Catering for Mathematically Gifted Elementary Students: Learning from Challenging Tasks

Abstract

Boredom is a major concern of gifted students and stems from a lack of challenge in academic tasks and a perception by these students of the limited value of the “learning” experience (Feldhusen & Kroll, 1991; Galbraith, 1985; House, 1987). Academic tasks constitute the “work” of the classroom and, ideally, provide the necessary challenge that affords learning (Doyle, 1983, 1988). A key feature of challenging tasks is their authenticity within a domain. For example, an authentic mathematical task is characterized by its complexity, the obstacle to a ready-made solution, and the need for high-level thinking and reasoning. Thus, challenging mathematical tasks for gifted students should be authentic tasks that provide opportunities for them to emulate the practices of mathematicians, though at a less-sophisticated level. Gifted elementary students recognize the fundamental relationship between the level of challenge of a task and mathematical learning.