Characteristics of Gifted Students

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Characteristics of Gifted Students

• Social/Emotional
• Academic
• Twice-exceptionalities

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Social/Emotional

• Perfectionism
• Dominating - Peers and Situations
• Advanced Sense of Humor
• Asynchrony
• Intensity

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Perfectionism

• Perfectionism is a combination of
• the desire to be perfect
• the fear of not being perfect
• the sense that personal acceptance hinges on
  perfection
• Healthy perfectionism is a healthy characteristic
  that drives hard work and accomplishment. Healthy
  perfectionists find pleasure in their effort and
  achievement.
• Unhealthy perfectionism is a problem. Such
  self-analytic, self-judging and compulsive
  students cannot appreciate their own competency
  nor the adequacy of their work.

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Signs of Unhealthy Perfectionism

• When a student earns an A- and not an A, he/she
  might feel
• inadequate, self-critical, weak, ashamed, and
  doubtful of own ability
• Overly precise
• Turn in assignments late so that they will be
  perfect
• Doesnt turn in assignments at all would rather
  fail by not trying rather than fail doing their
  best
• Intolerance of mistakes
• Argumentative with instructors
• Become sick or resort to cheating in order to
  have perfect scores
• Fast heart rate and sweaty palms on test day
• Constantly feel that more can be done
• High achievement yields self-worth while mistakes
  yield shame

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Many Faces of Perfectionism

• Excerpts from
• Freeing our Families from Perfectionism

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Behaviors, Thoughts, and Feelingsof perfectionism

• Behaviors
• Over-commitment
• Super sensitivity to criticism
• Compulsive attention to detail
• Has difficulties making choices
• Procrastination
• Thoughts
• Im never good enough
• Im only acceptable if Im perfect
• If I make a mistake, theres something wrong
  with me.
• If I cant do it perfectly, whats the point?
• Feelings
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Shame or embarrassment
• Overwhelmed

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Perfectionist vs. Healthy Striver

• Perfectionist
• Sets standards beyond reach and reason
• Is never satisfied by anything less than
  perfection
• Becomes dysfunctionally depressed when
  experiences failure and disappointment
• Is preoccupied with fear of failure and
  disapproval --- this can deplete energy levels
• Sees mistakes as evidence of unworthiness
• Becomes overly defensive when criticized

• Healthy Striver
• Sets high standards, but just beyond reach
• Enjoys process as well as outcome
• Bounces back from failure and disappointment
  quickly and with energy
• Keeps normal anxiety and fear of failure and
  disapproval within bounds --- uses them to create
  energy
• Sees mistakes as opportunities for growth and
  learning
• Reacts positively to helpful criticism

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Healthy Striverslearn to ask themselves the
following

• Is it good enough?
• Whats the worst thing that can happen?
• Will it matter in the long run?

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Costs of Perfectionism

• Depression
• Performance anxiety
• Test anxiety
• Social anxiety
• Writers block
• Obsessiveness
• Compulsiveness
• Suicidal thoughts
• Loneliness
• Impatience
• Frustration
• Anger

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Recommendations for Teachers

• Learn to recognize perfectionism
• Educate yourself regarding how perfectionism
  affects gifted students socially and emotionally
• Discuss with students how high standards motivate
  excellent work, but compulsive perfectionism is
  unhealthy
• Use humor to lighten the classroom atmosphere and
  reduce any perceived threat to perfectionistic
  students
• Help students
• understand that no one is superior at everything
• Accept mistakes and reduce their feelings of
  failure
• Develop a good attitude toward learning and
  school
• Learn to help others and receive help from them
• Teach students it is about the journey, not the
  destination emphasize the process not the outcome

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Dominating - Peers and Situations

• A gifted child processes new information far more
  quickly than most children. This means the child
  may become impatient/bored waiting for his
  classmates to master information and skills.
• Can you guess what happens when this student gets
  impatient/bored? What are some likely behaviors?
• Young gifted children have talents beyond their
  years, but patience and tact arent necessarily
  among them. Preferring to chat with you about new
  ideas or information with little regard for your
  other obligations, a gifted child may seem (and
  become) demanding.
• Has this happened to you?
• Frustrated, some gifted children react by
  becoming
• class clowns
• challenging authority
• quiet and withdrawn

