Teaching Students who are
Gifted, Creative, and Talented
AN EXCEPTIONALITY PRESENTATION BY:
ADAM JEFFERIES, SCOTT WEBB, PATRICK RONZIO,
ASHLEY HERN
True or False?
Students and people with special intellectual gifts
are physically weak, socially inept, and narrow of
interests.
FALSE: There are wide variations, and most gifted
individuals are healthy, well-adjusted, socially
attractive and morally responsible.
True or False?
Children with special gifts are often bored with school
and hostile towards those who are responsible for
their education (aka, TEACHERS).
FALSE: Most children with special gifts like school
and adjust well to their peers and teachers (though
this is not the case for everyone).
True or False?
Acceleration, moving through the curriculum at a
more rapid pace, can be harmful because it pushes
children socially and leaves gaps in their knowledge.
FALSE: This approach is the intervention technique
best supported by research
True or False?
A student with special gifts can show their giftedness
in many different areas, not just
cognitively/academically.
TRUE: Students can show giftedness through
leadership abilities, athletic skills, visual or
performing arts, or intuitive skills.
Introduction
“Teaching students with gifts and talents provides
challenges to general education teachers that are
equal to, if not greater than, those associated with
meeting the needs of students with other special
needs.”
- McGrail, 1998
Overview
Definitions
2. Characteristics
3. Teaching Strategies
4. Social and Emotional Considerations
5. Putting it into Practice
1.
Definitions
 What is giftedness?
 Professional Literature
 Prevalence and Origins
What is Giftedness?
 There is no universal definition
 Some professionals will define gifted by an intelligence
test
 Some will define "giftedness" based on scholastic
achievement
 Potential to achieve beyond what is expected of their
same-age peers
Definitions Across Canada
Yukon (Traditional)
 Emphasis on standardized test scores significantly
above the mean
 Superior performance in one or more academic
subjects
Definitions Across Canada
British Columbia (Current)
 Possess demonstrated or potential abilities
 Evidence of exceptionally high capability with respect to
intellect, creativity, or skills associated with specific
disciplines
 Often demonstrate outstanding abilities in more than
one area
 May have accompanying disabilities
Definitions Across Canada
Ontario
"An unusually advanced degree of general intellectual
ability that requires differentiated learning
experiences of a depth the breadth beyond those
normally provided in the regular school program to
satisfy the level of educational potential indicated."
Ontario Ministry of Education
Professional Literature
Three popular conceptualizations of giftedness:
1.
Renzulli’s three-ring conception of giftedness
2. Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence
3. Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Renzulli’s three-ring conception of giftedness
1.
High Ability – including high
intelligence
2.
High creativity – formulate and
apply new ideas to problem
solving
3.
High task commitment – high
levels of motivation
Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence
1.
Analytic giftedness – ability to dissect a problem
and understand its parts
2. Synthetic giftedness – insight, intuitive creativity,
or skill at coping with relatively novel situations
3. Practical giftedness – ability to apply aspects of
analytical and synthetic strengths to everyday
situations
Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence

All individuals demonstrate some blend of three
abilities

Gifted individuals show high ability in one or more
area
Prevalence and Origins of Giftedness
Prevalence
 Ontario cites 2 - 2.5% of students are gifted
 Uncertain based on fluidity of definition
 Methods of identification
 Underrepresented subgroups in gifted programs:
culturally different, female, or students identified with an
exceptionality
Prevalence and Origins of Giftedness
Origins
 Interaction between biology and environment
 Nutrition
 Homes with interactive environments
 Homes with high expectations
Characteristics of Gifted Students
 4 Domains / specific qualities
 Strengths and needs
 Teacher assessment / identification of gifted
students (questions to ask)
Characteristics of Gifted Students
 Gifted students demonstrate a range of specific
aptitudes, abilities, and skills
 These characteristics can be grouped into four
specific domains
Cognitive Function
 Advanced comprehension
 High level of language development
 Ability to generate original ideas and solutions
 Unusual capacity for processing information
 Unusual intensity; persistent goal-directed behaviour
Affective Function
 Keen sense of humour – may be gentle or hostile
 Idealism and a sense of justice, which appear at an early
age
 Leadership ability
 Advanced levels or moral judgment
 Solutions to social and environmental problems
Physical Function
 Heightened sensory awareness
 Discrepancy between physical and intellectual
development
 Low tolerance for the lag between their standards
and their actual skills
Intuitive Function
 Early involvement/concern for intuitive
knowing/metaphysical ideas
 Open to experiences with psychic and metaphysical
phenomena
 Ability to predict; interest in future
Some Questions to ask if you think you have a Gifted
Student
Does the child:
 Ask a lot of questions?
