Catering for gifts

Issues in identification and provision for the needs of gifted

students.Compiled by Lyne Megarrity 2008

Identification

‘Each child is unique, bringing to the learning situation an exclusive set of capabilities and predispositions.’

Halliwell, G. 1977

DefinitionsWho are the gifted?Students who are gifted excel, or are capable of excelling, in one or more

areas such as general intelligence, specific academic studies, visual and

performing arts, physical ability, creative thinking, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.

Giftedness in a student is commonly characterised by an advancedpace of learning, quality of thinking or capability for remarkably high

standards of performance compared to students of the same age.

Although these students are capable of outstanding achievement, the learning environment is pivotal to enabling them to demonstrate and

develop their abilities. Students who are gifted are at risk of

underachieving and disengaging from learning if they are not identified and catered for appropriately.

Education Queensland “Framework for Gifted Education”

Definitions Gifted students are those whose

potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the following domains: intellectual, creative, social and physical.

Talented students are those whose skills are distinctly above average in one or more areas of human performance.

 N.S.W Education Dept

‘Giftedness is conceptualised as outstanding ability in one or more aptitude domains and “talent” as exceptional performance in one or more domain-related fields’ (Gagne, 1985).

2] Gagné, F. (1985). Giftedness and talent: Reexamining a reexamination of the definitions. Gifted Child Quarterly, 29, 103 -112.

This definition reflects the distinction between ability and performance by acknowledging the importance of innate ability while also recognising the significant influence environment, personality and other factors have on the development of ability.

Giftedness refers to a student’s outstanding ability in one or more domains (eg. intellectual, creative, socioemotional or sensorimotor). Talent refers to outstanding performance in one or more fields within these domains (eg. mathematics, science and technology, astronomy, sculpture athletics, languages): that is, talent emerges from giftedness as a consequence of the student’s learning experiences.

ACT Dept Education

Definition Joseph Renzulli (1978) developed a ‘three-ring’ definition

of giftedness which proposed that giftedness was the interaction between three basic clusters of human traits: above average general ability; high levels of task commitment, and high levels of creativity.[1] However many feel that this ignores the gifted underachiever, who is rarely described as ‘task-committed’. Furthermore, many fields of performance do not require creativity.

[1] Renzulli, J.S. (1978). What makes giftedness: Reexamining a definition. Phi Delta Kappa, 60. 180 - 184, 261.

Levels of Giftedness

All such percentages are arbitrary. They simply specify what the writer is thinking of in using indeterminate measure words like ‘high’, ‘superior’, ‘outstanding’ etc.

Intellectual ability varies among individuals along a continuum - the normal distribution or bell curve. There are many moderately gifted children, and very few profoundly gifted.

The Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre suggested the following definitions:

mildly or basically gifted IQ 115-129 1 in 6 to 1 in 44moderately gifted IQ 130-144 1 in 44 to 1 in 1,000highly gifted IQ 145-159 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000exceptionally gifted IQ 160-179 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 1 millionprofoundly gifted IQ 180+fewer than one in 1 million[1]

[1] Submission 215, Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre, p.15

Categories of gifted students General intellectual ability Specific academic aptitude Creative or productive

thinking Leadership ability Students who may be

handicapped and gifted The culturally different gifted Visual and Performing arts Psychomotor ability

Using Renzulli’s Definition to think about gifted children

ABOVE AVERAGE INTELLIGENCELearns quickly and easilyComprehends quicklyThinks quicklySees relationshipsAdvanced vocabularyAdvanced reading abilityWide knowledge Asks searching questions

CREATIVITY

Risk-taking

Openness to experience

flexibility

originality

TASK COMMITMENT

Total involvement

Perseverence

Self-motivation

EMOTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Sensitivity

Perfectionism

Intensity

vulnerability

Think about this!

“The term ‘gifted’ implies receiving something for nothing, and it is difficult to garner sympathy for someone so apparently blessed.” P.O. Rogne

Here are a number of alternative terms which could be used when referring to students who have the potential for excellence.

PROMISING CAPABLE INTELLIGENT

INDEPENDENT POTENTIAL INQUISITIVE

UNUSUAL THINKER EXCITED LEARNER

ACHIEVE R EMERGING TALENT MOTIVATED INSIGHTFUL

CHALLENGING CREATIVE ACCELERATED LEARNER

• ADVANCED SPONTANEOUS

• OUTSTANDING

Sorting Myth from reality Myth 1: Global Giftedness. Academically gifted children have

a general intellectual power that makes them gifted in all subjects.

