Favorite Resource
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.”
Study Skills
• Websites that focus on study skills:
• studygs.net
• howtostudy.org
Supporting Gifted Kids – One-on-One,
Small Groups or Adapted for Large Groups
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Use Questionnaires and Surveys
Use Journaling
Use Bibliotherapy
Schedule Weekly Conferences
Use Growth Contracts
Form Peer Alliances
Recommend that students be Referred to
counseling
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.
Supporting Gifted Kids – One-on-One,
Small Groups or Adapted for Large Groups
•
•
•
•
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•
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Use Questionnaires and Surveys
Use Journaling
Use Bibliotherapy
Schedule Weekly Conferences
Use Growth Contracts
Form Peer Alliances
Recommend that students be Referred to
counseling
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.
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
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 other’s 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 Café by Cynthia Rylant. Anything can happen here! Food
cooks itself and poems foretell the future. Clara’s dad owns this magical
café where the unexpected is to be expected.
• #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 life’s
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, eightyear-old Katie wants only one gift: a real family, not the foster family
where she currently lives. Can sixteen-year-old Liz and seventeen -yearold Matt grant a wish that seems impossible?
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
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? We’re
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” isn’t 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. You’re listening;
you’re 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.
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.
• MIT + K12 ( k12videos.mit.edu ) is a collaboration between Khan
Academy’s founder (Sal Khan) and MIT students. The site presents short
videos with a focus on STEM topics (science, technology, engineering, and
math).
• 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.
• 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.
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.
• 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:
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–
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understands them
has a sense of humor
can make learning fun
is cheerful
• Thirty percent listed someone who:
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–
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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
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 inquirybased 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
it’s 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.
– 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 Today’s 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.