Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy List of tips to schools to help gifted students

Before this coming school year, I want to start a list of tips for schools to help gifted students.

The tips are meant to keep the gifted children as happy as possible and to not feel traumatized (sorry, if it is too strong a word) by being in regular classes or regular school environments.

The intention is to find a best way to inform schools of the differences that gifted adults have noticed, that schools or other parents might not be noticing, and to make the schools user friendly for everyone regardless of IQ and at the same time understanding any differences (allergies, over-sensitivities, quirks, ticks, speech problems, poor eye-sight, whatever is going on to make that high IQ child have a different experience than considered the norm (also the same list that gets these children picked on)).

Maybe it could be thought of as a Bill of Rights and it might end up helping all students. Although, since the powers that be consider the gifted brain to not be the norm, I am assuming that the way they have always set up schools is geared for the masses, the large group in the middle in the average range which depending on stats might be 89 to 119.

To be clear, the schools seem to be considering gifted at 130+.

We would like to see if maybe this generation of gifted students could be spared the bad feelings they might have about the way they are treated in school.

A positive change might have a rewarding positive impact. We want all people to be happy and reach their full potential.

When I talk to gifted people who are in their later years, they might not have even realized what their potential was and / or they had parents (perhaps immigrants new to the USA) who stopped them (in their opinion) from reaching their full potential.

I would like to see schools take the issue of the high IQ students seriously from pre-K through the end of 12th grade. We need some support. It is very uncomfortable advocating parent to school district and I am not sure it is working.

A detailed list might help for future conversations - parent to school. Thank you for any tips or pointers to make the list.

I've seen a ton of resources along these lines from professional development for teachers to books to bullet lists. Differentiation is very buzzy right now; if it is in the mind of your district things can be much easier. Acceleration is mapped out and sold pretty clearly in "A Nation Deceived."

One concept I've rarely seen emphasized and that may be one of the biggest key differences between the typical student population, high achievers, and the intellectually gifted:
Extrapolation - Less is often more as a gifted learner will typically connect A to C without being told about B. If they make that connection themselves, they'll learn it deeper and better and may even bring fresh insights to the table and figure out D and E as well. Iterating on A, B, C will serve them far less well.

My tips:



1. Don't assume that "high potential" = "high achievement."

2. Also don't assume that "gifted" = autodidactic. This is as silly as assuming that a Subaru needs a skilled driver and that a Ferrari does not. Some highly gifted children DO still need mentoring, teaching, and guiding.

3. The largest educational difference between highly gifted children and more neurotypical children is the RATE at which they learn-- not the LEVEL at which it is occurring. This leads to problems in placement that are rarely remedied by a single placement decision, no matter how sound/good-- unless that placement is with true peers (similar in BOTH age and ability).

4. For industrious and energetic bright youngsters, differentiation via more work than classmates MIGHT be appropriate-- but it is rarely so for truly gifted children, and the higher the level of cognitive ability, the LESS appropriate it is to add repetition. Think of it this way-- if you took a group of adults at random- just picked 40 people who happen to be 30-32 years of age, I mean-- and then signed up the entire cohort for 6 months of, say... Driver's Education or something. What would that look like? Would the expert drivers be bored? Oh, you BET they would. What would you do as they raced through the material that the non-drivers were still LEARNING? Give them MORE exposure to the same topics and concepts? Right-- that's how most classroom differentiation is supposed to work. It's fine-- for people who are, in fact, LEARNING the material. Not-so-fine for those who truly have mastery of it. For then, piling on MORE worksheets, adding multimedia presentations, art projects, etc. etc. without any new CONTENT in those assignments? It's just irritating as all get out. Gifted children have the same problem.

5. If you give gifted children space to be themselves-- they will make everyone's educational experience richer and more meaningful. Their insights will be atypical and fresh. Let that happen in a classroom-- really, it's a force for good in the framework of inquiry-based learning.

In-class differentiation is a false utopian myth, in most cases. It is far more effective to group school children by ability in separate classrooms, and teach to each group's level.

That said, you may not know everyone's true ability level (e.g. entering kindergarten, if if tested). School's need to figure out how to create an environment where a child can reach their potential, even if they're not sure what their potential is.

One tip may be to highlight that although teachers may not have learned about gifted children while obtaining their degree(s) in college/university, there is a wealth of information available for them to read and digest. Starting places may include articles on the Davidson Database, lists of books on Hoagies Gifted Education Page, the Davidson Educators' Guild, and publishers such as Great Potential Press, Prufrock Press, free spirit publishing, and Gifted Education Press.

Another tip may come from the book, The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teens by Jean Sunde Peterson which at one points asks potential teachers or leaders a question along the lines of: Can you avoid feeling competitive toward gifted children?

Another tip may be to realize that children may develop asynchronously, and to teach a child at his/her level of readiness and ability in each area. (Do not hold a child back in an area of talent due to a lesser degree of readiness/ability in another area.)

