Gifted, Creative, and Talented
Definition:
"The term ‘gifted and talented,” when used with respect to students, children, or youth, means students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities."
- No Child Left Behind Act
*There is no federal definition*
"The term ‘gifted and talented,” when used with respect to students, children, or youth, means students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities."
- No Child Left Behind Act
*There is no federal definition*
http://www.nsgt.org/giftedness-defined/
https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitions-giftedness
https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitions-giftedness
Characteristics:
Signs and Characteristics of Gifted/ Talented Students:
Creative Characteristics:
Gifted and Talented Identification Process:
*Most identification happens in schools and is for the purpose of selecting students to participate in the school’s gifted program. There are no nation-wide or even state-wide standards for identification. Each school district makes a determination about which and how many students it is able to service within its programs based on its definitions, philosophy and resources.*
Signs and Characteristics of Gifted/ Talented Students:
- Gifted students are often perfectionistic and idealistic.
- Gifted students may experience heightened sensitivity to their own expectations and those of others.
- Some gifted students are “mappers” (sequential learners), while others are “leapers” (spatial learners).
- Gifted students may be so far ahead of their chronological age that they know half the curriculum before the school year begins!
- Gifted children are problem solvers.
- Gifted students often think abstractly and with such complexity that they may need help with concrete study and test-taking skills.
- May learn to speak and read early.
- Interests that are common of older kids or adults
- High energy/motivation
- Love pursuing tasks and finding solutions to problems
- Risk takers
- Love to try new activities
- Think abstractly
- Need for mental stimulation
- Learn complex information at a fast pace
- Need to explore subjects in depth
- Unusually large vocabulary and complex sentence structure for age
- Advanced comprehension of word nuances, metaphors and abstract ideas
- Highly developed curiosity
- Interest in experimenting and doing things differently
- Puts idea or things together that are not typical
- Keen and/or unusual sense of humor
- Desire to organize people/things through games or complex schemas
- Vivid imaginations
Creative Characteristics:
- Gifted children are fluent thinkers, able to generate possibilities, consequences, or related ideas.
- They are flexible thinkers, able to use many different alternatives and approaches to problem solving.
- They are original thinkers, seeking new, unusual, or unconventional associations and combinations among items of information.
- They can also see relationships among seemingly unrelated objects, ideas, or facts.
- They are elaborate thinkers, producing new steps, ideas, responses, or other embellishments to a basic idea, situation, or problems.
- They are willing to entertain complexity and seem to thrive on problem solving.
- They are good guessers and can readily construct hypotheses or "what if" questions.
- They often are aware of their own impulsiveness and irrationality, and they show emotional sensitivity.
- They are extremely curious about objects, ideas, situations, or events.
- They often display intellectual playfulness and like to fantasize and imagine.
- They can be less intellectually inhibited than their peers are in expressing opinions and ideas, and they often disagree spiritedly with others' statements.
Gifted and Talented Identification Process:
- Screening
- Data collection
- Classroom observations
- Parent/peer nominations
- Teacher nominations
- Achievement tests as well as creative/motivation assessments
- Evaluation of projects
*Most identification happens in schools and is for the purpose of selecting students to participate in the school’s gifted program. There are no nation-wide or even state-wide standards for identification. Each school district makes a determination about which and how many students it is able to service within its programs based on its definitions, philosophy and resources.*
Strategies and Resources:
Accommodations and Modifications:
Environment:
Classroom Management:
Assessment:
Accelerative Options:
Acceleration occurs when students move through traditional curriculum at rates faster than typical. Among the many forms of acceleration are grade-skipping, early entrance to kindergarten or college, dual-credit courses such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs and subject-based acceleration.
Teaching Strategies:
Become familiar with the characteristics of gifted students
Provide the gifted student with opportunities to grow
Allow the student for opportunities to explore a subject further
Work with the parents
Become more aware of other teaching options
Areas to be careful with
Things to expect when teaching gifted students
Specifics on the strategies used for gifted students
Blooms Taxonomy
Questions to ask
Remember: Show the students ability to recall facts.
“What is…?”
“How would you describe…?”
“Why did…?
“How would you show…?”
Understanding: Displays the student's ability to summarize the information.
“What shows that…?”
“How can you compare…?”
“How can you classify…?”
“Can you explain…?
Applying: Encourages the student to use the information in a different situation.
“What would happen if…?”
“How would you…?”
Analyzing: Allows the student to show how the information is put together but taking it apart.
“What do you think will happen…?”
“What is the relationship…?”
“What things confirm…?”
Evaluating: Encourages development of opinions.
“How could you prove…?”
“How could you choose…?”
Creating: Promotes the student to establish something new by using different ideas.
“What could be done instead…?”
“How would you test…?”
“What would you predict if…?”
Information Provided by:
Courtney Dean, Cortney Josie, and Zachary Cain "EDUC 2010" Fall 2015
Works Cited
Academy of Art University - Different Types of Questions based on Bloom's Taxonomy. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, fromhttp://faculty.academyart.edu/faculty/teaching-resources/teaching-curriculum/enhancing-teacher-student-interaction/different-types-questions-blooms-taxonomy.html (Links to an external site.)
