"The first concept we need to think about it is, What does it mean to be gifted?" | The first concept we need to think about it is, What does it mean to be gifted? Everyone has a different idea of what 'Gifted' means, but in education it always seems to pertain to only one thing: Grades. Are grades the only thing that makes someone gifted? Are grades the only thing that really matter in life? How do grades help us in the future? These are some questions that we need to think about before we can really understand what it means to be 'Gifted'. |
The last year that I was in the classroom, my school started a garden. My class was in that garden every day for one reason or another. During silent reading time, we read in the garden. During science, we did experiments and lessons in the garden. During math, we did math problems dealing with the garden. So many students that I would not have expected to enjoy working in the garden really came alive when we went out to work in the garden! It was a real eye opener to see what the students could do! Those students who really excelled because of the garden were proving that learning is not all about what you can do in the classroom. They were able to take real life situations and excel in them. That is what we should be looking for in our students! Not, can you choose A, B, C, or D!
The student in our story we were reading was always in trouble, because he did not like being in school and looked down upon because he did not excel in the classroom. When he was given the opportunity to find something that he enjoyed, he started to show that he truly was 'gifted', just in a different way than most people were looking for!
As teachers, we need to be looking for all of the ways that students can be gifted, instead of just the ways that we expect them to be.