Introduction to Gifted talented and creative students Susan

Introduction to Gifted, talented, and creative students Susan Baum, Phd. Henry Nicols, MS Buffalo State College SUNY Buffalo

RADAR Simulaton: Part One w Identify three students for your gifted program. w Choose two additional students to be on the waiting list. w Define giftedness according to your selections.

Normal Bell Curve -3 -2 -1 Mean +1 2 3

Radar Simulaton: Part Two w Identify a strength, talent, or interest for all students. w Decide on an opportunity you could offer the student that would develop this talent. w Compare the notions of gifted programming and talent development approaches. w Which approach sees giftedness as developmental? w What is the role of the school in developing gifts and talents?

Who are these folks w Mike Grost is Mike Grost w Mary Hall is Eleanor Roosevelt w Sam Edder is Albert Einstein w William Horn is Bill Bradley w William Gunther is Will Rogers

Who are these folks w Albert Wright is Abraham Lincoln w Bill Ridell is Thomas Edison w Elaine Hawkins is Isadora Duncan w Pearl Ruth Jackson is Barbara Jordan

Essential Questions: Course Throughlines. w Who are the gifted? w How do we meet the needs of gifted and talented students ? w What are specific challenges w we face?

Agenda 1. Introduction 2. Who are gifted students? 3. What constitutes a talent development model? 4. What is our vision for meeting the needs of gifted students? w

The Stages of Talent Development Giftedness can be: latent emergent manifest

Definition of Children With Outstanding Talent Children and youth with outstanding talent perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with other of their age, experience, or environment.

Kinds of Giftedness: Federal Definition w General intellectual ability w Specific aptitude w Visual and performing arts w Creativity w Leadership

Traits, Aptitudes, and Behaviors Insight Quickly grasps new concepts and makes connections; senses deeper meanings. Interests Intense (sometimes unusual) interests. Highly expressive and effective use of words, numbers, and symbols. Conveys and picks up on humor. Inquiry Questions, experiments, explores. Evidence of desire to learn. Reasoning Humor Communication Skills Motivation Logical approaches to figuring out solutions. Imagination/ Creativity Produces many ideas; highly original. Memory Large storehouse of information on school or non-school topics. Problem-Solving Ability Effective, often inventive, strategies for recognizing and solving problems. Adapted from: Frasier & Passow, 1994

Harrison Bergeron self check w Do I pretest students formally or informally? If yes, how do I use the information? w Do I use a diversity of resources in any given unit or lesson that are more complex or geared for students in a higher grade w Do I tend to give more work to bright students or different work? w What kinds of grouping do I tend to use? w Are the brighter kids ever grouped together?

Self check continued w To what degree do I employ the following instructional strategies: w Independent study options w Socratic questioning w Simulations w Inductive strategies w Probem based learning w Moral dilemmas w Futures

How Tests Influence Our Lives… From Cradle to Grave

"Congratulations!! He seems very bright. "

Above Average Ability Gifted Behavior Creativity Task Commitment

Characteristics of Above Average Ability w Above Average Ability (General) l high levels of abstract thought l adaptation to novel situations l rapid and accurate retrieval of information

Characteristics of Above Average Ability w Above Average Ability (specific) l applications of general abilities to specific area of knowledge l capacity to sort out relevant from irrelevant information l capacity to acquire and use advanced knowledge and strategies while pursuing a problem

Characteristics of Creativity l fluency, flexibility, and originality of thought l open to new experiences and ideas l curious l willing to take risks l sensitive to aesthetic characteristics

Characteristics of Task Commitment w capacity for high levels of interest, enthusiasm w hard work and determination in a particular area w self-confidence and drive to achieve w ability to identify significant problems within an area of study w setting high standards for one’s work

The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented www. gifted. uconn. edu

Why aren’t some academically talented challenged in school?

Classroom Practices Study Teachers reported that they never had any training in meeting the needs of gifted students. 61% public school teachers 54% private school teachers Archambault, F. X. , Jr. , Westberg, K. L. , Brown, S. W. , Hallmark, B. W. , Emmons, C. L. , & Zhang, W. (1993). Regular classroom practices with gifted students: Results of a national survey of classroom teachers (Research Monograph 93102). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.

Classroom Practices Observational Study Students experienced no instructional or curricular differentiation in 84% of the activities in which they participated: Reading Mathematics Science Language Arts Social Studies Westberg, K. L. , Archambault, F. X. , Jr. , Dobyns, S. M. , & Salvin, T. J. (1993). An observational study of instructional and curricular practices used with gifted and talented students in regular classroom ( Research Monograph 93104). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.

Other Differentiation Indep. Study w/ Self-selected Topic Indep. Study w/ Assigned Topic Advanced Product Advanced Process Advanced Content No Differentiation Types of Differentiation in Which Target Gifted Students Were Involved

Why Not Let High Ability Students Start School in January? The Curriculum Compacting Study Sally M. Reis Karen L. Westberg Jonna Kulikowich Florence Caillard Thomas Hébert Jonathan Plucker Jeanne H. Purcell John B. Rogers Julianne M. Smist The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented

Approximately 40 -50% of traditional classroom material could be eliminated for targeted students.

