Who is the Gifted Child? Summer Programs Gifted Issues GT State Policy 2nd Quarter 2006 1st Quarter 2006 Archive 2005 Archive 2004 Genius Denied Newsletters.

Who is the Gifted Child?

Legend:GT Programming is mandated; fully funded by stateGT Programming is mandated; partially funded by state.GT programming is mandated; no funding available

GT programming is not mandated; funding available

GT programming is not mandated; no funding is available

State Definition of Gifted: “‘Gifted and talented children’ means those children identified at the preschool, elementary and secondary levels as having demonstrated potential abilities of high performance capability and needed differentiated or accelerated education or services. For the purpose of this definition, ‘demonstrated abilities of high performance capability’ means those identified students who score in the top three percent (3%) on any national standardized test of intellectual ability. Said definition may also include students who excel in one or more of the following areas:a.) creative thinking ability,b.) leadership abilityc.) visual and performing arts ability, and d.) specific academic ability.A school district shall identify children in capability areas by means of multicriteria evaluation. Provided, with first and second grade level children, a local school district may utilize other evaluation mechanisms such as, but not limited to, teacher referrals in lieu of standardized testing measures;”(Oklahoma Stat. title 70, § 1210.301)

DO YOU TEACH SOMEONE WHO…….??? LEARNS RAPIDLY AND EASILY:

* Can be eager to learn * Refuses and becomes impatient with tedious and

repetitious work; does not show work, only answers

SHOWS ADVANCED SKILLS: * Masters and shows high level thinking in a specific content

area – reads on an advanced level/understands advanced math concepts * Manipulates situations for specific purposes

DISPLAYS CURIOSITY AND CREATIVITY *Questions, explores, experiments *Refuses to follow rules unless they see “why”

HAS STRONG INTERESTS:* Demonstrates unusual or advanced interests

* Resists transition moving onto a new topic of study

SHOWS ADVANCED REASONING & PROBLEM SOLVING:

* Is a keen observer (spots details others miss)

* Is argumentative

DISPLAYS SPATIAL ABILITIES:* Shows unusual talent in various art forms

* Moves around often (keeps hands and body always busy)

IS MOTIVATED:* Is a self-starter (requires little direction)

*Does not follow typical path (moves to

the beat of a different drummer); questions authority

SHOWS SOCIAL PERCEPTIVENESS* Responds to needs of others

* Is over talkative and social/uses humor and sarcasm inappropriately

DISPLAYS LEADERSHIP* Accepts and carries out responsibilities

* Is seen as “bossy” (wants to be the center of attention)

Many children exhibit these traits!

BUT

Gifted children possess them to a greater extent than their age peers

AND

Exhibit them more consistently and to a degree that they require modifications to their educational plan.

One parent explains…

“Gifted kids do things a little bit earlier,…a little more quickly, and a little bit differently from other children.”

Gifted Children

Are an at-risk populationAre not all receiving education

appropriate to their needsMay be the most underachieving

school population relative to their ability

SPECIAL POPULATIONS OF THE GIFTED WHO FREQUENTLY

ARE NOT IDENTIFIED

Learning Differences (Disability) (LD) with Giftedness

Multicultural/LEP Gifted

Female Gifted

Minority and Disadvantaged

Preschool/Primary Gifted Highly Gifted

Highly Gifted

Autistic/Asperger’s Syndrome

Physically Handicapped Gifted

Dr. Mel Levin explains, “Their performance is unbelievably confusingly inconsistent. They might do well one minute and poorly the next, or have one good week in school followed by another that is disastrous. They might be able to do a math problem on Thursday but fail to solve it on Friday. Because they’ve been caught doing something well once in a while, people keep accusing them of not really trying the rest of the time.”

WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES?

Evidence of an outstanding talent or ability

Evidence of a discrepancy between expected and actual achievement

Evidence of a processing deficit

Defining Characteristics

Identification Modalities

A multi-dimensional approach to assess strengths and weaknesses

Use of the WISC-RAcademic testing to determine

discrepancies between performance and potential

Data obtained from teachers and parents

Interviews with the student

THE TWICE GIFTED CHILD Students with learning differences are widely misunderstood.

Students with learning differences have average to above-average intelligence, and many are gifted.

Test results indicate discrepancies in areas of knowledge.

A learning difference creates a gap between ability and performance because the mind processes words and information differently.

Because many LD children exhibit high intelligence and creativity in some areas, teachers and parents assume they are being lazy or obstinate when they don’t do well in others.

The child with a learning difference typically faces discrimination, misunderstanding, and emotional and psychological abuse.

Instead of being helped to develop their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses, they are humiliated at every turn.

DIFFERENT LEARNING DISABILITIES

As identified and defined by the National Center for Learning Disabilities:

1. Apraxia (Dyspraxia): the inability to motor plan or to make an appropriate body movement.

2. Dysgraphia: difficulty writing, both in the mechanical and expressive sense, and difficulty with spelling words.

3. Dyslexia: difficulty with language in its various uses, not just reading.

4. Dyssemia: difficulty with social cues and signals.

5. Auditory Discrimination: trouble with perceiving the differences between sounds and the sequences of words.

6. Visual Perception: difficulty with the ability to understand and put meaning to what one sees.

HOW CAN YOU RECOGNIZE CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES?THE MOST OBVIOUS SIGN IS A LARGE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN OVERALL INTELLIGENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT OR PERFORMANCE.

Other signs include these characteristics identified by the

National Center for Learning Disabilities: difficulty with perception of time and space

concentration and attention problems

impulsive behavior

difficulty with short-term memory

socialization problems

difficulty with fine motor coordination

low self-esteem

difficulty with organization

WARNING SIGNSThe Learning Disabilities Association of America has developed its own list of warning signs. It recommends referring children for testing who exhibit at least several of these problems: disorganization

easily distracted

poor attention span

overreacts to noise

doesn’t enjoy being read to

poor hand-eye coordination

can’t make sense of what he or she hears

uses words inappropriately

hyperactivity

limited vocabulary

inability to follow simple directions

poor emotional control

difficulty remembering or understanding sequences

chooses younger playmates or prefers solitary play

Most children, of course, will exhibit one or more of these characteristics at different times in their lives. But LD children exhibit them more consistently.

Learning Disabilities LANGUAGE MEMORY ATTENTION FINE MOTOR SKILLS OTHER FUNCTIONS

PRESCHOOL

Strategies for all gifted children should…Explore, branch out, and diverge

from traditional instructionOffer students time with their

intellectual peersAllow interaction with specially

certified teachers trained in gifted education

ENRICHMENT IS… ….IS NOT

Productive Thinking………………………………………..….…Reproductive Thinking

Applying Learning to Other Areas….……………….……….Regurgitating Information

Learning Concepts and Generalizations………………….…………….Learning Facts

Complex Thinking…………………………………………………………....Harder Work

Student Determined Readiness…………………….Grade or Age-Level Experiences

Extending an/or Replacing Traditional Learning experiences…Providing More Work

Interrelating Information Learned………..….………..……....Separate Entity Learning

Critically Evaluating…………………………….…….….. Accepting All Data Presented

Stimulating, Encouraging Giftedness and Talent Development ………….Penalizing Giftedness and Talent

Development Learning Things as They Should or Could Be……Learning Things Only As

They Are