Instructional Considerations for teachers of gifted learners
In conjunction with acknowledging and being familiar with the implications of the defining characteristics of children who are gifted, and a working knowledge of the enduring practices in this field, there are several elements to consider in the design and programming of your future classroom:
Silverman (2012) suggests a discrepancy between gifted learners and their developmentally typical counterparts is that, in general, gifted students dislike learning in small steps at a slow pace. Without specialized instruction, gifted students are often left to wait for their peers to catch up. It is important to modify the curriculum according to your students’ particular needs. Suggested considerations include but are not limited to:
Individualized Program Plan: Including parents in the development is important.
An important instructional consideration is to accommodate the needs of the gifted learner, rather than to resist, defy, or fight them. The following overexcitabilities, as outlined by Daniels and Piechowski (2009) contribute to the child’s overall development. It is important that they be considered as strengths and aspects of the student’s authentic self, assisting with modification where necessary, rather than to dismiss or diminish the traits.
Psychomotor Overexcitability (OE)
This does not necessarily mean advanced physical ability, and can sometimes derive from internalized emotional tension. Teachers should be mindful and integrate physical movement and incorporate movement before, during and after quiet and still activities. It is important to note that sports are not usually the student’s preferred way to express Psychomotor Overexcitability (OE). Allowing students to be mobile throughout the day, given that it is not disruptive to others, can help facilitate effective learning. Young students can benefit from standing while reading, having an object to twiddle in their hands, martial arts to help focus the mind, being given sufficient air time, IQ cards (I is for interesting ideas, Q is for questions), participating in relaxation activities, and having constant access to a notebook and pencil to archive ideas.
Positive statements for children with high Psychomotor OE include (p.39-40):
Strategies for Psychomotor OE in the classroom (p.39-40):
Sensual Overexcitability
It is not uncommon for children who are gifted to have increased sense of vision, smell, taste, touch and hearing. Their perception is strong and they notice details that are often not visible to the non-gifted eye. Some of these senses have the potential to bring about negative emotions since many gifted children have difficulty filtering out background noise, smells, etc. Our goal in supporting students is to help them to effectively self-regulate using a menu of coping skills.
Positive statements for children with Sensual OE include (p.42):
Instructional Strategies for Sensual OE (p.42-43):
Intellectual Overexcitability
Children with Intellectual OE have heightened curiosity, interest, and problem-solving needs. These students love to ask questions and are quite capable of multitasking. Students with Intellectual OE can become very devoted to projects that are of special interest. Differentiated curriculum is often key for these students, as they have been reported to know 35-50% of the curriculum before entering a given grade in school (US Department of Educational, National Excellence, p.2 and 44 in our book). Perfectionism is a common in these students, which can lead to both positive and negative outcomes.
Positive statements for children with Intellectual OE include (p.43):
Instructional Strategies for Intellectual OE (p.44):
Imaginational Overexcitability
A gifted student with Imaginational OE who is highly creative is often less concrete. These students can dream up fictional stories and fantasy situations, which are oftentimes harmless, however, it is important to help them understand the difference between imagination and reality while still honoring their creativity. Imaginational OE students might have imaginary pets, friends, families, inventions, and narratives.
Positive statements for students with Imaginational OE (p.50):
Instructional Strategies for Imaginational OE (p.50-51):
Emotional Overexcitability
Gifted students with emotional OE generally have intense and complex feelings, both negative and positive. Often, these students have heightened emotional responses to language and meaning. Instances or events that might not evoke any emotion in a typical child may cause great sadness for the student with Emotional OE. These students have heightened responses in all emotions – fear, joy, affection, loneliness, care, etc., and can experience more than one emotion at a time (ex. the excitement of a new project with the anxiety of failure). Emotional OE can inhibit children from completing tasks, exploring ideas or building relationships. Relationships are highly important for these children, however they often form bonds with younger children or adults. Heightened caring emotions can mean these children often internalize and respond to feelings of others, and they often feel compelled to act for justice. These children are easily confused by non-verbal cues that do not parallel the spoken words. A safe, secure and effective listening environment is critical so these students can express their deep emotions, and build their self-esteem and self-respect.
Positive statements for students with Emotional OE (p.54):
Instructional Strategies for Emotional OE (p.54-55):
When we work with gifted learners, it is important that we acknowledge, encourage, and honour unique self=expression and overexcitabilities. Gifted students require guidance to “express and release this intensity and emotion in safe and gratifying ways” (p 36). Strategies can be taught so students can learn to “modulate” their expression by regulating or adjusting their reactions, alter or adapt according to the circumstance or change or vary the pitch (p.36).
Providing meaningful education to gifted children means honouring students’ self by providing opportunities for self-actualization, interdependence, and social/emotional learning. Further, some classrooms move away from a hierarchal approach towards a participatory democracy in which the administration and the institution works in cooperation with students (p.197).
Students who are gifted are often more sensitive to stress both from the environment and from within. Gifted learners recognize that the world is constructed to meet the needs of the average and struggle with how to navigate and act within these constraints. These students would benefit from a role model, and from teachers who empathize with who they are, and try to assist in their self-exploration and personal development.
When children are enrolled in a gifted program, careful consideration is required to avoid segregation. It is important to incorporate cross-age activities and heterogeneous groupings to prevent alienation, promote relationship building and positive development (p.68). Grouping can be either teacher or student selected and should be flexible. Groups can form to support learning needs by focusing on specific skills, teaching needs, specific curriculum or topics of interests (British Columbia Ministry of Education, n.d.).
Taken from Living with Intensity by Susan Daniels and Michael Piechowski
Silverman (2012) suggests a discrepancy between gifted learners and their developmentally typical counterparts is that, in general, gifted students dislike learning in small steps at a slow pace. Without specialized instruction, gifted students are often left to wait for their peers to catch up. It is important to modify the curriculum according to your students’ particular needs. Suggested considerations include but are not limited to:
Individualized Program Plan: Including parents in the development is important.
- Pre-tests: Administering pre-tests to determine academic levels and baseline
- Differentiated homework: skill and drill exercises can bore and disengage the gifted learner. When assigning homework, focus on most challenging areas
- Compacting material (also known as telescoping and compressing): it is important for all teachers, but especially those of gifted learners, to focus on quality over quantity. These students often require less time than is allotted to comprehend the material, and this allows more time for in-depth exploration of passion projects
- Passion projects: an assignment in an area of particular interest for the student that is related to the content
- Abstraction: Gifted students are engaged when they have an opportunity to apply hypothetical reasoning, discuss complex issues, and work with materials involved in many levels of understanding.
- Zone of Proximal Development: While gifted learners yearn for more advanced material, teachers must be cautious and ensure that the material, while challenging, is still achievable for the student. A common misconception is that gifted learners do not require extra assistance, when in fact they do need help, support, and guidance from their teacher.
An important instructional consideration is to accommodate the needs of the gifted learner, rather than to resist, defy, or fight them. The following overexcitabilities, as outlined by Daniels and Piechowski (2009) contribute to the child’s overall development. It is important that they be considered as strengths and aspects of the student’s authentic self, assisting with modification where necessary, rather than to dismiss or diminish the traits.
Psychomotor Overexcitability (OE)
This does not necessarily mean advanced physical ability, and can sometimes derive from internalized emotional tension. Teachers should be mindful and integrate physical movement and incorporate movement before, during and after quiet and still activities. It is important to note that sports are not usually the student’s preferred way to express Psychomotor Overexcitability (OE). Allowing students to be mobile throughout the day, given that it is not disruptive to others, can help facilitate effective learning. Young students can benefit from standing while reading, having an object to twiddle in their hands, martial arts to help focus the mind, being given sufficient air time, IQ cards (I is for interesting ideas, Q is for questions), participating in relaxation activities, and having constant access to a notebook and pencil to archive ideas.
Positive statements for children with high Psychomotor OE include (p.39-40):
- “You have wonderful enthusiasm and energy”
- “Sometimes bodies need to relax"
- “You put your whole body into your learning”
Strategies for Psychomotor OE in the classroom (p.39-40):
- Avoid activities that involve constant and long-term sitting
- Discuss the positive aspects of Psychomotor OE
- Plan movement opportunities
- Provide reasonable movement in all settings
- Ask student to be a helper and run an errand
- Assist in self-regulation: help student notice signs of exhaustion and need for quiet time
- Teach student that taking a time out is a choice
- Demonstrate relaxation techniques
- Model activities and behaviors
- Include energy outlet activities such as gym, outdoor activities, activity centers and opportunities for gross motor movement (p.248)
Sensual Overexcitability
It is not uncommon for children who are gifted to have increased sense of vision, smell, taste, touch and hearing. Their perception is strong and they notice details that are often not visible to the non-gifted eye. Some of these senses have the potential to bring about negative emotions since many gifted children have difficulty filtering out background noise, smells, etc. Our goal in supporting students is to help them to effectively self-regulate using a menu of coping skills.
Positive statements for children with Sensual OE include (p.42):
- “You take such delight in beautiful sounds, sights, and feelings”
- “Sometimes it’s good to try new things. Would you like to try ______?”
- “You like _____ (sounds, textures, etc.), but I notice that _____ (noises, textures, etc.) bother you”
Instructional Strategies for Sensual OE (p.42-43):
- Discuss the positive aspects of Sensual OE
- Be aware of your students’ triggers and provide an environment that limits offensive stimuli and maximizes comforting and pleasing stimuli
- Take time to appreciate smells and sounds
- Within reason, allow students to control their own living space and work setting
- Be cognizant that attachment to a personal belonging, such as a stuffed toy or blanket may continue longer in these students than others
- Plan field trips to places rich in sensual stimuli, such as concert halls, art museums and theatres (p.248)
Intellectual Overexcitability
Children with Intellectual OE have heightened curiosity, interest, and problem-solving needs. These students love to ask questions and are quite capable of multitasking. Students with Intellectual OE can become very devoted to projects that are of special interest. Differentiated curriculum is often key for these students, as they have been reported to know 35-50% of the curriculum before entering a given grade in school (US Department of Educational, National Excellence, p.2 and 44 in our book). Perfectionism is a common in these students, which can lead to both positive and negative outcomes.
