Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. Kaufman,S. B. (2013)

Word Class is a method of modifying a spelling curriculum to meet the academic needs of gifted learners. This strategy combines a self‐selected approach to spelling instruction with thinking skills. Word Class enables gifted learners to make choices about their learning and engage in creative, high level thinking. It also teaches thinking skills and provides gifted learners with more authentic thinking and writing experiences.     

How gifted students learn: Implications from recent research 1

A review of several recent investigations into the nature of how gifted students learn and the conditions under which they learn most effectively indicates that gifted learners spontaneously produce more effective learning strategies than comparison groups and benefit from the use of more complex, externally provided strategies. Implications from this research for the teacher of the gifted include the use of slower presentation rates for new information, spatial organization of prose content, and teacher provided mnemonic strategies.     

Supporting Professionalism,Diversity, and Context Within a Collaborative Approach to Gifted Education

Educators concerned about gifted learners are moving toward an evidence-based perspective focusing on children with exceptionally advanced learning needs who require flexibly responsive educational attention. This article describes two system-wide implementation experiences, one in a mixed urban/rural public school board and the other in an urban board of affiliated parochial schools, designed to meet the educational needs of diversely competent students. The authors discuss the intersecting roles of consultants, teachers, administrators, and parents, and some creative applications they have implemented that illustrate a respect for (a) teachers' professionalism, (b) individual developmental diversity, and (c) context-specific opportunities and constraints. The authors discuss ways that this flexible collaborative approach to integrating consultative processes into board-wide practices addresses the diverse educational needs of gifted learners, and also encourages high-level outcomes in learners not formally identified as gifted.     

Metacognition: Students in charge of their thinking

The authors present the findings of a survey completed by 280 families of children identified as gifted by two Midwestern school districts with distinctly different gifted and talented programs. The authors examined: (a) How parents perceive the learning needs of their children who are identified as gifted; (b) How families address their children's perceived needs; and (c) How children's needs were perceived in school districts with different service delivery models. Parents perceived their children's learning needs similarly across districts. Noted differences were the need for higher level content and time to verbalize ideas. Low on the list of needs was to have a special environment, the need to work with adults, and the need to have role models. Based on the results of this study, the authors address issues associated with developing programs to meet the learning needs of gifted students.     

Test Feedback Class Sessions: Creating a Positive Learning Experience

Abstract

Educators are becoming increasingly sensitive to accommodating the needs of students from diverse backgrounds in their classes while ensuring that learning occurs. Group work often is the vehicle chosen to stimulate participation and positively affect learning. In this paper, we describe the development of parallel case studies related to diversity issues and motivational strategies for use in educational psychology and introductory human resource management courses, the reactions engendered, and issues related to classroom discussion groups. Overall, the cases were effective in stimulating higher-level thinking about real world, diversity-related issues.     

Curriculum and instruction for the gifted: The role of school psychologists

This paper explores the school psychologist's role in the academic and psychosocial development of students identified as gifted and talented via curriculum. Given the school psychologists' assessment expertize, they can inform the identification to service placement process for students, including advocacy for curricular and instructional opportunities that best meet the student's needs. We discuss modern conceptualizations of giftedness and talent development, the function of curriculum and instruction in meeting the needs of students who are gifted and the school psychologist's role in identifying which curricular adaptations are appropriate for students based on learner data. We also discuss how a school psychologist can work with educators to support the needs of twice exceptional learners and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning students and recommend professional learning opportunities for school psychologists to remain abreast of current issues in gifted education.     

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Online Learning: Implications for the Globalized Community College

Implicit in the open-door mission of the community college is the mandate that every learning experience should offer full equity and inclusion for all learners, including those of diverse cultural backgrounds. This mission is paramount, given the cultural diversity represented among learners served by the globalized community college. This paper presents a cross-section of research, practice, and discourse focused on expanding our knowledge and understanding of the diverse learning needs of community college learners. The relevance of the literature to the planning, design, and implementation of distance-learning is discussed. In the end, the authors offer distance-learning instructional strategies that may accommodate the unique needs of Hispanic/Latino learners. Implications for community college educators are discussed.     

