One of the most important tasks a secondary teacher can take on in order to identify gifted and talented students within the ELL population is to be intentional about observing their language development. While there are generally accepted criteria that determine if a student has advanced proficiency in English, it’s important for teachers to look beyond these criteria and pay attention to how quickly and accurately they are picking up new words, understanding instructions, and forming sentences. If a student is showing an above-average rate of language acquisition compared to other students who share similar backgrounds or levels of instruction, this could be an indication that the student is academically advanced.
What can a secondary teacher do to help identify gifted and talented students within the ELL population?
Additionally, it’s beneficial for teachers to actively seek out opportunities for ELL students to demonstrate their skills in more interdependent activities with peers from different backgrounds. For instance, group projects provide great chances for communication exchanges between members and allow each individual’s strengths—including those related to their cultural background—to be highlighted. Closely monitoring group interactions can help reveal both hidden talents as well as academic aptitude among ELL learners. Additionally, giving all students access to challenging coursework (such as honors courses) can show which ones have the capacity for taking part in more rigorous learning environments.
Another strategy teachers can use when working with ELL populations is providing structured support that goes beyond just classroom guidance. This might include mentoring programs or after-school activities designed specifically around developing higher cognitive skills such as critical thinking or problem solving abilities; these kinds of activities are especially helpful in identifying giftedness among children who come from disadvantaged circumstances because they provide insight into what potential may exist if given proper resources or instruction. Teachers should also encourage families of ELL students by actively reaching out and discussing ways they can further cultivate their child’s talents at home by providing tools like books or educational software so parents feel empowered and equipped enough to supplement what’s being taught at school whenever needed.
Finally, it should always be remembered that assessment practices should never overlook any particular group but rather focus on looking not only at standardized measures of achievement but also at unique attributes like creativity, motivation levels, etc., which often depend upon social variables/cultural norms outside the school setting such as family dynamics or socioeconomic status—information that isn’t necessarily included on tests scores alone but still holds value nonetheless when attempting comprehensive evaluation processes for identifying giftedness among diverse groups including those made up primarily non-native English speakers(ELL).