Expanding Your Gifted Team: Recruiting Rockstar Gen Ed Teachers

Building a strong gifted ed program requires collaboration beyond just dedicated specialists. General Education (Gen Ed) teachers who have gifted students in their classrooms are valuable allies in your mission to provide differentiated learning and support for our gifted students. But, if you're like me, this can sometimes be a challenge. How can you entice them to join your gifted squad? Here are a few ideas to consider:

• 🤘Become a Resource Rockstar: Gen Ed teachers are busy! One of the best ways to attract them to the gifted world is by becoming a reliable source of support and resources (btw-I have some you can use & share). Offer to share lesson plans, differentiation strategies, materials, and even your time. Not only will this ensure the lessons & materials in the gen ed classroom are specifically designed for your gifted learners, but also it can save the gen ed teacher time and money. You can also point them to valuable online resources, such as the National Center for Gifted Education's website, ncge.org, which offers a wealth of practical tools and strategies for Gen Ed teachers.

• 🤝Co-Teaching Collaboration: Consider co-teaching opportunities with Gen Ed teachers who have gifted students in their classrooms. This allows you to share your expertise in gifted education and provide targeted support for your advanced learners, while also alleviating some of the workload for the Gen Ed Teacher (Mofield & Phelps 2020). This also removes one barrier I've found common among Gen Ed teachers - the how. Often they don't differentiate effectively for gifted students because they haven't seen it in action. They don't know how to implement it in a way that is sustainable, not overly complicated. By co-teaching, you can model this. Note: Remember, co-teaching has many "definitions" or pathways. Yes, you could do this daily, but to keep sustainability for you, it can also be once a week, twice a month, or could even just be co-planning.

• 🔦Celebrate Success Stories: Shine a light on the amazing work Gen Ed teachers are doing to support gifted students in their classrooms. Recognize their efforts in faculty meetings, school newsletters, or even on social media. Publicly acknowledging their contributions can go a long way in encouraging other Gen Ed teachers to get involved.

• .🕐Early Finishers: I know this term might bring some eye-rolls, but hear me out! One of the most common questions asked by gen ed teachers is what to do when a gifted student finishes much earlier than other students. Offering a menu of easy to implement early finisher activities accomplishes several important things. First, it prevents the cringy additional work or peer tutoring situations. Next, it establishes trust that you are there to support them as they teach gifted students in their classroom. It lets them know you're in their corner and want to help. Arguably, the most important thing it accomplishes is opening the door to conversations about differentiation throughout all lessons. By solving the teacher's immediate problem, you create opportunities to coach gen ed teachers on other gifted ed strategies.

By implementing strategies like these, you can create a more collaborative and supportive environment for gifted education in your school or district. Remember, the more teachers understand the unique needs of gifted learners, the better equipped we'll all be to help these bright thinkers reach their full potential.

References:

Collaboration, Coteaching, and Coaching in Gifted Education: Sharing Strategies to Support Gifted Learners; Authors: Emily Mofield and Vicki Phelps, (2020)