GIFTEDNESS AS AN EXCEPTIONALITY Julia Peterson Crestline Elementary School petersonj@mtnbrook.k12.al.us

1. GIFTEDNESS AS AN EXCEPTIONALITY Julia Peterson Crestline Elementary School petersonj@mtnbrook.k12.al.us

2. EXCEPTIONALITY • Deviating from the norm • a: having above or below average intelligence • b: physically disabled

3. Definitions of Gifted

4. LEWIS TERMAN Gifted individuals are those who score in the upper 2-3% on intelligence tests

5. ROBERT STERNBERG Giftedness is a kind of mental self management: adapting to environments, selecting new environments, and shaping environments. Sometimes people refer to his definition as “street smartness”

6. JOSEPH RENZULLI

7. BARBARA CLARK Giftedness is a list of specific behaviors broken into characteristics in five major headings: Cognitive (thinking) Affective (feeling), Physical, (activity) Intuitive and Societal (creativity and metaphysical). GROWING UP GIFTED (1988)

8. HOWARD GARDNER Gardner proposed seven intelligences, each chosen because it represents a culturally valuable and relatively autonomous set of problem-solving skills, and each having an identifiable basis within the human brain and nervous system. He then argued that there is a particular type of giftedness associated with each form of intelligence.

9. ALABAMA Gifted students are those who perform at high levels in academic or creative fields when compared to others of their age, experience, or environment. These students require services not ordinarily provided by the regular school program. Students possessing these abilities can be found in all populations, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.

10. FEDERAL Students, children or youth who give evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require Services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities. 1994 Jacob K Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act of 1988

11. DABROWSKI THEORY OF OVEREXCITABILITIESSharon LindKey to Recognizing and Understanding the Gifted

12. The Overexcitabilities • Psychomotor • Sensual • Intellectual • Imaginational • Emotional

13. PSYCHOMOTOR

14. PSYCHOMOTOROVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened excitability of the neuromuscular system • Capacity for being active and energetic • Love of movement for its own sake • Organic surplus of energy • Psychomotor expression of emotional tension

15. Translation! Students may… • Like a lot of movement and activity • Sleep less than others • Talk quickly and use lots of gestures • Be impulsive

16. When upset students may show their tension through… • Nervous ticks • Increased competitiveness • Organizing their environment

17. SENSUAL

18. SENSUAL OVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened experience of sensual pleasure or displeasure • Sensual expression and outlets for emotional tension • Appreciation for aesthetic pleasures

19. Translation! Students may… • Dislike labels in your clothing • Love “good” smells, textures, tastes • Can’t stand “bad” smells, textures, tastes • Be sensitive to bright lights and harsh sounds • Love to be the center of attention

20. When upset students may show their tension by… • Overindulging • Seeking out comfort and/or luxury

21. INTELLECTUAL

22. INTELLECTUAL OVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened need to seek understanding and truth • Intensified activity of the mind • Penchant for probing questions; Problem solving • Preoccupation with logic, theoretical thinking and development of new concepts

23. Translation! Students may… • Love to be logical • Enjoy brain teasers and puzzles • Like to figure things out, especially if it’s complicated • Seek out truth and knowledge • Be very observant • Have trouble falling asleep at night because their minds are racing

24. When upset students may show their tension by… • Analyzing things “to death”

25. IMAGINATIONAL

26. IMAGINATIONAL OVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened play of the imagination • Rich association of images and impressions • Spontaneous imagery as an expression of emotional tension • Capacity for living in a world of fantasy

27. Translation! Students may… • Be called a dreamer • Be creative • Love metaphors • Think in pictures • “Believe” in magic • Remember their vivid dreams

28. When upset students may show their tension through… • “Tuning out” or disappearing into a fantasy world • An overwhelming fear of the unknown

29. EMOTIONAL

30. EMOTIONAL OVEREXCITABILITY • Heightened, intense positive and negative feelings • Somatic expressions • Strong affective expressions • Capacity for deep relationships • Well differentiated feelings toward self

31. Translation! Students may… • Have extreme emotions • Have a broad range of emotions • Understand and be sensitive to others’ feelings • Be compassionate and caring • Form strong attachments to others • Experience difficulty adjusting to new environments • Be “in tune” with yourself

32. When upset students may show their tension by… • Get physically ill • Becoming depressed and/or anxious • Feeling overly responsible for things that are out of your control • Being highly self-critical

33. REFERENCES: • Sharon Lind: “Gifted, ADHD? Supersensitive? All of the above?” • Stephanie Tolan: “Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities – A Layman’s Explanation” • Cheryl Ackerman: “The Theoretical Underpinnings of Overexcitabilities and the Link to Giftedness”

34. GIFTED? HIGH ACHIEVER? CREATIVE?

35. CompareHigh Achiever Gifted Creative

36. High Achiever Gifted Creative

37. High Achiever Gifted Creative

38. High Achiever Gifted Creative

39. High Achiever Gifted Creative

40. High Achiever, Gifted, Creative

41. High Achiever, Gifted, Creative

42. IQ and Educational Needs

43. IQ and Educational Needs • Average – 100 • 68% between 85-115 – standard curriculum • 13% - 84-70 and 116-130 – modified • 2.14%- 69-55 and 131-145 – individualized curriculum • .13% - <55 and 146-160 – individualized accommodations • One out of 30,000 is 4 SD above – exceptional educational accommodations

44. Policies and Practices • 20 cents of every dollar funds special education • A fraction of a penny of every dollar funds gifted education • Alabama mandates a program and has just begun to give fractions of pennies to gifted education.

45. CURRICULUM DIFFERENTIATION FOR GIFTED • CONTENT • PROCESS • PRODUCT • ENVIRONMENT

46. CONTENT • More abstract – concepts, generalizations • Complexity– inter-relationships • Variety– expand beyond regular material • Study of People – reactions to opportunities and problems • Study of Methods of Inquiry – procedures by experts in the field

47. PROCESS • Higher level of thinking - Bloom’s higher levels • Creative thinking – imagination, brainstorm • Open-ended – no right or wrong answer • Group interaction – competition, discussion, team work • Variable pacing – lower Blooms quickly • Variety of learning process - Learning styles • Debriefing – giving reasons or conclusion to a problem of question • Freedom of choice – topics, • methods, products and environments

48. PRODUCT • Real problems – relevant to student • Real audiences – another student, a teacher, an assembly, a mentor, a community of specific interest group • Real deadlines – time management and planning • Transformations – using information instead of repeating • Appropriate evaluation– self and audience with real world criteria

49. ENVIRONMENT • Student centered – student interest, input, ideas instead of teacher • Encourages independence – tolerating and encouraging initiative • Open – new people, materials, ideas non academic and interdisciplinary connection • Accepting – others ideas opinions before evaluating them • Complex – variety or resources, media, ideas, methods and tasks • Highly mobile – groups, desk settings, classrooms and schools

50. Compacting Tiered Assignments Independent Studies Grade Acceleration Advanced Classes Cluster Grouping Differentiation Strategies