Teaching Gifted Learners: Learning Contracts

One of the ways of teaching gifted learners is through learning contracts. More responsibility is given to the learner while using learning contracts rather than with other strategies like compacting. The student controls the parameters and investigates a real problem which is not necessarily an extension of the existing curriculum.

A sample learning contract may include the following:

1. Start with “I would like to learn more about this:”
2. Resources chosen by the learner and approved by the teacher
3. Work behaviors
4. Authentic audience for the student’s work
5. Assessment criteria
6. Signed and dated by the student and teacher.

The learning contract gives the student space to work with greater freedom while maintaining the curriculum and instructional objectives provided by the teacher. Teaching gifted learners through this system helps make the student independent while producing positive learning results.

What can you add in learning contracts that you make with students in your classroom?

From Professional Learning Board’s online continuing education course for teachers: Differentiation for Gifted Learners in the Classroom