Positive statements for children with Intellectual OE include (p.43):
- “Mistakes are a natural part of learning.”
- “You have great potential to learn new things and to make changes”
- “You defend your ideas and are open to learning different information”
Instructional Strategies for Intellectual OE (p.44):
- Inquire about parts of projects they are satisfied with, areas they would like to improve, and discuss how they might do it differently next time
- Limit number of questions (today, we will take four questions)
- Allow and enable students to seek understanding and truth at any age
- Help students find answers to their own questions
- Teach inquiry methods
- Demonstrate and model communication skills
- Allow for student-led projects
- Assist students with goal-setting and reflection
- Find opportunities for students to interact with intellectual peers (i.e. multi-age, extracurricular events, enrichment classes, etc.)
- Include multi-modal tools in the classroom
- Create curriculum that integrates subjects, encourages original thought and intellectual risk-taking, full engagement of intellect, worldview, social/emotional aspects and moral reasoning (p.71)
- Allow time for students to explore their passion through literature, technology, and discussions with mentors (p.249)
Imaginational Overexcitability
A gifted student with Imaginational OE who is highly creative is often less concrete. These students can dream up fictional stories and fantasy situations, which are oftentimes harmless, however, it is important to help them understand the difference between imagination and reality while still honoring their creativity. Imaginational OE students might have imaginary pets, friends, families, inventions, and narratives.
Positive statements for students with Imaginational OE (p.50):
- “You view the world in a different way”
- “You have a rich imagination”
- “You think and tell great stories”
Instructional Strategies for Imaginational OE (p.50-51):
- Journal imagination events, thoughts, and ideas. Parents and teachers can help with this before the student is able to write independently.
- Encourage students to share imaginings - tell stories, illustrate thoughts
- Ask questions about the stories – what would happen if the story took place in another time period or in a different place?
- Provide opportunities for design and invention
- Help distinguish between imagination and reality
- Provide creative outlets
- Incorporate open-ended activities
Emotional Overexcitability
Gifted students with emotional OE generally have intense and complex feelings, both negative and positive. Often, these students have heightened emotional responses to language and meaning. Instances or events that might not evoke any emotion in a typical child may cause great sadness for the student with Emotional OE. These students have heightened responses in all emotions – fear, joy, affection, loneliness, care, etc., and can experience more than one emotion at a time (ex. the excitement of a new project with the anxiety of failure). Emotional OE can inhibit children from completing tasks, exploring ideas or building relationships. Relationships are highly important for these children, however they often form bonds with younger children or adults. Heightened caring emotions can mean these children often internalize and respond to feelings of others, and they often feel compelled to act for justice. These children are easily confused by non-verbal cues that do not parallel the spoken words. A safe, secure and effective listening environment is critical so these students can express their deep emotions, and build their self-esteem and self-respect.
Positive statements for students with Emotional OE (p.54):
- “You are sensitive to others’ feelings”
- “You are very loyal to those you care about”
- “You are very aware of joy, frustration, sadness, and the whole world of feelings”
Instructional Strategies for Emotional OE (p.54-55):
- Help students learn to manage their feelings and behaviors, and work towards understanding the appropriateness of both
- Help students to develop coping and self=regulation strategies
- Demonstrate relaxation and personal time out strategies
- Teach students to express and share emotions and feelings in positive and productive ways (verbally, movement, art, journaling, etc.)
- Work with student to develop a feeling vocabulary
- Learn and practice effective listening and responding skills
- Teach children to anticipate emotions
- Model ‘temperature taking’ – How do I feel right now? Hot, cold, war, etc. What do these temperatures mean?
- Find and participate in activities that address empathy and social concern
- Create a safe environment where students can express their feelings and maintain close friendships (p.249)
When we work with gifted learners, it is important that we acknowledge, encourage, and honour unique self=expression and overexcitabilities. Gifted students require guidance to “express and release this intensity and emotion in safe and gratifying ways” (p 36). Strategies can be taught so students can learn to “modulate” their expression by regulating or adjusting their reactions, alter or adapt according to the circumstance or change or vary the pitch (p.36).
Providing meaningful education to gifted children means honouring students’ self by providing opportunities for self-actualization, interdependence, and social/emotional learning. Further, some classrooms move away from a hierarchal approach towards a participatory democracy in which the administration and the institution works in cooperation with students (p.197).
Students who are gifted are often more sensitive to stress both from the environment and from within. Gifted learners recognize that the world is constructed to meet the needs of the average and struggle with how to navigate and act within these constraints. These students would benefit from a role model, and from teachers who empathize with who they are, and try to assist in their self-exploration and personal development.
When children are enrolled in a gifted program, careful consideration is required to avoid segregation. It is important to incorporate cross-age activities and heterogeneous groupings to prevent alienation, promote relationship building and positive development (p.68). Grouping can be either teacher or student selected and should be flexible. Groups can form to support learning needs by focusing on specific skills, teaching needs, specific curriculum or topics of interests (British Columbia Ministry of Education, n.d.).
Taken from Living with Intensity by Susan Daniels and Michael Piechowski