For Gifted Students entering 5th-9th GradesJuly 13-19, 2014

https://www.carroll.edu/academics/gifted/

Joe Helbling, Ph.D.

Montana AGATE Conference - 2014

Conceptions of

Giftedness

Conceptions of Giftedness

Big Questions

What is Gifted?

How should gifted children be identified?

How can we develop giftedness?

What is the purpose of gifted programs?

How do we match the child to the service?

Whom or What are we missing?

Be cautious of general statements

beginning with…

“Gifted children…”

“Gifted” depends on….

the Values of the

Culture

History of Gifted

Primitive Civilization

Survival of the fittest

“Hey! Look what Zog do!”

• Greeks

– Sparta - valued military skills

– Athens - valued academics for upper class

• Romans

– valued architecture, engineering, law

• Chinese

– valued multiple talents

• Japanese

– educated children based on social class

Ancient Civilizations

Pre-Renaissance

Europe

• Church as keeper of knowledge

– valued art, literature, architecture

Mental Testing Movementearly 20th century

• New concept of Intelligence as a general factor (g)

that can be measured in quantity is introduced.

– Galton (Hereditary Genius)

– Binet (intelligence scale / mental age)

– Spearman (general intelligence and specific abilities)

– Weschler (WISC-R)

– Terman

Binet cautioned:

Some recent thinkers seem to have

given their moral support to these

deplorable verdicts by affirming that

an individual's intelligence is a fixed

quantity, a quantity that cannot be

increased. We must protest and react

against this brutal pessimism; we

must try to demonstrate that it is

founded on nothing.

(1904)

-Intelligence is Not Fixed!

Charles Spearman

The beginning of factor analysis..

He believed that intelligence was

comprised of two factors:

"g" (general intelligence) and

“s” specific abilities—

g is what was measured by

intelligence tests.

Lewis Terman1877-1956

“Father” of gifted education movement

Supervised modification of Binet-Simon test

First longitudinal study of gifted children (selection bias)

Study began in 1922, continued by others after his death

Students were physically, socially and psychologically

healthier than the average

Disappointed with life achievements of “Termites”

Leta Hollingworth1886 - 1936

• Nurturant “Mother” of gifted education

• Highlighted role of nurture in talent development, and

social and emotional needs of gifted

• Wrote first college text on gifted, taught first course

• Established gifted programs in New York City

Broadened Views on

Intelligence

Gardner – "Multiple intelligences";

intelligence is ability to solve problems and create products

or outcomes that are valued by a culture

EIGHT separate intelligences:

- linguistic (verbal)

- musical

- spatial

- logical-mathematical

- bodily-kinesthetic (movement)

- interpersonal (understanding others)

- intrapersonal (understanding self)

- naturalist (observing and understanding natural and man-made patterns and systems)

Ninth: existential (asking big questions about the meaning of life)

Sternberg

What is Intelligence?

Ability to adapt to the environment and learn from experience

Successful Intelligence is…1) the ability to achieve one’s goals in life, given one’s sociocultural context,

2) By capitalizing on strengths and correcting or compensating for

weaknesses

3) In order to adapt to, shape, and select environments

4) Through a combination of analytical, creative, and practical abilities.

“Wisdom may be the most important attribute to seek in gifted individuals.”

-Robert Sternberg

The WICS Model of Giftedness Wisdom Intelligence Creativity Synthesized

Other factors, such as Motivation and Energy, are important but situational

Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. 4 | 19

The Three Componentsof Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory

Sternberg’s

Triarchic Theory

of Intelligence

Practical

ability

Creative

ability

Analytical

ability

Adapting

to one’s

environment

Shaping

one’s

environment

Selecting

a different

environment

Solving

novel and

unfamiliar

Problems.

Using prior

knowledge

and cognitive

skills to solve

problems and

learn new

information

Joe Renzulli

• 3 Ring Conception of Giftedness

• Enrichment Triad Model

The 3-Ring Conception of Giftedness

(Renzulli, 1977)

U

A

C

I

C

T P

Drawing out Gifted

Attributes in Students…

• In Certain People

• Under Certain

Circumstances

• At Certain Times

Two Types of “Giftedness”

Schoolhouse Creative Productive

Plays the “school game” well

Hand-raiser

Good grades

Analytical thinker

Performs well on tests

Specific talents

Day dreamer

High levels of creativity

Loves brainstorming!

Problem-solver

May not perform well in school

Increasing the world’s reservoir

of ethical creative-productive people

A major concern of his more recent work is the anticipated social and leadership roles

assumed by people of high potential

What kinds of leaders will these people be?

What kinds of life’s experiences and educational experiences created the difference

between a Nelson Mandela and an Idi Amin? A Bill Gates and a Bernie Madoff?

The Enrichment Triad Model(Renzulli, 1977)

James H. Borland-Teachers College, Columbia University

“The ultimate goals of

gifted education could be

reached without the

concept of gifted.”

Promotes Gifted Programs without Identification of Gifted Children

“gifted” in school setting are usually served by differentiated instruction

Francoys Gagne-University of Montreal

“all talents are

developed from

natural abilities

through learning

influenced by inner

and outer catalysts.”

Distinguished “Gifted” from “Talented”

Children may be gifted (aptitude) and Adults may be talented (achievement)

Dean Keith Simonton-University of California, Davis

Emergenic-Epigenetic Model

“Giftedness may be multidimensional rather than

unidimensional.”

“Whether multiplicative or additive, simple

gifts with relatively few possible profiles will

require a smaller repertoire of interventions

than will complex gifts with a great many

potential profiles.”

Kazimierz Dabrowski

Overexcitabilities in Gifted Children

Dabrowski

• Extremes of emotion • Anxiety• Feelings of guilt and

sense of responsibility

• Feelings of inadequacy and inferiority

• Timidity and shyness• Loneliness• Concern for others

•Heightened sense right and wrong, of injustice and hypocrisy•Strong memory for feelings•Problems adjusting to change•Depression•Need for security•Physical response to emotions (stomach aches caused by anxiety, for example)

Who Are We Overlooking?

“The Teacher-Pleasers”

Well-behaved

Love to learn

Raise hands often

Communicate ideas effectively

“The Non-Teacher-Pleasers”

poor-behavior

Dislike learning

Fail to self-regulate

Fail to

Communicate ideas effectively

One of the

most helpful

resources

on gifted

students

with

learning

disabilities

Some current definitions

• Federal

• Montana

• NAGC

• Columbus Group

Federal Definition

(Javits Act)

"The term gifted and talented student means children and

youths who give evidence of higher performance capability

in such areas as…

• intellectual,

• creative,

• artistic,

• or leadership capacity,

or in specific academic fields,

and who require services or activities not ordinarily

provided by the schools in order to develop such

capabilities fully."

“Gifted and talented children” means children of

outstanding abilities who are capable of high

performance and require differentiated educational

programs beyond those normally offered in

public schools in order to fully achieve their

potential contribution to self and society. The

children so identified include those with

demonstrated achievement or potential ability in a

variety of worthwhile human endeavors.

(Montana Code Ann. § 20-7-901)

Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of…

• aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn)

• or competence (documented achievement in top 10% or rarer)

in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of

activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).

See NAGC position paper, Redefining Giftedness for a New Century: Shifting the Paradigm

Defining Giftedness from Within

(Columbus Group, 1991)

• a meeting of theorists, practitioners, and parents in

Columbus, Ohio, proposed that asynchronous

development - and the emotional consequences and

altered quality of life stemming from it - is at the

very heart of giftedness

Columbus Group (1991)

"Giftedness is asynchronous development in which

advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity

combine to create inner experiences and awareness

that are qualitatively different from the norm. This

asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity.

The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly

vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting,

teaching and counseling in order for them to develop

optimally."

What is “Gifted”?

Gifted at what?

General Intelligence

Specific areas of performance

Nature (gift) vs. Nurture (talent)?

What are we valuing?

How do we screen and identify potentially

gifted and talented students?

This depends on two things:

1. Your conception of giftedness

2. The services offered

Defensible programs and services should

logically match the identification method.

Defensible Programs Checklist

Is the service appropriate only for those students identified to receive it?

Is there a continuum of services to meet the various needs of all students?

Does the identification method increase the likelihood that students who would benefit from services are in fact identified and served? Is IQ used as a gate-keeper?

Do All students have equal access to assessment?

Are multiple types of assessment information used?

Differentiation / Flexible Grouping /Scaffolding

T-1 / R.T.I./ focused instruction

I.E.P

Mentorship / Type III / I.E.P.

Subject Grouping / compacting /

differentiation / Type III

Differentiation / Flexible Grouping / Compacting

T 1-2%

10-25%

near grade level

(40-60%)

10-25%

5-10%

Continuum of Services

Differentiation of Instruction

is a teacher’s response to learner’s needs

According to student’s

Readiness Interests Learning Profile

Teachers can differentiate

Content Process Product

Guided by general principles of differentiation, such as

Respectful tasks Flexible groupingOngoing assessment and

adjustment

2010 Pre-K-Grade 12 Gifted Programming Standards

1. Learning and Development

2. Assessment

3. Curriculum Planning and Instruction

4. Learning Environments

5. Programming

6. Professional Development

NAGC Gifted Programming Standards

Program Options• In-Class Differentiated Instruction • In-Class Flexible Grouping • Compacting the Curriculum (enrichment or acceleration)

– Schoolwide Enrichment Model (enrichment)

• Advanced Subject Placement (acceleration)

– Flexible grouping across classes

• Advanced Grade Placement (acceleration)

• Self-Contained Classroom (acceleration or enrichment)

• Full time school• Individualized Education Program (IIM, Type III, contract)

– Mentorship

• Other

Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, and Worrell (2011).Rethinking giftedness and gifted education: A proposed direction forward based on psychological science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12 (1) 3-54.

A Proposed Talent-Development…

Mega Model

Principals of Mega Model:

• Abilities can be developed

• Varying developmental trajectories for varying talent domains

• Opportunities need to be provided and taken

• Psychosocial variables are determining factors

• Eminence is desired outcome

From Ability to Eminence

• Performers and producers

• Developmental trajectories (start-peak-end) (Simonton)

• early stage potential- later stage achievement (Gagne)

• Talent Development Process and Transitions (Bloom)

• Little c and Big C (Csikszentmihalyi)

• Little m and Big M

• Talent-development process driven by expert teachers, mentors, and coaches. (Vygotsky, Bloom, JSR)

EminenceAchievementPotential

Domain TrajectoryStart Peak End

Ability Competence Expertise Eminence

Little-cCreativity

Big-CCreativity

Person Process Product

Teaching for Falling in Love

Teaching for Technique

Mentoring for Personalized Niche

Delimiters:Psychosocial factors:• low motivation• unproductive mindsets• low level of psychological strength• poor social skills

External and chance factors:• late entry into domain• poor match between interests and opportunities

Enhancers:Psychosocial factors:• optimal motivation (both “little m” and “Big M”• opportunities taken• productive mindsets• developed psychological strength• developed social skills

External and chance factors:• opportunities offered inside and outside of school• financial resources and social and cultural capital

a

b

c

d

e

f

g h

The Enrichment Triad Model(Renzulli, 1977)

Research Underlying the SEM

www.gifted.uconn.edu/semResearch Studies by Bloom,

Sternberg, Gardner, and Others

William Alfred North John Jerome Paul Benjamin Robert Howard

James Whitehead Dewey Burner Torrance Bloom Sternberg Gardner

Research

Theory

RA

TIO

NA

LE

Expand Services

to a Larger

Proportion of the

School

Population

Integration With

Regular

Curriculum

General Faculty

Participation

Minimize

Elitism—Label the

Services Rather

Than the Students

Promote a

Radiation of

Excellence

Throughout the

Entire School

THE

GOALS

Direct Portal for

Parent Involvement

Curricular

ConnectionsPlanning Guides for Service Delivery

Activities (ACTION FORMS)

Built-In Student

Assessment

Taxonomy of

Process Skills

Directory of Methodological

(HOW-TO) Books

Reproducible Thinking

Skills Activities

Strength Based

Identification Tools

Schoolwide

Enrichment Team

Directory of Model

UsersCONFRATUTE

OR

GA

NIZ

AT

ION

AL

CO

MP

ON

EN

TS

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT,

MOTIVATION &

ENGAGEMENT

CREATIVE

PRODUCTIVITY

Overview of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model

Valid

ati

on

Stu

die

s o

n t

he M

od

el –

See T

ech

nic

al R

ep

ort

s

Enrichment Clusters

Renzulli Learning System SEM-R Math2 Math3

Curriculum Compacting

PERSONAL SUPPORT SYSTEM

“Continuous Matriculation”

COUNSELING, PERSONAL SUCCESS PLAN [PSP],

COMRADERY • EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

TEACHER AS: ADVOCATE, PATRON,

DEFENDER, CONFIDANT AND FRIEND

INTEREST, LEARNING STYLES &

EXPRESSION STYLES

ASSESSMENT

TYPE II ENRICHMENT

COGNITIVE & AFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT

LEARNING HOW TO LEARN SKILLS

RESEARCH AND REFERENCE SKILLS

COMMUNICATION WITH AUDIENCE SKILLS

TYPE I ENRICHMENT

General

Exploratory

Experiences

TYPE III ENRICHMENTINDIVIDUAL AND SMALL GROUP INVESTIGATIONS

OF REAL PROBLEMS

SE

RV

ICE

DE

LIV

ER

Y C

OM

PO

NE

NT

S

Study without

desire spoils

the memory,

and it retains

nothing that it

takes in.

Leonardo

DaVinci

Nothing

great was

ever

achieved

without

enthusiasm.

Ralph Waldo

Emerson

Joe Helbling, Ph.D.

Montana AGATE Conference - 2014

Conceptions of

Giftedness

Thank You!