Prayerful Teaching for Advanced Learners

May my teaching drop like the rain,
    my speech condense like the dew;
like gentle rain on grass,
    like showers on new growth.

Deut. 32:2 (NRSVCE)

 

 

Prayer and Meditation

Rain, dew, grass, growth—all are gifts from God.  All of God’s gifts are different, yet one is not more important than the other.  This is true with my students.  They all are gifted.   Each brings different talents, skills, and capacities to learn into the classroom.  Because I strive so hard to reach those I consider to be my most challenging students, I find it easy to forget about my advanced learners.  They seem to float along so smoothly, needing little guidance or attention from me.  Like the gentle rain nourishes new growth, I must shower them with opportunities to stretch their minds, expand their knowledge, and challenge them to reach new heights.

The Actions of Prayerful Teaching

• Allow the advanced learners to set and keep track of academic goals.  Students will more than likely set higher goals and aspirations for themselves than adults would set for them.  Because visuals are great motivators, advanced learners should be responsible for graphing their own progress. 

• Use different graphic organizers for different students.  This is an easy way to challenge the advanced learner. Select three or four graphic organizers for the unit of study.  Each student will receive a “just right” organizer.  The advanced learner will receive the most complex or challenging graphic organizer.

• Present a lesson to all students (whole-class grouping) if it is expected that the same text be used with all students.   Offer different levels of support.  Some students may need direct support from the teacher.  Others may quickly move on to independent reading and extension activities. Reconvene the entire class to share their findings.  This can be achieved whole-class or in carefully constructed groupings.

• Design flexible lesson plans so that all students are focused on the same core concepts and skills, but at different levels of complexity.  This does not mean the advanced learners get more class work, or more homework.  It means that the advanced students are working at a deeper level. 

• Condense instruction for the advanced leaner.  Pre-identify content or skills the advanced learner already has mastered.  This can be accomplished with a quick whole-class assessment which will be useful for planning instruction for all students.  Time can be provided for the investigation of a topic that is related, but beyond the scope of the regular curriculum at the present grade level or a higher grade level. If an advanced leaner works at curriculum that will be presented at a higher grade level, nothing has really been accomplished since the opportunity to learn the material would be presented at the higher grade level anyway.  Branch out, not up.  Several choices should be given for the topic to be investigated along with several options to demonstrate what has been learned. 

Reminder: It is easy to unintentionally misuse advanced learners.  Their job is not to tutor other students, take on monitor duties, correct papers, or in any way act as a teaching assistant.  Just like all students, they are in school to experience new learning opportunities and expand their depth of knowledge.

Challenge of the Week:

Plan one lesson that nourishes the advanced learners to grow to their greatest potential.

Blessings and Prayerful Teaching,

Elizabeth A. Wink

prayerfulteaching@gmail.com