Social/Emotional/Affective Needs Please be willing to deal with
the emotional lives of your students, not just their intellectual
needs. Actually, working with students affective needs may be (in
the words of one teacher) the best thing we can do for them.
Slide 3
Study Skills Websites that focus on study skills: studygs.net
howtostudy.org
Slide 4
Supporting Gifted Kids One-on-One, Small Groups or Adapted for
Large Groups Use Questionnaires and Surveys Use Journaling Use
Bibliotherapy Schedule Weekly Conferences Use Growth Contracts Form
Peer Alliances Recommend that students be Referred to
counseling
Slide 5
Student Inventory The purpose of the questionnaire is twofold:
1. It will give you a reading on how your students feel about
themselves and others, on what they think being gifted and being in
a gifted class means, and how seriously affected they are by
problems known to surface among gifted students. 2. It will
stimulate kids to think about these conflicts, their areas of
strength and need, and their feelings.
Slide 6
Supporting Gifted Kids One-on-One, Small Groups or Adapted for
Large Groups Use Questionnaires and Surveys Use Journaling Use
Bibliotherapy Schedule Weekly Conferences Use Growth Contracts Form
Peer Alliances Recommend that students be Referred to
counseling
Slide 7
Questions that Might Help Them Come to Terms with Their
Differences Write an entry from the point of view of someone not in
the gifted program. List your favorites books, songs, food,
clothes, hobbies, whatever. Describe the traits of an imaginary
friend. Compose a portrait of yourself as you are now and as you
expect to be in ten years. Describe a tranquil, beautiful, or
particularly stimulating place to be; invent an episode which could
take place there. Reconstruct an angry dialogue you had with a
friend or relative. Write an imaginary conversation with a favorite
(talking) pet.
Slide 8
Supporting Gifted Kids One-on-One, Small Groups or Adapted for
Large Groups Use Questionnaires and Surveys Use Journaling Use
Bibliotherapy Use Growth Contracts Schedule Weekly Conferences Form
Peer Alliances Recommend that students be Referred to
counseling
Slide 9
Top Ten Favorite Reads #10: A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt.
Love, loss, family, friendship: big issues for Jeff Greene, who
comes to understand his parents and himself after some emotionally
trying experiences. #9: Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie S. Tolan.
Four brilliant misfits are thrown together in an experimental group
home they dub The Ark. They soon discover each others extraordinary
powers and the gifts they offer each other. #8: Interstellar Pig by
William Sleator. A sci-fi novel in which sixteen-year - old Barney
is resigned to another boring summer until some curious neighbors
move in, bringing with them a game called Interstellar Pig. But is
it only a game? #7: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.
A graphic novel starring Hugo, an orphan, clockkeeper, and thief
who lives in a Paris train station. Surviving through his wits and
anonymity, Hugo finds that everything is in jeopardy when he meets
a bookish girl and the bitter owner of a toy shop. Through them, he
learns wonderful secrets of his deceased father. #6: The Van Gogh
Caf by Cynthia Rylant. Anything can happen here! Food cooks itself
and poems foretell the future. Claras dad owns this magical caf
where the unexpected is to be expected.
Slide 10
#5: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Two lonely kids
create a magical forest kingdom. Leslie is a smart, outgoing tomboy
and Jesse is a fearful and angry artist. But when their lives meet,
both are transformed. (Note: This book was the twenty-eighth most
challenged book from 2001 to 2008, according to the American
Library Association.) #4: Dogsong by Gary Paulsen. A
fourteen-year-old Eskimo boy sets out with his dogs to find himself
after the ways of the modern world upset him. On the way, he meets
a girl who, like himself, is disaffected by lifes challenges. Their
journey together leads to some remarkable discoveries. #3:
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. A companion to The Giver, this book
finds Kira, a physically disabled and orphaned teen who lives in a
future society that kills off its elderly and disabled. Thanks to
her amazing talent in embroidery, the elders of the community keep
her alive for their own purposes. In the process, Kira learns much
about her society that causes her concern. #2: Fade by Robert
Cormier. In 1938, Paul Moreaux discovers he can fade, but this
invisibility is not the great gift it first appears to be. #1: What
Child Is This? by Caroline B. Cooney. On Christmas Eve, eight-
year-old Katie wants only one gift: a real family, not the foster
family where she currently lives. Can sixteen-year-old Liz and
seventeen -year- old Matt grant a wish that seems impossible?
