GIFTED EDUCATION:Underachievement

Susan Cohoon – Iowa, U.S.A.

Myths/Truths --- “Dirty” Little Secret

At-Risk

Drop-Outs----Behavior Issues

Acceleration

Can you tell which of these students are gifted?

Myth

• Global giftedness –general intellectual power across the board.

• Gifted in one academic area

• Learning disabled in another

Truth

• Children with exceptional ability in art = simply talented.

• Artistically or athletically gifted children = not really that different from academically giftedMyth

Truth

Myths Truths

Giftedness –• high IQ

• “made” by overzealous parents

• glowing with psychological health

• Little evidence giftedness in nonacademic areas requires exceptional IQ

• Parents highly involved• Face ridicule, taunts,

socially isolate and unhappy

More Myths

• Giftedness is inborn

• All children are gifted

• Gifted children become prominent adults

• Environment • powerful influence on

development of gifts

• Gifted children • special needs

• Very few gifted become prominent adult creators.

Winner, 1996

MoreTruths

Education’s Dirty Secret

• Gifted education is often haphazard, ineffective, and under funded.

Strip & Hirsch, 2000; Davidson & Davidson, 2004Colangelo, Asuline, & Gross, 2004

Testing Issues• Can put child under stress

• Scores affected by environment

• Tests administered by psychologist • more reliable than group tests.

Rimm, 1995

• TEST BIASES• Favor those fluent

in English• Exclude minorities

• Lower socio-economic

• Recent immigrants

• ELL students

Strip and Hirsh, 2000

Education systems rarely provides what gifted students need:

Davidson & Davidson, 2004

•Work that challenges to extent of abilities

•in environment with other kids who love to learn

•Advanced academic curriculum to abilities

•Opportunity to explore topics in depth

•surrounded by academic peers.

Some uncomfortable being called “gifted”

Rimm, 2006

UNDERACHIEVEMENT• Belief only perfection can

rescue damaged self • interferes with performance

• All-or-nothing thinking• unrealistic goal setting (Rathvon, 1996)

• Avoid competition • miss important skills(Rimm, 1995)

UnderachievementSyndrome• Feeds on itself

• Grows until something or someone intervenes

• Classroom• Rarely pay attention• Little or no studying• Do not do homework or complete assignments (Rimm, 1995)

• Counterproductive classroom behavior (Rathvon, 1996)

• Goals too high /too low, guaranteeing failure

• deny opportunity to build confidence

• refuse to risk failure

(Rimm, 2006)

•Disorganization•Lack of personal control over educational success

Behavior Problems

Ruf, 2005

Mental Stimulation

• Kept with age peers • wait for others to catch up• stunt growth in order not to appear different. • fail to develop discipline and confidence that comes

from being challenged to the extent of abilities.

• Stunting the growth of gifted children • limits ability of society to make great leaps in art & science

• True social justice • providing education that challenges all students to extent

of abilities

(Davidson & Davidson, 2004)

Iowa Acceleration Scale

• Is grade acceleration appropriate.• Single subject

acceleration or mentorship

Acceleration –the Best Alternative

• GED or state standardized tests • taken at early ages to go to college

Davidson & Davidson, 2004

• Acceleration levels playing field of opportunity

•cost to the family or school minimal

Colangelo, Assouline, Gross, 2004

Types of Acceleration• Early admission

• Kindergarten, First Grade• Middle School, High School• College

• Grade skipping• Subject matter or partial

acceleration• Curriculum Compacting• Dual enrollment• Correspondence

Classes• Advanced Placement

(Rimm, 1995)

Educational Plan?

• With well thought-out written plan• gifted child with advance development in one or

more areas receive consistent curriculum and school instruction

• geared to academic ability and potential

• Without an appropriate educational plan• gifted children often lose excitement for learning

(Rogers, 2002)

• For every year a highly gifted child is left in regular, un-enriched classrooms, a year is lost of what the intellectual capabilities could have been

• (Davidson & Davidson, 2004)

• Students must be encouraged to exercise their minds to the best of their abilities

• Rimm, 1995

Sources• Colangelo, N., Asuline, S.G., & Gross, M.U.M. (2004). A

nation deceived: How schools hold back America's brightest students. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press.

• Davidson, J., & Davidson, B. with Vanderkam, L. (2004). Genius denied. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

• Rimm, S.B. (1995). Why bright kids get poor grades: And what you can do about it. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press.

• Rimm, S.B. (2006). When gifted students underachieve: What you can co about it. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

• Rogers, K.B. (2002). Re-forming gifted education: Matching the program to the child.. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press, Inc..

• Ruf, D.L. (2005). Losing our mind: Gifted children left behind. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press, Inc..

• Strip, C.A., & Hirsch, G. (2000). Helping gifted children soar. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press, Inc.

• Winner, E. (1996). Gifted children: Myths and realities. New York, NY: Basic Books.