Tips for Parents: Parenting Mathematically Talented Students in 7th Grade and Younger

Source: Davidson Young Scholar Seminar
Ann Lupkowski Shoplik, Ph.D, the director of the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary Students, conducted a seminar for parents of mathematically-talented students. A number of topics were discussed, including program options and opportunities for math-talented students.

In-School Options for Math-Talented Students:

• Enrichment in the regular classroom. This puts the 'burden' on the regular classroom teacher, who looks for math activities for the talented child to do. This is sometimes busywork. However, some capable teachers excuse students from certain assignments to allow time to work on more challenging mathematics. Susan Winebrenner’s book, Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom (http://www.susanwinebrenner.com/), is a very useful tool for teachers who would like to structure their classrooms this way.
• Independent projects in mathematics.
• Allowing the student to work on his/her own in the back of the classroom. This can be a step up from not allowing the student to do anything different from the regular curriculum. However, it has the disadvantage of putting the burden on the child. He or she has to show enough initiative and focus to work in the back of a busy room while the other children are moving about and participating in other activities. This can be tough for a young student!
• Pulling the student out one or two periods a week to work on math with the gifted coordinator or some other individual. Advantages: individual attention, math may be more appropriately challenging. Disadvantages: what does the child do during the other 4 days of math?
• Grouping several math-talented students together to study mathematics in a separate class or grouping students within the regular classroom. This “ability grouping” has fallen out of favor with many school districts, in spite of the research that strongly supports this arrangement for gifted students.
• Grade-skipping or accelerating in mathematics.
• The DT-PI Model. This model was first developed by Dr. Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University. It is designed to match the level and pace of math instruction to the students’ abilities and achievements. Above-level aptitude tests measure the student’s abilities. Diagnostic pre-testing indicates what the student knows and does not know. During the prescriptive instruction phase of the model, the mentor works with the student on topics he or she has not yet learned. The focus is on new concepts rather than on material the student has already mastered. The mentor can work with one or more students at a time, as long as the students are on a similar level. Finally, the mentor administers a post-test to determine mastery. The DT-PI model is a powerful tool for working with math-talented students. It identifies the gaps in a student’s background and allows a process for the mentor to work with the student to fill in those gaps. It allows the student to study mathematics at an appropriate level and pace. The DT-PI model has been used both in and out of school.