It is estimated that students who are gifted and highly talented encompass 5 to 15% of the school age population. These advances students can have increased capabilities in academics, creativity, music, dance, art, and/or leadership. The following are recommended:
1. Compact the curriculum and provide enrichment activities. Provide environments that are stimulating, and address cognitive, physical, emotional, and social needs of gifted children in the curriculum. Let the students move quickly through the required curriculum content and onto more advanced material. Allow for academic rigor.
2. Implement a multi-level and multi-dimensional curriculum. Differentiate the curriculum in order to address differences in the rate, depth, and pace of learning. This will enable all students in the class to learn about a specific area by creating projects at their own ability level. For example, if students are learning about the state of Delaware, students of different ability levels can be assigned to different types of tasks. At the conclusion of the class, all of the students can present what they have learned to the entire group.
3. Be flexible with the curriculum. Take advantage of real-life experiences that can be translated into problem-solving academics for all students. For example, an impending snowstorm can be used to instruct students. Students of different ability levels can be given different tasks, such as figuring out what snow is made of, predicting the amount of snowfall, or determining how many snow plows will be needed if 8 inches fall.
4. Make the curriculum student-centered. Engage gifted students in the curriculum decision-making process, giving them an opportunity to learn how to take responsibility for their own learning. Draw the curriculum from the students’ interests and educational needs.
5. Allow students to pursue independent projects based on their own individual interests. Independent projects can be assigned on the basis of ability level. Encourage creativity and original thinking among gifted students. Allow them to explore ways of connecting unrelated issues in creative ways.
6. Allow gifted children to assume ownership of their own learning through curriculum acceleration. Instruct them to work ahead to problems of skills that they do not know. To help children learn the value of attaining knowledge in their lives, encourage learning for its own sake, rather than emphasizing the end results or accomplishments. Teach research skills for accessing information; higher level thinking skills for processing it; creative thinking and problem-solving skills for flexibility in approach and generation of information; and communication skills for sharing it.
7. Try to maximize your students’ potential by expecting them to do their best. Encourage them to advance as quickly as they can. Assist in developing projects that allow them to achieve success one step at a time.
8. Teach interactively. Have students work together, teach one another, and actively participate in their own and their classmates’ education. Note: This does not advocate gifted children being peer tutors in the classroom; the gifted student should be challenged as well. Emphasis should be on working together in the classroom. Cluster gifted children together as a table within the regular classroom and utilize advanced materials, as well as other suggested resources and modification, to meet their exceptional needs.
9. Explore many points of view about contemporary topics and allow opportunity to analyze and evaluate material. Allow open forums and debates in the classroom about controversial issues. As a teacher of gifted children, take an active stance. Be an advocate for gifted students. Utilize specialized training to ensure the ability to meet the needs of gifted students. Share personal interests with all students, to enrich and expand their world.
10. Consider team teaching, collaboration, and consultation with other teachers. Use the knowledge, skills, and support of other educators or professionals in the schools.
11. Provide opportunities for gifted children to interact with other gifted children across grade levels and schools through competitions or collaborative projects.
12. Encourage gifted students to participate in extracurricular activities that involve academic skills. Examples include math and debate teams. Because gifted children are often natural leaders, it is important to invite them to use their talents and abilities in beneficial, rather than disruptive, manners. For example, encourage the gifted student to run for office in student council, or another extracurricular activity in which he/she is involved.
13. Involve students in academic contests. Gifted students tend to be competitive by nature. Therefore, participating in regional and national competitions such as spelling bees, science fairs, and essay competitions will be fun challenges.
14. Allow gifted children to create and publish a class newspaper to distribute. This consists of assisting students in understanding their special capabilities and the training necessary for them to reach their full potential.
15. Set individual goals. Help guide students in creating their own goals and set goals that are specific, measurable, aggressive, realistic, and within a reasonable time frame. Be sure not to place expectations that are too high or too low.
16. Consider parental input about the education of their gifted children.
17. Always remember that gifted children are similar in many ways to the average child in the classroom. Do note place unrealistic expectations and pressures on gifted children.
