Social Development, Moral Development, and Global Concerns

1. Social Development, Moral Development, and Global Concerns Hunter Hanson July 19, 2010

2. Three Truths and a Lie

3. Social Acceptance • A gifted child’s social acceptance is impacted by their age, school environment, and the extent of their giftedness. • In elementary school, gifted children are usually popular until about age 13. • Students with very high intelligence who have not been accelerated through school often have trouble finding true peers. (Rimm, 2002)

4. Social Acceptance • These students find themselves continuously monitoring their social behavior to meet the expectations of their classmates. • In an attempt to be accepted by peers, gifted students will withdraw from debate, computer clubs and honors classes. • Some gifted students are able to find social acceptance with ease because of their good looks or athletic ability. (Rimm, 2002)

5. Social Struggles for the Gifted • Those who have high intellect may be so afraid of sounding stupid that they have difficulty initiating or sustaining conversations. • Gifted students may have trouble giving and receiving compliments. They do not want to appear arrogant or they feel unworthy of the compliments they receive. (Peterson, 2008)

6. Coping Strategies • There are five social coping strategies: • Denial of giftedness • Emphasis on popularity • Peer acceptance • Social interaction • Hiding giftedness (Rimm, 2002)

7. Assisting Gifted Students • Maintaining a positive family environment • Supporting the talent • Keeping a long term focus • Gifted classes (Rimm, 2002)

8. Moral Development “A moral person is someone who acts in a way that is calculated to further the interests of the other people involved, and/or to choose to take on such guiding principles to action as being honest with people, respecting them and so on. Morality is choosing to behave in appropriate ways towards others.” -Paul Jewell

9. Kollberg’s Stages of Moral Development • Pre-conventional Level • Stage 1 – The Stage of Punishment and Obedience • Stage 2 – The Stage of Individual Instrumental Purpose and Exchange • Conventional Level • Stage 3 – The Stage of Mutual Interpersonal Expectations, Relationships, and Conformity • Stage 4 – The Stage of Social System and Conscience Maintenance • Post-conventional and Principled Level • The Stage of Prior Rights and Social Contract or Utility • The Stage of Universal Ethical Principles (Jewell, 1999)

10. Moral Development • Only 10% of all individuals reach the last two stages of moral development. • Most gifted students reach these top two levels unless their environment has hindered their growth. (Jewell, 1999)

11. Moral Development and Global Concerns • Gifted students have the potential to become tomorrow's world leaders with a strong grasp of the ethics and morality of issues related to global politics, economics, health, religions, and the environment. • If gifted students are provided with an appropriately challenging and respectful global curriculum, we can help them prepare to do good works with global impact. (Gibson, 2009)

12. References • Jewell, Paul. "MEASURING MORAL DEVELOPMENT: FEELING, THINKING, AND DOING." The New Zealand Journal of Gifted Education 13.1 (1999). Web. • Gibson, Kay L., and Marjorie Landwehr-Brown. Morality, Ethics, and Gifted Minds. N.p.: Springer US, n.d. 1-12. Web. 19 July 2010. • Neihart, Maureen, Sally M. Reis, Nancy M. Robinson, and Sidney M. Moon. The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children. Waco, Texas: The National Association for Gifted Children, 2002. 13-18. Print. • Peterson, Jean S. The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teens. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, 2008. 113-16. Print.