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Catering for gifts
Issues in identification and provision for the needs of gifted
students.Compiled by Lyne Megarrity 2008
Identification
‘Each child is unique, bringing to the learning situation an exclusive set of capabilities and predispositions.’
Halliwell, G. 1977
DefinitionsWho are the gifted?Students who are gifted excel, or are capable of excelling, in one or more
areas such as general intelligence, specific academic studies, visual and
performing arts, physical ability, creative thinking, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.
Giftedness in a student is commonly characterised by an advancedpace of learning, quality of thinking or capability for remarkably high
standards of performance compared to students of the same age.
Although these students are capable of outstanding achievement, the learning environment is pivotal to enabling them to demonstrate and
develop their abilities. Students who are gifted are at risk of
underachieving and disengaging from learning if they are not identified and catered for appropriately.
Education Queensland “Framework for Gifted Education”
Definitions Gifted students are those whose
potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the following domains: intellectual, creative, social and physical.
Talented students are those whose skills are distinctly above average in one or more areas of human performance.
N.S.W Education Dept
‘Giftedness is conceptualised as outstanding ability in one or more aptitude domains and “talent” as exceptional performance in one or more domain-related fields’ (Gagne, 1985).
2] Gagné, F. (1985). Giftedness and talent: Reexamining a reexamination of the definitions. Gifted Child Quarterly, 29, 103 -112.
This definition reflects the distinction between ability and performance by acknowledging the importance of innate ability while also recognising the significant influence environment, personality and other factors have on the development of ability.
Giftedness refers to a student’s outstanding ability in one or more domains (eg. intellectual, creative, socioemotional or sensorimotor). Talent refers to outstanding performance in one or more fields within these domains (eg. mathematics, science and technology, astronomy, sculpture athletics, languages): that is, talent emerges from giftedness as a consequence of the student’s learning experiences.
ACT Dept Education
Definition Joseph Renzulli (1978) developed a ‘three-ring’ definition
of giftedness which proposed that giftedness was the interaction between three basic clusters of human traits: above average general ability; high levels of task commitment, and high levels of creativity.[1] However many feel that this ignores the gifted underachiever, who is rarely described as ‘task-committed’. Furthermore, many fields of performance do not require creativity.
[1] Renzulli, J.S. (1978). What makes giftedness: Reexamining a definition. Phi Delta Kappa, 60. 180 - 184, 261.
Levels of Giftedness
All such percentages are arbitrary. They simply specify what the writer is thinking of in using indeterminate measure words like ‘high’, ‘superior’, ‘outstanding’ etc.
Intellectual ability varies among individuals along a continuum - the normal distribution or bell curve. There are many moderately gifted children, and very few profoundly gifted.
The Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre suggested the following definitions:
mildly or basically gifted IQ 115-129 1 in 6 to 1 in 44moderately gifted IQ 130-144 1 in 44 to 1 in 1,000highly gifted IQ 145-159 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000exceptionally gifted IQ 160-179 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 1 millionprofoundly gifted IQ 180+fewer than one in 1 million[1]
[1] Submission 215, Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre, p.15
Categories of gifted students General intellectual ability Specific academic aptitude Creative or productive
thinking Leadership ability Students who may be
handicapped and gifted The culturally different gifted Visual and Performing arts Psychomotor ability
Using Renzulli’s Definition to think about gifted children
ABOVE AVERAGE INTELLIGENCELearns quickly and easilyComprehends quicklyThinks quicklySees relationshipsAdvanced vocabularyAdvanced reading abilityWide knowledge Asks searching questions
CREATIVITY
Risk-taking
Openness to experience
flexibility
originality
TASK COMMITMENT
Total involvement
Perseverence
Self-motivation
EMOTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Sensitivity
Perfectionism
Intensity
vulnerability
Think about this!
“The term ‘gifted’ implies receiving something for nothing, and it is difficult to garner sympathy for someone so apparently blessed.” P.O. Rogne
Here are a number of alternative terms which could be used when referring to students who have the potential for excellence.
PROMISING CAPABLE INTELLIGENT
INDEPENDENT POTENTIAL INQUISITIVE
UNUSUAL THINKER EXCITED LEARNER
ACHIEVE R EMERGING TALENT MOTIVATED INSIGHTFUL
CHALLENGING CREATIVE ACCELERATED LEARNER
• ADVANCED SPONTANEOUS
• OUTSTANDING
Sorting Myth from reality Myth 1: Global Giftedness. Academically gifted children have
a general intellectual power that makes them gifted in all subjects.
Myth 2: Talented but not gifted. The gifted are those children with high ability in academic areas. Children with high ability in music and art are talented.
Myth 3: Exceptional IQ. Giftedness in any domain depends on have a high IQ.
Myth 4&5: Commonsense myth – Giftedness is entirely inborn. Psychologist’s myth: Giftedness is entirely a matter of hard work.
Source: Gifted children: Myths and realities. Elizabeth Winner 1996
Sorting Myth from reality Myth 6: The Driving Parent. Gifted children are created by
pushy parents driving their children to overachieve; when pushed too hard by overambitious parents, these children will burn out.
Myth 7:Glowing with psychological health. Gifted children are better adjusted, more popular and happier than average children.
Myth 8: All children are gifted, and thus there is no special group of children that needs enriched or accelerated education in our schools.
Myth 9: Gifted children become eminent adults
When is giftedness a disadvantage?
Giftedness is a disadvantage when members of a community fail to understand, acknowledge or provide appropriate schooling for such students.
Factors: Socio-cultural bias against high ability and high achievement Stereotyped assumptions determining which gifts are valued Failure to identify students’ exceptional potential (especially
when masked by behavioural traits or compounding characteristics such as low socioeconomic circumstances, isolation, gender, non-English speaking background ..)
Lack of access to appropriately challenging educational experiences.
Three major methods of catering for needs
Enrichment available to all
Extension designed for specific needs
Acceleration pace
content
year level
Catering for needs – the reality!
CHOICE CHALLENGE CREATIVITY OPPORTUNITY
FOR INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE
Individualising for the whole group
1. CHOOSE A TOPIC Ask the students Use a curriculum link A special day eg Qld
Day A new set of resources Teacher’s personal
interest
2. DECIDE ON A MODEL OF ORGANISATION
Include choice and openendedness
Bloom’s Taxonomy Multiple intelligences LATCH
Individualising for the whole group 3. DECIDE ON
EXPECTATIONS FOR PRESENTATION
Written – article; project style Artistic- model; sketching;
painting;construction Dramatic – play; TV interview;
debates; speeches Computer – brochure;
Powerpoint; movie Consider time expectations
4. DECIDE ON MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
Tasks written on board, signature when finished
Points for tasks completed Self assessment for effort Possibilities for display Clearly expressed
assessment criteria Student responsibilities for
cleanup
Learning contracts for small groups
CHOOSE A TOPIC Ask the children Based on ability
grouping Based on interest
grouping Based on talent Based on whole class
focus
DECIDE ON A MODEL Renzulli’s Model Bloom’s Taxonomy Multiple Intelligences Small group problem
solving Multi-skill tasking
(including student design)
Learning contracts for small groups DECIDE ON A METHOD
OF PRESENTATION Letters, speeches, OHP,
Powerpoint presentation Booklet, fiction stories Classroom noticeboards
display Drama presentation, musical
soundscape Charts, tables, graphs,
posters
DECIDE ON MONITORING AND
ASSESSMENT METHODS
• Self-assessment
• Point scores
• Teacher-student conferences
• Criteria-based assessment
• Agreed on finishing time
Developing learning contracts for individuals
CHOOSE A TOPIC Ask the child Use an Interest
Inventory Expert interest in a class
topic Challenge to develop a
new Interest Skill based contract
DECIDE ON A MODEL OF ORGANISATION
S.I.P (special interest project)
Detective assignment Renzulli’s Model Challenge problems which
use a child’s particular skills to develop a new interest
Curriculum compaction, then extension
Developing learning contracts for individuals DECIDE ON
EXPECTATIONS FOR PRESENTATION
Negotiate with the child A What if? Question. Clues,
facts, and conclusions Depends on the perceived
and negotiated audience Presentation in child’s
preferred mode eg sewing; game; cardboard figures; digital presentation
DECIDE ON MONITORING METHODS
Agreed on deadline Negotiated written or
computerised notes (it is the information, not the presentation, that is important here)
A mentor would help Agreed assessment or not Conferencing about
completed work