what is gifted education?

What is Gifted Education? : 

What is Gifted Education? By: Carrie Owens 11/20/2010/2010 If we were TV sets, some of us would only get five channels. Others are wired for cable (the general population) and some of us (the gifted) are hooked up to a satellite dish. That makes these gifted children capable of making connections that others don't even know exist! Teaching those types of voracious minds in a regular classroom without enhancement is like feeding an elephant one blade of grass at time. You'll starve them. – Elizabeth Meckstroth 1868-William Torrey Harris, superintendent of public schools for St. Louis, institutes the earliest systematic efforts in public schools to educate gifted students.

Objectives/Goals of PresentationBy the end of the presentation, TWBAT: : 

Objectives/Goals of PresentationBy the end of the presentation, TWBAT: I can name important events in Gifted Education and describe their significance. I can identify the definition of what being gifted means. I can describe characteristics of gifted children I can distinguish the differences between ordinary & gifted children. I can compare/contrast best teaching practices used for the gifted & the general population. I can name & describe the 4 levels of giftedness. I can describe the process on how to identify gifted children. I can recognize the myths & realities of gifted education. I can list at least 3 practices/strategies to implement into my own classroom that will work for my general education class as well as it does for the gifted. I can analyze text about gifted education, relate it to my own educational experiences, and reflect on my new understandings. 11/20/2010 1901-Worster, Massachusetts opened the first special school for gifted children. 2

What is a “Gifted Child”? Think, Pair Share (3min) : 

What is a “Gifted Child”? Think, Pair Share (3min) What qualities or characteristics do you think a child needs to exemplify in order to be classified as “Gifted”? Should a “gifted child” have an IEP? Can what we do for “gifted children” work for all children? Can a child be gifted and also be learning disabled? Be ready to share with the whole group! 11/20/2010 3 1905-French researchers, Binet and Simon, develop a series of tests (Binet-Simon) to identify children of inferior intelligence for the purpose of separating them from normally functioning children for placement in special classrooms. Their notion of mental age revolutionizes the science of psychological testing by capturing intelligence in a single numerical outcome.

What Does Being Gifted Mean? : 

What Does Being Gifted Mean? Children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience or environment. These children and youth exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, possess an unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic fields. They require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school. Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. U.S. Department of Education (Ross, 1993, 26) 11/20/2010 4 1908-Henry Goddard studies in France with Binet and is introduced to the Binet-Simon measurement scales.

Who Are Gifted Children?3 Atypical Characteristics : 

Who Are Gifted Children?3 Atypical Characteristics Precocity-Gifted children are precocious. Mastery in a domain (organized area of knowledge) at an earlier than average age. More rapid progress in a domain than ordinary children such as language, mathematics, visual arts, music, art, chess, bridge, ballet, gymnastics, tennis, or skating. An insistence on marching to their own drummer-Not only learn faster, but in a qualitatively different way. Much of the time they teach themselves. Their discoveries they make are exciting and motivating. They independently invent rules, devise novel, idiosyncratic ways of solving problems. A rage to master-Intrinsically motivated to “make sense” of a learning domain. Exhibit an intense and obsessive interest having the ability to focus sharply on an interest. Combination of obsessive interest and an ability to learn easily leads to high achievement. 5 11/20/2010 1916-Lewis Terman, the “father” of the gifted education movement, publishes the Stanford-Binet, forever changing intelligence testing and the face of American education.

Ordinary Children vs Gifted : 

Ordinary Children vs Gifted Ordinary Children (bright child) Motivated to work hard Alert, bright, curious. May put in many hours of work to master a domain. Require extensive adult scaffolding-instruction, support, encouragement in order to make progress. Do not make discoveries on their own. Do not show intrinsic rage to master domains. Knows the answers, has good ideas Attentive, interested 6-8 repetitions for mastery. Enjoys peers Grasps the meanings Completes assignments, pleased with own learning. Absorbs information, is alert Copies accurately, Technician Good memorizer Gifted Children Motivated only when interested. Effortlessly reach high levels of learning. Learns at a rapid rate. Makes new discoveries on their own. Precocious Asks the questions Mentally & physically involved Has wild, silly ideas Discuss in detail, elaborates Shows strong feelings & opinions 1-2 repetitions for mastery Prefers adults Draws inferences Initiates projects, highly self-critical Creates new design, inventor Manipulates information, Keenly observant Good guesser 6 11/20/2010 1921-Lewis Terman begins what has remained the longest running longitudinal study of gifted children with an original sample of 1,500 gifted children.

