In the last article, we discussed the necessity of teachers refining their craft. Seven strategies were provided from the Phoenix Training Center (PTC, 2023) that offered the goal of teachers creating “a more engaging, effective, and enriching classroom experience for their students” (para. 9). Each suggestion was considered in light of the nature and needs of gifted learners. Recommendations included extensive understanding of the ways good teaching requires a variety of skills, attitudes, and willingness to learn new things as keys to ensuring gifted students have appropriate and challenging learning opportunities.
Identifying Gifted Multilingual Students: Barriers and Promising Practices
Giftedness occurs equally in all populations; however, research shows that gifted multilingual learners (MLs) are not represented equally in gifted programs (Siegle et al., 2016; Gubbins et al., 2018; Mun et al., 2020; Long et al., 2023). According to the National Education Association (NEA, 2020), MLs (students developing proficiency in multiple languages, including English), are the fastest-growing student group in the US. Despite the growing number of MLs, their representation in gifted programs continues to fall behind not only traditional populations of learners, but also behind all underserved populations, including twice-exceptional, rural, Hispanic, Native American, and Black students (Mun et al., 2020).