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Dominating Peers and Situations

• Gifted individuals may tend to dominate peers and
  situations they are on cognitive overdrive
  constantly. They are not afraid to confront
  untruths that are disguised as authority, they
  will correct their teachers, their parents and
  their friends.
• Has this happened to you?
• What can you do to encourage this ambitious love
  of learning, but also, let him or her know there
  is a time and a place for everything?
• Encourage this ambitious love of learning, but
  also, let him or her know there are appropriate
  and inappropriate times for everything
• It is better to go to a teacher after class and
  correct her syntax privately, rather than to do
  it in front of 25 other seventh graders.
• The bus ride home is probably not the best time
  to inform your classmates about the distinction
  between a Russian and a Prussian.
• Correcting Dads grammar at the dinner table when
  he is retelling his favorite story about growing
  up in Appalachia may not be appropriate.
• Hollingworths notion of suffering fools gladly.

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How Others See Them

• Bossy - because of their advanced language and
  conceptual skills, some gifted children are
  highly directive in their play with others, which
  is not always well received by their playmates.
• Rude/Demanding - their frustration can lead to
  anger and impatience with others.
• Argumentative while their intensions are not to
  pick a fight, gifted children have insatiable
  need to know the how and the why.
• Exhausting their passion for learning is never
  ending and therefore neither are their questions.

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Suggestions

• Try to see things from the students perspective
• Give reasons, but dont debate
• Give your student some choices - freedom within
  limits
• Treat the student with respect
• Dont think you have to have all the answers

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Advanced Sense of Humor

• Situations full of tension can be handled with
  humor. Most gifted children are able to develop a
  sense of humor quite early, and are able to focus
  on absurdities in situations.
• In interpersonal situations, gifted children find
  humor to be useful. As one child said, Where
  being smart is handy is when others try to put
  you down. You can turn it around and make it a
  joke.

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Example

• Dear Mom,
• Ive asked the receptionist to give you this as
  soon as you get back from your meeting, so youll
  know where I am. Mikes mom is taking me home
  with her. She was the only person available to
  take me to the emergency room. My arm isnt
  moving very well because of the bandages, so I
  hope you can read this okay. The fireman said
  the wiring was very old. Youll be glad to know
  I saved the family album. Fluffy should be okay,
  but it doesnt look so good for Tigger. Also, my
  algebra teacher wants you to give her a call.
• Love,
• Bobby
• P.S. Just kidding! Im fine, the house is fine,
  and Fluffy and Tigger are fine. I am getting a
  D- in algebra though. What a relief, huh?

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More Examples...

• At age 5, a gifted student was trying to assemble
  a solar system mobile. The planets and their
  strings were not cooperating. Frustrated, the boy
  rolled his eyes and sighed, Now I know how God
  felt!
• A young child spilled a drink at a restaurant,
  the family sponged her off and she laughed,
  Guess thats what they mean when they say The
  Drinks on Me!
• A 3-year-old asks his mother, "What's a dirty X?"
  Not realizing it was a riddle, she said I don't
  know. He says, "A clean X with snot all over it!"

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Gifted Children and Humor

• Humor is a valuable tool for handling stress.
• Humor is a clear signal that the child is able to
  maintain a sense of perspective, and that the
  stressful situation really is not that bad.
• Be cautious about cynical laughter, which covers
  anger and disappointment. Though it may seem to
  reduce stress, such humor implies nothing can be
  done to change a bad situation.
• Humor with gifted children must be handled
  carefully, particularly at first, as they may
  think you are ridiculing or laughing at them.
• Model demonstrate healthy ways of laughing at
  yourself.

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Asynchrony and Giftedness

• Gifted children experience discrepancies between
  their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical
  development. This asynchrony increases with
  higher intellectual capacity.

