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Helping Gifted Learners Make the Most of Their Lives: Inside and Outside of School and at Home

Karen B. RogersUniversity of St. Thomaskbrogers@stthomas.edu

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Educational Options Educational Options -- In SchoolIn School� Grouping� Acceleration� Individualization� Counseling� Teacher Choice� School Choice� Co-Curriculars and Competitions

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Educational Option 1: GroupingEducational Option 1: Grouping

� Effects sizes are consistently positive for almost every form of grouping bright students together for learning and for socialization, either full or part-time.� Full-time program .45, .33� Performance grouping .79, .34� Cluster grouping .59, .44� Within class grouping .34� Like ability cooperative grouping .28� Send-out program .45, .44, .32� Socialization effects for ability grouping .11-+.18� Self-esteem effects for ability grouping .05-+.20

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Educational Option 2: Educational Option 2: AccelerationAcceleration

� Effects sizes are consistently positive for all forms of grade-based acceleration:

� Grade skipping 37, .49� Early college admission 25, .29� Radical early college admission .59-1.51� Grade telescoping .40� Talent search .34� Social effects for grade-based Acc .28� Self-esteem effects for G-B Acc .36� Social/emotional for radical coll Adm .40

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Educational Option 2: Educational Option 2: AccelerationAcceleration

� Effects sizes are consistently positive for all forms of subject-based acceleration:

� Advanced Placement .62� International Baccalaureate .54� Early entrance to school .30, .49� Subject acceleration .48� Honors college programs LO� Dual enrollment .22� Social effects for S-B Acc .03-+.10� Self-esteem effects for S-B Acc -.05 -+.10

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Educational Option 3: IndividualizationEducational Option 3: Individualization

� Positive effect sizes are found for most forms of providing a unique program for an individual learner or allowing flexible progression through a set curriculum

� Credit by examination .59� Home-schooling LO� Mentorships .22, .59� On-line learning courses/distance .74� IEPs LO� Individualized curriculum 2.35� Compacting .20� Social/emotional effects -.05-+.71

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Educational Option 4: Counseling Educational Option 4: Counseling

� Joel Anderson’s What’s on Your Mind?� Free Spirit Publishing catalogs

� Texts for kids addressing social and emotional issues� Texts for parents addressing social and emotional issues� Ideas for personal development - character education, discipline, resilience, risk-taking, overcoming perfectionism, life and career planning

� Delisle, When Gifted Kids Don’t Have All the Answers� Heacox’s Up From Underachievement� (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted)

� SENG’s programs and texts7

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Educational Option 5: Educational Option 5: Teacher ChoiceTeacher Choice

� The research literature suggests there are consistent behaviors in the teacher who makes the most of a child’s talents:� Has expertise in specific academic talent area� Has strong belief in individual differences and individualization� Has highly developed teaching skill & knowledge� Is self-directed in own learning, loves to learn in advanced areas� Has genuine liking of gifted learners� Has high degree of intelligence, intellectual honesty� Is Level-headed and emotionally stable� Is a “guide on the side” rather than “sage on the stage”� Gives consistent, accurate feedback� Recognizes the importance of intellectual development� Varies pacing of learning experiences

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Educational Option 5Educational Option 5Teacher ChoiceTeacher Choice

� In a study of 1350 academically gifted middle and high school students, my research found that the most effective teachers, according to the students:� Covered the material they were supposed to cover� Eliminated excess drill and repetition� Compacted the curriculum through pre-assessment� Adjusted the instructional pace appropriate to subject matter� Provided immediate corrective feedback� Provided the whole of a concept up front, followed by time to analyze and break it down into its parts� Made individual accommodations for some learners� Was organized and clear in presentations

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Educational Option 5Educational Option 5Teacher ChoiceTeacher Choice

� In a study of 1350 academically gifted middle and high school students, my research found that the most effective teachers, according to the students:� Saw the learner as a unique individual� Liked able students in general� Was patient and even-tempered in nature� Had a sense of humor “in line” with subject� Exhibited enthusiasm for subject, continuing to learn in that area along with students� Showed no overt biases toward race or gender in the treatment of students� Trusted students to make good learning choices and provided them with opportunities for independent learning

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Educational Option 6:Educational Option 6:School Choice School Choice (www.hoagiesgifted.org/schools)(www.hoagiesgifted.org/schools)

� Gifted schools, public � Davidson Academy of Nevada (public)� 23 states, 100 schools

� Gifted schools, private� 27 states, 93 schools (including 1 Catholic)

� Charter schools� 7 states, 11 schools� 20 virtual charter schools, 20 states

� Gifted schools, virtual� Connections Academy, 11 states� EPGY high school� 3 additional states with own virtual gifted schools

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Educational Option 7:Educational Option 7:CoCo--CurricularsCurriculars & Competitions& Competitions

� Leadership development programs � Student Council� Young Leaders programs

� Academic development programs� Olympiads in mathematics, sciences� Westinghouse competitions� LEGO League (robotics) competition� Future City competition� Intel International Science & Engineering Fair� Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards program� National History Day� Odyssey of the Mind� Destination Imagination

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Educational Options Educational Options Outside of SchoolOutside of School

� Talent Search Programs (ES= .34)� SMPY - CTY @ Johns Hopkins (19 states)� TIP @ Duke University (16 states)� CTD @ Northwestern University (8 states)� Rocky Mtn. TS @ University of Denver (7 states)� C-Mites @ Carnegie Mellon (1 state)� WCATY @ University of Wisconsin (1 state)� Belin-Blank Search @ Univ. of Iowa � Summer programs at colleges

� Study skills, test taking skills courses -Kaplan

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Education ProgramsEducation ProgramsOutside of SchoolOutside of School

� Saturday Programs (ES = 1.56)� 11 states, 15 college campus programs� 23 states, 64 private or institutional programs

� Summer Programs (ES = .45, .007, .36)� 40 states, college campus programs� 43 states, 159 private camps or institutional programs

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Educational Options Educational Options -- HomeHome� “Backstage” tours of local, regional, national,

international businesses, art institutions, musical venues, sights, cultural experiences

� Discussion of perspectives: politics, religion, economics, Zeitgeist, humanities

� Community project participation - service learning, collaboration, cooperation, planning

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Educational Options Educational Options -- HomeHome� Family role models

� Literature� Activism� Arts engagement� Work life

� Skill building� Manual dexterity - music, word processing, Origami, puzzles, construction-woodworking� Visualization - orienteering, outdoor backpacking, chess� Linguistic - foreign language fluency, communication precision/expression� Dramatic - theater training, voice, movement, speech & debate

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Educational Options Educational Options -- HomeHome� Knowledge not covered in school

� Philosophy� Classics of literature - Syntopticon� Classic ideas of science, mathematics� Logic - propositional calculus� Third and fourth languages, especially dead languages

(Latin, etc.)� Geography

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Priorities for Educational Planning at Priorities for Educational Planning at SchoolSchool

� Ability/ performance grouping on daily basis for academic and social purposes

� Acceleration as appropriate, both grade-based and subject-based (Rule of thumb: IQs over 160 may need up to 2-3 grade skips within the K-12 years and daily challenge in EVERY academic core area, whether the child is “good” at it or not)

� Regular opportunities for independent study and independent study skills development

� Curriculum that is differentiated in content, process and product

� Instruction that is differentiated in pace and in the way it is organized (fast, whole-to-part)

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Priorities for Educational Planning at HomePriorities for Educational Planning at Home� Self-understanding of own capabilities, no admission ever of boredom� Positive self-efficacy, resilience realization of value gained from failures as well as successes� Belief in the necessity of hard work and practice of talent� Continuous exhibition of talent area with others at same “level” of development� Continuous assessment of own progress against school-required outcomes -movement to next grade levels when outcomes have been mastered and no more can be done at a given grade level� Broad-based reading program - 2-3 novels minimum per week throughout lifetime� Musical training, especially for dexterity� Individual athletic outlet, perhaps something a bit “different” --fencing, Tai Chi, Karate, gymnastics

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Last Last Words for ParentsWords for Parents-- After All This!After All This!With children, there is sometimes no substitute for parental time periods of unhurried, undivided attention. Often, even the best parents forget that need, or develop lifestyles which provide no room for it. We find ourselves so problem-oriented as parents that we spend most of our time with our children as troubleshooters. When our child needs our help, whether to tie his shoe or to get a driver’s license, we address the problem, help as best we can, and move on. But often there is no particular thing our children need from us: what they need is just for us to be there.

Dr. Charles Paul Conn,Psychologist

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Last Words for Educators Last Words for Educators ––After All of After All of This!This!

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Last WordsLast Words� Teachers usually have no way of knowing that they have made a difference in a child’s life, even when they have made a dramatic one. But for children who are used to thinking of themselves as stupid or not worth talking to, a good teacher can provide an astonishing revelation. A good teacher can give a child at least a chance to feel, “She thinks I’m worth something, maybe I am.” Good teachers put snags in the river of children passing by, and over the years, they redirect hundreds of lives.

(Tracy Kidder, Among School Children)

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