Characteristics and Behaviors of the Gifted. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.ri.net/gifted_talented/character.html
Chen, G. (n.d.). 10 Characteristics of the Gifted Child | PublicSchoolReview.com. Retrieved December 9, 2015, http://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/10-characteristics-of-the-gifted-child (Links to an external site.)
Common Characteristics of Gifted Individuals. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/my-child-gifted/common-characteristics-gifted-individuals
Defining creativity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching-resources/classroom-practice/teaching-techniques-strategies/creativity/defining-creativity/
GENERAL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR GIFTED STUDENTS IN THE REGULAR CLASSROOM. (2004, March 9). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.grandviewlibrary.org/CurriculumAdaptations/General_Gifted.pdf
Giftedness Defined. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.nsgt.org/giftedness-defined/
Tips for Teachers: Successful strategies for teaching gifted learners. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10075.aspx
Wichita, D. (n.d.). Gifted Presentation. Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.slideshare.net/WichitaDaniel/gifted-presentation
Accommodations and Modifications:
- Encourage students to explore concepts in depth and encourage independent studies or investigations.
- Encourage creative expression and thinking
- Expand students’ time for free reading
- Provide learning centers where students are in charge of their learning.
- Determine where students’ interests lie and capitalize on their inquisitiveness.
- Employ differentiated curriculum to keep interest high.
- Ask students’ higher level questions
- Encourage students to make transformations- use a common task or item in a different way.
Environment:
- Create a room environment that encourages creativity and discovery through the use of interesting literature and reference materials.
- Allow flexible seating arrangements.
- Encourage students to get involved in school clubs and extracurricular activities that support and extend their learning and experiences.
- Supply reading materials on a wide variety of subjects and levels.
- Create an environment where ideas are accepted without being evaluated and criticized; where risk-taking is encouraged.
- Provide a learning-rich environment that includes a variety of resources, media, tasks, and methods of teaching.
- Allow children to be highly mobile as they move in and out of groups and tasks at their own pace.
- Provide an adult mentor that shares similar interests.
Classroom Management:
- Provide alternatives for students who complete their work early.
- Allow students to make choices in their learning.
- Help them learn to set their own learning goals, then provide them with the opportunity to work towards those goals.
- Create a contract with students that outlines tasks to be completed, concepts to be learned and the evaluation technique so students can be active participants in their learning.
Assessment:
- Evaluate students individually instead of as a group.
- Allow gifted students to take an assessment before starting a new unit to see what information is already familiar to them.
Accelerative Options:
Acceleration occurs when students move through traditional curriculum at rates faster than typical. Among the many forms of acceleration are grade-skipping, early entrance to kindergarten or college, dual-credit courses such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs and subject-based acceleration.
- preschool playgroups with children a year older
- early admission to kindergarten or first grade
- in-class grouping by skill levels, usually for reading and math
- curriculum compacting and differentiation of instruction in regular classes
- advanced curriculum in self-contained (homogeneous) gifted classes or a special school
- pull-out, part-time classes (unfortunately, some of these don’t provide genuine acceleration, and gifted students still have to endure the rest of the week in a regular classroom)
- mixed-grade classes, with gifted students telescoping or condensing two years in one or three years in two
- subject-matter acceleration (e.g., going to a higher class for specific subjects in elementary school or to one or more classes at a higher grade in secondary school)
- grade skipping or double promotion
- participation in high-level competitions such as Mathcounts, the National Geography Bee, the American Mathematics Competition, or the Intel Science Talent Search
- high-level summer classes sponsored by colleges and universities, regional talent searches, and other organizations
- online classes that yield high school or college credit (these often lead to early high school graduation)
- Advanced Placement (AP) courses and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, both delivering college-level classes taught at the high school, so that students arrive in college with advanced standing
- concurrent or dual enrollment in high school and college
- early college entry, independently (if necessary) or in programs admitting students one to four years early
- enrolling in a selective college or university
- once in college, enrolling in an honors program or honors college, taking graduate-level classes as an undergraduate, engaging in undergraduate research with a faculty mentor, or participating in academic competitions
- full-time or part-time homeschooling
- In a study of high-ability children who had been accelerated, 71% reported satisfaction with their acceleration experience.Some argue that acceleration can be harmful to students’ self-concept, ability to fit in with older peers, or other social-emotional needs. However, research on acceleration has demonstrated multiple academic benefits to students and suggests that acceleration does not
- Accelerated students have also been shown to outperform non accelerated peers academically in the long term.
- Acceleration is a cost-effective intervention. Grade-based forms cost little to implement.
