Chapter 13 Giftedness and Talent

Defining Giftedness and Talent Federal Definition Compared to children of their own age the child: Exhibits high performance capability Demonstrates outstanding intellectual, creative, leadership, and/or artistic achievement Excels in a specific academic field

Other Key Contemporary and Complementary Definitions Renzulli’s Three-Trait definition: Above-average general intellectual abilities High level of task commitment Creativity Piirto’s Concept of Talent Development: A foundation of genetic endowment Personality attributes Intelligence Talent in a specific domain Environmental influences Maker’s Problem-Solving Perspective: High intelligence High creativity Excellent problem-solving skills

Characteristics The ability to rapidly acquire, retain, and use large amounts of information The ability to relate one idea to another The ability to make sound judgments The ability to perceive the operation of larger systems of knowledge that may not be recognized by the typical person The ability to acquire and manipulate abstract symbol systems The ability to solve problems by reframing the question and creating novel solutions

Characteristics Intense intellectual curiosity Fascination with words and ideas Perfectionism Need for precision Learning in great intuitive leaps Intense need for mental stimulation Difficulty conforming to the thinking of others Early moral and existential concern Tendency toward introversion

Prevalence and Identification Gifted and talented children are found across gender, cultural, linguistic, and disability groups Gifted and talented children comprise about 5% of the school-age population Identification and Assessment Multi-factored assessment: IQ tests and achievement tests Portfolios Teacher, parent, self, and peer nomination Extracurricular or leisure activities

Curriculum and Instruction Curriculum for gifted students: Should be based on the fullest possible development of every child’s actual and potential abilities Feelings of self-worth, self-sufficiency, civic responsibility, and vocational and avocational competence. Differentiating the Curriculum Acceleration: Modifying the pace at which the student moves through the curriculum Enrichment: Investigating a topic of interest in greater detail

Curriculum and Instruction (cont.) Other Methods for Differentiating Curriculum and Instruction Curriculum compacting: Compressing instructional content Tiered lessons: Different extensions of the same basic lesson for groups of students with differing abilities Bloom’s Taxonomy: Asking questions that require students to demonstrate different types of knowledge about a given topic Curriculum differentiation outside the classroom Internships and mentor programs Special courses Junior great books Summer programs International experiences

Three Curriculum Models for Gifted Education School-wide enrichment model An umbrella under which many different types of enrichment services are made available Maker’s active problem-solver model Role of the teacher is to facilitate high achievement by making curriculum modifications Problem-based learning Students work cooperatively in groups to seek solutions to real-world problems

Educational Placement Alternatives Special schools and self-contained classrooms The primary advantage is that all curriculum and instruction could be focused on the needs of high-ability students Programs for gifted students often must deal with stigma of being viewed as elitist Resource room or pullout programs Still need to differentiate the curriculum when they are in regular classrooms Regular classroom A teacher with special training may work with the regular classroom teacher Many schools do not have a specialist, and the regular classroom teacher is responsible for differentiating the curriculum

Educational Placement Alternatives Ability grouping XYZ Grouping or tracking - places students into different levels of curriculum requirements or offerings according to high, middle, and low ability based on test scores or other indicators of performance Within-class grouping - teachers group students within the same heterogeneous class for instruction according to their achievement Cross-grade grouping - ability-grouped class assignments, ability group for selected subjects, non-graded plans, and special classes