I'm not talking about the gate you walk through, this GATE is an abbreviation for the statewide program entitled Gifted and Talented Education. Its designed for students who are advanced in their learning and have the need to be challenged. In the California standard for teaching, differentiated instruction is a big issue...and I mean BIG issue! It basically makes the teacher teach his/her whole class, while in the same time attempting to meet the students with individual needs. These individuals can be English Language Learners (ELL), students with disabilities (cognitive or physical) and gifted or advanced students. This means in a classroom of about 20 or more students, a teacher has to teach the lesson but also be able to give support to the struggling learners (language, cognitive or physical) and challenge the advanced kids.
Today, we had a cohort field trip to a 5th grade GATE teacher's class. She explained the different ways she challenges the students, not only in academics, but also in personal and work ethics. She also shared that just because these kids are super smart, they are still like other kids, in a sense that they come with their own needs, disabilities and pet peeves. She gave an example of one student who loved post-its. Post-its in itself are a very handy tool for reminders, but this particular student went over the top with post-its to the point that it gets in the way of her learning and the teacher had to intervene. So, as a class, we learned a lot from just being in that classroom environment, if anything, that's where the majority of the learning ha
ppens, ergo we have student teaching :) But going back to my first statement. The GATE is an actual educational program but in an essence the abbreviation itself is a metaphor for what these teachers do for these students. They open the "gates" of their minds to a whole new dimension of learning. If they didn't get this type of instruction, they're like stuck in a box, which can be very harmful to them because they will be bored, unchallenged, much worse, have a negative perspective on school. So, that picture of an opened gate says a lot about what the GATE program does for the gifted child. Now, the question is, what about the others? Why can't they utilize these "fun" and "tactile" tools to also teach the average student? Better yet, the struggling learners? That, my dear friend, is up to you...the teacher (if you are one...lol!).
Today, we had a cohort field trip to a 5th grade GATE teacher's class. She explained the different ways she challenges the students, not only in academics, but also in personal and work ethics. She also shared that just because these kids are super smart, they are still like other kids, in a sense that they come with their own needs, disabilities and pet peeves. She gave an example of one student who loved post-its. Post-its in itself are a very handy tool for reminders, but this particular student went over the top with post-its to the point that it gets in the way of her learning and the teacher had to intervene. So, as a class, we learned a lot from just being in that classroom environment, if anything, that's where the majority of the learning ha
ppens, ergo we have student teaching :) But going back to my first statement. The GATE is an actual educational program but in an essence the abbreviation itself is a metaphor for what these teachers do for these students. They open the "gates" of their minds to a whole new dimension of learning. If they didn't get this type of instruction, they're like stuck in a box, which can be very harmful to them because they will be bored, unchallenged, much worse, have a negative perspective on school. So, that picture of an opened gate says a lot about what the GATE program does for the gifted child. Now, the question is, what about the others? Why can't they utilize these "fun" and "tactile" tools to also teach the average student? Better yet, the struggling learners? That, my dear friend, is up to you...the teacher (if you are one...lol!).
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