews and recommendations of good resources for gifted and talented.
- Personalised Learning – Personalised learning and the education agenda.
- Gifted Education: The English Model (Summary) – information from the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth.
- Primary lessons for challenge - Oxford Brookes – Lesson activities from Oxford Brookes teacher training.
- Excellence and Enjoyment: Learning and teaching in the primary years – The Primary Strategy.
- The National Literacy Trust"s EAL webpages – This section focuses on people of all ages from ethnic minorities for whom English may or may not be a first language.
- National Association for Able Children in Education – appropriate provision for children to develop their gifts and talents to the maximum.
- National gifted and talented strategy (DCSF) – Latest thinking on current gifted and talented initiatives.