This blog features a new media format. I'm experimenting with podcasting as a way to share information here on the blog.

I wanted a way that I could bring my readers some short, focused interviews about topics important to gifted education.

Simply click on one of the links at the bottom of this entry to listen to the podcast (use the latter link if you have iTunes installed on your computer).

Today's topic is one that impacts gifted kids in schools on a regular basis. In the past, gifted children often were placed into special gifted classes or accelerated learning groups. The thinking went that gifted children learned at a faster pace than other kids, and if you could group gifted children together it was easier for those students and their teachers to move at a faster pace through the class' subject matter.

However, the practice of grouping students by ability has become a controversial topic in many schools. As a result, during the last few years we have seen the dismantling of special gifted classes. We've seen teachers move away from the use of ability groups in their classrooms.

How are gifted students affected by this change and does it make sense to move away from ability grouping?

To answer these questions, I've invited Todd Kettler to join me in discussing this topic. Todd is the director of Advanced Academic Services at Coppell ISD (Coppell, TX), a district outside of Dallas. Todd is on the editorial advisory board for the Journal of Advanced Academics and is the chairperson of the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented's Research and Evaluation Committee.

Todd makes reference to the research supporting ability grouping in his interview. For more information on this topic, there are two excellent resources:

• Gifted Child Quarterly, 51(4), a special issue on best practices for gifted education published by the National Association for Gifted Children, and
• Best Practices in Gifted Education: An Evidence-Based Guide by Ann Robinson, Bruce M. Shore, and Donna L. Enersen, an excellent book that offers an overview of effective practices in gifted education.

Listen to the Podcast

Click here to listen to the podcast

(approximate length: 25 minutes)

Click here to listen to or subscribe* to this podcast in iTunes

(requires that you have iTunes installed on your computer)

 * If you wish to be receive notifications when new podcasts are posted, you need to subscribe to Prufrock's "Gifted Education Podcast" in iTunes or subscribe to the "Podcasts" RSS feed in the left column of this blog (see "Categories/RSS"). Click here to read instructions on using RSS feeds.