Prodigy? : 

Prodigy? A prodigy is simply a more extreme version of a gifted child, a child so gifted that he or she performs in some domain at an adult level. (Winner, 1996 p4) 7 11/20/2010 Truman Henry Safford (1836–1901) could square 18 digit numbers at ten years old; later in life, he became an astronomer. Kim Ung-yong (born 1962) attended university physics courses at four years old, and received a Ph.D in physics before 16 years old. Jean Piaget (1896–1980) published a paper on the albino sparrow at 11 years old, and later became a psychologist. Shirley Temple, at five years old, showed talent as an actress and tap dancer. When she was seven years old, she received a special Academy Award. She was described as a prodigy by Time (magazine) in 1936. Gregory R. Smith entered college at 10 years old and was first nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize at 12 years old. William Wotton could read passages in English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew at the age of five. Graduated from Cambridge aged thirteen having acquired Arabic, Syriac, Chaldee, French, Spanish and Italian, together with a good working knowledge of logic, philosophy, mathematics, geography, chronology, and history. Wayne Gretzky was skating with 10-year-olds at six years old. By 10 years old, he scored 378 goals and 139 assists, in just 85 games, with the Nadrofsky Steelers. Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship at 14 years old and achieved the title of Grandmaster, during the World-Championship-qualifications cycle, at 15 years old. Held title of World Chess Champion from 1972-1975 1922-Leta S. Hollingworth begins the Special Opportunity Class at P. S. 165 in New York City for gifted students. This class would yield nearly forty research articles, a textbook, and blueprints for Hollingworth’s work at P. S. 500, the Speyer School.

Battling Perfectionism In Children : 

Battling Perfectionism In Children Merriam Webster defines perfectionism as: the doctrine that the perfection of moral character constitutes a person's highest good AND that a state of freedom from sin is attainable on earth AND as a disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable Quick List for Battling Perfectionism Make lists and prioritize them Create outlines or plans of work to accomplish Re-evaluate plans as a project develops, changing plans if necessary Set clear deadlines for discrete components of a project Foster an awareness of time Get clear on expectations Let her know she's not alone in her struggle with perfectionism Teach your child proper breathing and relaxation techniques 11/20/2010 8 1926-Leta Hollingworth publishes Gifted Child: Their Nature and Nurture, what is considered to be the first textbook on gifted education.

Perfectionism Continued : 

Perfectionism Continued Why is My Child a Perfectionist? You have those tendencies, passing them on to your children through your expectations and your behavior. Some children are simply born with an uncontrollable urge to strive for perfection. Parents Can Help Perfectionist Children Let children know that while it's wonderful to begin with a grand vision, it's also okay if the end result is different that the original plan. Stress the importance of enjoying the process of whatever activity you're doing. Explain that finished products will improve over time as the child gets more and more practice. Perfectionists want to give 110% at everything they do and often take on several projects at once. However, when they face multiple tasks, they often get stuck and won't begin on anything. They need your help to sort out what needs to be done, one task at a time. Learn to focus all of their attention on one thing at a time. That way they get to feel satisfaction with each accomplished piece of the puzzle. The ambitions of the perfectionist child are often greater than their current abilities and it's difficult for these kids to value where they are right now. For example, children who are avid readers may berate themselves because they cannot create their own stories as good as what they read. Help them overcome being afraid of the unknown, or at least recognize it. Teach Kids To Be Good Enough Regardless of how high you set expectations, there are times when you simply have to accept ‘good enough'. There is a fine line you walk when trying to explain to a child the importance of getting things done in a timely manner without squashing their impulse to produce a quality result. If we don't strike a balance, we risk fostering an attitude that it's okay to turn in sloppy work. 11/20/2010 9 1954-The National Association of Gifted Children is founded under the leadership of Ann Isaacs.

Dispelling Myths, Serving Students (NAGC)“Myths are created and continue to exist because they  explain phenomena that are not easily understood or appear to validate ambiguous ideas with ambiguous evidence” (Kaplan, 2009) : 

Dispelling Myths, Serving Students (NAGC)“Myths are created and continue to exist because they  explain phenomena that are not easily understood or appear to validate ambiguous ideas with ambiguous evidence” (Kaplan, 2009) Myth 1: Global Giftedness Myth 2: Talented But Not Gifted Myth 3: Exceptional IQ Myth 4 & 5: Biology vs Environment Myth 6: The Driving Parent Myth 7: Glowing with Psychological Health Myth 8: All Children Are Gifted Myth 9: Gifted Children Become Eminent Adults Findings Children can be gifted in one area but average or even learning-disabled in another. (Twice-Exceptional) Abilities can be independent of one another. Having a high IQ is irrelevant to giftedness in are or music. The brains of the gifted are atypical. Families play a far more important role in the development of gifts than do schools. As with a disability, giftedness can lead to unhappiness and social isolation. Personality attributes predict what will happen to the gifted child in adulthood more reliably than does the child’s degree of giftedness. (Winner, 1996 pg 13&14) 10 11/20/2010 1974-The Office of the Gifted and Talented housed within the U. S Office of Education is given official status.