18. Address the counseling needs of each student to support emotional growth, as needed. Some gifted students have issues regarding anger, boredom, bullying, delinquency, isolation, depression, peer relations, perfectionism, dropping out of school, stress, frustration, and underachievement. About 20-25% of gifted students have emotional difficulties.
19. Remember that gifted children may not excel in all areas. They may be ahead of other students in some areas and behind in some areas. Become aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the children in your class.
20. Do note assign extra work to gifted children who finish assignments early. This is unfair and frustrating to them. Simply offering more of the same only restricts further learning. Instead, allow those children to work on independent projects or other unfinished work when they finish an assignment early.
21. If a child attends resource rooms, communicate with the specialist for suggestions on how to enrich daily classwork. Avoid penalizing the child for special class attendance. Have another child in the regular classroom take notes and assignments for him/her.
22. Provide plenty of opportunities for gifted children and average children to engage in social activities. Some gifted children may need help in developing social skills.
23. Try to find the joy and uniqueness in each child. Children may exhibit their gifts on non-typical levels, rather than in general intellectual aptitude of specific academic abilities. Keep in mind that every child will have different needs.
24. Organize resources in order to free yourself to work with individual children and give the children greater control of the learning situation. Supplementary books and learning tools, community resources, and the use of community members with specific skills as mentors can be helpful.
25. Establish and maintain a warm, accepting classroom. Teach your classroom community to embrace diversity and honor differences. Provide an environment in which the child can demonstrate his or her potential or aptitude to learn and perform. Teachers should strive to establish a noncompetitive, individualized, and open classroom, which allows all students to advance at their own rate of learning.
26. Remember that implementing some of these strategies will benefit all of the children in the classroom, not just the gifted ones.
Monday, March 28, 2011
General Indicators of Giftedness
Gifted students exhibit many of the following characteristics in various degrees and combinations:
• Intense responses to stimuli
• Emotionally and physically sensitive
• Think and learn quickly
• Advanced vocabularies
• Outstanding memories
• Avid readers
• High energy levels
• Highly developed sense of humor
• Curious, ask many questions
• Feel different from others
• Wide range of interests
• Tell imaginative stories
• Empathy for others
• Advanced sense of justice and fairness, global awareness
• Comfortable with abstract thinking and concepts
• Long attention spans and concentration on things of interest
• Understand relationships among unrelated ideas
• Transfer concepts and previous learning to new situations
• Great imaginations; frequently daydream
• Dominate peers or situations
• Critical of themselves and others
• Interact well with older children and adults
• Individualistic; like to work alone, resisting group work
• Dislike routine or low-level details and tasks
• Highly verbal, frequently interrupting others
• Prefer complex ideas and tasks
• Solve problems using ingenious methods
• Open to new ideas and experiences
• Want things (and themselves) to be perfect
Adapted from: Webb, James T., Meckstroth, Elizabeth A., and Tolan, Stephanie S., Guiding the Gifted Child, 1994, Great Potential Press, Scottsdale, AZ. www.giftedbooks.com; Albuquerque Public Schools Gifted Handbook, 2002; Winebrenner, Susan, Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom, 1992, Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., Minneapolis, MN.
• Intense responses to stimuli
• Emotionally and physically sensitive
• Think and learn quickly
• Advanced vocabularies
• Outstanding memories
• Avid readers
• High energy levels
• Highly developed sense of humor
• Curious, ask many questions
• Feel different from others
• Wide range of interests
• Tell imaginative stories
• Empathy for others
• Advanced sense of justice and fairness, global awareness
• Comfortable with abstract thinking and concepts
• Long attention spans and concentration on things of interest
• Understand relationships among unrelated ideas
• Transfer concepts and previous learning to new situations
• Great imaginations; frequently daydream
• Dominate peers or situations
• Critical of themselves and others
• Interact well with older children and adults
• Individualistic; like to work alone, resisting group work
• Dislike routine or low-level details and tasks
• Highly verbal, frequently interrupting others
• Prefer complex ideas and tasks
• Solve problems using ingenious methods
• Open to new ideas and experiences
• Want things (and themselves) to be perfect
Adapted from: Webb, James T., Meckstroth, Elizabeth A., and Tolan, Stephanie S., Guiding the Gifted Child, 1994, Great Potential Press, Scottsdale, AZ. www.giftedbooks.com; Albuquerque Public Schools Gifted Handbook, 2002; Winebrenner, Susan, Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom, 1992, Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., Minneapolis, MN.
Parenting Gifted Children
Parenting gifted children is one of life's greatest challenges. Fortunately, these children are not randomly distributed. They are usually given to parents who have the internal resources (if not the external resources) to deal with them. The first lesson to be learned is that you're as smart as they are, so don't be intimidated by finding out your child is gifted. Our research at the Gifted Child Development Center indicates that parents are usually within 10 IQ points of their children. We also have found that siblings are usually within 10 IQ points of each other, so don't worry about how your gifted child will affect the lives of your "nongifted" children. The chances are, if one of your children is identified as gifted, all of your children are gifted. Knowing this will help the family dynamics enormously (although it does little for your pocketbook). It deters your second child and your gifted daughter from hiding their abilities for the rest of their lives. It's harder to say, "I can't" when you know that your parents know you can.
Gifted children are expensive and time-consuming. They usually need less sleep than you do, ask more questions than you can answer, want 100 percent of your attention 24 hours a day, have obsessive hobbies, are unstimulated by the school curriculum, react intensely to everything, endlessly long for a best friend who understands them completely, hold perfectionistic standards for themselves and you, want to know the meaning of life when other children only want to know how to tie their shoes, and keep their bedrooms in a condition you can never show company. If you have three or more of them and there's only one or two of you, you're outnumbered. In order to be the perfect parent, you need unlimited funds, unlimited patience, an encyclopedic mind, and someone to sleep for you.
But don't despair. Gifted children grow up even better with imperfect parents than with perfect ones. Eminent adults rarely came from peaceful homes where all their needs were met; they came from families that exploded and made up often; that shared their interests; that stimulated their thinking; that recognized and encouraged their abilities; that loved them a whole lot; and that had faith in them. If you find yourself exhausted, remember that some day your-daughter-the-doctor or your-son-the-artist will have you to thank. No matter what schools you put them in, it is their homelife that determines what they do with their lives. Trust your intuitive judgment abut their needs; no one knows them better than you do. Gifted children really enrich your family life. They have a great sense of humor and their development is so remarkable that they're exciting to watch grow. They grow up fast, so enjoy their childhood while you can. (Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D.)
Gifted children are expensive and time-consuming. They usually need less sleep than you do, ask more questions than you can answer, want 100 percent of your attention 24 hours a day, have obsessive hobbies, are unstimulated by the school curriculum, react intensely to everything, endlessly long for a best friend who understands them completely, hold perfectionistic standards for themselves and you, want to know the meaning of life when other children only want to know how to tie their shoes, and keep their bedrooms in a condition you can never show company. If you have three or more of them and there's only one or two of you, you're outnumbered. In order to be the perfect parent, you need unlimited funds, unlimited patience, an encyclopedic mind, and someone to sleep for you.
But don't despair. Gifted children grow up even better with imperfect parents than with perfect ones. Eminent adults rarely came from peaceful homes where all their needs were met; they came from families that exploded and made up often; that shared their interests; that stimulated their thinking; that recognized and encouraged their abilities; that loved them a whole lot; and that had faith in them. If you find yourself exhausted, remember that some day your-daughter-the-doctor or your-son-the-artist will have you to thank. No matter what schools you put them in, it is their homelife that determines what they do with their lives. Trust your intuitive judgment abut their needs; no one knows them better than you do. Gifted children really enrich your family life. They have a great sense of humor and their development is so remarkable that they're exciting to watch grow. They grow up fast, so enjoy their childhood while you can. (Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D.)
Another thing about gifted children
Gifted children are more advanced intellectually than their age peers. They can reason more rapidly and accurately with complex abstract material and this exceptional reasoning ability enables them to be more perceptive and insightful; grasping the essential elements of situations. Insightfulness leads to unusual approaches to problem finding, problem solving
and unusual solutions that are often not appreciated by others. Their rapid learning rate is associated with an unusual memory and excellent retention of facts.
This means there is a need for constant mental stimulation and if this need is not met, problems with boredom can result Intellectual complexity means being able to perceive multitudinous relationships in all things and this leads to a need for precise facts and exactitude. Demand for accuracy, exactness, precision of thought and expression leads them to be argumentative and can be a social liability.
For gifted children, nothing is as simple as it seems and so precision is needed to help sort out relationships and to enable decision making. True/false and multiple choice questions are extremely difficult for gifted children who see clearly that the answer depends on the context - they see endless shades of grey, not black and white. Seeing many layers of meaning in each situation, they quickly pick up mixed messages in social situations that leaves them very confused and embarrassed.
Gifted children have more intellectual curiosity and their need to understand drives them to seek knowledge. They need to make sense of the world, to understand the world, to create their own world. They also have a need to understand themselves, who they are, what makes them who they are, how they work.
As analytical thinkers, gifted children excel at critical examination: they can take things apart in their minds and see all the intricate ways that things could be improved. Acute self-awareness results when this critical examination is turned inward and focussed on themselves and they will be inclined to worry a great deal and be very critical of themselves. Intellectual complexity that is different from age peers can create great inner tension for gifted children. They can feel “different”, “out of place” “don’t fit in” “an alien”. They can experience feelings of isolation and aloneness. This internal tension is mirrored in external adjustment difficulties such as a lack of conformity to cultural expectations based on chronological age, problems in relating to age peers, and preference for older companions. (Silverman 1993)
Lack of understanding of the nature and significance of gifted childrens’ intellectual differences can result in their being seen as “weird” or “bad”. Without understanding, gifted children may try to ignore or deny their differences and this can lead to social isolation and emotional problems. If they do not understand their intellectual differences they will have difficulty in seeing them as positive and can develop low self esteem. Discussion of individual difference can promote valuing of their differences as a positive resource in gifted childrens' lives. Discussing difference to help gifted children better understand giftedness focuses less on the label and more on the accompanying behaviours e.g. quick learning ability; sensitivity to others' problems. It also prevents the child from equating better learner with better person.
Teachers and parents can use gifted childrens’ insightfulness by talking to the exceptional reasoning part of gifted children, asking them to solve their own problems and encouraging them to use insight into problems to promote change. This develops the inner resources for problem resolution and builds self confidence.
Of course, it is vitally important that gifted children be helped to find intellectual peers; others who share their curiosity, interests and values.
and unusual solutions that are often not appreciated by others. Their rapid learning rate is associated with an unusual memory and excellent retention of facts.
This means there is a need for constant mental stimulation and if this need is not met, problems with boredom can result Intellectual complexity means being able to perceive multitudinous relationships in all things and this leads to a need for precise facts and exactitude. Demand for accuracy, exactness, precision of thought and expression leads them to be argumentative and can be a social liability.
For gifted children, nothing is as simple as it seems and so precision is needed to help sort out relationships and to enable decision making. True/false and multiple choice questions are extremely difficult for gifted children who see clearly that the answer depends on the context - they see endless shades of grey, not black and white. Seeing many layers of meaning in each situation, they quickly pick up mixed messages in social situations that leaves them very confused and embarrassed.
Gifted children have more intellectual curiosity and their need to understand drives them to seek knowledge. They need to make sense of the world, to understand the world, to create their own world. They also have a need to understand themselves, who they are, what makes them who they are, how they work.
As analytical thinkers, gifted children excel at critical examination: they can take things apart in their minds and see all the intricate ways that things could be improved. Acute self-awareness results when this critical examination is turned inward and focussed on themselves and they will be inclined to worry a great deal and be very critical of themselves. Intellectual complexity that is different from age peers can create great inner tension for gifted children. They can feel “different”, “out of place” “don’t fit in” “an alien”. They can experience feelings of isolation and aloneness. This internal tension is mirrored in external adjustment difficulties such as a lack of conformity to cultural expectations based on chronological age, problems in relating to age peers, and preference for older companions. (Silverman 1993)
Lack of understanding of the nature and significance of gifted childrens’ intellectual differences can result in their being seen as “weird” or “bad”. Without understanding, gifted children may try to ignore or deny their differences and this can lead to social isolation and emotional problems. If they do not understand their intellectual differences they will have difficulty in seeing them as positive and can develop low self esteem. Discussion of individual difference can promote valuing of their differences as a positive resource in gifted childrens' lives. Discussing difference to help gifted children better understand giftedness focuses less on the label and more on the accompanying behaviours e.g. quick learning ability; sensitivity to others' problems. It also prevents the child from equating better learner with better person.
Teachers and parents can use gifted childrens’ insightfulness by talking to the exceptional reasoning part of gifted children, asking them to solve their own problems and encouraging them to use insight into problems to promote change. This develops the inner resources for problem resolution and builds self confidence.
Of course, it is vitally important that gifted children be helped to find intellectual peers; others who share their curiosity, interests and values.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Bagaimana memastikan kanak-kanak ini dapat adaptasi diri mereka dengan kanak-kanak lain?
Seperti murid-murid lain, murid pintar cerdas juga memerlukan tiga perkara iaitu kasih sayang, pencapaian dan aspirasi. Pertolongan dari ibu bapa juga diperlukan bukan hanya dari guru semasa di sekolah.
Mengikut Suradi Salim ( 1996 ) menyatakan terdapat beberapa objektif bimbingan dan kaunseling bagi murid pintar cerdas seperti berikut :-
1. Menbantunya mengenal dan menerima kebolehan dan kekurangan dirinya dan menyedari bahawa kelebihan yang ada pada dirinya mungkin tidak pada semua aktiviti atau perkara.
2. Menghormati kebolehan orang lain dan menerima kekurangan orang lain
3. Membentuk matlamat pendidikan, kerjaya, sosial, bakat, emosi selaras dengan kebolehan, bakat dan minat.
4. Penyediaan dan pemberian pengalaman ke arah aktiviti yang membawa kesimbangan.
5. Pemberian bantuan dan pertolongan kepada mereka mengambil bahagian dengan murid lain.
6. Mengenal akan perlunya empati, menghormati dan menerima individu lain dengan sifat dan kebolehan mereka.
7. Menunjukkan di mana sumber-sumber yang boleh membantu mereka memenuhi keperluan hidup mereka.
8. Mengembangkan sifat dan sikap bertanggungjawab terhadap orang lain berasaskan sifat-sifat keistimewaan dan bakat semulajadi seseorang.
9. Memelihara hak setiap individu untuk membuat keputusan pendidikan
10. Memberi bantuan dalam menganalisis masalah peribadi dan pelajaran.
Kesemua objektif di atas adalah untuk menghasilkan kemajuan murid pintar cerdas dari segi akademik serta melayan mereka agar rasa gembira memiliki kelebihan sendiri tanpa memandang rendah terhadap kebolehan murid-murid yang sebaya dengannya yang mungkin memiliki kekurangan berbanding kebolehan yang ada pada dirinya.
Mengikut Suradi Salim ( 1996 ) menyatakan terdapat beberapa objektif bimbingan dan kaunseling bagi murid pintar cerdas seperti berikut :-
1. Menbantunya mengenal dan menerima kebolehan dan kekurangan dirinya dan menyedari bahawa kelebihan yang ada pada dirinya mungkin tidak pada semua aktiviti atau perkara.
2. Menghormati kebolehan orang lain dan menerima kekurangan orang lain
3. Membentuk matlamat pendidikan, kerjaya, sosial, bakat, emosi selaras dengan kebolehan, bakat dan minat.
4. Penyediaan dan pemberian pengalaman ke arah aktiviti yang membawa kesimbangan.
5. Pemberian bantuan dan pertolongan kepada mereka mengambil bahagian dengan murid lain.
6. Mengenal akan perlunya empati, menghormati dan menerima individu lain dengan sifat dan kebolehan mereka.
7. Menunjukkan di mana sumber-sumber yang boleh membantu mereka memenuhi keperluan hidup mereka.
8. Mengembangkan sifat dan sikap bertanggungjawab terhadap orang lain berasaskan sifat-sifat keistimewaan dan bakat semulajadi seseorang.
9. Memelihara hak setiap individu untuk membuat keputusan pendidikan
10. Memberi bantuan dalam menganalisis masalah peribadi dan pelajaran.
Kesemua objektif di atas adalah untuk menghasilkan kemajuan murid pintar cerdas dari segi akademik serta melayan mereka agar rasa gembira memiliki kelebihan sendiri tanpa memandang rendah terhadap kebolehan murid-murid yang sebaya dengannya yang mungkin memiliki kekurangan berbanding kebolehan yang ada pada dirinya.
Situasi
Sememangnya dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran di sekolah, guru-guru memang ingin murid-muridnya sentiasa pintar dan cerdas. Namun di dalam situasi bilik darjah yang terdiri daripada pelbagai jenis kebolehan murid , murid pintar cergas ini boleh menganggu situasi pembelajaran di dalam kelas.
Contoh: Alin merupakan murid pintar cerdas di dalam kelasnya. Alin selalu mendahului kawan-kawannya dari segi menjawab soalan, membuat latihan, menyiapkan tugasan dan melibatkan diri secara aktif dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran di dalam kelas.
Apa yang pasti, sememangnya sukar juga juga mengawal tindak tanduknya di dalam kelas yang selalu jauh ke depan meninggalkan kawan-kawannya yang lemah atau sederhana.
Cara mengatasi tingkah laku bermasalah murid pintar cerdas dengan menggunakan teori mazhab sosial :-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Guru menjadikan murid pintar cerdas sebagai model.
• Guru menjelaskan mengapa ia boleh menjadi model atau contoh kepada kawan-kawannya yang lain di dalam kelas
• Guru tonjolkan sikap-sikap positif murid seperti rajin mengulangkaji pelajaran di rumah, mencuba menjawab pelbagai bentuk soalan, siakp berani bertanya sekiranya tidak faham atau tidak tahu
• Guru menerangkan satu persatu langkah bagaimana boleh menjadi seperti murid contoh.
• Guru perlu tahu menggunakan cara untuk menarik minat murid-murid lain di dalam kelas supaya berinisiatif untuk berubah seperti memberi hadiah kepada murid contoh. Maka jika ada di kalangan murid-murid lain di dalam kelas boleh menunjukkan kebolehan seperti murid contoh; murid tersebut akan menerima hadiah serupa seperti murid contoh. Ini akan memberangsangkan murid-murid lain untuk berubah kepada tingkah laku yang lebih baik.
• Guru hendaklah sentiasa memberi galakan kepada murid-murid supaya sentiasa bersedia dalam pembelajaran.
Contoh: Alin merupakan murid pintar cerdas di dalam kelasnya. Alin selalu mendahului kawan-kawannya dari segi menjawab soalan, membuat latihan, menyiapkan tugasan dan melibatkan diri secara aktif dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran di dalam kelas.
Apa yang pasti, sememangnya sukar juga juga mengawal tindak tanduknya di dalam kelas yang selalu jauh ke depan meninggalkan kawan-kawannya yang lemah atau sederhana.
Cara mengatasi tingkah laku bermasalah murid pintar cerdas dengan menggunakan teori mazhab sosial :-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Guru menjadikan murid pintar cerdas sebagai model.
• Guru menjelaskan mengapa ia boleh menjadi model atau contoh kepada kawan-kawannya yang lain di dalam kelas
• Guru tonjolkan sikap-sikap positif murid seperti rajin mengulangkaji pelajaran di rumah, mencuba menjawab pelbagai bentuk soalan, siakp berani bertanya sekiranya tidak faham atau tidak tahu
• Guru menerangkan satu persatu langkah bagaimana boleh menjadi seperti murid contoh.
• Guru perlu tahu menggunakan cara untuk menarik minat murid-murid lain di dalam kelas supaya berinisiatif untuk berubah seperti memberi hadiah kepada murid contoh. Maka jika ada di kalangan murid-murid lain di dalam kelas boleh menunjukkan kebolehan seperti murid contoh; murid tersebut akan menerima hadiah serupa seperti murid contoh. Ini akan memberangsangkan murid-murid lain untuk berubah kepada tingkah laku yang lebih baik.
• Guru hendaklah sentiasa memberi galakan kepada murid-murid supaya sentiasa bersedia dalam pembelajaran.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)