Persons Who Are Gifted and Talented

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Chapter 9

• Persons Who Are Gifted and Talented

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What Teachers Want to Know

• Can all children become gifted? I am a promise, I
  am a possibility/ heredity environment
• What social/behavioral problems might arise for
  the child who is gifted? Boredom, isolation,
  adults or older friends
• Should I recommend an acceleration or an
  enrichment program? both
• What is the difference between differentiation
  and individualization? D curriculum is the
  focus speed up or expand. I student is focus
  find interests, adapt
• How will I fit them into my regular education
  classroom and still maximize their potential? We
  will find out!

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Issues Surrounding Definition

• IDEA does not include a category for talented and
  gifted
• Each state establishes its own definition
• In states where gifted children constitute a a
  category of exceptionality, laws governing
  exceptional children also apply to children and
  young people who are gifted and talented not the
  case in GA

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A Possible State Definition

• The gifted population includes
• Those individuals who by the way of learning
  characteristics such as superior memory,
  observational powers, curiosity, creativity, and
  the ability to learn school-related subject
  matters (learn) rapidly and accurately with a
  minimum of drill and repetition (Plinto,1999)
• IN GEORGIA

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Figure 9.1 Renzullis Three Ring Definition of
Giftedness
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Assessing Giftedness and Talent

• Classroom observation
• Jot-down sheets or rating scales quick way to
  note special skills (example in text)
• Intellectual, academic, creativity, the arts,
  motivation, and leadership
• Formal test of intellectual ability
• Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - IV
• Torrance (1996) or Williams (1991) for creativity
• Off-level testing
• Woodcock-Johnson II Test of Achievement for
  reading or math grade level
• Giving SAT to middle schoolers
• Reduces the tendency to limit the depth of
  learning (learning ceiling)

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Best Practices in Assessment(Landrum, Callahan,
Shaklee, 2001)

• Adheres to consistent procedures for nomination
  and identification
• Involves an ongoing nomination process that can
  occur at any time of the school year
• Uses instruments free from cultural bias
• Incorporates multiple methods of assessment
• Districts have written plans for identification
  and service models

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WHAT DOES GEORGIA DO TO IDENTIFY GIFTED STUDENTS?

• OPTION 1 PSYCHOMETRIC APPROACH based on mental
  ability and achievement
• K-2 99th IQ, 90th in one academic area
• 3-12 96th , same academic criteria as K-2
• OPTION 2 MULTIPLE APPROACH
• Meeting standards in ¾ areas (mental ability,
  achievement, creativity, and motivation), using
  at least one norm-referenced test. There are
  assessment options in each area.

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Unique Talents, Unique Needs

• One student may have an intelligence level of 13O
  and be amazingly talented in music another
  student may have an intelligence level of 165 and
  be 5 grade levels ahead of peers in mathematics
• Modification and programming needs to address
  both the degree and area of giftedness a problem
  when the pull-out model is used, and a specific
  subject is tied to the gifted program

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Figure 9.4 A Theoretical Distribution of
Intelligence
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The History of Gifted and TalentedEarly 1900s

• 1925- Lewis Terman founded gifted education
  longitudinal 70-year study showed giftedness is
  stable
• The emergence of cognitive science
• Alfred Binet IQ Test
• William Stern IQ Formula
• 1926- Leta Hollingworth wrote Gifted Children
  Their Nature and Nurture, the first textbook on
  gifted education dealt with emotional issues as
  well

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The History of Gifted and Talented1950 -1970s

• 1954-National Association for Gifted Children
• 1961-Virgil Ward, concept of differentiated
  curriculum, not one size fits all
• 1967-Guilford wrote The Nature of Human
  Intelligence, multiple intelligences not just IQ
• 1972-Marland Report 6 categories general
  intellect, specific aptitude, creative thinking,
  leadership, visual/performing arts, psychomotor
  ability
• 1975-Education for All Handicapped Children Act
  (PL 94-142), awareness of differences

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The History of Gifted and Talented1980s

• 1983- Howard Gardner, seven intelligences
• Linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial,
  bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal,
  intrapersonal (and later naturalist refer to
  text)
• 1983- A Nation at Risk, report
• 50 of school-aged gifted not performing to
  potential in mathematics and science
• 1985- Robert Sternberg, triarchic view
• Practical, creative, and executive (The
  Apprentice)
• 1988- Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented
  Students Education Act gifted students are
  natural resources federal for demonstration
  projects

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The History of Gifted and Talented 1990s- 2000

• Office of Gifted and Talented Education, national
  research center 1993- National Excellence A Case
  for Developing Americas Talent , second national
  report focused on need to identify giftedness in
  varied cultural and economic backgrounds
• National Association for Gifted Children,
  standards
• National Council for Teachers of Mathematics,
  standards
• No Child Left Behind (PL 107-110), reading at
  grade level may be a limiting factor

