ENG_Giftedness and Talent

GIFTEDNESS and TALENT

LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL

WHAT TO DO

(and what to avoid)

QUICK guide for teachers

PRESENTATION

Dear teachers,

I am a Specialist in Gifted and Talented Education and have been working in the field of gifted and high potential development for over 10 years. My interest in this topic, still so little known in Italy, has led me to study models and teaching strategies abroad, particularly in the United States, where the special educational needs of gifted, gifted underachiever and twice-exceptional students are widely known and supported. My professional training pushes me to observe students through the lens of potential, trying to identify their strengths and interests in order to build customised educational proposals able, on the one hand, to stimulate gifted students’ high cognitive needs and, on the other hand, to keep them ‘hooked’ on school as they often complain of boredom that can progressively lead them to underachievement and, in some cases, to dropping out of school (gifted underachievement and drop-out). My international professional training and the experience gained in the field have led me to adhere to a less elitist vision of giftedness, adopting an inclusive approach that allows developing the potential, manifest or hidden, of all students and at the same time planning stimulating activities to challenge gifted or academically advanced students who need different learning opportunities and rhythms from the class group.

For some time now, research in this field has distanced itself from a purely psychometric view of intelligence, adhering to a view of giftedness as a multi-component construct and suggesting the adoption of a multi-criteria identification approach of giftedness.

This approach invites us to value the neurodiversity that each of us has. The hope is that this perspective can not only ensure

that tools, methodologies and professionalism are dedicated to responding to the special educational needs of gifted students, but also that these resources, both human and material, can benefit the entire class, developing the gifts and talents of a wider percentage than the traditional 2% of the school population to whom these services are traditionally reserved, and which are known as the Gifted Program.

This inclusive vision does not mean that all students are gifted, but rather to understand how it is possible to fully develop the potential of each and every one, in an inclusive perspective.

In this sense, Renzulli and Reis’s «Scholastic Enrichment Model» represents a milestone in the field of Gifted and Talented Education research as it allows the pedagogy of Gifted and Talented Education to be extended to the entire school population, providing opportunities, resources and encouragement to fully develop the multiple gifts and talents of all students, while simultaneously offering enrichment and acceleration activities that inspire gifted students.

This pedagogy, based on the strengths of the students, is able to reconvert the process of underachievement and prevent early school leaving, as well as responding to the educational needs of the doubly exceptional students.

INTRODUCTION

The giftedness

The term giftedness is used to describe a set of genetic, psychological and behavioral characteristics that characterize gifted children and young people, who make up about 2% of the school population. In the international context there are many conceptions and definitions of giftedness and the most widespread is that of the National Association for Gifted Children1 which defines gifted children as those who, when compared with their peers, have the potential to show exceptional levels of performance in one or more of the following areas:

general intellectual ability

specific scholastic aptitude

creative thinking leadership aptitude visual and performing arts.

How to recognize gifted students

Giftedness is a multi-component concept and therefore requires a multi-criteria identification system for its evaluation to avoid mis-diagnosis and non-diagnosis.

However, there remains a purely psychometric view of giftedness that essentially makes use of IQ tests. In Italy, the term ‘high ability or high potential’ is generally associated with an IQ ≥ 120, while the term ‘gifted’ with an IQ ≥ 130.

Giftedness should not be confused with how it is measured, as IQ is only one of the parameters to identify a gifted person. IQ is not giftedness but only a factor indicating that giftedness can exist.

In essence, the gifted child not only has a quantitatively different intelligence but also a qualitatively different mode of functioning, which is characterised by the ability to think divergently and creatively, solve complex problems, think abstractly, learn quickly by processing a large amount of data and to do so faster than others.

The rapid association of ideas is often not matched in graphic translation, as thoughts are faster than the hand, and therefore his/her handwriting can sometimes be really difficult to decipher.

It is now established that there is a close relationship between neuroanatomical, behavioural, genetic, socio-cultural, family and environmental factors in the development of giftedness.3,4,5

Furthermore, we must bear in mind the situation of doubly exceptional students (2e): students who, on the one hand, manifest an atypical developmental trajectory (learning disabilities, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – ADHD, autism, genetically based syndromes or behavioral disorders) and on the other hand have high potential and levels of excellence in one or more fields. In these doubly exceptional children, the learning disability may be

Molto basso Basso Al di sotto della media Nella media Sopra la media Gifted Highly gifted

masking giftedness, just as giftedness may be masking the learning disorder (masking effect).

