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Top 10 Ways to Challenge Students
1. Students need to have a sense of
empowerment; an awareness that because they are special, they are equipped to
do the work. However...
2. Students should also know that good grades are not automatic. Work
has to be performed as well as learning of new material and methods.
3. Assignments should afford the student the opportunity to explore
curriculum topics in greater depth and to use independent thought processes
to do so.
4. Self-directed work is recommended as well as to encourage continuing
self-motivation.
5. There must be a sense of purpose or mission. Volumes of work don't
make a difference.
6. Students should know what they are learning really matters in the
real world. Some students lack interest and motivation because they don't see
the relationship between what they are learning and the real world around
them. It is especially important for the teacher to encourage them to see the
connection and to make the life applications real to the students. (This is
why our Everyday Mathematics Program is great!)
7. All students need to learn the value of independent learning.
Students should be geared toward learning how to research, and where to go to
find information. Students should be given the opportunity to explore topics
of their own interest. However...
8. All students also need to learn to work together. They need to
listen to one another, and take one another's perspectives. They also need to
learn how to present their thoughts to others who might not be thinking the
same way in which they are thinking.
9. Students need classroom experiences that encourage higher level
thinking, that involve choice, that provide opportunities for creativity.
10. All students, must be treated as individuals. Although some
children are classified as Academically Talented, they still learn in their
own way and must be challenged to their own ability, as any other student
would be. My job as a teacher is to recognize that, and provide individual
support to their learning styles.
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