Teaching Students who are Gifted, Creative, and Talented

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


Management

Create an open classroom environment

Develop activities that are socially interactive

Cooperative cluster grouping

Establish both heterogeneous and homogeneous cooperative learning arrangements


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


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


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


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?


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?


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?


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

Documents

Teaching Students who are Gifted, Creative, and Talented