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The topic of ‘giftedness’ is one that merits discussion to further develop our understanding of issues related to gifted students in our education system. I think that one major issue surrounding gifted programming includes our potential misconceptions as educators, about gifted students’ abilities to succeed. Other issues exist surrounding assessment bias, and ensuring that we are also enabling educators to discover Giftedness in all multicultural learners, including First Nations, Metis & Inuit students.
Gifted students are:
- self-aware
- reflective
- highly sensitive
- keen sense of moral and ethical judgment
- intuitive
- able to process information from an array of topics, and make new connections.
- able to create their own personal organizational systems,
- proficient at using wider areas of the brain,
- possessors of longer memories,
- prone to ‘zoning’ out when concentrating
- keenly able to multi-task many items at a time.
- often more interested in questions rather than answers
- acutely aware of others who are gifted, and those who unerstand their unique needs, versus those who do not
Higher Order Thinking Skills:
Teaching higher order thinking skills is a necessity for gifted students. It helps them to build upon various skills sets, while at the same time giving them the opportunities to struggle and persevere, beyond merely retaining and synthesizing the information learned.
Higher Order Thinking looks like:
- linking cognition to reflections
- connecting empathy to memory
- linking new knowledge to previous experiences
- helping students to search for new patterns and making new conections
- informed decision making
- Engagement and creation of activities that include inventing, designing, composing, planning, decision making and self-evaluation
- promoting ethical and moral intelligence
- elaborating on qualities of character education initiatives and the ‘Seven Grandfather Teachings’ from First Nations Cultures
Considerations for Educators:
- allow for self-directed activities
- help students to set their own criteria, plan and self-evaluate!
- Remember that gifted students also need guidance and instruction just like any other student.
- Strive to ensure that instruction provides opportunities to increase attendance, and improve self-esteem and enthusiasm towards learning.
It is very difficult for educators to intuitively understand what gifted students need, and it takes a very special person to understand these needs. It is important for educators to tap into this ‘intuition’ and knowledge of Gifted students, in order to work to decrease bias in formative and summative assessment procedures, and work toward systemically increase the scores of multicultural groups, including First Nations, Metis & Inuit Students.
Deborah McCallum
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Reblogged this on Backwards Time Machine.
thanks for explaining part of my amazement at my older son’s teachers. They co-teach a class of 27 gifted learners from Grade 5-8, and do that dance remarkably well, finding strengths and next steps for each other their amazingly different learners. Working on how to provide deeper thinking for the students in my classroom who fit this criteria as well.
That is wonderful to hear that you are seeing positive results from your sons Gifted program at school, and also wonderful that you as an educator are also working on how to provide deeper thinking strategies for the students in your classroom as well who fit this criteria. As an Educator and Parent of a Child who is Gifted, it is always great to hear about Educators who understand the needs of Gifted students and strive to provide strategies to help them apply Thinking Skills to deeper and more complex issues. Thank you for the reply!
As a former gifted learner (GATE in California) and with 4 kids in gifted program (CATS in Chandler, AZ), I understand this need well. Gifted learners are, in no uncertain terms, special needs kids. Although we tend to reserve that term in educational circles for children that are remedial, disabled, or otherwise handicapped, it really applies to both groups. Gifted (and very gifted) kids require a distinct learning approach that is counter to many mainstream educational frameworks including pod-based learning. I have a been very impressed with Chandler, AZ’s approach to gifted learning. They have actually setup an entire “academy” (KGA or Knox Gifted Academy, which is at Knox Elementary) for gifted learnings K-6 and are actually relocating non-gifted learners from the school. They are very focused on self-directed learning, goal setting, and objective-based curriculum. Yes, gifted learners need a tremendous amount of structure or they tend to “wander” intellectually. You’ve done a great job capturing many of the salient points regarding gifted learning (and their special needs).
Jason,
Thank you very much for your reply! That is wonderful that you have access to an entire academy for gifted learners, and right from K-6 no less. The programs that exist in Canada only provide specialized programming beginning in Grade 4, and are not available at each school. Gifted learners are most certainly special needs kids, and absolutely benefit from having those learning needs truly met by trained professionals. As a parent, you want your gifted child to have the supports they need in any classroom, but the reality is often quite different. It sounds like you are an expert in Gifted Education and Gifted Learning Strategies. I am interested in learning more from your knowledge base surrounding how to best support our Gifted Learners!