«Project activities as one of the ways to work with gifted and talented kids»

PROJECT ACTIVITIES IN ENGLISH AS ONE OF THE WAYS TO WORK WITH TALENTED AND GIFTED KIDS
Alexandra MURZINA
Gimnasia 41, Novouralsk, Sverdlovsk region, Russia
anm1107@mail.ru
Summary: As an EFL teacher I actively use various mechanisms for working with talented students including contests, research conferences, science reading sessions, online sessions, debates.
Project strategy is also an effective way of teaching and learning. Project work is a pupil-centred activity when students understand necessity of making a project,develop their social skills to cooperate and communicate, choose the way of work, divide tasks and agree on the output of the project, when they are taught to be responsible for their work and results.
The article “Project activities in English as one of the ways to work with talented and gifted students” provides experience of after class project with kids aged 15-17. 
The project “Green Calendar” can help increase understanding of significance of environmentally friendly practices, attract attention to the existing ecological problems and the ways common teenagers can save planet for future generations.
Environmental issues were explored by visiting an animal shelter, organizing an Earth Day awareness rally, educating students on the possibilities of using more energy-efficient living methods. Project participants also cleaned the territory, tried eco-poetry and made bird feeders.
The project was marked the first out of 19 at the US Consulate General in Yekaterinburg contest “Let’s make our planet green together”. The project team was granted an educational trip to Washington D.C in July 2015.
The experience of work on the project “Green Calendar” was presented to the public at the local meeting of English teachers and regional seminar “English learning: from the ABC to state exams” in 2015.
Project work is one of most effective teaching methods for talented and gifted students as it improves language skills, widens horizon, let them see the result of their work, gives positive motivation to reach better results in topic discussion; helps students develop their imagination and creativity.
Key words: gifted and talented students, creativity, project-based learning, imagination, creativity, a pupil-centered activity, environmentally friendly practices, widen horizon
The article “Project activities in English as one of the ways to work with talented and gifted students” provides experience of after class work with gifted kids aged 15-17. 
Gifted and talented students are those who demonstrate a high level of attainment in intellectual ability, academic achievement and creativity.
There are different means of effectively teaching such students. Teaching methods should encourage abstract thinking, creativity and independence. Teachers should set extremely high expectations for their gifted and talented students.
Our country achieved good results in the area of systematic support of talented young people of the school age. The strategy for developing young talents is determined by the Conception of the Nation-wide System for the Detection and Development of Young Talents approved in 2012.
Gimnasia 41, Novouralsk actively uses various mechanisms for working with talented students including contests, scientific and research conferences and forums, science reading sessions, online sessions, seminars and debates, research paper competitions. Such forms really gained popularity. One more effective way of work is a project strategy. Project –based learning tends to be very important. Project work is characterized as one of methods of teaching and learning a foreign language through research and communication. Different project types allow to use them in all spheres of educational process. Projects involve multi skill activities which focus on a theme of interest rather than on specific language and help students develop their imagination and creativity.
Focus is on project activity in after class work and the practical demonstration of successful project work.
Project work is a pupil-centred activity. Pupils understand necessity of making a project, develop their social skills to cooperate and communicate. They choose the way of work, divide tasks and agree on the output of the project, they are taught to be responsible for their work and its results. Important benefit of project work for pupils is that it enables them the contact with real world in which they use the English language, the language they have learnt.
Background: project "Green Calendar"
Thesis is to prove that the topic of ecology (which tends to be difficult and boring among students) can be useful and exciting to study while working on an ecology project.
The aim of the project: help increase understanding of significance of environmentally friendly practices and attract attention to the existing ecological problems and the ways common teenagers can save planet for future generations through the project “Green Calendar”.
Objectives:
1. Work with a wider range of materials than textbooks offer;
2. Deal with problems which students are interested in and learn to solve them;
3. Teach students to be responsible for work and results;
4. Contact with reality;
5. Revise vocabulary on ecology, mobilize existing knowledge on the topic;
6. Help increase understanding of significance of environmentally friendly practices
Time: 1 month (2014-2015 school year)
Grades: 9, 10
Number of pupils: 3 students aged 15-16
The project had stages: 1.planning; 2.realization; 3. presentation of an output; 4. reflection
Activities for project implementation:
№
Name of the event activities goals
Making a scrapbook of environmental issues, natural disasters and other environmental vocabulary. (It can be used by English teachers and their students who can learn the terms, definitions and examples.)
Students and teacher find ecological terms. Teacher makes necessary corrections in given examples and sentences. Students find pictures for scrapbook. Revise vocabulary on ecology;
learn how to collect, design and organize written materials;
mobilize existing knowledge;
develop ability to work together
Making a lecture to grade 6 students on fun recycling facts. Master class how to reuse plastic bottles and make plastic vases.
Students get ready for a lecture on recycling and list benefits of disposing waste in trash cans diving plastic, glass and paper.