Slide 11
Supporting Gifted Kids One-on-One, Small Groups or Adapted for
Large Groups Use Questionnaires and Surveys Use Journaling Use
Bibliotherapy Use Growth Contracts Schedule Weekly Conferences Form
Peer Alliances Recommend that students be referred to
counseling
Slide 12
Why Weekly Conferences?? They give kids a chance to vent,
beyond group discussions, about whatever personal problems are
interfering with their work or life. They give you a chance to
confront the student whose grades or participation levels are
slipping; the student who is becoming increasingly negative; the
student who seems anxious or depressed. Confrontation, in this
sense, means communicating this message: I see that something is
going on with you. Will you tell me about it? Were going to have to
work something out here.... The act of intervention alone tells the
depressed student that his feelings have been noticed; the
irresponsible student that her act isnt fooling anyone; and the
passive student that his lack of participation is cause for
concern. They show that you care about the student as a person.
Youre listening; youre taking her feelings seriously. They enable
you and the student to problem-solve different situations together.
They provide direction and support as students go about
implementing solutions.
Slide 13
Online Learning Khan Academy ( khanacademy.org ) features short
educational videos on many topics and for students of all ages.
Students can use the site to learn, measure their own progress, and
work toward individualized goals at their own pace.khanacademy.org
MIT + K12 ( k12videos.mit.edu ) is a collaboration between Khan
Academys founder (Sal Khan) and MIT students. The site presents
short videos with a focus on STEM topics (science, technology,
engineering, and math).k12videos.mit.edu TED-Ed ( ed.ted.com )
lessons (inspired by TED Talks) are videos recorded by educators
and professionally animated. These lessons cover many topics,
organized by theme. The website also features quizzes, questions
for further exploration, and additional resources.ed.ted.com
Wonderopolis ( wonderopolis.org ) posts a new wonder every day a
thought-provoking question that forms the basis for investigation.
Each wonder is accompanied by a video, word list, and other
resources. Most wonders also include quizzes. Students can submit
their own ideas for wonders to be included on the
website.wonderopolis.org
Slide 14
What Makes a Good Gifted Education Teacher? Outstanding
teachers of the gifted, as identified by their colleagues, agree
that the most important characteristic of a successful educator is
to like gifted children. Laurie Croft Galbraith, Judy; Delisle, Jim
(2015-04-29). When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers: How to
Meet Their Social and Emotional Needs. Free Spirit Publishing.
Slide 15
When two teachers asked students in a special project for
gifted and highly able learners (ages six to sixteen) to describe
their concept of a gifted teacher, Over 50 percent of the responses
listed someone who: understands them has a sense of humor can make
learning fun is cheerful Thirty percent listed someone who:
supports and respects them is intelligent is patient is firm with
them is flexible Only 5 to 10 percent listed someone who: knows the
subject explains things carefully is skilled in group
processes
Slide 16
Teachers who are successful with gifted kids often possess
certain qualities that gifted children respond to positively. They
tend to: Be enthusiastic about teaching and the joy of lifelong
learning. Have confidence and competency in teaching their content
area(s). Have flexible teaching styles and be comfortable with
situations in which students are flexibly grouped for learning and
some students are doing different activities than others. Possess
strong skills in listening, leading discussions, and using inquiry-
based instruction. Be knowledgeable about the unique
characteristics and needs of gifted students and willing to
accommodate them. Be willing and able to create and nurture a
learning environment where its safe to take risks and make
mistakes. Know how to praise effort more than products. Respect
students strengths and weaknesses and have the ability to encourage
students to accept both without embarrassment. Be eager and willing
to expose students to new ideas and provide opportunities for
exploring those ideas.
Slide 17
Have a free-flowing sense of humor and a level of comfort with
their personal strengths and weaknesses. Be comfortable connecting
the curriculum to students learning profiles, interests, and
questions and are good at empowering students to follow their
passions. Be well organized though not necessarily neat! Be able to
multitask and effectively manage their time. Provide a wide range
of learning materials, including those that are appropriate for
older students. Network with organizations and local experts who
can help gifted kids. Be aware that gifted students need less time
with practice and more time with complex and abstract learning
tasks. Understand the importance of communicating with students and
their parents about their individual progress. Be willing to
advocate for what gifted students need. Teaching Gifted Kids in
Todays Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use
by Susan Winebrenner, M.S., with contributing author Dina Brulles,
Ph.D. (Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 2012), p. 34.