Levels of Giftedness : 

Levels of Giftedness It is very important to note that there are different levels of giftedness. It's worth noting that almost every class will on average have at least one moderately gifted child. Each school will have at least one highly gifted child (at any given time). Many schools will have had at one time or another an exceptionally gifted student - although they probably do not get identified. Only about one in every million children are profoundly gifted. Highly gifted children absolutely need a differentiated curriculum. Exceptionally and profoundly gifted children require and deserve radically different treatment. (GERRIC) 11 11/20/2010 1975-Public Law 94-142 The Education for all Handicapped Children Act. This Act establishes a federal mandate to serve children with special education needs, but does not include children with gifts and talents.

Milestones as Signs of Giftedness : 

Milestones as Signs of Giftedness General Motor Skills (GERRIC) 12 11/20/2010 1983-A Nation at Risk reports scores of America’s brightest students and their failure to compete with international counterparts. The report includes policies and practices in gifted education, raising academic standards, and promoting appropriate curriculum for gifted learners.

Slide 13: 

Fine Motor Skills (GERRIC) 13 11/20/2010 1988-Congress passes the Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act as part of the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Slide 14: 

Cognitive-Language Examples (GERRIC) 14 11/20/2010 1990-National Research Centers on the Gifted and Talented are established at the University of Connecticut, University of Virginia, Yale University, and Northwestern University.

Identification of the Gifted : 

Identification of the Gifted Students are reviewed in 3 areas for potential giftedness: academic ability, creativity, and task commitment. Readiness testing in ELA & Math Teacher/parent checklists of characteristics Standardized testing IQ & reasoning testing Student interest surveys Must score in “Above-average” range in 2 out of 3 areas. (Olmsted Parent Handbook, 2010) 11/20/2010 15 1998-NAGC publishes Pre-K-Grade 12 Gifted Program Standards to provide guidance in seven key areas for programs serving gifted and talented students

What Do Gifted Children Need From Education? : 

What Do Gifted Children Need From Education? An educational experience that merges academic rigor and relevance with creativity and social responsibility within a safe, caring environment. Nurture their potential such that they can demonstrate strengths in their areas of “giftedness” and move above and beyond the classroom curriculum. Classrooms of flexible groups with neighborhood and gifted students. To receive a strong foundation in basic skills and higher order thinking skills from classroom teachers. Individualism, differentiation, curriculum compacting, and acceleration (vertical & horizontal) should be used to address their needs and help students realize their full potential. Time with a GT Resource Teacher who develops their creative and critical thinking skills. Be allowed to investigate areas of personal interest, independent projects and studies with the teacher merely being the facilitator. Parents can be used as resources in mentoring students & sharing their fields of expertise with them. Provide a supportive environment at home to help their child value learning and strive for quality in doing his/her best. What works for the gifted works for ALL CHILDREN! (Olmsted Parent Handbook, 2010) 16 11/20/2010 2002-The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is passed as the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The definition of gifted and talented students is modified again: Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities.

Advice for Parents : 

Advice for Parents How can you determine if your baby/toddler is gifted? The research shows that gifted children tend to gain skills faster and with more ease than normal children and this is why a differentiated school curriculum is required for such children. Therefore this advanced development can and does show up in early life. Obviously, the odd isolated advanced ability does not mean that you should immediately stand from the rooftops and scream, "My little Johnny is gifted!" At any particular level of development, the child's brain is either wired up for the activity or it's not, all they need is ample opportunity to practice basic skills in their own time at their own pace. Observe them, encourage them, but don't try hot-housing. It's a waste of time and effort. If your child generally, roughly attains each of these milestones well before the normal population then there will be very little doubt that your child is NOT normal. It's as simple as that. This should be taken as a warning sign - for all is not sweet and happy when raising a gifted child. Keep your child's drawings and DATE THEM! Even if you're not impressed by the artwork, young children's drawings can (if dated) provide valuable ammunition in a gifted/not-gifted argument. So keep the first scribble and DATE IT. (See this example drawing by a highly gifted child at 6yrs 1month.) 17 11/20/2010 2004-A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students , a national research-based report on acceleration strategies for advanced learners is published by the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa.

