Gifted Education is Good Education for Everyone

“A programme that helps students develop their mathematical abilities to the fullest may allow them to move faster than others in the class to avoid deadly repetition of material that they have already mastered.  Such a programme may also introduce them to topics that others might not study but, most important, it introduces pupils to the joys  and frustrations of thinking deeply about a range of original, open-ended, pr complex problems that encourage them to respond creatively in ways that are original, fluent, flexible and elegant.”

L. J. Sheffield,  Developing Mathematically Promising Students, 1999.

Consider your approach to enrichment, extension and acceleration and the balance you will take.

Productive environments:

• Learner centred rather than teacher or content centred
• Independence emphasised
• Open to new ideas innovations, explorations
• Acceptance rather than judgement
• Complexity rather than simplicity
• Varied groupings
• Flexibility rather than too rigid a structure
• Students encouraged to be mentally agile
• Instructions given at a fast pace
• Focussed on concepts rather than procedures
• Fostering creativity

Productive communications:

• Can you explain why?
• Can you see patterns?
• How do you know this is the answer?
• Can you explain why this is correct to someone else?
• Can you think of a problem that is similar?

In preparation:

• Classroom culture
• Using open problems
• Access to a wide range of resources (online and paper based)– sharing with colleagues
• Using your able pupils to support other children
• Working independently or in small groups
• Encourage self assessment and selection of materials
• Make use of online communities
• Enjoy the unpredictable –relax.

Other focuses:

• Preparation for competitions ( maths challenge).
• Local Master classes - build on them don’t let the experience pass the pupils and you by.  Talk about what they have done with the class and this might stimulate new ideas for them to pursue.
• Share resources with other staff  - think about using similar problems with children in different year groups – coming together to work on a problem during the Numeracy hour.
• Preparing extension activities as a natural part of lesson planning using sites like NRICH for ideas.