Another tip may be to understand that if a child is "bored" this is not a statement against you, personally, and does not call for retaliation. Rather, the child may be treading water while waiting for other children to catch up. The child may prefer to have the mental stimulation of learning something new. This is not an opportunity to shame the child or lecture him/her about the value of patience, but rather an opportunity to present new material so the child may continue learning in the topic/subject at hand.

Another tip may be that assigning gifted kids as tutors for other children is rarely an appropriate educational strategy and may both deprive the gifted child from learning new material in the topic/subject at hand and may also set the stage for negative social consequences. Voluntary opportunities to peer tutor are great, however use of class time for learning new material in the topic/subject at hand is essential.

Another tip may be to encourage asking questions, so that admitting what one does not know and asking for help are seen as admirable qualities, essential for learning, and are rewarded. (Do not belittle a gifted child with statements such as, "You're so smart, you should know that!")

Another tip may be that the gifted children in your class are not subjects on which to perform research, studies, and experiments as you work on your higher degree. Please respect the privacy and the personhood of each student and do not treat them as objects as you work to advance your own position. While a child may be one of thousands in your classes over the span of a career, their names and faces long forgotten after a decade or more, to the child this is their life unfolding and experiences will tend to be remembered.

Another tip may be to listen to and partner with parents. Flexibility and a sense of each learning from the other may be key to successful team work with a child, toward instilling in the child a sense of pride, confidence, and ownership of their education (internal locus of control). In working with parents and/or with gifted children who self-advocate, teachers have the ability to role model teamwork for children.

Another tip may be to realize that giftedness and opportunity, while related, are two different things. (The thread on myths and realities of giftedness can be read and interpreted as more tips.) We strive to create opportunity for positive growth and achievement of all, including the gifted.

Another tip may be to anticipate and accept that gifted kiddos will tend to keep teachers/schools/districts and others with whom they come in contact on your toes; this is not a bad thing.

Many gifted kids have more aware of the subtleties in your voice and actions than you think possible - they will know when you feel threatened by them and/or are intimidated by them and will pick up on the slight differences in the way you treat them, which will turn them off from you and your class.

Remember that the parents of gifted kids are not "that parent" who think that their child is amazing and has nothing to back it up with. Along with this listen to what they are saying so that you can actually understand the child in your class rather than just nodding and saying "oh, I've had loads of gifted kids before I know all about them."

Don't be afraid to ask the child if his/her needs are being met and if not how things need to change to make the situation better.

"Differentiated instruction" has been promoted so strongly that it may be best to pay it lip service. Even if you divide 60 children in a grade into three ability groups for reading and math, there will still be variations in ability and background within the 20-student classes. So let teachers "differentiate" as best they can, but make their jobs by reducing the range they need to deal with. After all, even believers in differentiation don't take 300 children in grades 1-5 and assign each teacher 4 children in each grade (for a total of 4*5 = 20 per class).

In short, ability grouping and differentiated instruction can be viewed as complementary.

The real problem is when in-class differentiation is seen as a complete solution that precludes any need for ability grouping, acceleration, etcetera. That's the false utopian myth.

Exactly, Bostonian and 22B.

Synthesis of those ideas brings me to this tip:

* don't view acceleration, differentiation, or enrichment as "or" items-- but as "and/or" ones. Different children may need radically different strategies, and even the same child might need a different mixture of those things for different subjects, or for different points along their developmental arc.

I also thought of another one:

* Because gifted children are not "like children ___ years older" than themselves, nor are they like children their own ages, they are following an idiosyncratic arc of development-- NO single strategy is likely to work perfectly-- or, in some instances, for long-- but sometimes the goal is to improve the child's circumstances, not to "perfect" them.

Just because a gifted student is placed in the highest level group in their class (or even for their grade) doesn't mean that level is high enough for that student.

I agree with what everyone has said about differentiation - it doesn't truly exist for most of us and what little the teachers might do is not nearly enough. It is not the be all-end all solution. The same goes for gifted pull-outs. A gifted child is gifted all day, every day not just when they are allowed to do differentiated work or during their pull out.

I also agree with the statements that gifted students differ from the other student population in that they pick up on concepts quicker and they don't need to be subjected to mundane repetition.

I like this one from HK -


You can't spot a gifted child by their ambition to please and great grades. They might not be the student considered "teacher's pet". They are not going to always be the ones with straight A's that turn their work in on time and then ask what else they can do. They are not always the ones with their hand in the air trying to get picked to give the answer. Basically, what most typical public school teachers think they know about being gifted and what they think a gifted student looks like is probably completely wrong. I bet they could spot an advanced student easy enough, but not a truly gifted student. With all that said, one last tip I would have would be to educate your educators!!!!! When a person is going to school to be a teacher, whatever meager (if any) training on gifted students and gifted education they receive is not adequate.

There are so many good suggestions, I'm not sure I can make any new ones. I particularly like from HowlerKarma & indigo.

-- Don't assume that "high potential" = "high achievement."

-- If a child is "bored" this is not a statement against you, personally, and does not call for retaliation.

