“Aren’t you supposed to be gifted???”Social & Emotional Needs

of the Gifted Child

Mary’s Story

Substitute teacher in the regular 6th grade classroom

Students have history with sub

Lack of mutual trust & respect

Mary’s incident

Humiliated and told to leave class

Comes to GEM room

Enter Mrs. Gifted Teacher, the“rescuer”

Mary tearfully tells her tale

Fear of losing May trip to San Diego

“Gifted kids should know better”

Resolution, or so I thought

Classroom teacher’s opinion

Issues? Have we got issues!

Treating all students with respect & dignity

Empowering students to think for themselves

Knowing when to intervene and when to step back

Training all teachers about the unique characteristics of the gifted child

Characteristics of the Gifted Child Talent Areas (CogAT)

Verbal

Mathematical-Logical

Visual Spatial

A-syncronization in development

Highly intelligent

Socially-emotionally immature

Characteristics of the Gifted Child Gifted Instructional Standards (MUSD)

Problem Solving

Communication

Personal Development

Dabrowski’s Theory of

Over-Excitabilities

Psychomotor

Sensual

Intellectual

Imaginational

Emotional

What do the experts say?Books:

• Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom

by Joan Franklin Smutny

• Strengthening Your Program for Gifted Students

by Dr. Roger Taylor

• Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom

by Susan Winebrenner

Current Research• Social and Emotional Development of Gifted

Children: Straight Talk by Tracy L. Cross

• Current Research on the Social and Emotional Development of Gifted and Talented Students: Good News and Future Possibilities by Sally M. Reis and Joseph S. Renzulli

• Patterns of Overexcitabilities in Identified Gifted Students and Their Parents: A Hierarchial Model by Carol L. Tieso

Useful Websiteshttp://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

http://www.arizonagifted.org/

http://www.nagc.org/

http://www.byrdseed.com/

http://www.adifferentplace.org/just4fun.htm

http://www.giftedservices.com.au/

Gifted Students: Handle with Care!