Gifted Education Special thanks to Donna Brearly Union

Gifted Education Special thanks to Donna Brearly – Union County Public Schools

Quick Check… let’s pre-assess Fact or Fallacy? 1. Children who get straight A’s are gifted. 2. If you are gifted, you do most things well. 3. Gifted children worry about how good their work is. 4. It is possible to be BOTH gifted and have a learning disability (LD). 5. North Carolina law does not require programs for the gifted. l

Pre-assessment continued l l l 6. Creative children are liked by everyone. 7. Programs for gifted children are unfair to other children. 8. Gifted children are so smart, they really don’t need help from anyone. 9. It’s good to have gifted students in your class to help the other students. 10. Gifted kids are equally mature in all areas – academic, physical, social and emotional.

Fact check l 1. False. Gifted children do not necessarily get A’s. l 2. False. People can be gifted in one area and not gifted in another. Example, not every child gifted in mathematics is also gifted in Language Arts. l 3. False. Gifted children do not necessarily worry more about their work , and in some cases, worry less about it than others.

Fact check continued l 4. True. Students can be learning disabled and gifted at the same time. l 5. True. Although the state supports gifted education, it is not law to provide programs for gifted children. l 6. False. Creative children usually don’t enjoy conformity, and thus, are not always liked by all.

Fact Check Continued l 7. False. It is our obligation as teachers to teach to the needs of all. l 8. False. All children need to be challenged at their level. Like all children, gifted students need scaffolding to get to the next level of understanding. l 9. False. Gifted children often prefer to work alone and often don’t enjoy helping slower learners.

Fact Check Continued l 10. False. Gifted children are academically advanced but not necessarily more advanced in others.

North Carolina State Statute, Article 9 B(1996) – General Assembly l provides funding- based on 4% of total ADM – State Board of Education l provides guidelines, technical assistance and review of local plans – Local Board of Education Develops a local plan and adopts it as policy l Three year plan revision cycle. l

Theories Abound l l l Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence, 1986 Renzulli’s Schoolwide Enrichment Model, 1986 Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences Coleman, Gallagher, Harrison and Robinson’s Multiple Indicators of Giftedness (1995) And many others….

Definition of Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) State definition: Academically or intellectually gifted students perform or show the potential to perform at substantially high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience or environment.

Definition continued Academically or intellectually gifted students exhibit high performance capability intellectual areas, specific academic fields, or in both intellectual areas and specific academic fields. l Academically or intellectually gifted students require differentiated educational services beyond those ordinarily provided by the regular education program. l Outstanding abilities are present in students from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. l

Gifted or very bright l Some children are very bright but not in the gifted range of intellectual ability. l Can you recognize the differences between very bright and gifted children?

Characteristics of Gifted Children by Janice Szabos Challenge, 1989 l Gifted Child l Bright Child l l l l l Asks the questions. Is highly curious. Is mentally and physically involved. Plays around, yet tests well. Beyond the group. Already knows. 1 – 2 repetitions for mastery. Constructs abstractions. Prefers adults. Draws inferences. Initiates projects. Enjoys learning. Manipulates information. Good guesser. Thrives on complexity Is keenly observant Is highly self-critical l l l l Knows the answers. Is interested Is attentive. Works hard. Answers the questions. Top group. Learns with ease. 6 – 8 repetitions for mastery. Understands ideas. Enjoys peers. Grasps the meaning. Completes assignments. Enjoys school. Absorbs information. Good memorizer. Enjoys straightforward, sequential presentation. Is alert. Is pleased with own learning. l l

Being Gifted - Good or Bad? ? ? l l l Positive Traits Produces many and varied solutions to problems Flexible, can work out of confusion l l Original and imaginative Committed to tasks of an interest area l l l Uses imagination and fantasy in personal and universal problems Keen sense of humor, may see humor in situations when others do not Takes risks when trying out original ideas; does not fear being ‘different’ Uninhibited in expressing feelings/opinions Prefers to work independently Intensely curious about many things l l l l Negative Traits Often will not follow methods that are taught to solve problems. Can be impatient, dislikes details or restrictions. Is capable of fantasy, daydreams. May resist working on tasks he/she is not interested in; may become bored with routine and repetitive tasks. May be considered as “wild”, “weird", " silly” by peers and teachers. May make jokes at inappropriate times May be viewed unrealistic, “crazy” or too aggressive. May argue with peers, parents and teachers. May be highly individualistic and stubborn. May interrupt or ignore class activities to pursue interest. Adapted by Alena R. Treat, Dallas Public Schools, 1997 Dr. E. Suzanne Richert, Global Institute for Maximizing Potential

GIFTED STUDENTS CAN THINK AT A HIGHER LEVEL l This child can put together a lot of different ideas in a meaningful way. This is similar to putting together pieces in a puzzle when there are no directions. However, the child still can figure out the answer.

GIFTED STUDENTS ARE EXTREMELY CURIOUS l This child not only seems to ask questions, but looks up the answer in the library or science corner.

GIFTED STUDENTS HAVE A LONG ATTENTION SPAN (FOR IDEAS THAT INTEREST THEM) l This child can stick to a task. Often this child cannot stop a task until it is completed.

GIFTED STUDENTS HAVE A COMPLEX VOCABULARY WHEN COMPARED TO PEERS l This child can talk your ear off! But don’t forget to look for this quality in your quiet children. Look for the type of vocabulary and sentence structure used and compare it to other classmates for a reference point.

GIFTED CHILDREN POSSES KEEN POWERS OF OBSERVATION l This child will always remember the color of socks he/she has on. He/she will always remember fine details. This child may read a story once and remember all of the characters without actually having to “memorize” them. When reading aloud, you can never summarize or skip parts because they will always stop you and remind you that you left out a part.

GIFTED STUDENTS ALWAYS ASKS QUESTIONS l If you don’t mind my asking, how much does a sentence diagrammer make in a year?

Gifted? l Al is ten years old and has no close friends. His teachers find him a problem and report that he has odd mannerisms, often chanting to himself in class. His mother reports that he was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read. She also mentions his having difficulty adjusting to school. He is not an athletic child which is a source of disappointment to his father. However, he seems extremely bright and is very interested in science and mathematics.

Twice-Exceptional? Willy is a hyperactive child, frequently being permitted to leave his classroom to run in the school yard to release his excess energy. His teachers report inconsistent school performance- he fails exams in subjects he claims no interest in but is usually motivated and knowledgeable in English. l Willy’s cumulative record reveals a number of other problems. He is prone to constant colds and therefore absent from school a great deal. He has a slight speech defect and in general, has poor peer relationships. On at least one occasion last year, he had an outburst that severely disrupted his class. According to the school social worker, Willy’s mother tends to neglect the child and his father is rather withdrawn. l

Gifted Persons who had potential but were overlooked l Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read. l Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade. l A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had “no good ideas”.

Strategies for working with the gifted Consistent use of higher order thinking skills Problem-Based Learning Individualized Projects Use of Critical and Creative Thinking Open-ended assignments Quality not quantity of work Differentiation of level of assignment …and many more….

Want to know more? ? ? l l l National Association for Gifted Children – www. nagc. org North Carolina Association for the Gifted and Talentedwww. ncagt. org Supporting the Needs of the Gifted (SENG)www. sengifted. org Hoagies Gifted Education Page – www. hoagiesgifted. org UNCC Dept of Counseling, Special Education and Child Development : Academically/Intellectually Gifted (AIG) http: //education. uncc. edu/sagallag/

Wake up! Time to start thinking about the SAT.

Module questions l 1. Describe a child who you suspect may be gifted. What characteristics discussed in the Power Point are exhibited in this child? How are these characteristics different from the characteristics exhibited by a very bright child? l 2. What did you learn from the Power Point that you can incorporate in your classroom?