 Criticize others for “dumb” ideas?
 Seem bored and often have nothing to do?
 Stick to teh subject long after the class has gone on to
other things?
 Love debating issues?
This child may be showing giftedness
cognitively.
Does the child:
 Show unusual ability in some areas (ie reading or
math)?
 Enjoy meeting or talking with experts in a field?
 Get math answers correct, but find it difficult to tell
you how?
 Invent new obscure systems and codes?
This child may be showing giftedness
academically.
Does the child:
 Organize and lead group activities? Sometimes take




over?
Enjoy taking risks?
Seem cocky, self-assured?
Synthesize ideas and information from a lot of different
sources?
Enjoy decision-making? Stay with that decision?
This child may be showing giftedness through
leadership abilities.
Does the child:
 Seem to pick up skills in the arts without instruction?
 Invent new techniques? Experiment?
 See minute detail in products or performances?
 Have high sensory sensitivity?
This child may be showing giftedness through
visual or performing arts ability.
So, you think you have a gifted student; now
what?
 Initial referral/nomination for gifted services and a more
comprehensive evaluation
 Assembly of information/past work to help determine
student’s ability (portfolio assessment).
 Ongoing assessment


Practical (progress in academia, realization of potential)
Personal (feeling accepted, developing confidence)
Teaching Strategies
 Strategies
 General Education
 Placement Options
Teaching Strategies
Differentiated Programming
 Customize learning opportunities provided in order to meet
the individual needs and abilities of the student
 Typically an alternative curriculum should be planned that
is specialized for the student
Teaching Strategies
Approaches can include:
 Content - greater depth of study and/or broader scope
 Process - increased pace, varied delivery
 Products - could include things such as artistic creations,
alternative media works, unconventional literary forms
Challenges for General Education Teachers
Many general education teachers lack:
 Understanding of gifted specialty
 Skills for working with gifted students
 Resources
 Working with gifted student may make some general
education teachers feel uncomfortable
 General education setting has a wide range of abilities and
needs - the needs of gifted students are often not met
Activities in General Education Classes with Gifted Students
Ensure activities:
 Accommodate several ability levels
 Accommodate several interest areas
 Encourage the development of diverse products
 Align with the curriculum
 Integrate thinking processes with concept development
Continuum of Placement Options (Clark, 2002)
 A variety of options are available, which provide
differing value based on the student’s needs
 Since no one option will completely meet a
student’s needs, a range of alternatives should be
provided
Continuum of Placement Options (Clark, 2002)
 For students primarily within a general education
setting, three practices are typically used:
 Acceleration
 Enrichment
 Special Grouping
 The role and responsibilities of the general
education teacher will vary based on the individual
circumstance
Acceleration
 Course material and educational experiences can be
presented to gifted students sooner than general education
students
 Can be viewed as when “the learner completes a course of
study in less time than ordinarily expected”. (Coleman and
Cross, 2001)
 Students are given advance and engaging materials that are
more appropriate to their skill level
Acceleration Techniques
Suitable for
a General Education Setting
- Continuous progress
- Self-paced instruction
- Subject matter acceleration
- Combined classes
- Curriculum Compacting
- Telescoping curriculum
Suitable for Outside
a General Education Setting
- Early entrance to Kindergarten or
Grade 1
- Grade skipping
- Mentorship programs
- Extracurricular programs
- Concurrent enrolment
- Advanced placement
- Credit by examination
- Correspondence
- Early entrance to junior high school,
high school or university
Enrichment
 Extending the depth of study beyond what is expected
in the typical curriculum:
 Additional and more diverse topics
 Focus on skill development
 Use of alternative materials
 Exposure to new experiences
 This strategy of providing enriching activities can be
used for gifted students and others who finish their
work quickly.
Special Groups
By grouping together students with increased ability
levels for part of the day, students with similar
interests and enthusiasm can:
 Have cognitive stimulation
 Focus on creative thinking
 Maintain skill level
Placement Options for Gifted Students
Appropriate
Challenges
Radical
Acceleration
Exceptionally Gifted Learners
Level 3 (< 1%)
Discipline-Focused
Schools
Magnet Schools
Home Schooling
Governor’s
Schools
Special Schools
Magnet
Classes
Honours
Classes
Core Curr.
