Myths and Truths of Gifted Education

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) INSTRUCTOR’S GOAL: “In short, it’s up to gifted education advocates to continue our efforts to rebut myths, dispel doubts, and showcase successful models and practices in order to retain and expand programs and services for our gifted and talented youth.”

Born Gifted Yes, gifted children are likely born with an advanced ability to learn and apply their learning. 3 BUT giftedness is not static. Giftedness requires development and nurturing to reach its potential. Hard work and occasional failure are necessary.

Parent Identifiers “Parents are excellent identifiers of giftedness in their children…”1 Parents viewed the Characteristics of Giftedness Scale. 84% of kids judged by parents to embody ¾ of characteristics scored in the superior range when tested 95% of kids judged by parents to embody ¾ of characteristics demonstrate giftedness in at least one area

Toddler Identification Parents and pediatricians can identify gifted toddlers by observing rapid progression through developmental milestones from birth to 3 years old. 1 As with any deviation from the norm, early intervention is essential to help the child to achieve his/her maximum functioning. Development is key.

Behavior Masks “Rita Dickinson (1970) found that half of the children she tested with IQs of 132 or above were referred for behavior problems…” 1 Unruly behaviors can cause parents to miss the giftedness of their children. The same behaviors often lead teachers to overlook these children, too.

Ideal Age for Identification “…the ideal age for testing is between 5 and 8 years.” 1 Highly gifted kids often encounter the ceiling effect by age 9. Social pressures may camouflage the abilities of gifted girls. “Unless they are certain they are right, gifted girls are often unwilling to guess, which lowers their IQ scores.”

Genetics IQ scores are often similar between relatives. 1 Siblings’ abilities typically score within 5 -10 points of one another. Children’s IQ scores are normally within 10 points of their parents and even grandparents. 148 sets of siblings 1/3 within 5 points 3/5 within 10 points ¾ within 13 points

Birth Order Second children are less likely to referred for gifted education than first born children. 1 EVEN IDENTICAL TWINS!

Gender Bias Early childhood IQ tests illustrate that males and females are equally intelligent. 1 Prior to IQ tests, society viewed males as intellectually superior. Actually, 4 of 5 highest recorded IQ scores at the Silverman Center belong to females.

Growing Bias Despite the evidence to the contrary, parents refer sons to be tested for giftedness more often than their daughters. 1 1979-1989: 57% referred were male In 2008: 68% referred were male

Gifted Girls Gifted girls learn coping mechanisms that can hide their giftedness. 1 Elementary school – avoid standing out by developing social connections Middle school – avoid standing out by valuing physical appearance and social relationships

Gifted Boys Gifted boys are less concerned with blending into the crowd. 1 Elementary: demonstrate immature behaviors Middle School: encounter difficulty connecting with age-group peers who have differing interests

Asynchronous Development Gifted kids rapidly develop intellectually, but they often demonstrate immature social skills. 1 Cognitively aware of injustice and pains of the world Emotionally too immature to cope with this awareness Intellectually too advanced to develop friendships with age-group peers

Visual-Spatial Learners Schools tend to use auditory-sequential delivery methods, but many gifted learners thrive in visual-spatial environments. 1 The following kids are often visual-spatial: Creative children Culturally diverse children Mathematical children Kids with ADD Highly gifted learners Underachievers

Homogeneous Groups Group environments require the use of social skills. Gifted kids learn best in classes with other children like themselves. 1 “The brighter the child, the lower his or her self-concept is likely to be in the regular classroom.” Self-esteem improves in specialized gifted classrooms.

Personality Traits Gifted children often demonstrate perfectionism, sensitivity, and intensity. 1 Dabrowski’s theory of overexcitabilities suggests that these characteristics may lead to high moral values as adults. The brighter the child, the sooner he or she may develop a concern for moral issues.

