CH 15-Gifted & Talented

Is special education for

-mandated by some states -not federally

What percentage of students is presumed to have special gifts or talents?

3-5%

How is giftedness defined

Excel in some way compared to other students of the same age

10. What three characteristics should special education for students with special gifts or talents have?

• A curriculum designed to accommodate the student's cognitive skills • Instructional strategies consistent with the learning of students with extraordinary abilities in the particular context areas of the curriculum • Administrative arrangements facilitating appropriate grouping of students for instruction

According to the definition of exceptional learners, why should learners with special gifts and talents receive special services?

• Definition of Exceptional Learners: differ from most (typical or average) individuals in a particular way that is relevant to their education ○ They should still receive special services because § they do differ from their peers, just in an advancement not a deficit § It is relevant to their education, they are not being served.

What groups of children are often overlooked in programs for gifted and talented students? Are these groups of children overlooked because they are not gifted and talented, or because society views them as unlikely to be gifted and talented even when they are?

• Economic needs, racial discrimination, disabilities, gender bias. • Societal issues ○ Children with higher SES: already have many advantages ○ Special Gifts/Talents: disadvantaged by life circumstances

Enrichment and acceleration are two ways of meeting the needs of students with special gifts or talents. Describe each approach and the arguments for and against each one.

• Enrichment: additional experiences provided to students without placing them in a higher grade • Acceleration: placing students ahead of their aged peers • Have been shown to be effective • No single type of program option meets the needs of all students who have special gifts

What factors contribute to giftedness?

• Genetic and other biological factors: neurological functioning and nutrition • Social factors: family, school peer group, community

7. Giftedness has been associated with two contrasting stereotypes: individuals who are cognitively superior but lacking physically, socially, and emotionally;; and individuals who are superior in all aspects. Explain why neither of these stereotypes is useful for understanding most individuals with special gifts and talents.

• Genius is not a predisposition to mental illness • Happy, well liked, emotionally stable, self sufficient • Self-aware, self-assured, socially skilled, morally responsible • Not all students enjoy occupational success in demanding jobs, may choose career paths do not make use of their talents • Nature and degree of an individuals giftedness may affect his/her social and emotional adjustment and psychological needs

6. Contrast the most common methods of identifying giftedness with Hunsaker and Callahan's eight general identification principles. What is the goal underlying these principles?

• Hunsaker & Callahan 8 Principles ○ Assessments exceed a narrow concept of talent ○ Separate and appropriate identification strategies are used to ID different aspects of giftedness ○ Reliable and valid instruments and strategies are used to assess talent ○ Each child is viewwd as an individual, recognizing the limits of a single score on any measure ○ A multiple-measure/multiple criteria approach is followed ○ Appreciation is shown for the value of the individual case study and the limitations of combined scores ○ Identification and placement are based on individuals rather than on the numbers who can be observed • Underlying principles ○ Should focus on balancing concern for ID only students whoses capabilities are marked above average ○ Concern for all who show promise for gifted performance

How can giftedness be nurtured by the environment

• Person gas personal interest in the talent and provides encouragement • Role models • Encouragement to explore • Parents took it for granted how their child would learn • Family exhibited expected behaviors • Teaching was informal and occurred in a variety of settings • Family interacted with tutor/mentor and received information to guide the practice • Parents observed practice, instanced put in time and effort • Sough special instruction • Encouraged participation