Resources : 

18 Resources Read the ERIC Digest article, "Giftedness and the Gifted: What's It All About?" The Education Commission of the States (ECS) has compiled a list of each state's Gifted and Talented Definitions, along with a chart listing different terminology used within the definitions. Access NAGC's Glossary of Gifted Education Terms "A Snapshot of Intelligence" from the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT)  "Why Do We Need to Define Giftedness" by Rhode Island Advocates for Gifted Education (RIAGE) "What is This Thing called Giftedness, and How Do We Develop It? A Twenty-Five Year Perspective" "Intelligence Theory and Gifted Education" from the Indiana site on the History of the Influences in the Development of Intelligence Theory and Testing Parenting for High Potential, June 1997: "President's Column: Let's be Intelligent about Intelligence " by Carolyn Callahan. The article addresses the relation of intelligence to test scores and other factors. Giftedness and the Gifted: What it is All About? An article from Eric Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education Identifying and Nurturing the Gifted Poor article by Paul Slocumb NAGC Identifying Gifted Poor (NAESP) 11/20/2010 “To repeat what others have said, requires education; to challenge it, requires brains.” – Mary Pettibone Poole

NAGC Website : 

NAGC Website Teacher Preparation and Program/Services Standards  P-12 Gifted Education Programming Standards-the NAGC Programming Standards detail a framework that focuses on student outcomes, which mirrors current practice in most schools, so the revised standards should connect without difficulty to state and local initiatives.  Districts across the country use the program standards both as mileposts for improving programs and services and as rubrics for evaluation.  NAGC-CEC Teacher Preparation Standards in Gifted & Talented Education-The standards, which are the foundation for the knowledge and skills in which teacher candidates demonstrate competency, as determined by the field of gifted education, are used by college and university teacher preparation programs in gifted education and are a model for district-based professional development programming. Knowledge & Skill Standards in Gifted & Talented Education For All Teachers-the majority of teachers in classrooms today have not been trained to meet the learning needs of these students.  As teacher preparation programs begin to acknowledging the importance of candidates’ ability to recognize and address the specialized learning requirements for gifted children, NAGC has developed the Knowledge and Skill Standards in Gifted and Talented Education for their use, as well as for others involved in training all teachers already in the classroom.This set of standards presents the primary understanding of the issues, learning differences, and strategies that all teachers should possess 19 11/20/2010 ...as much as the world has benefited from the contributions of gifted individuals, it is disturbing...to realize that the population least likely to learn and achieve its potential is the highly gifted. – Joseph Cardillo, Gifted Children: Nurturing Genius (Part One)

Resources Continued : 

Resources Continued The Teacher's Corner  The Teacher's Corner is found each and every month in the electronic pages of Compass Points. In an effort to increase your understanding about specific subject areas or themes, I will provide related book titles, websites, professional papers, and other relevant resources related to these. I welcome your ideas, opinions, and suggestions as well. It is only through communication that we can continue to build and solidify our understanding of Gifted and Talented vocabulary and resources. 20 11/20/2010 “The natural trajectory of giftedness in childhood is not a six-figure salary, perfect happiness, and a guaranteed place in Who's Who. It is the deepening of the personality, the strengthening of one's value system, the creation of greater and greater challenges for oneself, and the development of broader avenues for expressing compassion. “ – Counseling the Gifted and Talented, Dr. Linda K. Silverman, p. 22

Teaching for High Potential  (THP) : 

Teaching for High Potential  (THP) Is… a publication from NAGC designed with educators in mind. Each issue is filled with practical guidance and classroom-based materials for educators striving to understand and challenge their high potential learners. This article represents a  new series, Putting Research into Practice, that connects current research from the pages of Gifted Child Quarterly (GCQ) with quality classroom practice. Each and every issue of THP will contain an article written by an author or an article in the GCQ issue it is mailed with. NAGC hopes that this strengthens the belief that great research comes from great classroom practice just as great classroom practice comes from great research. 21 11/20/2010 “Keeping a child who can do sixth-grade work in a second-grade classroom is not saving that student's childhood but is instead robbing that child of the desire to learn.” – Ellen Winner, Gifted Children: Myths and Realities

Gifted Education Informational Text : 

Gifted Education Informational Text 22 11/20/2010 “He never pays attention, he always knows the answer, and he can never tell you how he knows. We can't keep thrashing him. He is a bad example to the other pupils. There's no educating a smart boy.” – Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

Gifted Education Informational Text : 

Gifted Education Informational Text 23 11/20/2010 “When once the child has learned that 4 and 2 are 6, a thousand repetitions will give him no new information, and it is a waste of time to keep him in that manner.” – J.M. Greenwood, 1888

