Students who are Gifted

1. Students who are Gifted

2. Definition of Gifted Students • Students who have extraordinary talents and skills • Students who are very bright, creative, and talented • Twice exceptional gifted students are students who also have disabilities

3. It does not always have to do with intelligence • Students who are gifted may have achievement/potential in any of the following areas: • Intellectual ability • Creative or productive thinking • Leadership ability • Visual or performing arts • Athletic Ability

4. The Intelligence Quotient • Average human IQ is 100 • The average IQ of a college graduate is 120 • A student who is gifted has an IQ of above 120 • A student with an IQ of above 140 is considered exceptionally gifted (a.k.a Genius)

5. Common Intellectual Characteristics • Large vocabularies • Learns material quickly with little practice • Starts reading early • Abstract thinking • Asks lots of questions • Can store large amounts of information • Atypical sense of humor

6. Like repetition and practice Ask questions that have answers Learn developmentally appropriate vocabulary Think very fast Ask difficult questions Learn vocabulary that is not developmentally appropriate Smart or Gifted?

7. Measuring Students who are Gifted • IQ Tests • School Achievement • Creative Behaviors • Teacher/Parent Evaluations

8. Ability Tests • Measure general intelligence as well as memory, conceptual thinking, mathematical reasoning, verbal and nonverbal reasoning, visual motor abilities and social intelligence

9. Examples • Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale • Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children • Cognitive Abilities Test • Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Ability

10. Achievement Tests • Measure what the student has already learned

11. Examples • Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills • Metropolitan Achievement Test • California Achievement Test • IOWA Tests of Basic Skills

12. Common Myths • They are lucky • They are emotionally mature and stable • They do not need help • They do not know they are gifted unless someone tells them

13. Federal and State Regulations • Under the Gifted and Talented Students Education Act (1988), students who are gifted require services that other students do not. • Compared to IDEA, the federal legislation does not require specific services for these students. The amount of services given is mostly determined by state and local policies.

14. Choices for a Student who is Gifted • Entering school early (K-College) • Curriculum Compacting • Concurrent Enrollment • Single Subject Acceleration • Whole Grade Acceleration • Differentiating Instruction • Cluster Grouping

15. What can the teacher do? • Guide the student • Do not be intimidated • Let the child get excited about their interests • Be flexible and open-minded • Read Professional Books

16. Listen up future teachers! • Expanding the curriculum of a student who is gifted is not giving the student more of the same work. This will lead to boredom and frustration.

17. So what is expanded curriculum? • When the student ventures away from the basic curriculum in areas that they are interested in or excel in with the guidance of the teacher. • This may include field trips. • Afterwards, the students work with their classmates on their individual findings.

18. Curriculum Differentiation • Giving the student who is gifted different options that will accommodate their need for acceleration of content, greater depth and difficulty of instruction.

19. Examples of Curriculum Differentiation • Revising lesson plans • Small group investigations • Independent study

20. Suggestions for Parents Do not: • Use the child’s strength as punishment • Nag the child • Talk to other adults about your child • Give inconsistent punishment

21. Be an advocate for your child! • Begin with your child’s teacher • Know the school’s philosophy statement on gifted education • Be familiar with the members of the school board • Attend board meetings

22. Most schools need state funding to provide special programs for students who are gifted. This is why it is important for the parents to become involved. • Do not be afraid to write or call the state legislatures

23. What do we know about intellectually gifted students?

24. Learning Styles • Unstructured environments • Independent study • High flexibility • Do not like recitation and lecture styles

25. Gender Issues • Females relate their academic success to luck while males relate success to ability. • Females perceive their abilities to be strongest in language arts while males feel they are stronger in math and science.

26. So why are Japanese Students so “intelligent”? • Students are all considered equal • Learning is cooperative- higher ability students help the lower ability • Education system focuses on high achievement for all students instead of a selected group • There is little or no focus on achievement tests • More time is spent in art and music than American schools (2 hours each per week)

27. All students who are gifted are different

28. Arlene • One day she wore different colored socks and all the other girls followed the same trend within a week because they looked up to her so much.

29. Kevin • He is the typical “math whiz”. • In 7th grade he took the SAT’s and got a perfect score on the math and verbal.

30. Franklin • In 8th grade • Swears at the teachers • Thinks his peers are childish • When the teacher called him Frank, he had an outburst and threw his books and papers in the air and verbally assaulted the teacher.

31. References Chan, D. (2001). Learning Styles of Gifted and Nongifted Secondary Students in Hong Kong. Gifted Child Quarterly, 45, 35-44. Cooper, E. (1999, March/April). A Reflection: The Japanese Approach to Gifted and Talented Students. Gifted Child Today, 18-21. Friend, M. & Bursuck, W.D. (1999). Including Students with Special Needs. (2nd ed.) Needham Heights: A Viacom Company. Oakland, T., Joyce, D., Horton, C., & Glutting, J. (2000). Temperament-based Learning Styles of Identified Gifted and Nongifted Students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 44(3), 183-189. Ricca, J. (1984). Learning Styles and Preferred Instructional Strategies of Gifted Students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 28 (3), 121-126.

32. References Rimm, S.B. (2001). Keys to Parenting the Gifted Child. (2nd ed.) New York: Barron’s Educational Series Inc. Siegle, D. & Reis, S.M. (1998). Gender Differences in Teacher and Student Perceptions of Gifted Students’ Ability and Effort. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42(1), 39-46. Strip, C.A. (2000). Helping Gifted Children Sour. Arizona: Gifted Psychology Press. Walker, S.Y. (1991). The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing Inc. Webb, J.T., Meckstroth, E.A., & Tolan, S.S. (1994). Guiding the Gifted Child. Arizona: Gifted Psychology Press. Woolfolk, A. (2001). Educational Psychology. (8th ed.) Needham Heights: A Pearson Education Company.

33. References- On-Line American Association for Gifted Children http://jayi.com.aagc> accessed 11, Feb. 20002 Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page http://www.hoagiesgifted.org> accessed 11, Feb. 2002 The Eric Clearinghouse http://www.eric.org/ >accessed 11, Feb. 2002 The National Association for Gifted Children http://www.nacg.org/ >accessed 11, Feb. 2002