The lack of recognition of the special educational needs of gifted students determines a continuous lack of stimuli which can give rise to behavior and adaptation problems. It is the task of every teacher to create a stimulating, motivating and encouraging learning environment, as only with adequate educational interventions can the boy or girl fully develop his/her potential and have a harmonious development.

It is essential that gifted students are recognized and valued as early as possible, in order to prevent elements of vulnerability from becoming factors of discomfort or which could contribute to generating a deeper disturbance.

It is also important to inform the gifted kids of their characteristics in ways that are appropriate to their age and with broader visions of giftedness, so that they do not experience their uniqueness with a negative connotation which, ultimately, could lead them to isolate themselves from others. The evaluation process must be followed by a taking charge by the professional who issues the evaluation. The hope is that each school will equip itself with a new professional figure with adequate training in Gifted and Talented Education. Furthermore, parents of gifted children should be accompanied on a journey of awareness to understand their children’s multiple needs. In the event of scholastic, social or emotional difficulties, it might be advisable to consult a psychologist to guarantee the student support that helps to promote a harmonious and synchronic evolution of all areas of development.

Distinction between bright students and gifted students

Gifted students are rarely good at everything, usually have an area of excellence and may even have average academic performance in other curriculum subjects. Therefore, the terms “genius” or “nerd” with which they are unfortunately called are inappropriate, whether they are used by children or adults.

There are substantial differences between brilliant students and gifted students, for example the former are attentive pupils, who work hard, learn easily after a certain number of repetitions, know the answers to the questions asked.

Gifted students, on the other hand, are extremely curious, intuitive, they are not satisfied with the explanations they receive and they continually ask questions, sometimes anticipating the answers, other times demonstrating that they already have advanced skills in a certain area (and not common for their age). They often come to original deductions; for them the repetition of concepts is therefore superfluous.

The speed of learning immediately distinguishes them from classmates and they tend to prefer the company of adults with whom to talk and compete.

Paradoxically, these aspects can represent both strengths and weaknesses, since if the ease with which they learn - combined with a good dose of memory, creative, abstract and critical thinking, a vivid imagination and excellent verbal skills - allows them to excel; on the other hand they can get mortally bored at school due to the slowness of the lessons, the lack of challenges, the intolerance towards useless repetitions of already consolidated concepts and practices, to the point of feeling a sense of frustration which could sometimes lead to polemical and oppositional.

Furthermore, their subtle sense of humor may not be immediately understood by their peers, with whom very often they do not even share their ways of playing as they are considered childish.

Aware that they are ‘different’ from others, they could be read in the negative sense that, in some cases, could lead to low self-esteem in the child. For these reasons, it is important that they are aware that all these elements are distinctive of their functioning and characterise them as individuals.

What detection tools can be used at school?

There is no perfect identification system, just as there is no single way to develop talent.

Identification procedures often depend on the definition of giftedness adopted. In recent years, there has been a move towards an identification system that can bypass the strict cut-offs of traditional assessment tools.

The RenzullI Scales are structured according to a multidimensional view of giftedness and allow teachers to evaluate learners compared to their peers on a series of observable behaviours.6,7

Pupils/students who score high are more likely to be gifted. These scales assess the teacher’s perception of the student’s characteristics.

Giftedness and adolescence

Gifted students experience the developmental issues that all adolescents face but, in some cases, these can be exacerbated precisely because of the special needs and characteristics that distinguish being gifted.

Among these we can highlight: perfectionism, competitiveness, unrealistic assessments of goals, isolation from the peer group, confusion due to conflicting visions of their potential, social and family pressure to achieve ambitious goals, as well as having to face the lack of challenges adequate schooling leading to general dissatisfaction and underperformance in school.

Some may struggle to have friends, to choose a school path and, later, a profession.

Furthermore, many gifted adolescents find themselves experiencing the so-called “impostor syndrome” which leads them to doubt whether they are actually gifted, to question the validity of the tests that have revealed their giftedness, up to denying their

exceptional abilities, in a sense giving in to the pressure to conform.

Talented teenagers often suffer from perfectionism as they tend to set high standards for themselves. Furthermore, growing up, they are much less inclined to take risks than other young people, both because they seem to be more aware of the repercussions, both positive and negative, they could face, and because these could undermine their “status” as gifted.

Finally, the excessive expectations of parents, teachers and even peers could be so pressing as to become an unsustainable burden, especially if they are dissonant with the individual desires that the adolescent dreams for himself.

Gifted adolescents may experience the pressure of having to achieve a personal identity ahead of their peers and their chronological age.

The accelerated educational paths, to which gifted students have access in many countries, sometimes require them to make educational and professional life choices in advance of their peers, with the risk that this does not go hand in hand with their maturation process .

If parents and educators are aware of these dynamics, they can support them in their developmental journey, understanding which coping strategies can help them develop their talents.

Gender differences

For women, being identified as brilliant or talented can create social problems.8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15

According to Reis, as they grow older, many begin to understand and deal with both internal and external obstacles.14 TExternal factors include school, society and parents. In the school context, the often unconscious choice they are faced with is between being smart or being popular. Since gifted female students tend to be more adaptive, they may, involuntarily or voluntarily, prefer to “fit” with peers in order to be part of the group.

In the social context, they could conform to stereotypes that still rage today, for example in some social networks and in certain advertising messages which, especially in the age of puberty, give greater prominence to the physical appearance of girls rather than to enhancing their cognitive abilities..

In the family, cultural and religious context of belonging, pressures could force them to review their priorities, to the point of deciding to make their abilities appear ordinary or even non-existent. Recent research has also highlighted the importance of parents’ attitudes and beliefs towards their daughters. Parents’ opinions are very important to girls, and subtle verbal and non-verbal messages can either encourage or discourage girls throughout their lives. Reis14,16 found that memories of negative parental comments haunt gifted and talented women decades after they leave home.

According to Reis, the most common internal factors are: doubts about one’s own abilities and talents, sense of duty, putting the needs of others first instead of cultivating one’s own talents; religious and social issues that constantly plague women throughout their lives; lack of planning; disguising abilities and differences; perfectionism; attributing success to luck rather than attributing to skill; wrong choice of partners; and ambivalent family messages about their educational journey.

Myths, false myths and prejudices

Stereotyped images and prejudices often revolve around giftedness and gifted students. One of the most common prejudices is that having a high intellectual potential is a guarantee of success at school, at work and in one’s life. In reality, the gifted boy/girl will be able to fully develop his/her potential if he/she is identified early and his/her schooling is adequately supported.

Another common prejudice, unfortunately widespread in the Italian context, is that the gifted student represents a challenge for the teacher or a “problem” for the class. The gifted boy or girl is NOT a troubled boy or girl.

In the following pages, we summarize the most common ones, taken from longer lists highlighted in the literature.17,18

Gifted and Talented Education

Although not all students are gifted, the research by Renzulli and Reis suggests that we could extend the pedagogy of Gifted and Talented Education to a wider pool than an elite 2% of the school population, to develop gifts and talents in a much larger percentage. large number of students, in an inclusive perspective. These positions, which gave birth to the Talent Development and High Potential Movement, are not to the detriment of gifted students as they clearly provide for the adoption of tools and strategies specifically designed for gifted students.

In fact, many of the best practices currently used in Gifted Programs could develop untapped or unseen potential in other students. This vision highlights the validity of the pedagogy of Gifted and Talented Education which can in part be declined in ways that benefit many more students.

The inclusive view of this approach is particularly useful in the Italian context since, in the absence of a national identification system for plus-ability, we have no idea how many students with abilities above the norm might be in the classroom. “Our work on SEM in Italian schools has shown that many students, in addition to those formally identified as gifted, benefit from various enrichment school experiences that are engaging, stimulating and help develop their interests and talents».20

Unfortunately, access to private evaluation procedures is still the prerogative of a few families and therefore, to guarantee a fair and inclusive service, the adoption of a pedagogy of talent development and high potential in the Italian school would make it possible to enhance the potential of students not formally identified, those diamonds in the rough, not yet discovered.

Gifted Children’s Bill of Rights

A fundamental starting point for a better understanding of the special educational needs of gifted students is the Gifted Children’s Bill of Rights, which should be known by all adults who, in various capacities, contribute to a person’s growth.

You have the right to... know that you are gifted learn something new every day get passionate about your area of talent without feeling guilty have an identity beyond your area of talent be proud of your achievements make mistakes have a guide to develop your talents have different peer groups and many friends decide which of your talent areas you want to explore further not to be gifted in everything.

The recognition of one’s identity starts from a self-awareness which will then have to find recognition in the school and social context.

The gifted student is a resource for the class

The Italian education system does not currently include pathways for gifted students, however, the adoption of inclusive teaching for the development of talent and high potential would allow learning to be personalized to meet their educational needs.

We should ask ourselves whether the onset of any «problematic» behavior is attributable to the lack of adequate stimuli and open social acceptance rather than to giftedness. The manifestation of such behaviors could therefore be read as an alarm bell.

The lack of knowledge of the characteristics of these students could lead to the chronicisation of unconstructive attitudes both on the part of adults and of peers which would contribute to building a false self-image in the gifted boy.

In reality, if properly understood and valued, gifted students represent a real resource for the class, capable of contributing incisively to discussions and bringing interests that are not always covered by the curriculum, positively raising the level of challenge and, consequently, also favoring an increase in the academic performance of all.

Gifted children represent a resource both for themselves and for society and have the right to have adequate stimuli and opportunities to fully realize their potential, like all pupils.

How to teach gifted students?

But to teach gifted students is it necessary to be a gifted teacher?

Certainly not, but it is important to have an in-depth knowledge of the disciplinary contents and the ability to know how to make teaching activities meaningful for the student, both by relating them to its interests and by making constant references to real life.

Furthermore, teachers must be authoritative and have good classroom management skills, a sincere passion for teaching, a propensity to explain complex concepts.

To teach gifted students well, it is not enough to rely on common sense, experience or improvisation, as it is necessary to deepen Gifted and Talented Education specifically.

The basic idea is that every gifted student should come to school with enthusiasm and should learn something new every day, which is not a given as they often already know the answers to many of your questions.

If we had to communicate their school experience with an image, we could imagine it as a rapid progression along an escalator, rather than along a traditional staircase in which gifted students are too often forced to stop at the landings and wait.

Providing these students with challenging learning experiences is very important because “students increase their self-esteem when they achieve learning goals that they thought were out of their reach”».24

The role of contexts

The student’s growth contexts, i.e. family, school, and society as a whole, play a fundamental role in the development of his or her potential. The teacher can and should act as a talent scout, able to discover those gifts and talents, manifest or hidden, that each child possesses. This is made possible also thanks to the use of tools designed for teachers, such as evaluation scales, to identify, with an objective tool, the possible presence of a hypothetical potential to report to parents.

Teamwork with the child’s family, with the expert who drafted the assessment and with the Specialist in Gifted and Talented Education is an important element in ensuring the well-being of the student at school. To collaborate profitably with the parents and the student, you must first of all prove yourself competent in terms of giftedness: study well the characteristics of the gifted students and at the same time try to understand the peculiarities of the boy or girl in front of you.

In general, the gifted student esteems competent and authoritative but also innovative and charismatic teachers, capable of differentiating the curriculum both in terms of contents, processes and products, and also willing to modify the organization of the

Introduction

classroom environment, adopting , where useful, working groups distinguished by ability, readiness and learning pace.

To do this, it is helpful to have an inventory of student interests available. The SEM Model has a series of tools to detect students’ interests, including a questionnaire to be submitted to parents regarding the interests, passions, hobbies that their son/daughter cultivates at home, also indicating which extracurricular and sports activities the student loves to do.

In-depth knowledge of his or her interests, aptitudes and passions can be decisive in designing activities that allow for cognitive stimulation in areas that are meaningful to him or her. Dewey emphasised the important role that interests play in all forms and levels of learning and recognised the importance of high-interest tasks in learning As Dewey argued, talent comes from the development of interests.25

Knowledge of the student’s passions and hobbies also makes it possible to keep him/her “hooked” to school, preventing underperformance in school.

The structure of the book

The book is divided into 15 chapters grouped into two macro-areas.

COGNITIVE NEEDS

1. Gets bored

2. Chuckles and disturbes

3. Is constantly moving and asks to go out often

4. Plays during lessons

5. Interrupts the lessons with questions anddoes not respect the turn

6. Discusses everything (rules, opinions, decisions)

7. Does not do homeworks

8. Does not like working in a group

9. The school results do not reflect the potential

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL NEEDS

10. Struggles to fit in with the peer group

11. Presents an asynchronous development

12. Is a perfectionist and at risk of burnout

13. Is overexcitable and has high sensitivity and intensity

14. Has difficulties with self-regulation

15. Presents depressive symptoms

The book analyses the needs found in gifted children in the lower secondary school age group, but which can also be observed in primary school pupils and high school students (and beyond). Because the school groups students according to their chronological age rather than their mental age, gifted students experience situations that do not match their intellectual or social needs.26

The reason for the behavior is explained at the beginning of the chapter with a few short sentences (Why is he/she doing this?), followed by simple and clear instructions for the teacher on attitudes and strategies to adopt (What to do) and to avoid (What not to do). Finally, tools and strategies are provided on how to intervene in some crucial aspects. Concluding each chapter are The Expert’s Tips, with practical suggestions that can be put into action immediately.

The structuring of activities

In the presentation of assignments, the instructions for gifted children can generally be intuitive. However, due to their carelessness and sometimes their disorganization, it can be useful to give explicit and precise instructions.

Units of work should always be commensurate with the student’s abilities. Don’t propose too simple tasks that could degrade his/her potential but be careful not to propose tasks that are out of his/her reach either.

Gifted learners are students who like a challenge and to deal with problem-solving, possibly real-world problems, but, as they generally never have to make a real commitment to study, they

are not used to ‘struggling’ and working hard to achieve goals or to get good grades. The downside is that they do not gradually acquire a study and work method and, in general, they arrive at high school without ever having to open a book.

The high skills and excellent memory allow them to learn simply by listening to the lessons, sometimes even in a distracted way, and to acquire the knowledge and skills both to easily carry out the tasks in class and those at home (if they do them). Remember that gifted students tend to get involved if they consider the task significant and not out of a simple sense of duty. In this sense, the notes and punishments do not work, on the contrary, they expect you to justify your decisions, as they are placed on an equal level with yours.

The refusal to share your motivations can trigger polemical attitudes that will drag you into exhausting disquisitions. If you can, organize a work corner in the classroom where they can do different activities. In the international context, there are often resource rooms in the school, where an enrichment specialist is able to provide the student with all the resources and guidance necessary to carry out personalized advanced activities.

The tracking

Observe the attitude of the student in class and try to identify attitudes of boredom or frustration in your class hour or in the morning/school day. After you observe this behavior (e.g., “Looks out the window”), try talking to him/her by asking with genuine interest: “I’ve noticed that you seem to be lost in your thoughts every now and then. Maybe you are bored or are you fantasizing? Share your thoughts with me!”.

Once the behavior has been monitored for at least a week, start adopting a curricular differentiation, the teaching strategies that we will explore in the next paragraph (“How to do it?”), or other personalized strategies that seem effective to you.

According to the Davidson Institute, a discrepancy between an individual’s educational needs and an educational environment that the student finds repetitive, unrewarding, lacking in autonomy, unfair, or not aligned with his or her values can lead to burnout for the gifted student (see chapter 12 «He is a perfectionist and at risk of burnout»).

How to do?

To involve the gifted student in educational activities, it is necessary to try to mobilize the cognitive, emotional and physical spheres through active learning methods. As already underlined, their motivation increases when they consider the task significant and authentic, therefore, the teaching proposal should make explicit the objective of acquiring a certain skill and at the same time highlight its usefulness and transferability in real and complex contexts. The teacher must create the ideal conditions that allow them to conduct a research activity by adopting an independent and investigative working method in a protected environment, where there is no predetermined answer or right or wrong solution.

Furthermore, it is necessary to accept the evidence that gifted students need less time than their peers to consolidate their learning and that therefore continuous exercises on widely learned concepts can be eliminated: if the class lesson is already boring because they are already aware contents or learn them after a simple statement, it is useless and counterproductive to force them to practice at home. It would be much more productive to ask them to use the newly acquired knowledge to create new and original ideas or to find interdisciplinary relationships with other knowledge, both curricular and extra-curricular.

Where to look?

With respect to this issue, it is essential to study and observe the research and experiences gained in international contexts,

delving into the different approaches that have characterised Gifted and Talented Education in other countries, and in particular the different teaching strategies used in the United States over the past forty years. The history of Gifted and Talented Education has been marked by three main schools of thought that have defined the three main approaches to teaching and learning: differentiation, acceleration and enrichment.29

Differentiation, whose purpose “is to increase the learning potential of each student”.30

Acceleration, which allows students to progress through their education more quickly to learn at a level that better suits their academic abilities and needs, rather than their chronological age.

Enrichment, which offers richer and more diverse educational experiences, aiming to expand the regular curriculum so that it is modified, extended and expanded to offer greater depth and breadth.

The dichotomous vision between acceleration and enrichment has given rise to interesting lines of scientific research in the international arena. Over the years the contrast between the two approaches has fueled a passionate controversy within this field of research and it is almost unanimously believed that educational programs for gifted students, and not only, should provide opportunities for both enrichment and acceleration. UA review of the main schools of thought that have characterized the history of Gifted and Talented Education in the last four decades in the United States suggests that these main approaches should be considered in Italy.28

In addition to these three approaches, some strategies are useful for responding to the special educational needs of these students.

Compaction: compacting the curriculum helps gifted and high-performing students eliminate unnecessary repetition of already learned content and replace it with advanced activities

preferably in areas not covered in the general curriculum. The most popular tool for curriculum compaction is the Curriculum Compactor, specifically designed to make appropriate curriculum adjustments for students in any curriculum area and at any grade. In the Scholastic Enrichment Model (SEM), curriculum compaction is a tool that allows the school curriculum to be accelerated, enriched and differentiated in order to guarantee time for more challenging and interesting work.

Scaffolding: in the didactic field the term scaffolding, used for the first time in 1976 in the psychological field by Bruner, Wood and Ross, indicates a set of help strategies used by the teacher or by an expert to facilitate the learning process of a student in the ‘tackling a task, solving a problem or achieving an objective that he/she would not be able to achieve without adequate support and which gradually helps him/her to emancipate himself/herself and to independently take on paths of knowledge, promoting his/her autonomy. In the context of Gifted and Talented Education, the support action translates into a form of tutoring and requires constant verification that makes it adequate and responsive to the real needs and levels of competence achieved by the apprentice.

To fully understand the term «scaffolding» it is necessary to introduce the concept of «zone of proximal development», theorized by Vygotsky, who defines it as:

the distance between the actual developmental level determined by self-directed problem solving and the level of potential development determined through problem solving under adult guidance32

Vygotsky distinguishes two areas in the individual development of a subject:

1. effective development area: these are the skills actually acquired at a certain moment in an individual’s cognitive development;

2. potential development area: these are the skills that can potentially be acquired in the near future or that could be achieved with the help of an expert.

The didactic activity must be carried out between the effective area of development and the potential one, which is called the “zone of proximal development”, which is therefore the distance between the effective level of development and the potential one. Bruner’s scaffolding and Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development are complementary: the teacher serves precisely as a «scaffolding» providing the necessary tools to achieve the required learning goals. While being supported by this mediation, the pupil operates at a level slightly above the limits of his own developmental area (zone of proximal development). The help of the teacher provided to the pupil in his/her own zone of proximal development is called «scaffolding».

Tutoring

Vygotsky argues that a child can increase his/her knowledge, thanks to the interaction with a competent adult, within the zone of proximal development. In fact, one of the most valuable experiences that a gifted student can have is being supported by someone who shares a particular interest, skill and competence with him/her, but who at the same time offers him/her encouragement, inspiration, and self-confidence, contributing to increase his/her self-esteem.

Moreover, as gifted children discover in their growing years that they have multiple interests, they may find it difficult to choose a university and career path. The opportunity to spend time with experts helps them identify more defined study and career paths, as they sometimes seem unable to prioritise or set longterm goals. As they often find school boring and irrelevant, dealing with people who give them real-life experiences can stimulate the motivation they need to focus and achieve ambitious goals.

The mentor is therefore a role model, as he or she sets an example, helping the student to develop a vision of what he or she can become.

Interestingly, research and case studies on mentoring and tutoring highlight their positive effects, which translate into career advancement, particularly for gifted girls tutored by a mentor.33

Peer Tutoring: a resource?

The use of peer tutoring seems to have many ‘advantages’: keeps the gifted student engaged when they complete the assigned task ahead of their classmates; the gifted student can explain the proposed concepts to the struggling classmate in a simpler terminology and manner; the gifted student enhances his or her social-relational skills. In reality, this approach disregards many of the expectations gifted students have of school for a number of reasons: the gifted learner is entitled to learn something new while thus finding himself repeating concepts already widely understood;

gifted students often cannot explain how they performed the task and, when asked to simplify concepts or segment their intuitive reasoning processes to make them usable, they feel a sense of annoyance and frustration; lthe struggling student may feel intimidated by the ease with which the gifted student is able to comprehend concepts or processes that are hostile to them; such an approach does not necessarily promote peer relationships as the gifted student may not find it interesting to relate to a student who obviously has different modes of functioning, and may not understand how he or she can find difficulties in processes that are trivial to him or her. Furthermore, the struggling student may feel a sense of unease at being explained to by a peer to whom, for some reason, everything seems to be easier.

The advice is not to resort to this form of peer tutoring except in a sporadic and occasional form.

CHUCKLES and disturbes

WHY DOES HE DO THAT?

Because she/he’s bored.

Because he/she also wants to attract attention with unusual topics.

Because to be loved by the group she/he uses her/ his sense of humor.

WHAT TO DO

Try to get his/her attention with a look or with follow-up questions

Involve him/her actively

Increase the challenge level of the lesson

WHAT NOT TO DO

DO NOT demand absolute silence

DO NOT ignore him/her

DO NOT make him/her sit next to lively students

DO NOT have him/her sit in the last row

What to keep in mind

Gifted kids add value to the class. They have excellent dialectics, an extraordinary wealth of vocabulary and an ability to quibble that can reach levels of abstraction and depth that are uncommon in their peers. Generally, if well adapted, they are sociable, cheerful and sometimes talkative.

Their difficulty in refraining from speaking is determined by the fact that they have so many things to say and on infinite topics. Thoughts are so urgent and the desire to share them is so compelling that it’s hard to find a valid reason to keep quiet.

Often they use their humor to amuse their companions with ironic jokes, which however are not always understood by their peers. They love to surprise and - why not - maybe even destabilize the teacher with their wit.

These subterfuges serve to add some “pepper” to the lesson, defeating their worst enemy at school: boredom.

Trust me! Sometimes it can be difficult to find a good reason to limit their interventions because, however unsolicited, they often end up adding something to the lesson.

Remember! The gifted student is actually a flood that has an infinite amount of information to share and, if properly valued, can enrich the lesson with anecdotes, details, interesting insights.

How to intervene

Start the activities with a brainstorming, to understand how much the gifted student knows about the topic even before starting the work. This will allow him/her to show off all his/her

skills and to satisfy his/her need to share, although there is the risk that it becomes a monologue as it could really surprise you with the amount of information he/she has already found and assimilated.

Use active instruction such as reality homework to engage them. Gifted students tackle complex problems and are stimulated to seek credible solutions by doing independent research and suggesting solutions

Conclude the activities with the debriefing, to transform the learning experience and encourage the consolidation of the acquired knowledge: a moment of reflection, reconstruction and analysis of the experience carried out (collective comparison, a posteriori exploration, identification of the crucial or problematic nodes, clarification of learning).

The expert’s advice

The gifted student’s mental liveliness can, in some cases, result in over-verbalisation that can intimidate some classmates and make the teacher nervous. To avoid this, create moments in which you ask him/her open-ended questions: this extra activity will keep him/her occupied when the other students complete their assigned tasks.

Paradoxically, some may move from the need to be the centre of attention to a desire to isolate themselves and the latter may signal a hypersensitivity that makes it intolerable for them, for example, to work in the noise (see Chapter 13).

DOES NOT LIKE working in a group

WHY DOES HE DO THAT?

Because he/she feels that group work is not beneficial to him/her.

Because the work is too easy or the pace is too slow.

WHAT TO DO

Develop interpersonal skills such as questioning someone’s argument without it being interpreted as a personal attack

Teach him/her to provide evidence to support his/ her idea/point of view

Stress that in real and working life all individuals must be able to work with others with different abilities

DO NOT

WHAT NOT TO DO

force him/her to work in a group

DO NOT excessively guide the group work in which it participates

What to keep in mind

Over the past thirty years, research has shown that cooperative learning promotes learning, increasing achievement, as well as developing pro-social behaviour, positive social-emotional perceptions and beliefs.3,4

However, research studies have not provided convincing answers on the cooperative learning outcomes for gifted students. In particular, the concern is that these students may perceive reduced learning opportunities in group work.

Many gifted students prefer individual activities to cooperative ones because:6,7,8

when group members work on the same content, gifted students complain of boredom because the level of work is too simple or the pace is too slow; believe that their contribution to the group’s final product is greater than that of others, and this disproportion and inequity may lead them to resent or decide to engage less in future group activities; fear that working cooperatively will lead them to achieve lower grades than they would have achieved individually or to feel dissatisfied with the quality of the group’s final product.

How to intervene

Students with advanced cognitive abilities need a problem-based and inquiry-based curriculum that stimulates higher-order thinking skills. In particular, inquiry-based learning

focuses on questions or problems that students find intrinsically interesting, relevant or significant.

Gifted education has always valued these curricula, because they are consistent with gifted learners’ needs to address challenging questions and problems and to have the opportunity to investigate and produce new ideas and products.12,13

There are many different ways to structure group activities. Some types may be less appropriate than others for gifted learners, for instance when interactions are not truly reciprocal, as is the case when groups contain ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’.14

Other forms of cooperative learning can instead be structured to promote understanding and advanced skills.

Allow the gifted student to identify questions or problems he or she wants to investigate and make sure that the pace and scope of the investigation can be customised, perhaps by presenting a case study. Furthermore, in some cases, in addition to the evaluation of group work, you could also provide for individual evaluations to recognise the contribution and commitment made.

It is always important to remember that students who refuse to work, whether individually or in groups, are trying to communicate a need to us and it is our job to help them.

In many countries, there are Gifted Programmes that allow gifted learners to collaborate with learners of equal cognitive ability (not necessarily of the same age); research has shown that such opportunities not only meet their cognitive needs but also allow them to create authentic social relationships. However, since gifted children in Italy do not have access to these special programmes, working groups should provide for

the use of advanced materials and a flexible pace.

In thinking about group work, it is important to consider that it is necessary to provide gifted students with a challenging task and the opportu- nity to work with students of equal cognitive ability, suggesting that all individuals must nevertheless be able to work with others of different abilities.

The expert’s advice

If the gifted student does not find it useful to work in a group, you could offer him/her the opportunity to work on an individual project (or in a pair with a partner, but only if he wishes).

The Wizard Project Maker is an interesting component of SEM, developed by Renzulli and Reis, it promotes learning at high levels of challenge by helping them understand what an investigative project is, developing their metacognitive skills.

Teachers take on the function of mentors who support the student in:

define a project and set an objective;

identify and assess both the resources they have access to and those they need (e.g. tutors, time for project planning and implementation, etc.);

setting priorities and defining objectives;

balancing resources to meet multiple objectives;

learning from past experience, anticipating future results;

monitor progress, making necessary changes during the course of the project.

PRESENTS depressive symptoms

Why some of the characteristics of gifted students might be risk factors.

Because they feel the pressure of excessive expectations from teachers, parents and society.

WHAT TO DO WHY DOES HE DO THAT?

Involve a school psychologist to deal with depression and suicide

Observe sudden changes in mood, loss of interest in hobbies, school, sports or personal care

Make sure he/she does not isolate himself/herself too much from his/her friends/social life

Try to find out if she/he uses alcohol or drugs

WHAT NOT TO DO

DO NOT criticise behaviour that is part of his/ her nature: being too sensitive, too intense, too curious

DO NOT forget to embrace and nurture his/her individual interests, areas of strength, skills

DO NOT underline mistakes and failures

What to keep in mind

As reported in the research, there is no evidence that the suicide rate in gifted students is higher or lower than in other students.1,2,3,4,5,6 It would be a mistake to consider every gifted student as a potential suicide. The number of cases of depression and the levels of depression are similar in gifted and non-gifted students. Despite this, it is widely believed that gifted students are at risk of higher rates of depression and suicide than their average, although no empirical data support this belief, with the exception of creatively gifted students in the visual arts and writing.9 However, many of the characteristics of gifted students are actually risk factors:5,9,10,11,12

high cognitive functioning (asynchronous development); social isolation; neurotic perfectionism; overexcitability; high sensitivity and a high awareness of the world’s problems, sometimes accompanied by feelings of frustration and helplessness due to the feeling of inability to affect and improve things.

Unhappy gifted children manifest their unhappiness in ways and attitudes common to all other children: they may become boastful, tease and belittle others, avoid responsibility, have a negative attitude, constantly challenge adults, fail to apply themselves, give up putting themselves out there, isolate themselves. But they can also lose control easily, become angry, underachieve and not hang out with friends.

How to intervene

The first thing to do is to take time and observe carefully and deeply. Teachers can recognise the symptoms of low self-esteem or depression by observing body language: a low head, an almost inaudible voice, lack of eye contact and lethargic body posture are all signs of a low self-concept.

Sadness, lingering unhappiness, a general loss of interest, reduced energy, lack of appetite and/or sleep, and difficulty concentrating are all behaviours to watch out for.

The expert’s advice

Some of the signs manifested by severely depressed adolescents at risk of suicide, identified and suggested in the literature, are:7,13

suicide threats, covert or direct, expressed in a joking or serious tone;

sudden changes in character and behaviour; getting rid of valuable goods; urgency to solve trivial loose ends; low self-esteem; increased irritability, self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour;

severe depression; isolation from family and peers; refusal to participate in social occasions;

perfectionism;

an excessive perception of failure.

The educational pact

Suicide prevention must involve the family, school, and peers. Especially adults who, in various capacities, accompany the gifted child’s growth path and who notice some of the signs listed above should address the issue of suicide seriously, supported by a psychologist.

It is important to emphasise that the most important predictors of possible depression are certain characteristics of the gifted child, such as giftedness, school and social background and family life rather than high cognitive abilities.

In particular, excessive preoccupation with mistakes, as well as high expectations from parents and society, can lead to low self-esteem and depression.

“The shame and guilt of ‘failure’ can drive them to suicide”.14

Many gifted young people believe that they are loved for their grades, achievements and special skills. Consequently, they do not accept making mistakes or failing.11

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