Teaching methods for gifted students in the regular classroom

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate teaching methods that could be used to work with gifted students in the regular classroom, in order to further emphasize that it is possible to achieve successful differentiated instruction with gifted students. We have conducted purposive sampling and a high level of its validity was ensured by the selection of teachers who had had active experience of teaching gifted students. The research findings have shown us that the heuristics approach, problem-based learning and integrated teaching approach are most often used to teach gifted students in the regular classroom, while mentoring approach is used much less. Interactive and programmed teaching are not sufficiently used to teach gifted students in the regular classroom. It is interesting to emphasize that the mentoring approach is primarily used by the most experienced teachers; that the heuristics approach and problem-based learning are mostly used in rural environments; and that problem-based, integrated and programmed teaching approaches are more frequently used in specialized classes for gifted students than in the regular classroom. The results identified have helped us to draw several conclusions and pedagogical implications regarding the important issue of the didactic activity with gifted children.

Keywords

• teaching methods
• giftedness
• students
• differentiated instruction
• regular classroom