Conceptions of Giftedness

Finnish Teachers’ Conceptions of Giftedness

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The Stanford-Binet Third Revision Form L-M yields consistently higher numerical scores for the same test-taker than scores obtained on current tests. This has prompted some authors on identification of gifted children to promote the Stanford-Binet form L-M, which has long been obsolete, [21] as the only test with a sufficient ceiling to identify the exceptionally and profoundly gifted, despite the Stanford-Binet L-M never having been normed on a representative national sample.

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While many people believe giftedness is a strictly quantitative difference, measurable by IQ tests, some authors on the "experience of being" have described giftedness as a fundamentally different way of perceiving the world, which in turn affects every experience had by the gifted individual. This view is doubted by some scholars who have closely studied gifted children longitudinally. Characteristics and attributes associated with giftedness varies across cultures.

While intelligence is extremely important in Western and some other cultures, such an emphasis is not consistent throughout the world. For example, in Japan, there is more of a value placed on an individual's motivation and diligence. When Japanese students are given a task, they attribute success to factors like effort, whereas American students tend to attribute success to ability. Similarly, when Japanese students fail, they refer the failure to lack of effort. On the other hand, American students believe failure is due to a lack of ability.

Many traits that demonstrate intellectual giftedness are identified across a multitude of cultures, such as: Gifted children may develop asynchronously: One frequently cited example of asynchronicity in early cognitive development is Albert Einstein , who did not speak until the age of four, but whose later fluency and accomplishments belied this initial delay.

Psychologist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker theorized that, rather than viewing Einstein's and other famously gifted late-talking individuals adult accomplishments as existing distinct from, or in spite of, his early language deficits, and rather than viewing Einstein's lingual delay itself as a " disorder ", it may be that Einstein's genius and his delay in speaking were developmentally intrinsic to one another. It has been said that gifted children may advance more quickly through stages established by post-Freudian developmentalists such as Jean Piaget.

Francoy Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent DMGT is a developmental theory that distinguishes giftedness from talent, offering explanation on how outstanding natural abilities gifts develop into specific expert skills talents. Multiple intelligences has been associated with giftedness or overachievement of some developmental areas Colangelo, The concept of multiple intelligences MI makes the field aware of additional potential strengths and proposes a variety of curricular methods. Gardner argued that there are eight intelligences, or different areas in which people assimilate or learn about the world around them: The most common criticism of Gardner's MI theory is "the belief by scholars that each of the seven multiple intelligences is in fact a cognitive style rather than a stand-alone construct".

Others consider the theory not to be sufficiently empirical. Identification of gifted students with MI is a challenge since there is no simple test to give to determine giftedness of MI.

Assessing by observation is potentially most accurate, but potentially highly subjective. MI theory can be applied to not only gifted students, but it can be a lens through which all students can be assessed. This more global perspective may lead to more child-centered instruction and meet the needs of a greater number of children Colangelo, Generally, gifted or advanced students learn more quickly, deeply, and broadly than their peers. They may learn to read early and progress at the same level as normal children who are significantly older.

Gifted students also tend to demonstrate high reasoning ability, creativity , curiosity , a large vocabulary , and an excellent memory. They can often master concepts with few repetitions. They may also be perfectionistic , and frequently question authority. Some have trouble relating to or communicating with their peers because of disparities in vocabulary size especially in the early years , personality, interests, and motivation. As children, they may prefer the company of older children or adults.

Giftedness is frequently not evenly distributed throughout all intellectual spheres. One gifted student may excel in solving logic problems yet be a poor speller. Another may be able to read and write at a far above-average level yet have trouble with mathematics. It is possible that there are different types of giftedness with their own unique features, just as there are different types of developmental delay. Giftedness may become noticeable in individuals at different points of development.

While early development i. Savants are individuals who perform exceptionally in a single field of learning. More often savant and savantism describes people with a single field of learning well beyond what is considered normal, even among the gifted community. Autistic savantism refers to the exceptional abilities occasionally exhibited by people with autism or other pervasive developmental disorders. The term was introduced in a article in Psychology Today describing this condition.

While White students represent the majority of students enrolled in gifted programs, Black and Hispanic students constitute a percentage less than their enrollment in school.

This underrepresentation of such students in gifted programs is attributed to a multiplicity of factors including cultural bias of testing procedures, population differences in IQ, selective referrals and educator bias, and a reliance on deficit-based paradigms. According to data collected by the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education, White students have more opportunities and exposure to attending schools that offer gifted and talented education programs GATE than racial and ethnic minority students, specifically Black and Latino students.

Thus revealing that white people have more opportunities to being a part of a school that offers GATE programs. Department of Education, If a teacher expects more success academically from specific students, those students are prone to displaying behavior and work ethic that will set them apart from others in a positive light. Whereas if a teacher only expects bare minimum from his or her students, those students will merely do what is expected of them Weinstein, Racial minority students who are perceived as being disadvantaged from their peers in regards to socioeconomic status tend to have less supportive relations with their teachers Fitzpatrick, Research suggests that teacher expectancy bias can also be diminish by matching the racial demographics of students to that of teachers.

Gershenson and colleagues found that non-Black teachers held low expectations of their black students specifically in relation to black male students and math.

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Whereas, Black teachers held high expectations to black male students in regards to math. This finding suggests that racial diversity in our educators is positive step toward diminishing teacher expectancy bias. Weinstein and colleagues [48] aimed to change the low expectations attached to racial minority students of an urban high school that placed many Black and Latino students in remedial programs rather than college preparatory or honor classes. The study aimed to prepare these racial minority students for college level academic work while attending high school.

With positive teacher attitudes toward students and greater teacher self-efficacy, the students who were once on track to being recommended for remedial classes where performing at advanced academic levels after 2 years of intervention. They were also more heavily involved in leadership roles at their high school. This study supports the claim that teacher expectancy contributes to how a student sees him or herself in regards to achievements Weinstein et al.

Gifted students of color experience success when multicultural content is incorporated in the curriculum and furthermore when the curriculum itself is designed to be culturally and linguistically compatible. The term twice-exceptional was coined by James J. Gallagher to denote students who are both gifted and have disabilities. For instance, they might have gifted learning needs and a learning disability , such as attention deficit disorder.

Or, they may be a gifted learner and have a developmental disability , such as autism spectrum disorder. People have known about twice-exceptional students for thirty years; however, identification and program strategies remain ambiguous. Teachers and educators will need to make special accommodations for their learning deficits such as remediation , yet adapt the curriculum to meet their advanced learning needs for instance, through acceleration or enrichment.

Early identification and intervention is critical; however, giftedness in the twice-exceptional population is often identified later than in the average population as it is masked by the disability. The disabilities may include auditory processing weaknesses, sensory motor integration issues, visual perceptual difficulties, spatial disorientation, dyslexia, and attention deficits. Recognition of learning difficulties among the gifted is made extremely difficult by virtue of their ability to compensate.

Among the signs that the student may be twice-exceptional are apparent inconsistencies between abilities and results, deficits in short-term memory and attention, and negative behaviors such as being sarcastic, negative, or aggressive. A Child prodigy that demonstrates qualities to be twice-exceptional may encounter additional difficulties. With insight at a young age, it is possible for them to be constantly aware of the risk of failure. This can be detrimental to their emotional state and academic achievement.

If a child comprehends a subject well, but due to a developmental disorder receives poor grades in a subject, the child may have difficulty understanding why there is little success in that subject. Social isolation is a common trait in gifted individuals, especially those with no social network of gifted peers. In order to gain popularity, gifted children will often try to hide their abilities to win social approval.

Strategies include underachievement discussed below and the use of less sophisticated vocabulary when among same-age peers than when among family members or other trusted individuals. Some believe that the isolation experienced by gifted individuals is not caused by giftedness itself, but by society's response to giftedness and to the rarity of peers. Plucker and Levy have noted that, "in this culture, there appears to be a great pressure for people to be 'normal' with a considerable stigma associated with giftedness or talent.

The earlier this occurs, the more effective it is likely to be in preventing isolation. Research suggests that gifted adolescents might have deficiencies in social valuation, mentalization , [60] and social adaptive learning. Perfectionism , while considered to have many positive aspects , can be another issue for gifted individuals.

It is encouraged by the fact that gifted individuals tend to be easily successful in much of what they do. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, Vol. Hautala, Johanna and Jauhiainen, Jussi S. Creativity-related mobilities of peripheral artists and scientists. Studies in Higher Education, p. Describing the Status of Programs for the Gifted. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, Vol. A New Model for Identifying the Gifted. Emotional intelligence in gifted students.

Gifted Education International, Vol. Siegle, Del McCoach, D.

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Sternberg's spectacular research career in psychology had a rather inauspicious beginning. In elementary school he performed poorly on IQ tests, and his teachers' actions conveyed their low expectations for his future progress. Everything changed when his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Alexa, saw that he had potential and challenged him to do better. With her encouragement, he became a high- Robert J.

With her encouragement, he became a high-achieving student, eventually graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University.

Conceptions of Giftedness

In a gesture of gratitude, Dr. Sternberg dedicated his book, Successful Intelligence to Mrs. Sternberg's personal experiences with intelligence testing in elementary school lead him to create his own intelligence test for a 7 th grade science project. He happened to find the Stanford-Binet scales in the local library, and with unintentional impertinence, began administering the test to his classmates; his own test, the Sternberg Test of Mental Abilities STOMA appeared shortly thereafter.

In subsequent years he distinguished himself in many domains of psychology, having published influential theories relating to intelligence, creativity, wisdom, thinking styles, love and hate. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Successful Intelligence contends that intelligent behavior arises from a balance between analytical, creative and practical abilities, and that these abilities function collectively to allow individuals to achieve success within particular sociocultural contexts. Analytical abilities enable the individual to evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast information.

Creative abilities generate invention, discovery, and other creative endeavors. Practical abilities tie everything together by allowing individuals to apply what they have learned in the appropriate setting.

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