Common Gifted EducationAccording to the National Association of

Gifted Children

Myth

Gifted Students Don’t Need Help; They’ll do fine on their own

TRUTH

Gifted students need guidance from well-trained teachers who challenge them and support them. If their needs are not met, boredom and frustration can lead to despondency in the classroom.

Myth

Teachers challenge all students, so gifted kids will be fine in the regular classroom.

TRUTH

61% of classroom teachers have had no training in AIG and don’t know how to challenge them in the classroom. Not all teachers are able to recognize and support gifted learners.

Myth

Gifted students make everyone else in the class smarter by providing a role model or challenge

TRUTH

Average or below average students do not look to the gifted students in the class as role models. They model their behavior on those who have similar capabilities.

Myth

That student can’t be gifted; he’s receiving poor grades.

TRUTH

Underachievement describes a discrepancy between a student’s performance and his actual ability. Gifted students often become bored and frustrated and therefore stop performing in the classroom.

Myth

Gifted students are happy, popular and well adjusted in school.

TRUTH

Many gifted students flourish in their community in the school environment. However, some gifted children differ in terms of their emotional and moral intensity, sensitivity to expectations and feelings, perfectionism, and deep concerns about societal problems. Many do not share interests with their classmates, resulting in isolation.

Myth

Our district has a gifted and talented program: We have AP courses.

TRUTH

While AP classes offer rigorous, advanced coursework, they are not gifted education programs. AP programs are limited in its service to gifted and talented students in two areas: First AP is limited by the subjects offered and is often only offered at the high school level. One size fits all approach is not appropriate for gifted students.

Myth

Gifted Education requires an abundance of resources.

TRUTH

Offering gifted education services does not need to break the bank. A fully developed gifted education program can look overwhelming in its score and complexity. However, beginning a program requires little more than an acknowledgement by district and community personnel that gifted students need something different, a commitment to pride appropriate curriculum and instruction and teacher training in identification and gifted education strategies.

Qualifications

Over 11 years of experience working with AIG students Lead teacher with ARMS which provided sustainable staff

development for teachers across western NC Over 9 years of experience presenting at local, state and

national conferences National Board certification Dual math/science certification Experience with creating/conducting staff development

opportunities Balanced assessment trained in Detroit, MI TI Fast Track Trainer “Eye” for numbers Desire and ability to learn new techniques to help teachers

and students Leadership roles at school and county level Organized and efficient Ability to travel to local, regional and national conferences to

enhance knowledge

Where should our focus be?

We should focus on all areas of curriculum.

All curriculums should be integrated. Tasks should be well developed and

rigorous and should not be seen as “extra work”.

Tasks should be engaging and encourage creativity.

Tasks should be readily available to teachers.

Focus on:

“Thinking outside the box” boxes

How I can help teachers enhance their AIG Curriculum and help their students: