teaching students who are gifted, creative, and talented
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Teaching Students who are Gifted, Creative, and Talented. An Exceptionality Presentation by: Adam Jefferies, Scott Webb, Patrick Ronzio , Ashley Hern. True or False?. Students and people with special intellectual gifts are physically weak, socially inept, and narrow of interests. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
AN EXCEPTIONALITY PRESENTATION BY:ADAM JEFFERIES, SCOTT WEBB, PATRICK RONZIO,
ASHLEY HERN
Teaching Students who are Gifted, Creative, and Talented
True or False?Students and people with special intellectual
gifts are physically weak, socially inept, and narrow of interests.
FALSE: There are wide variations, and most gifted individuals are healthy, well-adjusted, socially attractive and morally responsible.
True or False?Children with special gifts are often bored with
school and hostile towards those who are responsible for their education (aka, TEACHERS).
FALSE: Most children with special gifts like school and adjust well to their peers and teachers (though this is not the case for everyone).
True or False?Acceleration, moving through the curriculum
at a more rapid pace, can be harmful because it pushes children socially and leaves gaps in their knowledge.
FALSE: This approach is the intervention technique best supported by research
True or False?A student with special gifts can show their
giftedness in many different areas, not just cognitively/academically.
TRUE: Students can show giftedness through leadership abilities, athletic skills, visual or performing arts, or intuitive skills.
Introduction
“Teaching students with gifts and talents provides challenges to general education teachers that are equal to, if not greater than, those associated with meeting the
needs of students with other special needs.”
- McGrail, 1998
Overview1. Definitions
2. Characteristics3. Teaching Strategies
4. Social and Emotional Considerations5. Putting it into Practice
Definitions
What is giftedness?Professional LiteraturePrevalence and Origins
What is Giftedness?There is no universal definition
Some professionals will define gifted by an intelligence test
Some will define "giftedness" based on scholastic achievement
Potential to achieve beyond what is expected of their same-age peers
Definitions Across CanadaYukon (Traditional)
Emphasis on standardized test scores significantly above the mean
Superior performance in one or more academic subjects
Definitions Across CanadaBritish Columbia (Current)
Possess demonstrated or potential abilities
Evidence of exceptionally high capability with respect to intellect, creativity, or skills associated with specific disciplines
Often demonstrate outstanding abilities in more than one area
May have accompanying disabilities
Definitions Across CanadaOntario
"An unusually advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences of a depth the breadth beyond those normally provided in the regular school program to satisfy the level of educational potential indicated."
Ontario Ministry of Education
Professional LiteratureThree popular conceptualizations of
giftedness:
1. Renzulli’s three-ring conception of giftedness
2. Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence
3. Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Renzulli’s three-ring conception of giftedness
1. High Ability – including high intelligence
2. High creativity – formulate and apply new ideas to problem solving
3. High task commitment – high levels of motivation
Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence
1. Analytic giftedness – ability to dissect a problem and understand its parts
2. Synthetic giftedness – insight, intuitive creativity, or skill at coping with relatively novel situations
3. Practical giftedness – ability to apply aspects of analytical and synthetic strengths to everyday situations
Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence
All individuals demonstrate some blend of three abilities
Gifted individuals show high ability in one or more area
Prevalence and Origins of Giftedness
Prevalence
Ontario cites 2 - 2.5% of students are gifted
Uncertain based on fluidity of definition
Methods of identification
Underrepresented subgroups in gifted programs: culturally different, female, or students identified with an exceptionality
Prevalence and Origins of Giftedness
Origins
Interaction between biology and environment
Nutrition
Homes with interactive environments
Homes with high expectations
Characteristics of Gifted Students
4 Domains / specific qualitiesStrengths and needs
Teacher assessment / identification of gifted students (questions to ask)
Characteristics of Gifted Students
Gifted students demonstrate a range of specific aptitudes, abilities, and skills
These characteristics can be grouped into four specific domains
Cognitive Function
Advanced comprehension
High level of language development
Ability to generate original ideas and solutions
Unusual capacity for processing information
Unusual intensity; persistent goal-directed behaviour
Affective Function
Keen sense of humour – may be gentle or hostile
Idealism and a sense of justice, which appear at an early age
Leadership ability
Advanced levels or moral judgment
Solutions to social and environmental problems
Physical Function
Heightened sensory awareness
Discrepancy between physical and intellectual development
Low tolerance for the lag between their standards and their actual skills
Intuitive Function
Early involvement/concern for intuitive knowing/metaphysical ideas
Open to experiences with psychic and metaphysical phenomena
Ability to predict; interest in future
Some Questions to ask if you think you have a Gifted Student
Does the child:
Ask a lot of questions?Criticize others for “dumb” ideas?Seem bored and often have nothing to do?Stick to teh subject long after the class has
gone on to other things?Love debating issues?
This child may be showing giftedness cognitively.
Does the child:
Show unusual ability in some areas (ie reading or math)?
Enjoy meeting or talking with experts in a field?Get math answers correct, but find it difficult to
tell you how?Invent new obscure systems and codes?
This child may be showing giftedness academically.
Does the child:
Organize and lead group activities? Sometimes take over?
Enjoy taking risks?Seem cocky, self-assured?Synthesize ideas and information from a lot of
different sources?Enjoy decision-making? Stay with that decision?
This child may be showing giftedness through leadership abilities.
Does the child:
Seem to pick up skills in the arts without instruction?
Invent new techniques? Experiment?See minute detail in products or
performances?Have high sensory sensitivity?
This child may be showing giftedness through visual or performing arts ability.
So, you think you have a gifted student; now what?
Initial referral/nomination for gifted services and a more comprehensive evaluation
Assembly of information/past work to help determine student’s ability (portfolio assessment).
Ongoing assessment Practical (progress in academia, realization of potential) Personal (feeling accepted, developing confidence)
Teaching Strategies
StrategiesGeneral Education Placement Options
Teaching Strategies
Differentiated Programming
Customize learning opportunities provided in order to meet the individual needs and abilities of the student
Typically an alternative curriculum should be planned that is specialized for the student
Teaching Strategies
Approaches can include:
Content - greater depth of study and/or broader scope
Process - increased pace, varied delivery
Products - could include things such as artistic creations, alternative media works, unconventional literary forms
Challenges for General Education Teachers
Many general education teachers lack:
Understanding of gifted specialty Skills for working with gifted students
Resources
Working with gifted student may make some general education teachers feel uncomfortable
General education setting has a wide range of abilities and needs - the needs of gifted students are often not met
Activities in General Education Classes with Gifted Students
Ensure activities:
Accommodate several ability levels
Accommodate several interest areas
Encourage the development of diverse products
Align with the curriculum
Integrate thinking processes with concept development
Continuum of Placement Options (Clark, 2002)
A variety of options are available, which provide differing value based on the student’s needs
Since no one option will completely meet a student’s needs, a range of alternatives should be provided
Continuum of Placement Options (Clark, 2002)
For students primarily within a general education setting, three practices are typically used:
Acceleration Enrichment
Special Grouping
The role and responsibilities of the general education teacher will vary based on the individual circumstance
Acceleration
Course material and educational experiences can be presented to gifted students sooner than general education students
Can be viewed as when “the learner completes a course of study in less time than ordinarily expected”. (Coleman and Cross, 2001)
Students are given advance and engaging materials that are more appropriate to their skill level
Acceleration Techniques
Suitable for a General Education Setting- Continuous progress- Self-paced instruction- Subject matter acceleration- Combined classes- Curriculum Compacting- Telescoping curriculum
Suitable for Outsidea General Education Setting- Early entrance to Kindergarten or
Grade 1- Grade skipping- Mentorship programs- Extracurricular programs- Concurrent enrolment- Advanced placement- Credit by examination- Correspondence- Early entrance to junior high
school, high school or university
EnrichmentExtending the depth of study beyond what is
expected in the typical curriculum:
Additional and more diverse topics Focus on skill development Use of alternative materials
Exposure to new experiences
This strategy of providing enriching activities can be used for gifted students and others who finish their work quickly.
