EDUCATING GIFTED STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL: A Practical Guide
By Mar, Michele
EDUCATING GIFTED STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL: A Practical Guide. Susan Rakow. Waco,TX: Prufrock Press, 2005. 251 pp. $24.95, Softcover. Susan Rakow, a visiting assistant professor in curriculum and gifted education at Cleveland State University, has written a comprehensive, straightforward book about teaching gifted students in middle school. Middle school gifted students provide unique challenges to teachers, parents, and administrators. Rakow discusses social and emotional issues, academic and intellectual issues, and family and home relationships. Rakow also discusses the curriculum of the gifted child and offers several recommendations for gifted instructors to deal with No Child Left Behind. Furthermore, she provides the reader an idea of what the role of the teacher is as well as the challenges of the curriculum specialist. Rakow presents exceptional ideas for both new and experienced teachers, offering a variety of gifted models that are well-researched. Rakow suggests and explains indepth: Socratic seminars, simulations, role-playing, problem-based learning, creative problem solving, independent study, learning contracts, mastery learning, curriculum compacting, and differentiating instruction in the gifted classroom. In addition, Rakow devotes one chapter to special populations of gifted middle school students. Rakow also recommends several fiction and nonfiction books gifted children would appreciate. She suggests ways of selecting a variety of books to connect students with the literature and nonfiction.
I found this informative book to be very helpful, and used many of her ideas after reading the material. Educating Gifted Students in Middle School focuses on the sensible, imaginative, and pragmatic school solutions that can create a fundamental and responsive school community for all students and teachers. Reviewed by Michele Mar, teacher of the gifted, and doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at Barry University, Miami Shores, FL
Reviewed by Michele Mar, teacher of the gifted, and doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction at Barry University, Miami Shores, FL
Copyright Association for Childhood Education International Summer 2007
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