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How Adults See Them

• Adults, expecting social maturity to match high
  level intellectual development, may label a
  highly articulate, logical child as a behavior
  problem when he or she exhibits an
  age-appropriate tantrum.
• Gifted children sometimes talk and have interests
  like adults.
• They also may behave like an adult one moment and
  be very childlike the next.

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How Age Peers See Them

• The following interaction is between a 6-year-old
  gifted child and his 7-year-old neighbor, a girl
  of only above average ability. He began telling
  her some riddles - his current obsession.
• HE What is Wild Bill Hiccups favorite color?
• SHE I dont know.
• HE Burple (laughs)
• SHE (Stares at him, not laughing)
• HE What did one candle say to the other candle?
• SHE What?
• HE Are you going out tonight?
• SHE (Just looks at him) She also tries to tell
  him some puns. He does not find them to be funny
  at all.

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More

• Gifted children may be many years above
  chronological age in intellectual functioning,
  but depending on the situation and participants,
  social/emotional maturity may vary.
• Knowledge vs. wisdom or life experience having
  ability to reason is not the same as having
  ability to make a good decision

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Asynchrony In Summary . . .

• A gifted person is likely to mature faster in
  some ways, and slower in others. In the area of
  their gifts, they may be years ahead of their
  peers, while simultaneously lagging years behind
  in other areas.

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• INTENSITY!

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Emotional Intensity

• . . . extremes of emotions both negative and
  positive
• Ways it can be expressed
• Somatic (bodily) expression tense stomach,
  sinking heart, blushing, flushing
• Inhibition timidity, shyness
• Strong affective memory
• Fears and anxieties, guilt
• Concerns with death, depressive
• Strong emotional ties, empathy attachment to
  animals, concern for others
• Feelings toward self self-evaluation and
  self-judgment

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Intense Awareness

• Gifted children can become aware of heavy
  concerns early on
• Death
• Freedom/Equality
• Isolation
• Meaning of life/Meaningless
• Existential depression a depression that arises
  when one confronts certain basic issues of
  existence
• Isolation from age peers - peers do not
  understand the gifted childs point of view and
  vice versa this can lead to anger, which if not
  dealt with appropriately can often become
  depression.

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High Levels of Ethical and Moral Consciousness

• Have a rigid concept of right and wrong - this
  can be a particular problem for gifted children
  who are insightful.
• Expect adults to be examples of virtue and
  practice what they preach.

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Examples

• When Rorey was 6, he befriended Carl, age 12, who
  was developmentally disabled. Other children
  teased and tormented Carl, especially Todd. Rorey
  stood up to these tormentors, though Todd was
  twice his age and size. This so surprised Todd
  that he stopped teasing Carl. When asked why he
  had helped Carl, Rorey stated he knew that Carl
  needed a friend, and it was the right thing to do
  to be his friend and defend him. He felt teasing
  others was wrong. He never engaged in such
  behavior himself, even later in the elementary
  years when teasing is a game most boys play.
• On a shopping expedition, 3-year-old Crissy told
  her mother that she did not need any new clothes.
  She also would not allow her mother to buy her
  toys even though her mother had planned several
  purchases with money Crissy had recently received
  from relatives. The only purchase Crissy would
  allow that day was a pair of shoes since she had
  outgrown her old ones. Instead, she wanted the
  money to be given to the poor.
• At 2 ½, one of Mikes classmates was a girl who
  spent her entire life in a hospital environment
  battling cancer. Until that time, she had little
  contact with children because of her illness.
  She was bald from chemotherapy. She was unaware
  of social graces and on the very first day, she
  picked up a marker and began coloring the front
  of Mikes shirt. The teacher recalled that
  rather than reacting in a typical 2-year-old way,
  Mike gently took her hand and asked, Do I look
  like a piece of paper to you? He guided her to
  the table, sat down beside her and carefully
  explained, We draw on paper, not on each other.

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What do these childrenhave in common?

• High degree of sensitivity to moral issues.
• Empathy for others.
• Moral logic.