Students show how to reuse a plastic bottle make a vase. Present information to a live audience; structure and direct the event and interact with the audience; list benefits of disposing waste in trash cans diving plastic, glass and paper
Collecting litter, fall leaves and snow removing at the Black Cape, Novouralsk, Russia trying to arrange high-quality cleaning
Teacher and students take part in cleaning of local territory. Safeguard the environment in the region; help increase understanding of significance of environmentally friendly practices; develop ability to cooperate
Visit to a local animal shelter called “Джим” where they make finding perfect adoptable pets simple. Taking care of kittens, cats and dogs. What people feed them matters, so bringing treats and special food. Teacher makes trip to animal shelter, students buy treats and special food. Help increase understanding of significance of environmentally friendly practices; contact with reality
Making a lecture on the World Water Day for the 6th and 10th graders to learn about current trends in water consumption and how serious the problem is. As a kind of international UNESCO campaign drawing water drops to save water on the Earth.
Students make a lecture on trends in water consumption around the world and problems in some world regions with water. Teacher corrects mistakes. Students present materials to 6th and 10th graders. Teacher and students participate in UNESCO action “Water drop” . Teacher presents students’ works to school public. Information is sent to the UNESCO website. Structure and direct the event and interact with the audience;
present information to a live audience; show significance of participation in the UNESCO campaign; attract attention to the existing problem – necessity of saving water; send report to the UNESCO website; show paper works with water drops to other students; improve communicative skills
Learning about the term “eco-poetry” as a new trend to draw people’s attention to the environment and its problems Students discuss the term eco-poetry and try to create their own poems in English. Help students develop their imagination and creativity
Making bird feeders and putting them in the neighbourhoodStudents make bird feeders and put them in the neighbourghood, buy seeds for birds. Help students develop their imagination and creativity
Making labels to remind colleagues, friends and families of the important things: Save electricity. Turn off the lights. Save water.
After a 12-day experiment the people noticed that reminders helped them to be environmentally friendly in their daily lives and to save some water , energy and electricity.
Students and teacher make environmentally-friendly reminders: Save water, save electricity, turn off the lights when not using. Reminders are given to friends, colleagues, family to make a 12-day experiment. Introduce learners to a communicative approach; attract attention to the necessity of saving water, electricity
Making a video “Green English” presenting the results All the activities for the project were photographed. Teacher looks for a professional who makes a video. Motivate learners towards completion of an end product;
enable pupils to produce the worthwhile product; help students develop their imagination and creativity.
Results:
The project was implemented for a regional contest “Let's make our planet green together”. It was announced by the United States Consulate General in Yekaterinburg.
The contest met rules and regulations for making a final product - a 3- minute video. The idea of the project “Green Calendar” was to present a calendar in the video where all days during a month would be devoted to some ecological activities.
With much attention devoted to “going green”, awareness of protecting the environment and limited natural resources became a prominent issue. Creating engaging activities required research and preparation which took a month.
Environmental issues were explored by visiting an animal shelter, organizing an Earth Day awareness rally, educating students on the possibilities of using more energy-efficient living methods. Project participants also cleaned the territory, tried eco-poetry and made bird feeders. All that helped increase understanding of significance of environmentally friendly practices.
The project was marked the first out of 19 at the US Consulate General in Yekaterinburg contest “Let’s make our planet green together”. The team was granted an educational trip to Washington D.C in July 2015.
The project impacted students’ lives. Their contribution to the project was important in safeguarding the environment.
The students met a representative of Greenpeace USA to see activities to be done worldwide to save planet for future generations.
According to the reflection results students liked their work and wanted to be involved in other projects.
Created “green calendar” shows that all people can do many useful things for the environment which don’t take much effort.
Conclusion:
Projects are considered by pupils as one of the most enjoyable ways of learning.
The experience of work on the project “Green Calendar” was presented to the public at the local meeting of English teachers and regional seminar “English learning: from the ABC to state exams” in 2015.
Project work is one of most effective teaching methods for talented and gifted students as it improves language skills, widens horizon, let them see the result of their work, gives positive motivation to reach better results in topic discussion; helps students develop their imagination and creativity.
Bibliography:
Finnan, Christine, Swanson, Julie D. Change in Schools, Classrooms, and Individuals. Westview Press, 2000
Gold, Milton J. Education of the Intellectually Gifted. Charles E. Merrill Books, 1965
Gross, Miraca U. M. Exceptionally Gifted Children. Routledge, 2004 (2nd edition)
VanTassel-Baska, Joyce The Role of Advanced Placement in Talent Development. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, Vol. 12, No. 3, Spring 2001
Winner, Ellen. Gifted Children: Myths and Realities. Basic Books, 1996
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/may/09/teaching-gifted-and-talented-pupilshttp://talant.msu.ru/eng/methods-of-working-with-talented-students-at-the-moscow-state-university/http://tta.edu.au/products/461/801https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project-based_learning