Gifted students and equity

In "The Gifted Student," three primary concepts are addressed in light of two gifted students, Caroline and Craig. First, teachers who differentiate instruction so that all students - including the gifted - are respected, engaged, challenged, and allowed to be creative, have happier classrooms with greater participation and enthusiasm. Second, the article discussed gifted students' perceptions of their math classes, noting that differentiated instruction reaching even gifted students' needs gave them positive perceptions of math education. Finally, the article provides ideas for math teachers working with students of a variety of learning levels - virtually all teachers - and gives suggestions for how they might handle the high demands of teaching such a diverse population.
This article is outstanding - clear, practical advise and examples for teachers striving to guide learners to the highest possible level according to their individual needs. I loved it. I especially appreciated the four principles for differentiating instruction - respect, engagement, challenge, and opportunity for creativity and flexibility - because, as the article suggests, gifted students are so often deprived of all four of these educational "rights." I well remember feeling disdained simply "because everything was so easy for you," they would say(not as a truly gifted student, but as a student who excelled). The truth was not so - the truth was that the information presented me was not engaging, challenging, and did not allow for creativity. Simply put, it was boring. So in a much smaller way than truly gifted students experience, I experienced being deprived of these four principles. I believe that if teachers would keep these principles posted in their minds and hearts, America's leading mathematicians would become the world's leading mathematicians. But until instruction is differentiated, we will remain a subservient academic society.

Chval, K. B. and Davis, J. A. (2009). The gifted student. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 14 (5), 267-274.