Personality Trait - Introversion Introversion correlates to: Introspection Reflection Ability to inhibit aggression Deep sensitivity Moral development High academic achievement Scholarly contributions Leadership in academic and aesthetic fields in adult life Smoother passage through mid-life In the general population, 30% of people are introverted. In the gifted population, 60% are introverts. Nearly ¾ of highly gifted children are introverted. 1

Diverse Giftedness All gifted people are not equal in IQ or intellectual ability. 1 “Mildly, moderately, highly, exceptionally, and profoundly advanced children are as different from each other as mildly, moderately, severely, and profoundly delayed children are from each other, but the differences among levels of giftedness are rarely recognized.” Mildly = 115-129, Moderately (130-144), Highly (145-159), Exceptionally (160-179), Profoundly (180)

More Common Exceptionally gifted children are more common than most people expect. 1 Of the 5,600 kids assessed over 30 years by Silverman: 988 kids have IQs over 160 281with IQs over 180 87 with IQs over 200 Reggie Jackson

Early Ear Infections Nine or more ear infections during the 1st three years of life is linked to gifted underachievement. 1 Common effects: Auditory sequential processing deficits Attentional problems Difficulty with spelling, arithmetic, handwriting, rote memorization, and motivation to do written work

Dual Exceptionalities Nearly 1 in 6 gifted children has a learning disability. The disabilities are often undetected prior to assessment. 1 Excellent abstract reasoning abilities help gifted students to compensate for weaknesses. “Giftedness masks disabilities and disabilities depress IQ scores.” Motivation is often lowered as coping requires tremendous energy.

Not Elitist Every culture, socio-economic, ethnic, national and social group contains developmentally advanced children. 1 Upper class and wealthy children are more commonly identified. When poor children are overlooked in identification, they suffer the most. Rich kids have other options.

Need for Development Some say, “Gifted students don’t need help; they’ll do fine on their own.”2 Gifted students need teachers who will challenge them. 1991 study reported that between 18 and 25% of gifted students drop out of school.

Training Teachers The National Research Center on Gifted and Talented found that 61% of classroom teachers had no training in teaching highly able students. 2 A more recent national study by the Fordham Institute found that 58% of teachers have received no professional development focused on teaching academically advanced students in the past few years.

Classroom Role Models Gifted students are not classroom role models or teacher’s assistants. 2 Average and struggling students do not see gifted students as role models. Relying on someone who is expected to succeed does not motivate. Gifted children thrive in homogeneous learning environments as discussed earlier in Silverman’s research.

Not Everyone is Gifted Every human has an individual set of strengths, but the label “gifted” in a school setting has a specific meaning. Not everyone is gifted. 2 Gifted means that the child has an advanced capacity to learn and apply the learning in academic or artistic areas. The advanced capacity requires modifications to typical learning and application environments to ensure that child meets his or her full potential.

Acceleration Many believe that accelerating gifted students through content and placing them with older children is socially harmful to gifted students. 2 A study by Colangelo (2004) reports that gifted kids are often much happier in a learning environment with older kids who share interests and abilities than with children their own age. [A Nation Deceived] Acceleration = early entrance to kindergarten or grade skipping

Underachievement When a gifted child performs below his/her ability level, the term “underachievement” is used. 2 Underachievement can be rooted in many causes, but adult intervention is usually needed to break the cycle. Common causes of underachievement: Boredom with unchallenging curriculum Frustration with monotonous tasks Poor study habits Distrust of schools Masking intelligence to fit in

Social & Emotional While many gifted students excel, some suffer social and emotional difficulties as a result of their sensitivities, moral intensity, perfectionism, or asynchrony with age-group peers. 2 In a 1996 study, Winner reports that 20 to 25% of gifted students have social and emotional troubles. This is nearly twice as many as in the general population.

AP ≠ Gifted Program Many teachers and parents believe that AP courses in schools provide gifted programs and service for gifted students. This is false. 2 AP courses are limited in subject offerings. The topics are increasing however. AP courses often require a “one-size-fits-all” approach of reading lists and preparations for a standardized test. Unless the teacher is trained to meet the needs of gifted students, the curriculum itself is limited in its gifted service.

Resources Silverman, Linda “What We Have Learned About Gifted Children 30th Anniversary” (2009) http://www.nagc.org/myths.aspx Cross, Tracy “Competing with myths about the social and emotional development of gifted students” (2002)