Educating Gifted Students in Middle School: A Practical Guide

by Susan Rakow

Understanding and meeting the needs of gifted students in middle school offers unique challenges. This newly revised and expanded second edition of "Educating Gifted Students in Middle School" updates the practical information about meeting these needs offered in the award-winning 2004 edition. A new chapter on the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) areas as well as a completely revised chapter on English/language arts for gifted and advanced learners in the middle grades are key components of the new edition. The impact of current reform movements, Response to Intervention, new relevant research, updated information on middle school boys and other special populations, changing middle grade configurations, and 21st century skills are added to the already thorough discussions of the first edition. Resources, references, and suggested curriculum materials have all been updated. The focus of this second edition continues to be on helping teachers, administrators, and parents to understand gifted middle school students, implement effective program models, define the role of the gifted teacher, identify best practices for the classroom, and apply curriculum ideas that are effective and research-based. "Educating Gifted Students in Middle School" focuses on creative, practical, and realistic school solutions that create a vital and responsive school community for all students.

Genres: Nonfiction

344 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

Reviews

[Adrienna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gifted students are more advanced than their peers in academic areas and deductive thinking (paraphrased p. 2). They are also able to verbalize their strong feelings versus put things in action.

Susan Rakow uses other research, field studies on the subject and resources to tackle on the practical applications and knowledgeable methods to focus on the gifted child.

During adolescence years, many gifted children prefer the company of their parents and other adults because they find interest in their conversations, responses, and interests are more valuable and rewarding (page 16). This was my case and my mother's case as a child to teen years. I was not always interested in child's play but reading, writing, and intellectual knowledge-based programs or conversations. We are to eliminate the "nerd" term from our vocabulary, since I disliked similar terms from my peers and/or adults. I tell my niece she is talented, brilliant, and creative instead--or just call her a "genius" of her own mind.

There are other views such as meeting the child's need by removing out of public school systems to private, charter schools, or homeschooling.

Ending chapter, eleven, shares positive alternatives for gifted students (which I wished I knew when I attended school): mentorships; academic clubs, competition, and groups of interest; additional resources like Imagine magazine; service-learning opportunities; identifying and nurturing leadership potential; meet both academic and social-emotional needs of gifted learners; community and social services; camps; summer programs; and talent searches.

Educating Gifted Students in Middle School is a practical resource for teachers, educators, mentors, tutors, parents, and guardians of gifted adolescence/students. It can also apply to geniuses and overly active children such as multipotentiality (equally talented in several diverse areas). I will definitely keep this as a resource how to encourage and build my family members potential as a gifted child.

Personal note: There was an interest in this type of literature since I was once a gifted student during grade school and high school years, and also an educator/mentor/tutor for all types of students in various grades. On the other hand, it is not typical that a gifted students can be excelled and promoted in public school systems like I did. I chose to take excelled and advanced classes, and once I could have been promoted from 8th grade to college...I chose to stay with academic peers (but wish I had done it or other alternatives).

*Received a copy of the book from the publishers (Prufrock Press, Inc.) and on Library Thing for reviews. Will also post on Library Thing for review, here, publisher's email, and author's email as requested.

Adrienna Turner, author of "God is in the Equation" and professional book reviewer for Dream4More Reviews (www.dream4more.webs.com).
Author's website: www.adriennaturner.webs.com

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gifted students are often overlooked in classrooms because teachers have only so much time and only so many resources that the needs of other students often get priority. There is benefit, then, to having a resource to help teachers address the needs of gifted students. What came across to me in this book was that the accomodations required for gifted students are intense and not very realistic in an integrated classroom, which is the reality of most of the places I've taught. How can a person realistically be expected to do it all for all students? What the book fails to address in detail is how to actually pull off the strategies. Further to that point, so many strategies in such a wide range are offered, that few of the strategiest are addressed in detail to really help know how to use them. The cover advertises "A Practical Guide" and while there are many helpful ideas, websites, suggestions, I don't find it quite at the grassroots level of "use this tomorrow in class." The book is still academic and theoretical -- the first four chapters demonstrate this point because they are very theory based. I didn't need all the reserach to prove that gifted students need more than regular classroom gives them -- anyone who has been in a classroom knows this fact already. More realistic, actual lesson plans as examples of situations where the suggested strategies have been carried out to model what should be done would have been more helpful to me. As it is, the basic message is "differentiated instruction for all students is best." And it is good to be reminded that gifted students need attention just as much as the other special needs students in a classroom.