Teaching Strategies for Gifted Children in Early Childhood Education

This essay delves into the realm of early childhood education, focusing specifically on the identification and support of gifted children. It underscores the unique developmental trajectories of these children, emphasizing their advanced cognitive abilities and the potential for asynchronous development. The essay explores various teaching strategies tailored to the needs of gifted learners, including grouping, flexible time management, challenging tasks, and acceleration. It also highlights the significance of regular assessment and parental involvement in fostering their growth. Furthermore, the essay critiques pedagogical practices aimed at developing quality gifted education, advocating for differentiated instruction and the provision of extracurricular activities that cater to their advanced skills and interests, all within the context of the Australian educational landscape. The essay argues that educators and parents must collaborate to create an environment that nurtures the intellectual curiosity and potential of these exceptional children, ensuring they reach their full potential.

Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
Early Childhood Education and Care
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Early Childhood Education and Care
Introduction
The process of growth and development is unique for every child. According to Allen
and Cowdery (2014), there has always been and there will always be differences in how
children grow and achieve various milestones in the different aspects of growth and
development. These aspects include learning how to talk, walk, dressing themselves or even
toilet training (Otto, 2014). It is normal for two children born at the same time to achieve
these milestones of growth at significantly different times (Peterson, McIntyre and Forsyth,
2016). From the time a child is born, some exhibit characteristic and behaviours that indicate
that their rate of development in one or more areas is occurring a rate higher than the normal.
The first people to note this are usually the parents. Extensive research suggest that parents
are the best sources of information about the growth and development patterns of their
children (Van, Monighan-Nourot, Scales and Alward, 2014). The development of the
thinking ability and mental processes of a child is referred to as cognitive development. For
some children, cognitive development occurs at a very early age usually without any
couching from their parents. It may be noted of such a child that they are able to remember
occurrences with a greater detail than expected. They are also likely to retell these
occurrences usually with some vocabulary that is more complex than what one would expect
of a child of their age (Villa and Thousand, 2016). These children show exemplary
capabilities such as solving complex puzzles and play games that have advanced rules. In a
nutshell, they show an understanding of the world that would only be expected from children
older than them.
Despite the rapid development when it comes to cognitive function, these children
may not necessarily show such development tin other areas. In fact, they may show less

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development than other children of the same age when it comes to some other areas. This
advanced cognitive development is what is referred to as being gifted. The media often
represent these children negatively with an impression that it is a result of being pushed by
their parents. A great body of research shows that this is not true. It indicates that some
children are born with that capability (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley and
Shepherd, 2018). The research further suggests that these children have need that are
significantly different from other children. In school, it is necessary that the unique needs of
these children be addressed. They too, like other children, need an education to improve their
life and to have a better understanding of their world (Wortham and Hardin, 2015).
Addressing their unique needs would go a long way in ensuring that they have a strong belief
in themselves and that they become confident learners from their early age (Warin and
Adriany, 2017). Early childhood education techniques should therefore be applied to identify
such children and to meet their unique needs. This assignment is going to focus on various
teaching strategies that can be utilised and adapted when working with gifted children in
Australia. In addition, pedagogical practices that would be beneficial to developing quality
gifted education and how they could be applied in practice will be critiqued.
Teaching Practices and Pedagogical Practices for Gifted Children
Gifted children have been shown to exhibit a high sense of curiosity and a great desire to
learn (Spodek and Saracho, 2014). They have special capabilities such as being able to put
their concentration on an issue for a significantly long period. They usually show such
concentration mainly in areas that they are greatly interested in. Their great development in
cognitive function may see them have the ability to write, read and deal with figures at stage
earlier than expected. These children often find interacting with other pupils of the same age
boring. They feel more comfortable interacting and playing with children who are older and
who have more advanced games and way of doing things. Most of the times, they consider