Teaching Strategies:
Become familiar with the characteristics of gifted students
- Don’t assume due to stereotypes
- Gifted students aren’t always straight “A” students
- These students learn differently
- Different academic needs
Provide the gifted student with opportunities to grow
- Encourage them to think and develop their abilities
- Think outside the box with their assignments
- Or ways to promote their unique way of thinking
Allow the student for opportunities to explore a subject further
- Example: Giving an end of unit test to introduce new content matter to students
- Have those who score high on this test pursue other topics in more detail
- Don't force them to relearn what they already know
- Offer projects and other opportunities to learn about the subject further
- This also works by giving an end of year informal assessment at the beginning of the year for subjects like spelling and math to get an idea of who is further along compared to most students
- This helps the teacher to identify those who are advanced in those subjects
- Prevents relearning and boredom
Work with the parents
- Parents want to know that the teacher is looking for ways to help their child grow and develop their abilities.
- Explore ways to challenge their child
- Communication is key to the child’s success
- Similar to other exceptional learners
Become more aware of other teaching options
- AP courses
- Online courses
- Telescoping
- Teaching multiple grades in a condensed timeline
- Grades 4, 5, 6 in two years
- Teaching multiple grades in a condensed timeline
Areas to be careful with
- Using your gifted students as tutors
- This can be a frustrating experience due to the gifted students unique way of thinking
- Giving the student more work when they finish early
- This is a common thing to do with teachers
- Counter-intuitive because the work they’re given is probably too easy for them
- Consider giving them more challenging work to begin with
- This uses their time for efficiently
- Having them move ahead with the coursework
- This creates boredom and could encourage the student to rebel. This could happen because the student would rather read or spend time thinking rather than doing an easy assignment that they MUST do.
- Focus on their strengths
- Offer them activities and assignments that align with their strengths
Things to expect when teaching gifted students
- Allow yourself time for advanced preparation for lesson plans and activities catered towards gifted students.
- As a teacher it helps to love what you do (PP and delete below)
- Gifted students respond better to classroom instruction through teachers who enjoy what they’re teacher.
- Makes the gifted students enjoy the class more and they’ll put more effort into the class
- Teacher should have access to delivering instruction in a variety of ways
Specifics on the strategies used for gifted students
- Curriculum Compacting: Give gifted students opportunities to show mastery of content at the beginning of units. If students can get through the unit with relative ease, they can be given study guides of the material, assuming responsibility for learning the material at a faster pace while freeing up time to pursue enrichment opportunities. Gifted students can still participate in periodic assessments with the rest of the class
- Differentiation: Just as materials are adapted to meet the needs of students with disabilities, scaffolding materials for students with advanced abilities. Gifted students should be offered more challenging versions of class projects and assignments.
- In-Depth Learning: Gifted students often comprehend “cause and effect relationships” at higher levels than other students their age. As part of the differentiation process, allow students to study problems from different angles and points of view. Have students extend their learning into enrichment projects and experiments.
- Distance Learning: The Internet provides opportunities for students to take classes in subjects that are not offered at their schools and also enable secondary students to take college-level courses.
Blooms Taxonomy
- This is a model of critical thinking
- Encourages a higher level of thinking skills
Questions to ask
Remember: Show the students ability to recall facts.
“What is…?”
“How would you describe…?”
“Why did…?
“How would you show…?”
Understanding: Displays the student's ability to summarize the information.
“What shows that…?”
“How can you compare…?”
“How can you classify…?”
“Can you explain…?
Applying: Encourages the student to use the information in a different situation.
“What would happen if…?”
“How would you…?”
Analyzing: Allows the student to show how the information is put together but taking it apart.
“What do you think will happen…?”
“What is the relationship…?”
“What things confirm…?”
Evaluating: Encourages development of opinions.
“How could you prove…?”
“How could you choose…?”
Creating: Promotes the student to establish something new by using different ideas.
“What could be done instead…?”
“How would you test…?”
“What would you predict if…?”
Information Provided by:
Courtney Dean, Cortney Josie, and Zachary Cain "EDUC 2010" Fall 2015
Works Cited
Academy of Art University - Different Types of Questions based on Bloom's Taxonomy. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, fromhttp://faculty.academyart.edu/faculty/teaching-resources/teaching-curriculum/enhancing-teacher-student-interaction/different-types-questions-blooms-taxonomy.html (Links to an external site.)
Characteristics and Behaviors of the Gifted. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.ri.net/gifted_talented/character.html
Chen, G. (n.d.). 10 Characteristics of the Gifted Child | PublicSchoolReview.com. Retrieved December 9, 2015, http://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/10-characteristics-of-the-gifted-child (Links to an external site.)
Common Characteristics of Gifted Individuals. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/my-child-gifted/common-characteristics-gifted-individuals
Defining creativity. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching-resources/classroom-practice/teaching-techniques-strategies/creativity/defining-creativity/
GENERAL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR GIFTED STUDENTS IN THE REGULAR CLASSROOM. (2004, March 9). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.grandviewlibrary.org/CurriculumAdaptations/General_Gifted.pdf
Giftedness Defined. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.nsgt.org/giftedness-defined/
Tips for Teachers: Successful strategies for teaching gifted learners. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10075.aspx
Wichita, D. (n.d.). Gifted Presentation. Retrieved December 9, 2015, from http://www.slideshare.net/WichitaDaniel/gifted-presentation