Enrichment Program Selection

What do potential enrichment candidates

look like in the classroom?

The “Teacher Pleaser”

• Follows models and works to the teacher’s expectations

• Does well with guided instruction• Listens for guidance and follows directions• Thrives on “drill” activities• Follows the lead of others • Strives to conform• Enjoys school• Is a pleasure to teach

The “Teacher Pleaser”

• The “Teacher Pleaser” is a wonderful student to have in the classroom! They work hard and enjoy being helpful to the teacher.

• These students are often incorrectly perceived to be a candidate for the Enrichment Program. The regular curriculum is the best program for these students.

The Bright Child

• Knows the answers and learns with ease. • Is interested in content and absorbs ideas.• Works hard and completes assignments• Is attentive, alert, and listens with interest.• Enjoys flexible groupings• Is often popular, and usually a student others wish

to emulate• Is receptive to new ideas• Tolerates repetitive tasks

The Bright Child

• Tends to enjoy school and his/her peers. The Bright Child is usually confident and committed to tasks. A Bright Child is easy to teach.

• These students often benefit from Classroom Enrichment and may be included in Enrichment Opportunities.

The Gifted Learner

• Is highly curious and asks the questions• Discusses ideas in detail• Can show relationships among apparently

unrelated ideas• Extends responses to greater depth• Has an advanced vocabulary • Requires little repetition for mastery• Often already knows the material

The Gifted Learner

• May thrive in the classroom

OR• May have an individual style of working, one that

may not always conform to the classroom setting

The Gifted Learner

• Is highly creative, and their ideas may seem wild and silly

• Is an inventor• Creates new designs• Draws inferences

The Gifted Learner

• Initiates projects and vigorously pursues the investigation, but may have trouble bringing closure to the activity in a given time frame

The Gifted Learner

• Is mentally and physically involved in learning• Shows strong feelings and opinions• Is intense• Is keenly observant• May be highly self critical and might become

discouraged if they can’t easily reach their goals

The Gifted Learner

• May display impatience with repetition of already mastered skills.

• May prefer their individual pursuits to teacher assigned tasks

The Gifted Learner

• Is highly inquisitive• Is independent in thought and judgement• Is highly focused on learning about topics of

interest

The Gifted Learner

• May be a leader in groups

OR • Might dominate group

discussions or prefer to work alone

Enrichment Selection

• Bright Children are easy to spot in the classroom. They do what is expected and learn easily. They enjoy school and work hard.

• Gifted learners are sometimes more difficult to spot. They might be highly motivated and work well under classroom expectations. Or they may not do well on assignments that don’t interest them. They may get so involved with an investigation that they don’t complete the task. Gifted learners are challenging – they ask questions and can become impatient with the pace of the classroom.

Enrichment Selection

• Sometimes, our gifted learners are model students. And sometimes they are our most difficult students. The Gifted Learner may be the most disruptive student in the class. They may be rebellious and challenge authority. They may be disorganized and rarely hand in assignments, or may rush through work making careless errors.

These are often the students who most need stimulating enrichment programs.