-- For industrious and energetic bright youngsters, differentiation via more work than classmates MIGHT be appropriate-- but it is rarely so for truly gifted children, and the higher the level of cognitive ability, the LESS appropriate it is to add repetition.

-- Another tip may be to realize that children may develop asynchronously, and to teach a child at his/her level of readiness and ability in each area.

And a book might be a perfectly fine book to read, answer questions about, analyze and enjoy for every single kid in the class. But for a gifted kid it might be an hour or two worth of work and for the rest of the class it is a huge 3 week novel study. My son considers these "novels" fine to read but more like a short story to him. (Example...Stone Fox)

How true. While requisite formal education may be lacking, there is an abundance of material which could serve as curriculum.

Starting places may include articles on the Davidson Database, lists of books on Hoagies Gifted Education Page, the Davidson Educators' Guild, and publishers such as Great Potential Press, Prufrock Press, free spirit publishing, and Gifted Education Press.

The problem with this is that schools will group by performance not ability and often by the weakest skill. So your gifted child could still end up in the wrong class due to not writing fast enough to complete the test or not being good at creative writing or group work. I would prefer they grouped by subject and need rather than the results of one test as often happened when I was a kid.

Agreed! Kiddos can easily have different readiness/ability in different areas.

Flexible cluster grouping by readiness and ability, in each subject area, across grade levels, and without regard to chronological age, may make it logistically easier for educators to teach, while learners benefit from receiving an appropriate challenge with their peers.

Results from tests such as MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) could be utilized as a datapoint in creating flexible cluster groups.

Within each flexible cluster grouping, differentiation may be effective.

Lots of thoughts about differentiation on this thread... reminded me of this old post. To express this information in the format of tips for schools:

Another tip may be to describe plainly, with transparency and accountability, what a child will receive in terms of gifted programming, content, and delivery. When describing "gifted programming", do not attempt to mask any lack of an appropriate level of teaching, curriculum, or services by using buzzwords. To manage expectations, openly provide details such as Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How (the 5Ws).

Another tip may be: Don't be surprised if few gifted students are pleased with receiving differentiated task demands rather than instruction with more depth/breadth and/or at an accelerated/compacted pace, grouped with intellectual/academic peers.

There will never be a perfect way to assess ability, although there is room for improvement.

But it is so important to do this.

YES!!!!

This; so, so much.

Or not. Also allow for the kid who has highly developed literary taste and sensitivity, and disagrees with the teacher's opinions and choices.

Oh MegMeg...when I was a kid I wouldn't read a book about an animal before turning to the last page to see if said animal had been killed off or not. If the author killed the animal, I put the book down and found something else to read.

I looked through Newberry and Caldecott winners a couple years ago, and decided that they tend to be books that adults think kids should like, rather than books that kids themselves like.

But either way, I don't get the need to kill the dog.

Reminds me, many gifted kids have an impeccable (to a fault) sense of honesty. Ask fair questions that don't stress them into deciding between not meeting a requirement and being dishonest.

If they did a math problem in their head, they have no work to show. They will show no work. Ask a better question, or accept the honest answer.

Don't ask for a favorite sport player, historical figure, or character from a book. This strikes at both the honesty and their million shades of grey view of the world.

Don't ask what they liked about a book with the assumption they liked anything.

Etc.

Great post, Zen! Thinking along the same lines, another tip may be: Don't require students to create a list of new vocabulary words from an assigned book, if in fact none of the words were new or unfamiliar to that student. Requiring falsification of a list in order to gain the points awarded for turning in the assignment teaches, rewards, and pressures our students to be dishonest and to disavow their accumulated knowledge and expertise. This process role models manipulation and is not what we'd like our children to learn in school.

Well, you just added to my library queue, anyway. :-)

for teachers:

Just because a kid can't/won't show their work or explain their work for math doesn't mean they don't understand the concept. The students that do everything in their head are probably your most gifted students, even if they make careless errors in the process.

If a child wants to read an advanced book and is enjoying the book, let them. Don't hold them back to an arbitrary standard/level that some "literacy expert" has decided is appropriate for that age or grade level.

Recognize that a gifted child may be very advanced in some subjects but not others. Teach them at an appropriate level for each subject.

If a student earns a very high score on a standardized reading or math achievement test, accept the score. Don't argue that they must not really understand those concepts, be at that level, or maybe they are just good at guessing. If a test has proven to not be valid/reliable, stop wasting everyone's time with the test.

If a parent tells you their child needs more advanced work,don't assume that the parent is over-estimating the abilities of their child or "pushing" the child to perform above their cognitive ability. If a child is incapable of understanding/learning the material, then they wouldn't be performing at an advanced level. Children should be given material that makes them progress and continue to learn, even if it is beyond what is expected for their age.

The goal of school should be to teach every child. Not have every child gain a certain level of mastery as defined by the state or federal government, or the school district. Creative strategies need to be employed to ensure that each child is making progress. Do not attempt to fit the square pegs into the round holes.