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Instructional technology seeks to disprove the idea that "great teachers are born, not made."

"Students today can't prepare bark to calculate their problems. They depend on slates, which are more expensive. What will they do when the slate is dropped and it breaks? They will be unable to write." From a Teachers Conference, 1703. "Students today depend on paper too much. They don't know how to write on a slate without getting chalk dust all over themselves. They can't clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run out of paper?" From a principal's publication, 1815. "Students today depend too much on ink. They don't know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil." From the National Association of Teachers Journal, 1907. "Students today depend on store-bought ink. They don't know how to make their own. When they run out of ink they will be unable to write words or cipher until their next trip to the settlement. This is a sad commentary on modern education." From The Rural American Teacher, 1928. "Students depend on these expensive fountain pens. They can no longer write with a straight pen and nib. We parents must not allow them to wallow in such luxury to the detriment of how to cope in the business world, which is not so extravagant." From the Parent Teachers Association Gazette, 1941. "Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away. The American values of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Business and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries." From Federal Teachers, 1950.

What this suggests is that all technologies, be they things that plug in or advances in thought, have various affordances that make them at times useful and at times not useful. The trick is to figure out what makes them useful in what situations in order to leverage their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.

Increasing Depth, Complexity, and RigorAnother way to develop curriculum for gifted learners is to incorporate greater depth, complexity, and rigor. You can achieve this through a variety of strategies. One simple method is to provide students with questions requiring a higher level of critical thinking. Discussion groups, such as Socratic seminars and fishbowl discussions, in which students explore such questions are particularly effective--you can ask your students to paraphrase their peers' responses and then add on or pose other questions.

Using traditional teaching methods, educators may default to teaching literature by widely accepted classic authors: William Shakespeare, J.D. Salinger, and Charles Dickens, for example, adhering to widely accepted interpretations of the text. Culturally responsive teaching, on the other hand, acknowledges that there’s nothing wrong with traditional texts, Childers-McKee says, but strives to include literature from other cultures, parts of the world, and by diverse authors. It also focuses on finding a “hook and anchor” to help draw students into the content using their past experiences.

When integrated into classroom instruction, culturally responsive strategies can have important benefits such as: Strengthening students’ sense of identity  Promoting equity and inclusivity in the classroom Engaging students in the course material Supporting critical thinking

1. Activate students’ prior knowledge.

Collaborate with special education teachers, related service providers, and paraprofessionals on a regular basis

at least once a week

Teachers alternate roles of presenting, reviewing, and monitoring instruction.