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Prevalence

• Identification depends upon state criteria
• 2 in Tennessee 14 in Oklahoma
• U.S. Department of Education (2000)
• 2.96 million, close to 6 of school-aged
  population
• Possibly one of the largest groups of students
  with exceptionalities

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Etiology

• Intelligence is not fixed at birth
• Interaction of genetics and environment
  stimulation develop potential for performance at
  exceptionally high levels
• Interplay between nature and nurture (Clark,
  2002)

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Representational Characteristics which also
apply to ADD and LD?
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Point to Ponder

• Research suggests that most classroom teachers
  make no or only minor modifications to meet the
  unique needs of learners who are gifted.
• (Archambault, Westberg, Brown, Hallmark, Zhang,
  Emmons1993)
• DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE, BASED ON YOUR
  EXPERIENCE?

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Differentiation one size does not fit all!

• Curriculum designed to promote continuous
  progress
• Challenging, high expectations, flexible
• Based on pre-assessment to assure appropriate
  levels of instruction in content areas If a
  unit has 12 lessons, and the pretest shows the
  student has mastered all objectives, NOW WHAT?
• Allows for a more complex thought and faster pace
  
• Does not create a learning ceiling

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Instructional Strategies NOW WHAT

• Higher level thinking, problem solving beyond
  the facts
• Flexible grouping, cooperative learning
• Cluster grouping, ability levels TRACKING
• Individualized pacing, complexity (otherwise
  students become prisoners of time
• Tiered assignments, challenging
• Problem-based learning, authentic
• Originality, fluency, flexibility, elaboration
• Can be a problem when gifted students assume
  all roles and responsibilities, and parents feel
  they are being used

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Service Delivery Options is the regular ed
classroom the LRE for gifted students?

• Gifted resource services pullout but children
  are gifted all day, not 2 hours/week
• Acceleration (full year or content) skipping or
  subjects on higher grade level
• Independent study depends on maturity
• Honors and advanced placement courses - AP
• Mentorship
• Self-contained classroom or special school
  (MAGNET SCHOOL)
• Summer and Saturday programs
• Competitions Quiz Bowl, Geography Bee

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Students with Gifts and Talents and Disabilities

• Overlooked because of stereotyping of
  expectations
• Require accommodation of programming for both
  disability and strengths
• Twice-exceptional
• the student who is both gifted and learning
  disabled
• the student with cerebral palsy who is both
  gifted and quadriplegic

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Adolescence

• Struggle with social, ethical, spiritual, career,
  and educational decisions
• Lack of peer role models may lead to feelings of
  isolation both intellectual and social
• Wanting to fit in and be normal
• Lack of appropriate instruction may lead to
  apathy and disengagement, dropping out

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Family Issues

• Family support is vital if ability is to
  translate into achievement and accomplishment
• Parents and peers are more influential on
  academic performance than teachers or a students
  IQ score
• Extracurricular enrichment may be both expensive
  and critical to the students future
• What is the difference between pushy and
  informed when it comes to parents?

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Under-representation of Culturally Diverse
Learner

• Test bias
• Faulty referral policies
• Deleterious effects of poverty
• Conflicting social values
• Teacher attitudes and expectations
• Rigid definition of giftedness
• (Davis Rim, 1998, Ford, 1998, Plummer, 1995)

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Core Attributes of Children who are Cultural
Diverse and Gifted

• Communication skills
• Imagination/creativity
• Humor
• Inquiry
• Insight
• Interest
• Memory
• Motivation
• Problem solving
• Reasoning
  (Frazier, 1995)
• Why not include these in the jot-down list??

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How to Encourage the Gifts and Talents of Female
Students

• Provide environments that are equitable
• Use cluster grouping to maximize learning
• Introduce female role-models and mentors
• Encourage advanced coursework
• Eliminate sexism in classrooms
• Celebrate creativity and expression of talent
• Foster healthy competition, academic and athletic
• Offer programming and placement options

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Technology

• Technology has the potential to lessen the
  isolation experienced by young people who are
  gifted and talented but do not know others who
  share their interest and enthusiasm. Connections
  are made, distances evaporate, and unlimited
  opportunities for learning become readily
  available with the use of technology.

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Trends, Issues, and Controversies

• Striving for world-class standards
• Goals 2000, Educate America Act ( PL 103-227)
• USA strives to be first in the world in math and
  science
• Third International Mathematics and Science Study
  (1998) TIMS What does this say about our
  programs for gifted students?
• Comparison to 41 countries found American math
  and science test scores for 12th grade students
  among the lowest

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Trends, Issues, and Controversies (continued)

• Linking equity and excellence together as goals
  Based on belief that every child is above
  average powerful learning approach used, as in
  Accelerated Schools
• Choosing between a full inclusion model, magnet
  school, or resource classroom
• Moving from gifted programs to services for
  gifted students more like an IEP approach

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Sample IQ test

• High IQ society