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the activities of their peers ‘childish.’ One might be tempted to think that the best way to deal
with them is to take them to school earlier than usual. However, this may not always be the
case for all children. All that some require is a supportive environment. This relates to both
the school and the home environment. There are several techniques and teaching strategies
that teachers can employ to deal with the gifted children. These are going to be discussed
next.
One of the strategies would be grouping. Extensive psychological research reveals that every
human being is more productive and feels more satisfied when they associate themselves
with a group (Temple, Ogle, Crawford and Freppon, 2018). This is not different from
children. Gifted children often compare themselves with their peers at school from a very
early age. They become aware at that tender age that they are significantly different from
their peers both in terms of interests and capabilities. In such situations, it is likely that they
might think that there must be something wrong with them. It would be very important that
the teacher inform them that they are just different in terms of advanced cognitive capabilities
(Stronge, 2018). They should be made to understand that they are as normal as other children.
To make them feel more at home, the teacher can group these children with others with the
same capabilities. It might also help to allow them to regularly interact with the older
children. This way, their unique needs are addressed, and the learning experience is optimal.
Another strategy that a teacher can employ when dealing with these children is being flexible
with time. According to Karnes and Bean (2014), gifted children show various levels of
capabilities and interests. For instance, they may become very interested with a topic or
concept that they want to dig deeper. They may spend a lot of their time aiming at having
more understanding of the same. At other times, they may grasp what is being taught very
quickly. Due to thus, it is very important that the teacher be flexible with time when it comes
to the gifted children. He/she should know where to draw the balance between addressing the

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needs of those children who have difficulty understanding a concept and the gifted children.
For instance, the teacher could give the gifted children an opportunity to explore an area of
interest while addressing the needs of other students. This way, the gifted children will be
involved and will not feel like their time was misused.
The third strategy that a teacher could employ would be to allow the gifted children interact
with tasks that are more challenging/complex/advanced (Dixon, Yssel, McConnell and
Hardin, 2014). Often, gifted children are treated just like others of their age. They are
exposed to the same books and the same kind of learning. This would possibly be an action of
injustice to them. This because these children find these tasks very easy. As a result, they
may relax and have a mindset that the process of learning is a very easy one. Just like the
other, children, it is important for these children to be given an opportunity to interact with
challenging and complex tasks. The teacher should therefore ensure that these children can
interact with more complex and advanced topics and challenges. This way they will be
engaged, and their learning spirit is always kept engaged (Plucker and Callahan, 2014). They
are also likely to feel that their time was well spent. Doing this also supports them to become
better future learners and scholars.
Another strategy that has been found to work when it comes to dealing with the unique needs
of gifted students is allowing them to accelerate their learning (Kaplan and Hertzog, 2016). If
a student is having difficulties understanding a concept, it is common to send them to a class
where other children are being taught at his pace. This rarely happens with the gifted
students. If a teacher notices that a child is gifted, it would only be fair to give the child an
opportunity to join a class where they will feel more challenged. It is not wise of a teacher to
think of a classroom as the confines of the four walls. It is important for them to continually
contemplate about the resources that are available and use them to maximize the process of
learning for all students, both the gifted and those who have challenges understanding

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concepts. Research has demonstrated that giving the gifted children an opportunity to interact
with those of the same pace and allowing them to deal with more complex tasks makes them
better learners.
The teacher could also adopt a practice of administering regular assessments. For instance,
informal assessments to gauge the knowledge the students have accumulated could be done
after the completion of a topic. Though most teachers go on to the next topic without a quiz
or a form of assessment, such assessments could be very useful in determining the baseline of
the students. Such informal assignments give the teacher a chance to have what could be
referred as a very accurate base of their students (Missett, Hertberg-Davis and Callahan,
2017). With the information about the academic capabilities of their students, it becomes
easier for the teacher to organize activities that will meet the unique needs of every student.
Accommodating the unique needs of the gifted children does not always have to be a
challenging task. Let us take an example where the teacher administers pre-lesson quiz and
realizes that some children (the gifted) are already knowledgeable about what is going to be
taught. In such a case, it is not important to make the students relearn the information.
Instead, the teacher can offer parallel tasks/projects that will keep the gifted students
involved. For instance, the teacher could give them a task that explores a more advanced idea
relating to what is being taught. In this manner, the gifted students are kept busy and their
unique needs are addressed.
Involving the parents of the gifted children in their education has proved to be very important
in assisting them (the gifted children) achieve their full potential. This is another key tip that
the teachers can employ to ensure that the productivity of the gifted children is kept at
optimum. Here is how it works. Working closely with the parents goes a long way in
ensuring that the unique needs of these children are being met. It is amazing to note that in
most instances, the parents offer great support and want to see their children being challenged

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(Singer, 2017). The teacher can take some time to explain to the parents the unique strategies
that they have employed to ensure that the unique needs of the gifted children are being met.
For instance, the teacher can brief the parents on the regular administration of the informal
assessments, how they determine the kind of information to be learnt by the gifted children
and the strategies put in place to ensure that the teacher observes the pace of the gifted
students. Involving the parents will ensure that they are working hand in hand with the
teacher to ensure that the gifted children achieve their full potential. Since these children are
not given the liberty to chose what they want to learn, it is a great idea for the parents and the
teacher to work together to see them excel.
Encouraging gifted students to engage in extracurricular activities that require advanced skills
has also been found to be a great way of ensuring that their unique needs are met. The teacher
can participate actively in this role through identification of gifted students and suggesting to
them some of the extracurricular activities. Some of these activities are discussed next. One
would be joining clubs that deal with application of critical and creative thinking skills. For
instance, the teacher could encourage the students to join the debate club. During debates, the
application of critical and creative thinking is vital in coming up and supporting points.
Sometimes, this process (of critical and creative thinking) needs to be done fast if a team is to
carry the day in a debate. This would therefore offer the gifted children a perfect opportunity
to utilize their special abilities. Another possible suggestion that the teacher can make is for
the gifted children to join a maths club/society. Just like the debate, mathematics prompts the
gifted children to apply critical and creative thinking. These children could also be
encouraged to become leaders, take for example a class prefect/monitor. By encouraging
them to engage in the extracurricular activities, the teacher goes a long way in ensuring that
the unique abilities of the children are being addressed (Lewis, Wheeler and Carter, 2017).

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To ensure that the capabilities of the gifted children are being utilized fully, the teacher can
ensure that these students are involved in academic contests. As it has been observed in the
discussion above, gifted children are inherently competitive. There are various forms of
academic contests that are carried out. These could be regional or even national. There is a
high likelihood that these students will be competing with other gifted children in such
contests. This is because it is mostly the top achievers that are given the opportunity to
participate in such contests. This would mean that the children are being given an opportunity
to compete with others who are at relatively the same level with them. This way, they get to
interact will more challenging tasks. By involving the students in such contests, the teacher
ensures that the special abilities of the gifted children are being addressed (Eliason and
Jenkins, 2015). Other activities that will keep these students involved would include science
fairs, national essay competitions or even spelling competitions. These activities are usually
organized by different players in the education sector. The teacher can also take an initiative
and plan such events.
Setting individual goals for the students is yet another great technique that the teacher can
employ to support gifted education. It has long been found out in the field of education
psychology that one of the greatest steps to ensure success is setting of goals (Elango, García,
Heckman and Hojman, 2015). Most of the achievements that human beings make have their
origins in mind. It has been argued in psychology that writing down thoughts to paper
enhances goal achievement (Olszewski-Kubilius and Thomson, 2015). To have a better
understanding of this, it would be great to take an example. Let us assume of two individuals
who are both planning to run for a political office. It would be true to conclude that both of
them began by having thoughts about being in that office. The motivations could be different
but it all began in the mind. Let us also assume that one plans and strategizes about how to
acquire the office while the other one does not. It is likely that the former and not the later

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will acquire the office. The same technique would apply in gifted education. The teacher
could assist the students set these goals. It should be ensured that the goals are realistic,
specific, aggressive, measurable and within a stated time period. The teacher should be sure
that the goals are neither too high nor too low. By setting individual goals, the children will
be having something they are looking forward to and will be busy until is achieved. In this
way, their needs are significantly addressed.
It also helps for the teacher to appreciate that despite the unique capabilities of the gifted
children, they are also similar in many ways to other students in the classroom (Britto et al,
2017). Sometimes the teacher may be tempted to believe that the gifted children are entirely
different from their peers in the class. The result of this is usually giving them more tasks
than the other children. It could also be having expectations that are unrealistic regarding the
gifted children. Extensive research has shown that such moves are likely to bring more harm
than good (James and Prout, 2015). The student reason and they would feel like they are
being treated differently from others. They are likely to view more work for them as act of
being unfair. This might make them grow weary of both schooling and their teacher. For this
reason, it is very important for the teacher to know where to draw the lines and know what
limits to keep. It is very important that the teacher make the children understand why they are
being requested to do any extra work. With this knowledge, they are likely to appreciate what
they do they are likely to maintain a harmonious relationship with the teacher. Consequently,
they are supported to realize their capabilities in an optimal way.
It would do great good to the academic performance of gifted children to offer an
environment that supports emotional growth (Bennet, 2018). The teacher could play a role in
ensuring that the school environment addresses the counselling needs of the gifted children
(Bredekamp, 2016). Some gifted children undergo through some emotional and
psychological challenges. These could include anger, isolation, perfectionism, boredom and

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poor peer relationship. For a child to achieve optimal academic performance it is necessary
their health be at optimum. Complete state of health and wellbeing implies a situation where
the physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing are maintained (Callahan, Moon, Oh,
Azano and Hailey, 2015). A child who is undergoing through emotional and psychological
challenges may find it hard to maintain optimal academic achievements. The good news is
that most of these challenges can be addressed through counselling. Therefore, to ensure a
supportive learning environment the teacher should ensure that the gifted children have such
kind of support.
It would also help to understand that the gifted child may not excel in all areas. The teacher
should appreciate this affect and devote themselves to learning the strengths and weaknesses
of these children. With such an understanding, it becomes easier for the teacher to know
which areas to spend some more time on (Abrami et al, 2015). For instance, a child may
show exemplary understanding and performance in certain topics and poor in others. For an
optimal and effective learning experience, the teacher should dedicate more time on the
poorly performed areas in an effort to improve the overall performance. It could also be
important for the teacher to learn the joy and uniqueness of each child. This involves
identifying what each child likes and know how to better deal with them (Farquhar and
White, b2014). Each child is different and unique in their own ways.
Conclusion
The process of growth and development is unique for every child. There are different aspects
of growth and development could include learning how to walk, talk and dressing. It is
normal for two children of the same age to show different trajectories in their growth. For
instance, one may learn to walk earlier than the other. One of the aspects of growth is the
cognitive development. For a normal child, there is the level of development we expect at

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11
each stage of development. When it comes to cognitive development, some children show
advanced development very early in life. These children have capabilities that are exhibited
by children who are older than them. These children are referred to as gifted children. In
school, these children grasp concepts easily. Due to their advanced level of thinking and way
of doing things, they find it hard to relate with their peers. It is often reported that they find
their peers being childish. For this reason, they are more comfortable relating with older
children. When it comes to children with disabilities, measures are put in to place to support
their education. In the same way, the teacher should put some strategies in place to ensure
that gifted children are given an opportunity to utilize their full academic potential. There are
several ways that the teacher can go about ensuring this.
One of the ways of ensuring that the special needs of gifted children are being addressed is
grouping them. The teacher should identify these children and put them in one group so that
they can challenge one another. Another way would be to give the children a chance to
accelerate their education since it does not make sense to teach them what they already know.
Working together with parents has also proven important. The teacher should also ensure that
a supportive emotional and counselling environment is provided for these children as they
have unique needs. These are just but some of the strategies to ensure that the gifted children
are supported to have a fulfilling and supportive learning environment.

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12
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