Advanced Learning DepartmentWinter Information Session:

Supporting the Social and Emotional Needs of Advanced/Gifted Learners

Sam Nadolsky - Coordinator

Sasha Albrecht - ATW Counselor

Meghan Markham - LB Counselor

Julie Wells - SIS Counselor

Scott Brown - SHS Counselor

Tim Joynt - Director of C&I

Agenda

I. Introductions and Dept. MissionII. Background on Giftedness and SEL

III. PresentationsA. PerfectionismB. Stress/anxietyC. Resilience/Perseverance

IV. What is the District Doing? V. What can Parents Do?

The Advanced Learning Program is an important facet of our larger mission, which is to provide the best educational experience for all students.

We Believe:

Appropriate programming for advanced learners is a responsibility shared by school and family

➠We will provide a full continuum of services such as enrichment activities, clubs & competitions, & acceleration to meet the needs of advanced learners.

Identification of advanced learner needs and ongoing support is essential for academic growth.

➠We will use quantitative and qualitative data to equitably identify advanced learners from diverse populations.

Advanced learners require differentiated opportunities for growth & challenge within the classroom

➠We will provide our teachers with the necessary support to meet the needs of advanced learners.

Background

Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Presentation:

https://cty.jhu.edu/talent/docs/Webinar%20Presentions/2015Psychosocial2Webinar.pdf

Perfectionism “All perfectionism is not bad. Setting personal standards and pursuing excellence is important and healthy in many life situations. However, perfectionism can become unhealthy when it causes stress, pain, illness, procrastination, and underachievement. While

not inclusive, some causes of perfectionism include a desire to please others, early successes and no failures at a young age, and difficulty setting realistic goals.” (https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-parents/social-emotional-issues/perfectionism)

• Healthy vs. unhealthy• Tips for parents:

– Watch for signs of unhealthy perfectionism– Model healthy perfectionism & be self-aware – Emphasize effort & process, not end result– Do not withhold affection if goals not met– Focus on positive self-talk– Set personalized goals

Stress/AnxietyEveryone experiences anxiety/stress throughout their life. When anxiety becomes so strong that it negatively impacts a child’s life (sleeping, eating, socializing, getting school work completed), the child needs support .

Students who are gifted might have a unique source of anxiety: ● Social coping, where gifted children feel different, leading to their experience of social rejection.

● “Big-Fish-Little-Pond (BFLP) Effect,” which refers to the deflated self-concept gifted children might feel when moving from a mixed ability to similar ability programming.

● “Hitting the wall,” the first encounter gifted children have that requires they put forth more effort than in the past

● The concept itself of “giftedness” - being different from peers

● The stress/expectations from peers to always get the answer right, do all the work https://www.nagc.org/blog/management-anxiety-begins-home

Stress/Anxiety and How to Copehttps://gozen.com/9-things-every-parent-with-an-anxious-child-should-try/

1) Stop reassuring your childInstead empathize, evaluate, and let go of the worry

2) Highlight why worrying is goodIt is normal, it protects us

3) Bring the worry to life (don’t ignore it)4) Teach your child to be a “thought detective”

Catch your thoughts, collect evidence (is it true?), challenge your thoughts

5) Allow them to worry- set a timer if needed6) Help them go from “what if” to “what is”7) Avoid avoiding everything that causes anxiety8) Help them work through a checklist

What to do in an anxious moment

9) Practice self-compassion

Resilience and Perseverance • Students may quit programming or not sign-up because they

fear failure or see end goal as unachievable. – Reinforce practice/growth mindset– Discuss realistic expectations

• Students may not try because the task’s expectations are too low. – Recognize social pressures– Set clear and consistent expectations and boundaries– Work to address roots of anxiety

• Finding the right level of difficulty• Balancing intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivators• Balancing work within talent area vs. other areas

What are we doing to support this?

• Reexamining Structural Components of Acceleration Program • Small Counseling Groups (SEL Groups)

What can parents do?

• Foster interests, letting them be the guide without pressure• Helping manage time realistically • Be cognizant of how you respond to grades/tests that come

home - focus on how hard they worked not results. • Develop opportunities for students to interact with intellectual

peers. • Home Connection

– Participation in things where they aren’t necessarily the highest achieving in that group

– Interacting with general population

• Communicating to Teachers

SEL Small Counseling Groups

Why: School counselors recognize that all students have academic, social, and emotional needs. Students who participate in an advanced learning program might have unique and diverse needs that can be supported through small group or individual counseling, along with building connections for the student and their stakeholders.

What: Counselors are meeting quarterly with accelerated math students by grade level and offering individual check-ins if needed

Reading List

• Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope with Explosive Feelings by Christine Fonseca

• A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children by James T. Webb

Social-Emotional Attributes and Potential Problems (Hebert,2011)

Attribute Potential Problems When Attribute is Not Supported or Developed

High Performance Standards Unhealthy PerfectionismSevere ProcrastinationSignificant Mood Swings

Internal Motivation AnxietyPoor Resilience

Emotional Intensity Easily emotionally hurt by othersOverly self-critical

Empathy Can trigger emotional intensity

Moral Maturity Rigid sense of justiceDifficulties with peer interactions

Self-actualization Existential depression at a very young age

Resiliency Poor resources to combat anxiety and/or emotional distress

Future AL Parent Information Sessions?

➢ January 14th (6:00 pm)○ Social Emotional Learning for Advanced Learners

➢ April 15th (6:00 pm)○ Parent networking about resources for Advanced Learners