Exceptional students include those who are gifted, talented, or creative. They often demonstrate advanced language, cognitive, and problem-solving skills. Teaching strategies for exceptional students include enrichment, acceleration, and curriculum differentiation. Special needs students may have learning difficulties, underachievement, or disabilities. They receive support through mainstreaming, special schools, or alternative schools to meet their individual needs. The goal is providing the least restrictive environment possible while ensuring students get the support required.

1. Exceptional Students
Gifted – significant superior potential in multiple areas
Talented – significantly superior in a couple areas
Creative – threshold intelligence with ability think in novel ways and create usually in art, music or
writing
Identification
- Advanced language and literacy
- Advanced cognitive and problem solving skills
- Broad interests and activities
- Above average ability, commitment and creativity
- Highly curious, abstract thinking, clever humour, superior vocabulary, advanced reading,
learns fast, independent, responsible, committed, strong feeling, and opinion, high energy,
immersion learner
Teaching Strategies: Enrichment, Acceleration, Curriculum differentiation
- Know the characteristics
- Use appropriate methods to identify gifted including underachieving students
- Work with parents and others to help optimize learning
- Seek specialist support and advice
- Avoid “busy” work, as this is seen as a punishment
- The choice to follow a specific program will depend on what meets the needs of the
students from a cognitive, emotional, social and physical point of view.

2. Enrichment Extension Acceleration
Broaden range of experience Encourages expansion of Enables students to be placed in
for all students. Especially knowledge and skills in the regular a different learning level more
important to educationally classroom. Can be inquiry based suited to their own development.
disadvantaged (language, with flexible grouping and special It may involve grade or
cultural, socioeconomic resources curriculum acceleration
factors)
- Excursions - Learning/challenge centers - Early entry to school
- Competitions - Parallel programming - Cross ability groupings
- Debates and public - Individual Education Plans - Exemptions from already
speaking - Peer teaching or mentors demonstrated learning
- Clubs or electives - Camps outcomes
- Guest speakers/experts - Use of ICT or virtual
- Use of ICT instruction
Other in-class activities: Placement at a higher level in the
- Problem based learning classroom or school for all or
- Higher level questions certain subjects. Can be done as
- Assessment differentiation a whole group as well
- Access to advanced
outside school learning
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3. Special Needs Students
Early Intervention: programs for infants or young children that
indicate that they might be at risk of underachieving or having a
disability. These programs seek to limit the impact this might have on the
student.
Underachievers: students who progress slower that their intelligence ability
and background would suggest. Often participate in
supplementary programs to help.
Learning Difficulties: significant problems with school
achievement, often relating to a physical or mental handicap that requires a modified
pedagogical approach.
Students with low support needs, meaning that they require very little support with
regard to curriculum changes, language, fine motor and social skills. Or, they are high
support needs, meaning they need considerable assistance in school and daily life,
regarding mobility, healthcare, hygiene etc.
These students may suffer from a range of difficulties including physical disabilities.
Normally high support needs students have one of the following disabilities or limitation
of activity or because of a body structure or function problem.
- Down Syndrome
o Disorder of the chromosomes causing intellectual impairment that is
marked by facial differences
- Spina Bifida
o Congenital defected associated mobility problems as a result of spinal
column refusal to close completely before birth
- Cerebral Palsy
o Brain damage prior to birth resulting in disorder of movement and posture
Handicap refers to the social or physical aspect of limitation.

4. Mental/physical differences may require a change in teaching method. The goal is to
provide an experience that is as normal as possible and avoiding labeling, but ensures the
student gets what they need.
Helping these students: Mainstream school or Special school
Mainstream School Special school Alternative School
Some children with A separate school that Small, sized student
disabilities attend normal caters for a specific group centered school that is more
schools, but have access to of students with special individualized, has a high
a variety of programs and learning needs staff to student ratio and is
services to help them, less structured with the
which can be seen below to goals of providing more
keep them integrated into personalization and care.
regular classrooms.
The goal is the least One of my former students Alia College specializes in
restrictive or most “normal” was severely autistic with providing a personal
environment, which is learning deficiency as well. education to student who
achieved via… He was quite disruptive, could not participate in
Individual Education Plan even with an aid. Many of normal schooling because
that sets out personal the teachers felt that he of psychological and social
learning goals and should be attending a school issues
outcomes based on specific such as Concorde to learn
needs, abilities and interests the basic life skills he
Special Class for students needed. His parents refused
whose needs cannot be met saying that he loved school
in a regular class. An and that being in “normal”
Integration Aid works with environment was beneficial.
students one on one to help
them learn or function while

5. being as integrated as
possible. They may use the
Resource Room, which a
small, multi-purpose room
where one-on-one or small
group instruction can take
place for those with
difficulties