Managing the Wait Time of Gifted Students
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In a 2010 study of how GT students experience wait time, researchers Marie Peine and Laurence Coleman found gifted students spend a lot of their school day -- one student estimated up to 20 percent of his time -- waiting for everybody else to catch up. "I just kind of sit there and listen and see if there's anything that I can get out of it that I don't already know about it," one respondent shared about his seventh-grade class (Peine & Coleman, 2010, p. 6).
Some students tried to problem-solve on their own -- reading books after finishing assignments early, or trying to start on homework for other classes. Others were reprimanded for "going ahead" when teachers wanted students to stay on task together. By the middle school years, gifted students in the study had figured out how to "fake" listening. "Students often sit and appear to be listening, 'but mostly I am looking at the teacher and thinking about other things, like my next class'" (Peine & Coleman, 2010, p. 9).
However, many of the students reported an understanding of the need to wait -- they understood that their fellow classmates did not learn as quickly, and felt a responsibility for allowing them the opportunity to catch up. Waiting gave students the chance "to be even in class, and so that we'll have equal opportunities and things like that" (Peine & Coleman, 2010, p. 9).
What Can Teachers Do?
First, be aware of the fact that all students are not -- and should not -- be on the same page at the same time. "Keeping everyone together all of the time, given the range of ability and achievement in a classroom, is a clear example of a practice that could be altered" (Peine & Coleman, 2010, p. 10). For more ideas on how to manage wait time, consider these differentiation strategies.
Some students tried to problem-solve on their own -- reading books after finishing assignments early, or trying to start on homework for other classes. Others were reprimanded for "going ahead" when teachers wanted students to stay on task together. By the middle school years, gifted students in the study had figured out how to "fake" listening. "Students often sit and appear to be listening, 'but mostly I am looking at the teacher and thinking about other things, like my next class'" (Peine & Coleman, 2010, p. 9).
However, many of the students reported an understanding of the need to wait -- they understood that their fellow classmates did not learn as quickly, and felt a responsibility for allowing them the opportunity to catch up. Waiting gave students the chance "to be even in class, and so that we'll have equal opportunities and things like that" (Peine & Coleman, 2010, p. 9).
What Can Teachers Do?
First, be aware of the fact that all students are not -- and should not -- be on the same page at the same time. "Keeping everyone together all of the time, given the range of ability and achievement in a classroom, is a clear example of a practice that could be altered" (Peine & Coleman, 2010, p. 10). For more ideas on how to manage wait time, consider these differentiation strategies.