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High Levels of Ethical and Moral Consciousness

• The pursuit of truth, the drive to know what
  truth is, and the need to understand
  justice/fairness can supersede awareness of
  others' needs
• The main goal to do what is right
• It can be helpful for these children to learn
  when truth is important and when feelings count
  more
• Gifted children should learn that direct action
  is not always possible there will be times when
  one cannot speak up or prevent an injustice

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How You Can Help

• Don't minimize their emotions stay away from
  phrases such as "you're too sensitive" or "snap
  out of it" or "it'll be OK".
• Reassure and validate their feelings - help them
  find ways of expressing their intense emotions.
• Help students realize that sensitivity does not
  mean weakness.
• Give them responsibility that is age appropriate
  - do not shield them from the consequence of
  their actions.
• Teach students how to give back. Find a cause
  and use service learning in the classroom.

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Strong Beliefs and Opinions

• Strong-willed - one whose view of how things
  should be is very clear has a deeply felt need
  for self-determination.
• When working with strong-willed children
  recognize both the positives and negatives
• stubborn and rebellious vs. the potential to make
  commitments, and be assertive
• For example, Langston Hughes, the black poet,
  refused to drop out of high school to support his
  family as was expected of him. He did so, not
  from selfishness, but from knowledge that he
  could do more if he had an education (Meltzer,
  1968).

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The Big Picture

• Three 8-year-olds are sitting side-by-side,
  watching a production of Fiddler on the Roof.
  None is fidgeting. All are engaged in the show.
  The first child enjoys the music and the dancing,
  and understands the basic story line. The second
  child is deeply aware of the stage lighting and
  set design choices, is impressed with how the
  choreography compliments the score, and laughs
  out loud when a character, who is not important
  to the scene, reaches his finger through his
  (empty) glasses rim to scratch his eye. The third
  child is riveted to the story throughout, and
  moved to tears when Tevya announces that his
  daughter is dead to him, due to her choosing to
  marry outside of her faith. After the show, child
  one is happy, and ready to go out with the group
  for ice cream. Child two is willing to go for ice
  cream, as long as the adults are willing to
  engage in a conversation about the stagecraft.
  Child three feels overwhelmed. This child is not
  ready to go out, nor to socialize. Child three is
  filled with thoughts and emotions regarding the
  possibility that choices people make could earn
  them ostracism from their family, and, as if that
  werent enough is also wondering about how
  families deal with changing times, and how times
  will change in this lifetime.

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Continued

• Ones intellectual and emotional age is often not
  the same as ones physical age.
• What differences did you notice in the three
  learners?
• First child
• Second child
• Third child

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Possible Problems That May be Associated with
Characteristic Strengths of Gifted Children

• Strengths
• Acquires and retains information quickly
• Inquisitive attitude, intellectual curiosity
  intrinsic motivation searches for significance
• Ability to conceptualize, abstract, synthesize
  enjoys problem-solving and intellectual activity
• Enjoys organizing things and people into
  structure
• Thinks critically has high expectations is
  self-critical and evaluates others

• Possible Problems
• Impatient with slowness of others dislikes
  repetition may resist mastering foundation
  skills may make concepts overly complex
• Asks embarrassing questions strong-willed
  resists direction seems excessive in interests
  expects same of others
• Rejects or omits details resists practice/drill
  questions teaching procedures
• Constructs complicated rules or systems may be
  seen as bossy, rude, or dominating
• Critical or intolerant toward others may become
  discouraged or depressed perfectionistic

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What can schools do?

• Understand that a childs social and emotional
  development is an integral part of his or her
  educational experience. Much of the growth in
  healthy self-concept is tied to an appropriately
  challenging curriculum a good fit in pace,
  depth, concept, and with a group of mental peers
  with whom the child can work.
• Build a positive partnership between parents and
  educators communication is essential for the
  mutual sharing of information.
• Help parents and teachers model appropriate
  communication
• Basic social skills
• Take perspective
• Defuse anger
• Stress management
• Setting priorities and realistic goals