When teachers eliminated as much as 50% of the curriculum, no differences were found between treatment and control groups in most content areas. In fact, students whose curriculum was compacted scored higher than control group students in some areas.

Renzulli's Conception of Giftedness Renzulli & Reis, 1997 Creative Productivity Above Average Ability • ______________ Creativity • ______________ Task Commitment • ______________ Above Average Ability Creativity Task Commitment Schoolhouse Abilities Analytic Thinking • __________ Ability to Generalize • __________ Ability to Learn Inductively • __________

What academic services should students be able to receive in school?

Internal Consistency Definition of Giftedness Identification Characteristics of Gifted, Talented, and High Potential Students Services and Programs Provided

For Example, Opportunities for 1. Accelerated Reading (Special Class) 2. Differentiation in the Classroom 3. Independent Study—Language Arts, History 4. Enrichment in Reading, Drama, History

Guidelines by Karen B. Rogers 1. Gifted and talented students should spend the majority of their school day with others of similar abilities and interests. 2. Cluster grouping of a small number of students within an otherwise heterogeneously grouped classroom can be considered. 3. Gifted and talented students might be offered specific group instruction across grade levels. 4. Gifted and talented students should be given experiences involving a variety of appropriate acceleration-based options. 5. Gifted and talented students should be given experiences which involve various forms of enrichment. 6. Mixed-ability cooperative learning should be used sparingly for gifted and talented students, perhaps only for social skills development programs.

It is not the grouping strategy itself that causes academic gains; rather, it's what goes on in the groups. Karen B. Rogers, Ph. D. University of St. Thomas, Minnesota The Relationship of Grouping Practices To the Education of Gifted and Talented Learner The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented

Karen Rogers "Students who are gifted and talented should be given experiences which involve various forms of enrichment that extend the regular school curriculum, leading to a more complete development of concepts, principles, and generalizations. " (p. 28)

Cluster Grouping: An Investigation of Student Achievement, Identification, and Classroom Practices Marcia Gentry

Talent Development w Within the curriculum w Outside of the curriculum n n n WIBA Interest centers Type One experiences

Talent Development w Outside of the classroom n n n Authenitic opportunities Enrichment clusters Mini courses Mentorships Summer programs

My Grandma, my grandma When I’m with her, we have fun. My grandma, my grandma She’s my special someone

I eat some snack that aren’t good for me And then I stay up and watch tv She’s never too busy to play with me We go outside and read under at tree

My Grandma By Allyson Mayo My Grandma, my grandma When I’m with her, we have fun. My grandma, my grandma She’s my special someone

She tells me stories about my Mom. Who used to fight with Uncle Tom. She has good books that we can share. We snuggle up in our special chair. Her house is where I like to go in the summer and in the snow. She takes me shopping; it’s always neat. If I’m bad or good, I still get a treat

My Grandma, my grandma When I’m with her, we have fun. My grandma, my grandma She’s my special someone

She doesn’t yell. She doesn’t get mad. Even if I do something really bad. I play the piano and make up songs. She even lets me play it wrong. My Grandma, my grandma When I’m with her, we have fun. My grandma, my grandma She’s my special someone. I love my Grandma, I really do And I know that she loves me too!!!

What Concerns Should Teachers and Parents Have?

Social and Emotional Findings

Overview As a group, gifted students have healthy social/emotional growth but have three issues to address: n Advancement over age peers n Internal asynchronies n Membership in groups with special needs

Summary of Current Findings About Underachievement w First, it appears that underachievement often begins in elementary school, perhaps due to an unchallenging curriculum. There appears to be a relationship between inappropriate or too-easy content in elementary school and underachievement in middle or high school. w Second, underachievement appears to be periodic and episodic, occurring in some years and not others, and in some classes but not others. However, increasing episodes of underachievement may produce a more chronic pattern. w Third, parental issues interact with the behaviors of some underachievers, yet no clear pattern exists about the types of parental behaviors that may influence underachievement.

Summary of Current Findings About Underachievement w Fourth, peers can play a major role in keeping underachievement from occurring in their closest friends, making peer groups an important part of preventing and reversing underachievement. w Fifth, adolescents who are involved in clubs, extracurricular activities, sports, and religious activities tend to be effective learners in school. w Sixth, helping gifted students develop regular patterns of work and practice seems to be very beneficial. Music, dance, and art lessons, combined with regular time for homework and reading, can be helpful for developing positive self-regulation strategies.

Summary of Current Findings About Underachievement w Seventh, a caring adult in school can help reverse the process of underachievement. This adult may be a counselor, a coach, or an academic teacher. w Eighth, some students may underachieve as a direct result of an inappropriate and unmotivating curriculum. Before we try to “fix” these students or punish them for their behavior, perhaps we need to try drastic curriculum changes. If the curriculum can’t be changed, we may want to reconsider our attitudes toward students who make conscious decisions not to put their best efforts into school work that fails to motivate, engage, or challenge them.

Summary of Current Findings About Underachievement w Finally, too few interventions have been tried to reverse underachievement, and some interventions do not match the reasons for underachievement and school personnel should consider implementing interventions for gifted students who are underachieving. These young people are too precious a resource to squander.