One of the typical traits among gifted and talented (GT) students is their love of computers and online games. Ask any GT elementary student about Minecraft and you will find yourself inundated with story after story about building worlds and finding diamonds. A GT student can focus more intensely and for longer than an average student. So when teachers plan activities for gifted students, they need to consider gaming. Gamification in education has become big business, and that means GT students can find games that suit their personal interests.
Minecraft in Education
The creators of Minecraft have designed a game especially for education. In this game, students can virtually enter a world together and travel through ancient cities learning about architecture and cultures from long ago. Teachers can follow this example to design activities for gifted students. If you want your students to develop more teamwork, considering setting up a module that requires them to build a Parthenon look-alike together. It is even possible to help your students problem-solve and learn how math supports building structures through Minecraft, which some consider the computer equivalent of LEGOs. The only difference between regarding Minecraft as either ordinary or spectacular is a student's imagination.
Learning Coding Through Games
Gamification in education includes learning how to create your own games. According to this video featuring some of the best-known software engineers working today, learning to code will be a student's best strategy for becoming a motivated, skilled, employable citizen. It makes sense then for teachers of gifted and talented students to make sure their students are learning to code. There are several sites to help teach these coding activities for gifted students:
- https://codecombat.com
- https://code.org
- https://www.codecademy.com
- https://www.codeavengers.com
- https://www.codeschool.com
Motivating GT Students
One of the most important strategies in teaching GT students is to keep them motivated. Many gifted students are self-motivated, but there is also a high percentage of students who need to figure out what interests them and then pursue that interest with classroom time and choice. Gamification in education is changing the options teachers have to motivate students. When thinking of motivational activities for gifted students, teachers can now use many online resources for finding an activity to match virtually any interest a student may have.
Online games can encourage gifted and talented students to try out different learning paths. Teaching doctors explain that medical students who are gamers tend to excel at the simulated surgeries that are a regular part of medical training now. Using online games, GT students can learn to fly planes, test out new concepts in architecture and even perform heart surgery. It is a time of change for students, and activities for gifted students can be a transformational educational experience.
Learn more about Arkansas State University's Online MSE in Gifted, Talented, and Creative program.
Sources:
The Atlantic: Teaching in the Age of Minecraft
VentureBeat: 12 Games That Teach Kids to Code -- and Are Even Fun, Too