Special GroupsBy grouping together students with increased
ability levels for part of the day, students with similar interests and enthusiasm can:
Have cognitive stimulationFocus on creative thinking
Maintain skill level
AppropriateChallenges
RadicalAcceleration
Governor’sSchools
Magnet Schools
Discipline-FocusedSchools
Special Schools
MagnetClasses
TeamTeaching
Special Classes
Contracts
GiftedClusters
Home Schooling
HonoursClasses
Core Curr.Classes
AdvancedPlacement
Cross GradeClasses
Mentors AdjunctPrograms
IndependentStudy
ResourceRooms
IndividualizedInstruction
Regular ClassroomsGifted LearnersLevel 1 (3-5%)
Highly Gifted LearnersLevel 2 (1-2%)
Exceptionally Gifted LearnersLevel 3 (< 1%)
Placement Options for Gifted Students
Source: Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings (3rd Canadian Edistion)Smith, Polloway, Patton, Dowdy, McIntyre, Francis
Accommodations and Special Considerations
ManagementCurricular and Instructional
Social-Emotional
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Management
Create an open classroom environment
Develop activities that are socially interactive
Cooperative cluster grouping
Establish both heterogeneous and homogeneous cooperative learning arrangements
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Curricular and Instructional
Include higher-order thinking skills in lessons (open-ended questions)
Use integrated themes for interrelating ideas within and across domains of inquiry
Design special activities for students who are gifted
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Curricular and Instructional
Provide an assortment of learning-related materials
Include independent study
Consider range of options for final product development
Discuss possible career choices or futures
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Social-Emotional
Create classroom that encourages academic risk-taking
Provide time for individual sessions with students to share interests, concerns, etc.
Enlist the involvement of volunteers to assist in addressing the needs of gifted students
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Social-Emotional
Work with parents on the personal development of students
Teach students who are gifted how to deal with their “uniqueness”
Know when to refer students to professionals
Encourage diversity of the classroom
Putting it into Practice
As a group, address the provided scenario with the following considerations:
1. In what area may the student be gifted?2. What challenges are presented?3. As a general classroom teacher, what strategies
could be implemented to direct or engage the student/parent?
Scenario 1
Sara’s abilities are several levels above her age peers, but in the classroom she shows little creativity or initiative. How can you enable Sara to go beyond just doing what is asked or assigned?
Suggestions for scenario 1
Gifted students are often unusually socially aware and concerned with peer acceptance
A student may read fluently at home, but, in school, would not engage with texts or pretend to struggle when reading
You might be able to help this student by connecting her with at least one academic, intellectual peer
This will create a safe place in which Sara might feel more comfortable revealing her abilities
Scenario 2
If a gifted student is ‘as the head of the class’ in a subject area, why not let him / her take it easy and enjoy his / her success instead of looking for ways to make every moment at school more challenging? What are some strategies you could use to challenge this student?
Suggestions for scenario 2
Students don't need to be challenged all of the time, they must be challenged some of the time
All students deserve to learn and no real learning occurs without some struggle
Perseverance is an important skill learned by facing difficultly without giving up
Gifted students can become accustomed to getting the right answer or the top grade with little or no effort
When they eventually encounter hard work, gifted students who have not been challenged may give up
Scenario 3
There is an obvious resentment among your tenth grade students toward a highly gifted classmate who finds everything easy. How can you keep the situation from making the others feel bad about themselves or creating an environment of exclusion?
Suggestions for scenario 3
Using the multiple intelligences is a good way to alleviate this situation
All students have a strength or talent in one area or another
Invite students to share their interests, passions, and areas of expertise
When your students see that their different abilities are valued, their focus is likely to shift away from resentment and toward sharing
Scenario 4
A parent approaches you about how you are addressing the needs of her gifted child. After outlining the different strategies you are currently implementing she still seems unsatisfied and wishes to get involved. What should you suggest?
Suggestions for scenario 4
Research the resources available at the school about educating gifted students, and spearhead the development of a gifted student resource library including books, computer software, and periodicals
Help other parents of gifted kids get involved or even start a parent support group
Identify and contact local mentors, tutors, or businesses offering co-op placements / experience opportunities
Start and artist-in-residence program for your classroom or school
Conclusion
1. Definitions2. Characteristics
3. Teaching Strategies4. Social and Emotional Considerations
5. Putting it into Practice
Video
Dr. Linda Karges-Bone about gifted children