TAG TALES
A NEWSLETTER FOR TALENTED AND GIFTED STUDENTS
~Areas/Domains of Giftedness~
~Traits/Characteristics of Gifted Learners~
~Learning Needs of Gifted Students~
Content, as well as learning experiences, can be modified through acceleration, compacting, variety, reorganization, flexible pacing, and the use of more advanced or complex concepts, abstractions, and materials.
One area of recent concern for our gifted children is the use of technology. Technology has begun to reshape the circuitry of our brains, not only in our understanding, but also in how we process mentally, how we reason, and how we form memories.
Differentiating curriculum for gifted students, S. Berger
Growing Up Gifted, Barbara Clark
~Diversity of Gifted Students~
When advocating for the needs of children, it is important to have a support plan for "all" gifted and high ability students,regardless of differences.A positive response to the diversity in our communities and schools is necessary to assure that all high-ability populations are reached, understood, and provided equitable and excellent services that match children's true needs and potentials.
Educators, counselors, parents, and community leadership must perceive and address the true needs of all high-ability and high-potential learners and must respond with effective knowledge,skills, and strategies.
An apropos statement, "the teacher of the gifted student needs to learn to be the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage".
Connecticut Association for the Gifted
~Underachievement in Gifted Students~
Some of the most commonly mentioned traits of underachieving students are low self-concept, lack of motivation and interest in classroom activities and assignments, and social immaturity. They also exhibit poor study habits, lack of persistence, dependency and impulsiveness.
Causes of underachievement can be found in the personality of the student, in the home, in the behavior of the parents, or in the classroom, especially when the curriculum and instruction are inappropriate.
The approaches that are most successful in remediating underachievement in gifted learners are those that are student centered, accentuate student strengths, and value student interests; students have choice in their learning, and the process of learning is active rather than passive.
Growing Up Gifted, Barbara Clark
~Under-represented Student Populations~
There is an unrealistic expectation that all cultural groups will produce the same number of highly intelligent students. Research shows that giftedness is not dependent solely on the conditions of birth, but is highly affected by the early intellectual experiences of the child. Because of this lack of awareness of the significance of early experiences in a child's life, there have been and continue to be attempts to only change the identification practices rather than make more productive learning experiences available to every child.
"Instead of just insisting that giftedness be identified in the same proportion in each group, it would be more fair to these children to be sure the essential experiences needed for optimal brain development and the resulting development of intelligence are available to them as early as possible."
Growing Up Gifted, Barbara Clark
Martha Layne Collins High School
Email: leah.wilson@shelby.kyschools.us
Location: 801 Discovery Boulevard, Shelbyville, KY, United States
Phone: (502) 647-1160