The impact of teachers’ individualized practices on gifted students in rural,heterogeneous classrooms

Several factors have increased teachers’ frustrations in the regular classroom as they try to meet the needs of students with varying levels of ability. Limited educational funding, the attitude that gifted students can do without special services, and a push for increased heterogeneous grouping have all contributed to the teacher's problem. The Mustard Seed Project was developed and supported by a grant from the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education program to train teachers to differentiate for student needs by curricular adaptations. The training for teachers modeled the process of individualization for each learner's level, pace and style. A follow‐up support system of human and material resources was implemented to sustain the teachers through the difficult transition required of change. The sites participating in this study were all rural, ethnically diverse, and economically disadvantaged. Profiles of six gifted fifth‐graders were developed using interviews and classroom observations. The research questions sought to determine the extent of the gifted child's intellectual challenge, exploration of in‐depth selected topics of interest, and social and emotional satisfaction in adapted classrooms.     

Supporting learners with special educational needs and disabilities in the foreign languages classroom

Due to misconceptions about the challenges of language learning, foreign languages classrooms have not always been accessible spaces for all learners. This article seeks to address the needs of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in the foreign languages classroom and challenge the notion that this group of students cannot or should not learn languages. Current research tends to focus on specific learning difficulties in language learning, but little research considers the language learning experiences of children with SEND more broadly. Accordingly, this article delineates the advantages of language learning for learners with SEND, drawing on emerging research that shows that second language acquisition is not only possible but positive for many learners with additional needs. It then considers some of the specific challenges that SEND learners may face in the foreign languages classroom before outlining key strategies to facilitate inclusion among this diverse group of learners.

Key points

• Learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) should not routinely be removed from the foreign languages classroom, but instead should be provided with opportunities to thrive within it. This article discusses the unique importance of foreign language learning for learners with SEND.
• Research evidence suggests that learning new languages is, on the whole, possible—and perhaps hugely beneficial—for children with developmental differences and learning difficulties, but will depend on the circumstances and profile of the individual child.
• The article explores some specific challenges that students with different additional needs might encounter in their foreign languages education, based on the four areas of need outlined in the SEND Code of Practice: communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health difficulties; and sensory or physical needs.
• To conclude, the article presents a range of key strategies that foreign languages teachers might implement in the classroom to support learners with different special educational needs and disabilities.

     

Undergraduate Social Work Students’ Perceptions of a Team-Based Learning Approach to Exploring Adult Development

ABSTRACT

Social work educators are challenged to adopt innovative instructional methods and pedagogies to prepare students to meet the contemporary needs of diverse client populations. A team-based learning (TBL) approach is a pedagogical strategy that utilizes cooperative and collaborative learning principles to inspire academic, professional, and interpersonal growth for students. This study explores perspectives of 93 undergraduate social work students regarding the benefits and challenges of using a TBL approach to research adult development. Despite identifying several benefits of this method, including in-depth learning and enhanced relationships, students also experienced significant challenges to working in teams.     

Development of a student perception inventory

Students learn new or difficult information most effectively when the classroom environment is compatible with their learning style preferences. Determining learning style preferences can be accomplished by administering the Learning Style Inventory (LSI). However, to understand compatibility with the classroom, an instrument that quantifies student perceptions of elements within the environment is essential. This paper describes development and field‐testing of such an instrument‐the Student Perception Inventory (SPI). The SPI was administered to 80 gifted middle school students and was found to provide useful student perception data. Information needed to improve learning environments for gifted learners, especially underachieving gifted students, was found when using the LSI in conjunction with the SPI.     

Mentors’ contributions to gifted adolescents’ affective,social, and vocational development

Research on mentorships for gifted adolescents primarily has focused on the role mentors play in students’ academic success. Mentors’ contribution to gifted adolescents’ affective, social, and vocational development rarely has been addressed. This article identifies special needs and characteristics of gifted adolescents in these latter areas, and suggests how mentors can play a significant role in each, including the particular value of mentoring relationships for gifted adolescent females. Finally, educational implications are explored, as well as the need for empirical studies which examine the benefits derived by gifted and nongifted mentees from mentoring relationships.     

A neurodevelopmental approach for helping gifted learners with diagnosed dyslexia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD)

Abstract

Many intellectually and creatively gifted learners experience barriers to learning and development. These may be incorrectly diagnosed as distinct mental disorders, such as Attention Deficit Disorder, hyperactivity, dyslexia and so on. Medication, behaviour and remedial therapy are among the most frequently cited treatments. Emerging approaches to therapy, based on applied neuroscience and the importance of movement in structuring the brain, are finding that it is possible to ‘heal’ interactive links of dysfunctional behaviours and ensuing learning difficulties. This article presents a neurodevelopmental view of learning and attentional problems that are not uncommon in some gifted learners. By means of two case studies, a neurodevelopmental approach will be illustrated whereby such learners have been helped to overcome their learning barriers.     

ACTION RESEARCH WITH GRADUATE STUDENTS: A TOOL FOR ACTIVE LEARNING

Abstract

This research explored the needs, expectations, and experiences of early childhood teachers as they worked together in graduate study. The study looked at data collected from graduate students in three courses that were part of a pilot program. In this program, traditional (M.Ed. students) and non‐traditional (uncertified teachers working in low SES urban child care centers) graduate students were enrolled in the same early childhood graduate courses. Following New Jersey Supreme Court mandated universal preschool in 30 low SES districts, non‐traditional students were required to obtain the new (P‐3) teaching certification. Results showed that most students valued their learning experiences. Additionally, combining the two groups of learners created significantly more ethnic diversity in the graduate classes. Challenges included decreasing class size, creating a sense of community for learners from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and maintaining the rigor of course material while meeting the needs of students who do not have a strong theoretical background.     

Exploring Specialized Schools for the Gifted and Talented

Consultation is a collaborative problem‐solving process with the ultimate goal of providing better services to students. Collaboration between specialists in gifted education and general education school personnel is a way to assist teachers meet the special needs of gifted students in the classroom and improve the general education program. A model for consultation to better serve students in gifted education is presented that encourages shared responsibility among school personnel. Implementation of the model is discussed including implications for training of administrators, specialists in gifted education, and general educators.     

The needs and potential of the highly gifted: Toward a model of responsiveness

Programs for the general population of gifted and talented children may bypass the needs of the highly gifted, if not responsive to the special, often unique, ways such individuals think, act, and feel. Joseph Renzulli's concepts and enrichment programs, emphasizing task‐commitment and creativity as prerequisites for advanced enrichment services, risk discrimination against children of great potential who fail to display these traits. Insights from David Henry Feldman's studies of prodigies — combined with an alertness to the interplay of emotional, social, and cognitive factors pointed to by Lita Hollingworth, Carl Rogers, D. K. Simonton, and others — suggest the essentials of a model for maximally nurturing the potential of the highly gifted.     

Allowing Idiosyncratic Learners to Thrive

Abstract

School-within-a-school programs are an alternative school choice that can provide differentiated learning opportunities for academically gifted students, but they are often politically contentious. In a recent study, we interviewed 530 students and teachers in gifted and regular streams in three publicly funded secondary schools with different approaches to high-ability school-within-a-school programs: gifted, International Baccalaureate, and science-focused. Although teachers and students across conditions expressed strong satisfaction with the academic challenges provided by the special programs, they also expressed serious concerns about the relationship between these programs and the larger schools within which they are housed. Taking into consideration concerns about gifted education usurping resources from more urgent educational and societal goals, we discuss policy implications of our findings, considering ways to “allow idiosyncratic learners to thrive” (in the words of a teacher interviewed in this study), while minimizing misconceptions, prejudices, and perceptions of elitism.     

The GOLD program: A program for gifted learning disabled adolescents

Adolescents who are both gifted and learning disabled have unique needs. The GOLD program is a successful model which includes both resource room support and enrichment. Entrance criteria are described. The curriculum includes teaching students about learning disabilities, self‐advocacy, critical thinking, word processing, communication skills, and ethics. Time is provided for remedial and subject work. As well as the curriculum, the success of the program has resulted from intense involvement of staff, one‐to‐one tutoring, a flexible approach to timetables and attendance, and an environment that encourages hope, humor, trust, and student decision making.     

Developing young children's multidigit number sense

Enrichment for mathematically gifted students in the elementary school needs to extend beyond puzzles or busywork and support the development of mathematical power through a differentiated curriculum. This article describes a series of enrichment experiences that were designed to develop young gifted children's understanding of large numbers, which was central to their investigation of space travel. Although large numbers are not traditionally included in the mathematics curriculum for young children, the children in this group responded enthusiastically to the enrichment experiences. These experiences provided the children with an opportunity to understand the large numbers they encountered in science resource material and to develop their mathematical power.