Classes
Advanced
Placement
Highly Gifted Learners
Level 2 (1-2%)
Special Classes
Team
Teaching
Mentors
Individualized
Instruction
Cross Grade
Classes
Contracts
Independent
Study
Gifted
Clusters
Regular Classrooms
Adjunct
Programs
Resource
Rooms
Gifted Learners
Level 1 (3-5%)
Source: Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings (3rd Canadian Edistion)
Smith, Polloway, Patton, Dowdy, McIntyre, Francis
Accommodations and Special Considerations
 Management
 Curricular and Instructional
 Social-Emotional
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Management
 Create an open classroom environment
 Develop activities that are socially interactive
 Cooperative cluster grouping
 Establish both heterogeneous and homogeneous
cooperative learning arrangements
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Curricular and Instructional
 Include higher-order thinking skills in lessons (open-
ended questions)
 Use integrated themes for interrelating ideas within
and across domains of inquiry
 Design special activities for students who are gifted
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Curricular and Instructional
 Provide an assortment of learning-related materials
 Include independent study
 Consider range of options for final product
development
 Discuss possible career choices or futures
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Social-Emotional
 Create classroom that encourages academic risk-
taking
 Provide time for individual sessions with students to
share interests, concerns, etc.
 Enlist the involvement of volunteers to assist in
addressing the needs of gifted students
Accommodations and Special Considerations
Social-Emotional
 Work with parents on the personal development of
students
 Teach students who are gifted how to deal with their
“uniqueness”
 Know when to refer students to professionals
 Encourage diversity of the classroom
Putting it into Practice
 As a group, address the provided scenario with the following
considerations:
In what area may the student be gifted?
2. What challenges are presented?
3. As a general classroom teacher, what strategies could be
implemented to direct or engage the student/parent?
1.
Scenario 1
Sara’s abilities are several levels above her age peers,
but in the classroom she shows little creativity or
initiative. How can you enable Sara to go beyond just
doing what is asked or assigned?
Suggestions for scenario 1
 Gifted students are often unusually socially aware and
concerned with peer acceptance
 A student may read fluently at home, but, in school,
would not engage with texts or pretend to struggle when
reading
 You might be able to help this student by connecting her
with at least one academic, intellectual peer
 This will create a safe place in which Sara might feel
more comfortable revealing her abilities
Scenario 2
If a gifted student is ‘as the head of the class’ in a
subject area, why not let him / her take it easy and
enjoy his / her success instead of looking for ways to
make every moment at school more challenging?
What are some strategies you could use to challenge
this student?
Suggestions for scenario 2
 Students don't need to be challenged all of the time, they must be
challenged some of the time
 All students deserve to learn and no real learning occurs without
some struggle
 Perseverance is an important skill learned by facing difficultly
without giving up
 Gifted students can become accustomed to getting the right answer
or the top grade with little or no effort
 When they eventually encounter hard work, gifted students who
have not been challenged may give up
Scenario 3
There is an obvious resentment among your tenth
grade students toward a highly gifted classmate who
finds everything easy. How can you keep the
situation from making the others feel bad about
themselves or creating an environment of exclusion?
Suggestions for scenario 3
 Using the multiple intelligences is a good way to alleviate
this situation
 All students have a strength or talent in one area or
another
 Invite students to share their interests, passions, and
areas of expertise
 When your students see that their different abilities are
valued, their focus is likely to shift away from resentment
and toward sharing
Scenario 4
A parent approaches you about how you are
addressing the needs of her gifted child. After
outlining the different strategies you are currently
implementing she still seems unsatisfied and wishes
to get involved. What should you suggest?
Suggestions for scenario 4
 Research the resources available at the school about
educating gifted students, and spearhead the
development of a gifted student resource library
including books, computer software, and periodicals
 Help other parents of gifted kids get involved or even
start a parent support group
 Identify and contact local mentors, tutors, or businesses
offering co-op placements / experience opportunities
 Start and artist-in-residence program for your classroom
or school
Conclusion
Definitions
2. Characteristics
3. Teaching Strategies
4. Social and Emotional Considerations
5. Putting it into Practice
1.
Video
Dr. Linda Karges-Bone about gifted children