Books About Gifted Children : 

Books About Gifted Children 11/20/2010 24 “Creativity is like life insurance. If you are creative, you are never afraid, because you can design yourself out of any situation.” – Li Edelkoort

Powerful Quotes on Gifted Education : 

Powerful Quotes on Gifted Education Here’s to the crazy ones.        The misfits.            The rebels.                The troublemakers.                    The round pegs in the square holes.                        The ones who see things differently.They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing that you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things.            They invent.                They imagine.             They heal.            They explore.              They create.               They inspire.They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do. – Apple Computer Advertisement “In the ordinary elementary school situation children of 140 IQ waste half of their time.  Those above 170 IQ waste nearly all of their time.  With little to do, how can these children develop power of sustained effort, respect for the task, or habits of steady work? “– Children Above 180 IQ Stanford-Binet: Origin and Development, Leta S. Hollingworth, p. 299. “Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing.“– Albert Einstein “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” – Ronald E. Osborn “If you don’t make mistakes, you’re not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.”– F. Wikzek 11/20/2010 25 “It's a tough time to raise, teach or be a highly gifted child... Schools are to extraordinarily intelligent children what zoos are to cheetahs... Every organism has an internal drive to fulfill its biological design. The same is true for unusually bright children. From time to time the bars need be removed, the enclosures broadened. Zoo Chow, easy and cheap as it is, must give way, at least some of the time, to lively, challenging mental prey.” – Stephanie Tolan, Is It A Cheetah?

Gifted Education Comics : 

Gifted Education Comics 11/20/2010 26

Why A Bee? : 

Why A Bee? Once upon a time the animals had a school. They had four subjects: running, climbing, flying, and swimming, and all animals took all subjects. The duck was good at swimming, better than the teachers in fact. He made passing grades in running and flying, but he was almost hopeless at climbing. So they made him drop swimming to practice more climbing. Soon he was only average in swimming. But average is OK, and nobody worried much about it except the duck. The eagle was considered a troublemaker. In his climbing class he beat everybody to the top of the tree, but he had his own way of getting there, which was against the rule. He always had to stay after school and write “Cheating is wrong” 500 times. This kept him from soaring, which he loved. But schoolwork comes first. The bear flunked because they said he was lazy, especially in winter. His best time was summer, but school wasn’t open then. The penguin never went to school because he couldn’t leave home, and they wouldn’t start a school where he lived. The zebra played hooky-a lot. The ponies mad fun of his stripes, and that made him very sad. The kangaroo started out at the top of the running class but got discouraged trying to run on all fours like the other kids. The fish quit school because he was bored. To him, all four subjects were the same, but nobody understood that. They had never been a fish. The squirrel got A’s in climbing, but his flying teacher made him start from the ground up instead of the treetop down. His legs got so sore from practicing takeoffs that he began getting C’s and D’s in running. But the bee was the biggest problem of all, so the teacher sent him to Dr. Owl for testing. Dr. Owl said that the bee’s wings were just too small for flying, and besides they were in the wrong place. But the bee never saw Dr. Owl’s report, so he just went ahead and flew anyway. I think I know a bee or two, don’t you? (Author Unknown) 11/20/2010 27 “SHOULD all kids do it?  COULD all kids do it?  WOULD all kids want to?  If the answer to any of these questions is “yes” then it isn’t differentiated.” – Harry Passow’s test for a differentiated curriculum

References : 

References Callard-Szulgit, R. (2010). Parenting and Teaching the Gifted. Callard-Szulgit, R. (2010). Twice-Exceptional Kids Frederick Law Olmsted PS #64 Parent Handbook (2010) Gifted Education Research, Resource, and Information Center (GERRIC) http://gleigh.tripod.com/gftskills.htm Identifying our Gifted Learner https://www.ocps.net/.../gifted/.../Identifying%20Our%20Gifted%20Learners Kansas Effective Practices Instructional Toolkit http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3859 National Association for Gifted Children, www.nagc.org O’Mara, S. (2010). Examples of Case Studies With Gifted Students http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/73543.aspx Online NewsHour: Gifted Education: The Effects of No Child Left Behind -- May 25, 2004 The Washington Post, Cosmos, C. (2009). The Myths of Gifts http://www.washdiplomat.com/October%202009/d1_10_09.html Wikipedia List of Child Prodigies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_child_prodigies Winner, E. (1996). Gifted Children: Myths and Realities http://vsx.onstreammedia.com/vsx/newshour/search/NHPlayer?assetId=77848&ccstart=2213428&pt=0 11/20/2010 28 “No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson