The Gifted Child

2. The Gifted Child Mrs. Dody Martin, Talent Development Catalyst Facilitator

3. Defining Giftedness The definition of a “gifted” child has not yet been universally agreed upon. To date, there is no single agreed- upon definition. Gifted children are defined differently in all cultures and countries. Even within school districts you will find a wide range of guidelines for identifying gifted students. These are a few definitions of giftedness : The Jarvis Act defines gifted as: The term gifted and talented student means children and youths who give evidence of higher performance capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools in order to develop such capabilities fully.“ U.S. Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) defines gifted as: Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor." Renzullidefines gifted as: “Gifted behavior occurs when there is an interaction among three basic clusters of human traits: above-average general and/or specific abilities, high levels of task commitment (motivation), and high levels of creativity. Gifted and talented children are those who possess or are capable of developing this composite of traits and applying them to any potentially valuable area of human performance. As noted in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, gifted behaviors can be found "in certain people (not all people), at certain times (not all the time), and under certain circumstances (not all circumstances)."

4. Bright Learners Vs. Gifted Learners The following chart is helpful when explaining the difference between a bright student and a truly gifted student:

5. Characteristics of a Gifted Learner A gifted child may show many, but not all of these characteristics listed. Also some characteristics may be developed over time. • Reads with comprehension at an early age • Learns rapidly and easily; may resist doing routine work or works in careless manner • Transfers learning to new situations • Recognizes relationships • Skilled in problem solving • Prefers complex and challenging tasks rather than basic work; may resist challenging work for fear his/her struggle will be seen by others • Knows about many things of which other children are unaware, retains knowledge • Verbally proficient, exhibits advanced vocabulary for age or grade level • Questions critically • Displays curiosity about many topics, keenly observant

6. Social and Emotional Characteristics • Bases friendships on similarity of interest rather than age • Adjusts easily to new situations • Is conscientious and truthful • Friendly, helpful • Has strong sense of justice; may assertively oppose injustices • Self-confident; may believe he/she is valued for what he/she can do rather than who he/she is; may fear loss of regard from others if exceptional ability is lost • Prefers older companions • Tend to be perfectionists; may be self-critical and critical of others, may work slowly, procrastinate

7. Motivational and Creative Characteristics Motivational • Prefers to work independently, requires little direction; may dislike cooperative learning • Assumes and discharges responsibility; may dominate others • Strong beliefs, opinionated • Has passionate interests, easily absorbed in activities and thoughts; may be unwilling to do other activities • Persistent in seeking task completion Creativity • Displays a keen sense of humor or sees humor in subtle situations; may be the class clown, make jokes or comments at inappropriate times • Sensitive to the aesthetic characteristics and value of things • Displays intellectual playfulness; asks many "what if" questions; may be a nonconformist • Challenged by new ideas • Enjoys experimentation; invents new methods or solutions to tasks; may daydream, be absentminded, loose work

8. How To Teach Gifted Learners The National Association for Gifted Children provide these guidelines in teaching gifted students: Good Instruction for Gifted Learners: 1) Good curriculum and instruction for gifted learners begins with good curriculum and instruction.It's difficult, if not impossible, to develop the talent of a highly able student with insipid curriculum and instruction. Like all students, gifted learners need learning experiences that are rich. That is, they need learning experiences that are organized by key concepts and principles of a discipline rather than by facts. They need content that is relevant to their lives, activities that cause them to process important ideas at a high level, and products that cause them to grapple with meaningful problems and pose defensible solutions. They need classrooms that are respectful to them, provide both structure and choice, and help them achieve more than they thought they could. These are needs shared by all learners, not just those who are gifted. But good instruction for gifted learners must begin there.

9. 2) Good teaching for gifted learners is paced in response to the student's individual needs.Often, highly able students learn more quickly than others their age. As a result, they typically need a more rapid instructional pace than do many of their peers. Educators sometimes call that "acceleration," which makes the pace sound risky. For many gifted learners, however, it's the comfortable pace-like walking "quickly" suits someone with very long legs. It's only "fast" for someone with shorter legs. On the other hand, it's often the case that advanced learners need a slower pace of instruction than many other students their age, so they can achieve a depth or breadth of understanding needed to satisfy a big appetite for knowing. 3) Good teaching for gifted learners happens at a higher "degree of difficulty" than for many students their age.In the Olympics, the most accomplished divers perform dives that have a higher "degree of difficulty" than those performed by divers whose talents are not as advanced. A greater degree of difficulty calls on more skills-more refined skills-applied at a higher plane of sophistication. A high "degree of difficulty" for gifted learners in their talent areas implies that their content, processes and products should be more complex, more abstract, more open-ended, more multifaceted than would be appropriate for many peers. They should work with fuzzier problems, will often need less teacher-imposed structure, and (in comparison to the norm) should have to make greater leaps of insight and transfer than would be appropriate for many their age. Gifted learners may also (but not always) be able to function with a greater degree of independence than their peers.

10. 4) Good teaching for gifted learners requires an understanding of "supported risk."Highly able learners often make very good grades with relative ease for along time in school. They see themselves (and often rightly so) as expected to make "As," get right answers, and lead the way. In other words, they succeed without "normal" encounters with failure. Then, when a teacher presents a high-challenge task, the student feels threatened. Not only has he or she likely not learned to study hard, take risks and strive, but the student's image is threatened as well. A good teacher of gifted students understands that dynamic, and thus invites and insists on risk-but in a way that supports success. When a good gymnastics coach asks a talented young gymnast to learn a risky new move, the coach ensures that the young person has the requisite skills, then practices the move in harness for a time. Then the coach "spots" for the young athlete. Effective teachers of gifted learners do likewise. Reference for Guidelines: http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=659

11. Professional Development for Teachers of Gifted Students It is very important that teachers are properly trained to teach gifted students. School districts need to provide professional training to all teachers who will directly impact the learning of gifted students especially those gifted students who will remain in a regular classroom setting. These teachers need to be trained in the ability to select instructional materials that facilitate optimal challenge. They need to have the ability to handle small and large group instruction and individual learning styles. They need to have the ability to use problem-centered approaches and open- ended learning. These teachers need to be trained in these instructional strategies: pacing, questioning asking, use of open-ended questions, use of inquiry-based models, and access to advanced resources including materials, places, and technology.

12. Resources Textbook Sources: VanTassel-Baska, Joyce (2003). Curriculum Planning and Instructional Design For Gifted Learners. Denver, Colorado: Love Publishing Company. Internet Sources: Defining Giftedness: www.misd.net/giftedchildren.htm#DefiningGiftedness The National Association of Gifted Education: www.nagc.org and www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=659 What is a Gifted Child by: Carol Bainbridge http://giftedkids.about.com/od/gifted101/p/gifteddef.htm

13. The Catalyst Model at HES • To allow the Classroom Teacher and the Talent Development (TD) Catalyst Teacher to share responsibility for the education of the gifted learner • To provide appropriate learning activities for gifted learners in heterogeneous classrooms

14. Collaborators • Classroom Teacher • TD Catalyst Teacher • Administrators • Other members of the school’s teaching staff who contribute to the academic progress of gifted learners

15. Indirect Services Lessons and activities are prepared in collaboration with the classroom teacher. The lessons and activities are used by the classroom teacher in the regular classroom. • Team Teaching • Projects • Contracts • Alternative homework • Alternative assignments • Curriculum compacting contracts • Centers • Professional Development for teachers • Gifted identification is also part of Indirect Services provided by the TD Catalyst Teacher.

16. Direct Services Lessons for gifted learners that are the sole responsibility of the TD Catalyst Teacher. They are developed and taught to gifted learners by the TD Catalyst Teacher. • Demonstration Lessons • Small group instruction • Pull out for a set period of time • Activities related to classroom instruction

17. What is the TD Curriculum? The North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSOS) and more… LITERACY: William & Mary Literature Units Navigator Novel Studies-contains some controversial topics to open discussion; examine historical perspectives and perceptions. Jacob’s Ladder Vocabulary: Powerful Vocabulary (3-5) Prefixes and Suffixes (3rd Grade) Greek and Latin Roots (4th & 5th Grade) Personal Inquiry projects Thinker’s Keys(K-3) Literacy Student Choice Menus Investigations & Navigator Units Problem Solvers (1-5) Math Superstars Mentoring Mathematical Minds=M3

18. Differentiated Education Plan (DEP) • Students’ needs determine differentiation of environment, content, process, and product.

19. End of Year Performance Review The TD team will evaluate each TD student’s overall yearly performance and End-of-Grade assessments to make recommendations for continuing services using the Performance Review form. Parents of gifted students will receive a pink copy of this review with the final report card.

20. Performance Review

21. What is the TD Budget? • Currently, the TD department purchases the same resources so there is equity in all CMS schools. • I have a very limited spending budget. Thank you to our PTA for making TD a priority.

22. Everyone works collaboratively to meet the needs of the gifted learners.

23. How Can Parents Can Help? Online learning at home: • Studyisland.com (EOG prep) • Discovery Education Study Habits and Organization: FreeParent University classes offer ideas Read with and to your child. Modeling fluency is still important. Discuss what is read. Make generalizations. Discuss different perspectives/opinions.

24. Index Cards • If you have a specific question or concern, please write your question on the index card along with : • Your Child’s Name • Grade • Homeroom Teacher • Parent’s Name • Contact Information (phone, email) • Please give the card to Mrs. Martin or put it on the table. I’ll try to be prompt in responding. • THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY!