Advancing Individual Potential:

1. Advancing Individual Potential: & Sorting Myths from Realities What do I do after that?

2. 1. All children are gifted. Myth • All are special, all are a gift - • but not all are gifted. • Federal government: 5% are gifted, additional 3% have special talents. • In RI: 22% or 35,200 are special education students; 8% or 12,800 are G&T students.

3. “Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally.” (The Columbus Group, 1991)

4. “To have the intelligence of an adult and the emotions of a child combined in a childish body is to encounter certain difficulties.” (Hollingworth, 1942) “In addition to being out of sync in their own development, gifted children are out of sync: with family relations, both parents and siblings, socially with age-peers and older, and with schools and the larger community.” (Kearney, 1991)

5. 2. Giftedness can be created if proper and plentiful stimulation and encouragement are provided. Myth • Gifted children are born, not made. • However, “No matter how gifted, • children do not develop their gifts • without a parent or supporter behind • them encouraging, stimulating, and • pushing” (Winner, 1996).

6. 3. Gifted students often have lower self-esteem than non-gifted students. Myth • The majority of studies indicate higher levels of general and academic self-esteem among gifted students. • Social & emotional difficulties appear no more • (or less) frequently among G&T children. • G&T young people possess characteristics that, when supported, may enhance their resilience.

7. Risk Factors Specific to Gifted Children • Lack of challenge or low ceiling in the curriculum • Internal asynchronies • Insufficient learning time with children of similar interests, abilities & drive • Gifted children who do not find others who share their passions risk feeling excluded, becoming arrogant or becoming an underachiever. • Children farthest from the norm, the highly gifted, face the most problems. (Winner, 1996) (It is OK to talk about giftedness with a child. It validates perceptions, & encourages confidence.)

8. 4. Gifted children need to get along with their peers. Reality • Which peers? Social peers? Chronological • peers? Intellectual peers? • Need time to get along and work with each • of these populations. • Some gifted children need, and are happy • with, a lot of time alone. Their minds and • interests provide the company.

9. 5. Formal testing is not necessary to identify giftedness. Reality • However, it can be very helpful. • Parents are usually the first observers of • gifted behavior. • Early identification of giftedness is as • essential as with any other exceptionality.

10. and • School systems generally use tests for screening and identification purposes, and/or teacher and parent recommendations, but they usually don’t screen until upper elementary grades. • Most schools used group tests • Many school psychologists and other test administrators in schools are not experienced testing gifted children.

11. 6. All gifted children are early readers. Myth • Early readers are most often gifted; not all • gifted children learn to read early. • Mathematically gifted children, those with • attention deficit and learning disabilities, • culturally diverse children and under- • achievers are often visual-spatial learners as • opposed to auditory-sequential learners .

12. 7. Gifted students score well on tests of educational achievement. Myth • Many think abstractly and with such • complexity that they need help with concrete • study and test taking skills. • They may not be able to select one right • answer because they can see how all the • answers might be correct. • They can be “mappers” or “leapers”

13. 8. Gifted children excel in all academic areas. Myth • “Gifted” is generally gifted in language • and mathematics, but gifts tend to be • domain specific. • Children can be gifted in one area, not • another. They can also be “twice excep- • tional,” gifted with learning disabilities

14. 9. Gifted children can be handled adequately in a regular classroom. Reality • It is possible to meet the needs of many gifted children through a variety of strategies: curriculum compacting, ability grouping, small group and independent contracts, tiered assignments, variable pacing, open-ended questioning, subject & grade acceleration.

15. and • Cross-grade and flexible cluster grouping provide curricular adjustment. Such grouping programs out perform heterogeneously mixed classes by two or three months on grade-equivalent scales. (Kulik, 1992) • Early entrance, grade skipping and AP courses generally are successful. Consider social & psychological adjustment as well as cognitive capabilities to optimally match student’s needs. (Rogers, 1991)

16. 10. Most teachers are able to accommodate gifted children in their classrooms. Myth • Classrooms today contain students with a • broad range of abilities and interests, yet • most teachers in Rhode Island have not • received the preservice trainingor • professional development they need to • effectively differentiate their classrooms.

17. As with all students who have special learning needs, teachers must be given the knowledge, skills and resource support in order to effectively accommodate the gifted in their classrooms. • But, it is neither fair nor reasonable to provide equal educational programming and hold equal expectations for all students regardless of their abilities. (Stephens, 1998) • As President John F. Kennedy said, “All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent.”

18. “Lately, an overwhelming number of educators have bought into the concept of "differentiation." This is a sound concept for general education, and even some gifted education advocates are saying that within-classroom differentiation is going to take care of our most able students. This belief is nonsense. I have lived through several iterations of the "we-can-take-care-of-gifted-students-in-the-regular classroom," and it always ends up being a smoke screen behind which bright kids get a few extra assignments and more work based on traditional (didactic) models of learning.” (Joseph Renzulli)

19. The Nation-Wide Barriers • Ignorance • Misconceptions • Negative Attitudes • Elitist Label • Budget Constraints

20. Challenges Specific to Rhode Island • No state definition • No identification or services mandated • No funds in state budget • No position at the DOE • No courses available • No gifted service/specialists in most systems

21. What can you do? Mind your P’s and W’s! The P’s - What we need to do: 1. Pique interest of pertinent people 2. And Promote understanding of gifted 3. In order to Pass local rules and state legislation 4. To Provide the appropriate educational services

22. The “W’s” • What are we trying to accomplish? • Who are our key supporters, allies, decision-makers? • When does decision-making happen? • Where does the action take place

23. How R.I.A.G.E. Helps Your Children Reach Their Potential • Information • Networking • Advocacy

24. In addition, members receive: • An Assortment of Helpful Handouts • Conference and Activity Discounts • R.I.A.G.E. Voting Privileges

25. This presentation was inspired by a similar one, created by the following members of the 2003/2004 MAGE Board of Directors: Judy Platt President Mark Andersen Chairperson Diana Reeves Recording Secretary Susan Dulong Langley Vice-President www.massgifted.org And adapted by the following members of RIAGE:Carolyn Rosenthal Jean PettengillJean Sahakian Mary Coddwww.riage.org