Myth 2: Talented but not gifted. The gifted are those children with high ability in academic areas. Children with high ability in music and art are talented.

Myth 3: Exceptional IQ. Giftedness in any domain depends on have a high IQ.

Myth 4&5: Commonsense myth – Giftedness is entirely inborn. Psychologist’s myth: Giftedness is entirely a matter of hard work.

Source: Gifted children: Myths and realities. Elizabeth Winner 1996

Sorting Myth from reality Myth 6: The Driving Parent. Gifted children are created by

pushy parents driving their children to overachieve; when pushed too hard by overambitious parents, these children will burn out.

Myth 7:Glowing with psychological health. Gifted children are better adjusted, more popular and happier than average children.

Myth 8: All children are gifted, and thus there is no special group of children that needs enriched or accelerated education in our schools.

Myth 9: Gifted children become eminent adults

When is giftedness a disadvantage?

Giftedness is a disadvantage when members of a community fail to understand, acknowledge or provide appropriate schooling for such students.

Factors: Socio-cultural bias against high ability and high achievement Stereotyped assumptions determining which gifts are valued Failure to identify students’ exceptional potential (especially

when masked by behavioural traits or compounding characteristics such as low socioeconomic circumstances, isolation, gender, non-English speaking background ..)

Lack of access to appropriately challenging educational experiences.

Three major methods of catering for needs

Enrichment available to all

Extension designed for specific needs

Acceleration pace

content

year level

Catering for needs – the reality!

CHOICE CHALLENGE CREATIVITY OPPORTUNITY

FOR INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE

Individualising for the whole group

1. CHOOSE A TOPIC Ask the students Use a curriculum link A special day eg Qld

Day A new set of resources Teacher’s personal

interest

2. DECIDE ON A MODEL OF ORGANISATION

Include choice and openendedness

Bloom’s Taxonomy Multiple intelligences LATCH

Individualising for the whole group 3. DECIDE ON

EXPECTATIONS FOR PRESENTATION

Written – article; project style Artistic- model; sketching;

painting;construction Dramatic – play; TV interview;

debates; speeches Computer – brochure;

Powerpoint; movie Consider time expectations

4. DECIDE ON MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT

Tasks written on board, signature when finished

Points for tasks completed Self assessment for effort Possibilities for display Clearly expressed

assessment criteria Student responsibilities for

cleanup

Learning contracts for small groups

CHOOSE A TOPIC Ask the children Based on ability

grouping Based on interest

grouping Based on talent Based on whole class

focus

DECIDE ON A MODEL Renzulli’s Model Bloom’s Taxonomy Multiple Intelligences Small group problem

solving Multi-skill tasking

(including student design)

Learning contracts for small groups DECIDE ON A METHOD

OF PRESENTATION Letters, speeches, OHP,

Powerpoint presentation Booklet, fiction stories Classroom noticeboards

display Drama presentation, musical

soundscape Charts, tables, graphs,

posters

DECIDE ON MONITORING AND

ASSESSMENT METHODS

• Self-assessment

• Point scores

• Teacher-student conferences

• Criteria-based assessment

• Agreed on finishing time

Developing learning contracts for individuals

CHOOSE A TOPIC Ask the child Use an Interest

Inventory Expert interest in a class

topic Challenge to develop a

new Interest Skill based contract

DECIDE ON A MODEL OF ORGANISATION

S.I.P (special interest project)

Detective assignment Renzulli’s Model Challenge problems which

use a child’s particular skills to develop a new interest

Curriculum compaction, then extension

Developing learning contracts for individuals DECIDE ON

EXPECTATIONS FOR PRESENTATION

Negotiate with the child A What if? Question. Clues,

facts, and conclusions Depends on the perceived

and negotiated audience Presentation in child’s

preferred mode eg sewing; game; cardboard figures; digital presentation

DECIDE ON MONITORING METHODS

Agreed on deadline Negotiated written or

computerised notes (it is the information, not the presentation, that is important here)

A mentor would help Agreed assessment or not Conferencing about

completed work