Lateral Lessons: Qestions and Answers

I had this great question last week that I wanted to address:

"Our school uses curriculum compacting for the higher level kids, however they will NOT move the curriculum ahead. They claim to do lateral lessons, not forward, after each curriculum benchmark has been mastered. Your opinions on this.. Is it possible to do lateral lessons on 2digit Addition for 30 days like the curriculum map outlines? What kind of lateral lessons should we be requesting for Grade 2 next year since they will not deviate from the regular curriculum schedule? I love your blog! "

First off, thanks for loving my blog! I aim to please and it is so great to get positive feedback! This website is more about you all than me. . .

And now, to answer your question.

I can completely understand your frustration! My first year teaching, my students mastered our ridiculously easy standards right away, and wanted to move further. They still loved the concept we were studying; they just wanted to learn more about it. I started to look for resources for higher grade level content. Uh Oh! Did I step on some toes or what?! Another veteran teacher came down from the "Big Kid Hallway" and let me know that this was not how it was done. While I don't know that this was in the best interests of the children, I did learn some interesting techniques that I am happy to share.

• Replacement Units

For the particular instance I was talking about above, the teacher who corrected me did provide an alternative. She gave me a Marilyn Burns replacement unit on the topic. These are more in-depth and hands-on units to teach certain math concepts. Our textbook only spent about a week on the topic, but the replacement unit spent almost a month.

We looked at the vocabulary in more depth, learned how to discuss the topic, and wrote about it. The students designed products that demonstrated these concepts (in this case a carnival) and we invited other classes in to share. I would highly recommend looking into these replacement units. There are a ton of them out there. Three that I recommend for second graders are Math by All Means: Probability Grades 1-2, Math by All Means: Geometry for Grades 1-2, and Math By All Means: Place Value for Grades 1-2. You could do this with your whole class, or just with a higher group. These would probably be my single best request for ordering for your grade level, because you get the most bang for your buck for what you are trying to do. I will put the whole series in my bookstore so you can have a quick look at all your choices. There is also Math by All Means for other grade levels. I have used the 1-2 and the 3-4 and had great success with both.

• Extension or Enrichment Activities

I don't personally use these, but I have a couple books I have loaned to others on them. I also know many teachers who use these with great success, so I thought I would mention them. These are units that a student or a group of students can work on when they finish a task. They are related to or extending the task at hand. I do something similar with reading, but I have not had a need for it with math. Here are a few examples (enrichment activities for primary and intermediate) (extension activities for primary and intermediate) if you want to look at it in greater detail. Again, this is a pretty good bargain for what you spend, which is important in this economy!

• Entrenchment Activities

I invented this word to try to describe this type of teaching for gifted kids. Ever met a kiddo who fixates? Ha! This is a blog for parents and teachers of gifted kids, so I am sure you can identify. Sometimes, it is good to just camp out on a topic. Not because you have to or because you are trying to beat it into the ground. Just because it is fun and the kids like it!

After the kids have learned the concept, you can find fun and exciting ways to become experts on it. Take your two digit addition example. When I taught second grade, we did some fun activities to reinforce this concept. You can write stories to explain the process (the ones family lived in an apartment until they got too big, so they all had to move to the tens house). You can research the mathematical theory behind it (ever wonder how long people have been studying this? who was the first person to regroup?). You might not find out the answers to your specific questions, but you will find out a whole lot more!

I also love to do 4-Box problems for almost all math topics for almost every grade. These consist of a single story problem written on a piece of paper. Then, you give the small groups of kids a big old piece of butcher paper and a marker (come on, what kid doesn't get just a bit excited over a big piece of paper and a marker?). . . They divide their big paper into four boxes. In the top left box, they rewrite the problem in their own words. In the top right, they write an algorithm or math sentence. In the bottom left, they draw a mathematical picture (important to stress this with your artistic kiddoes who want the Mona Lisa in a 4" by 4" box). In the bottom left, they solve and write a one-sentence explanation. You pass out different problems to each small group, and give them a time frame to solve. Afterwards, you call on one, two or all the groups to share (I do not recommend all the kids sharing because you will get bored and the kids will get bored, too. It also makes it more fun if you don't know when or if you will get picked).

My last plug is for my personal math hero and life saver, Marcy Cook. If you are a teacher or parent and you have not been trained in Marcy Cook tiling math- DO IT NOW! She is so awesome, and her resources are just invaluable. My principal sent me my first year teaching, and I swear by her! You can use the tile math for every subject ( I am not kidding; there are tile cards for every subject. They must make tiling cards in their sleep over there in California). You can use them to extend any curriculum. I have used them every single year of my teaching, and have taught countless other teachers how to use them as well. Check out here and here for a sample. These are specific to two digit addition, because that is what we were originally talking about, but she has plenty more to offer, like this and this. I am telling you- your district or your family NEEDS to invest in these! Your students will learn algebra, problem solving, stress management, coping strategies and more.

I hope that answers your question, Anonymous. Please feel free to leave another comment, or email, if you need more information, you'd like specific resources, or you're looking for management strategies. Second grade is a favorite grade of mine, so I am happy to share resources with you!

**Special thanks to my friend, math specialist Robin Jones, who taught me about the 4-Box problems.**

Funny Friday

This one made me laugh. I love the term "creative procrastination" and I am sure none of you know kids to whom this could apply!



If you don't know Ozy and Millie, you gotta check them out (and make sure you show your kids, too) They are two little gifted kiddoes in a cartoon strip, and they just tickle me. . . Talk about kindred spirits!

Here are the archives for those of you who haven't seen them before.

Tuesday's Training Tip (on Thursday)

Sorry this is a little tardy! My apologies as the school year draws to a close. . .

My tip for this week is developing a feelings vocabulary with your child. We talked last week about the important of role playing for positive outcomes. This week, I wanted to stress the importance of teaching your child to communicate their feelings.

Studies have shown that gifted children actually feel more deeply and intensely than their age-level peers. They are also more intuitive to the events and feelings around them. And they hear EVERYTHING. My mother used to call them "sonar ears" and it is too true. Gifted kids are seeing, hearing, feeling and drawing conclusions all the time. I amazed on September 11th that the students I have who were not alive for these events have a deep-seated need to discuss and decompress regarding this historic date.

They have these profound emotions coursing through them all the time, and yet they cannot always find a way to convey it to those around them. Certainly not their peers! More often than not they cannot communicate it to the adults in their lives either.

I encourage you to find ways to express emotions with your child. I have a few suggestions that have proven helpful with gifted children in the past. These are the beginning steps to teaching your child how to own their feelings and to ultimately control them so they are not controlled by their feelings. This in turn will help them become successful and communicative adults in the future!

• Feelings faces are particularly beneficial to small children. As a family, use large white paper plates to make feelings faces. Take turns drawing sad, happy, angry, confused, frustrated, etc. expressions onto the paper plates. Make it fun by adding yarn hair and other features. As you make the faces, discuss times when you may have felt this way, and allow your child to share as well. When your child is having trouble, let them show you the paper plate as a way to communicate their feelings. If you have a shy child, establish a procedure for leaving the faces on their door, or on your pillow, so that you can begin to understand the depth and breadth of how your child is feeling in different situations.
• Emotions as colors is another strategy I have used for many years. With your child, assign a color to every emotion. Sadness could be blue, happiness yellow, alive green, and so and so forth. Keep a small notebook of white paper somewhere handy, and when your child is demonstrating emotional paper, help them to "vent" it in color. You can use paint, crayons, colored pencils (whatever your personal messiness threshold can handle!). As your child begins to show more emotions, you can introduce color combinations or degrees of a color. This allows your child to begin to identify their emotions, to own them, and to share them.
  
• Feelings journals or dialog journals are one final strategy I will leave you with. Take a notebook and begin a dialog journal back and forth with your child. Begin by writing your child a letter, telling them you would like to try to find a new way to "talk" with them. Include whatever you would like to, but keep it short at first. Let your child know how they can return it to you (tucking it under your pillow, putting it on your desk), and then leave it on their pillow or in another place you choose. Your child can respond as they need. You can begin to dialog back and forth with your child, sharing your thoughts, feelings, and more. My mother and I did this through letters, and I remember to this day how beneficial it was-especially in the adolescent years.
  

If you would like more details on any of these ideas, please feel free to leave a comment or email me!

Questions and Answers

I am getting ready to make a posting plan for the summer now that school is drawing to a close. I thought I would pose it to all my regular readers.

What would you like to hear about?

Just leave a question in the comments section, or email me, and I will try to respond to it this summer. You can also leave a topic that you would like to know more about, and I will either do a post or a series of posts about it.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

In Answer: Comments on Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom

I recently had a commenter ask an interesting question in their comment:

"I really like this post, and I like your suggestions. I have trouble implementing it though. When a gifted child shows you mastery, how do they go on to the next topic if you the teacher are busy working with the lower kids who have NOT mastered it?"

First off, my class is structured from the beginning of the year to support student independence and free choice within specific parameters. My rotation activities are established with the students at the start of the year, so they are familiar with what they should be doing at all times. We practice these at the beginning of the school year so that students understand their role and responsibility in flexible grouping. We rehearse them periodically throughout the school year as reminders are needed. The students understand the need for these procedures and routines and so they help to perpetuate them.

This is a valid question that I have heard before. You have a couple different choices for situations like this. One option is to have alternate tasks for the students to do when they are finished with the assigned work and have demonstrated mastery. In reading, I have "extension" activities. Students have a series of different choices when they are done with their work that are more fun and enriching (making a PowerPoint of one of the topics, building a diorama, making watercolor portraits of characters, etc.). I have these prepared ahead of time for each literature unit that my flexible groups do. I do the same thing with math- they have a variety of different activities to choose from when they are finished.

Other times, though, students are allowed to have "free choice" time. Because they have demonstrated an understanding of the topic, there is no reason for them to do "more" work on that same topic. In these cases, students can choose from a variety of different free choice activities that are mentally enriching (tangrams, building activities, chess, educational games, etc.) during these times.

I also have literature and other documentation in support of these activities to provide principals and administrators and parents who are uncertain as to whether this is better than additional worksheets.

I hope that helps to answer the question in more detail. Feel free to leave a comment or email for even more specifics on a certain subject or time period.

Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom, In Closing

I love this picture so much! The more times I look at it, the more I love it. This is what my classroom looks like most of the time. The teacher is observing and serving as a facilitator over these activities. My three favorites are the child making silly faces in the center of the room, the little boy with the shades starting out the window, and my sweet daydreamer lying back taking it all in and smiling. . . And do you notice the other children? No one is staring at any one else, no one stands out. This is a safe space where everyone is accepted.

It's a little different from a traditional classroom with rows, desks, and the teacher in the front of the room. . .

This is what a classroom should look like. Gifted children need space and flexibility. They also need structure and clear expectations within that space and flexibility. This is a delicate balance to navigate as a teacher and as a parent.

Is your homeschooling room or your classroom like this? By following the suggestions in the previous posts, and structuring your classroom toward freedom within limits, your students can look like these students- happy, safe, excited about learning!

Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom, Part 4

Today we are going to look at the idea of flexible grouping. This is another great tool in your bag of tricks for helping gifted children be successful in the regular classroom.

At the beginning of the year, with new students and new chances, we can start fresh and resolve to help our students. Every year, I choose to start fresh. I make a tentative curriculum plan, but without knowing my students I can't hold too tightly to my ideas on what the year will be like. I have to start with the students, and plan from there.

In reading and math particularly, I assess students for a general grade level placement. Everyone in my elementary school class takes a reading assessment that levels both their fluency and their comprehension. They have a chance to show what they know, and then a curriculum is shaped around their skill levels in those two areas.

The same happens in math. They are given an initial math placement test to determine their general grade level. . . I use these scores to form groups of children with similar abilities that can be given small group instruction. This past year, I had four math groups and five reading groups in my class of twenty third grade children. . . That's what we needed. Last year, in my kindergarten class, I had three math groups and four reading groups in my class of fifteen students. My groups change based on my students' needs.

BUT-

It doesn't end there with initial groupings. Throughout the year, different children progress at different rates. One student may have greater fluency progression and may move flexibly through the different groups. As their reading fluency increases, they may also show greater comprehension. A student may move up three levels or may progress only a standard level.

The same can happen in math. A student may be two grades ahead in fraction understanding, but may be on grade level for their multiplication understanding.

Even in your groups, you cannot hold too tightly to a student placement. Gifted children are enigmas, and must constantly be evaluated and assessed, informally, to make sure they are receiving the right instruction.

I'd be happy to share my placement tests and reading inventories if you need ideas. If you would like specific tips or suggestions for structuring and managing flexible groups, please let me know!

And Now For a Word. . .

I've been working hard to gather some of my favorite books on the topic of giftedness. I've finally overcome some of the technological issues and I've posted the collection here. The timing has been perfect because there are a couple of books that are really great for anyone looking for more information on my current series, Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. I will be back tomorrow with more great strategies.

The first book I recommend is Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom by Susan Winebrenner. This book is awesome! Many of my tips are taken or modified from this great guide on how to teach gifted kids better. I particularly like the information it provides on learning to see parents as partners instead of adversaries. It has a whole section of black line masters to help you create your own forms as well. Even better, it has a CD-ROM with the same black line masters!

The second book a similar, but a little more specific. It's called Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom by Joan Smutny. This book focuses on resources and strategies for children ages 4-9. They have unique and specific needs that are addressed in detail here.

These are both great books whether you are a seasoned gifted teacher, a new teacher, or even a parent hoping to better advocate for your gifted kiddoe. Enjoy!

Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom, Part 3

We are midway through a series on gifted children in the regular classroom.  Join us in looking at strategies to help your gifted students and children thrive in their current classroom placement.

We first looked at some ways to compact the curriculum.  Today, we will look at accelerating the curriculum for the gifted child.  

Compacting the curriculum, as we talked about yesterday, is one way to accelerate for gifted children.  Through compacting, students are able to move through concepts at an accelerated pace instead of being held to the pace of those around them.  Students can pass through 1-3 levels in a school year, as opposed to simply one or fewer in a traditional classroom.

Student directed advancement is one way to accelerate the curriculum.  An example of how I do this in my classroom is through spelling tests.  Students are given a list of spelling words.  They have three activities to do to learn the words, however they and their parents can supplement with other activities.  The activities are merely a vehicle for the students learning how they best learn.  When they are ready (or on Friday for accountability), they can take a spelling test over the words.  Either I, an appointed parent or another capable student, give them the test.  If they pass the test, they can move on to the next test.  At the beginning of the year, I prepare the tests and the checklists for the word levels.  This way, students can determine their own acceleration and can also be held accountable in knowing that everyone will take a test on Friday.  I track students' progress through the lists, and report on them at parent teacher conferences and report card time.  I use this same strategy for learning math facts and other building block skills that are fundamentals of education.  This is a good tool for challenging students who are internally motivated as well as away to achieve accountability for all students.  These are also used as an activity option while other students are having reading or math instruction with me.  Parent volunteer also love to help facilitate these experiences.

Unit compacting is another strategy I frequently employ.  I prepare lessons as a whole unit.  I know what I am going to teach to each group and what techniques I will use throughout the course of the unit.  Planning as a unit allows me to be flexible and prepared to move ahead.  Often, in math especially, students are excited and want to go on to the next concept.  We have covered as many as four lessons in one math time because the students are driven and motivated to do so.  One student covered an entire unit in one week because he was so excited about what he was learning.  Unit compacting works well for students who like to work ahead, who work independently, or who are easily excited about topics.

Concept compacting is another instructional strategy.  I provide enrichment tutoring for a precocious group of six-year-old children once a week.  I utilize concept compacting with this group.  We pick a concept, and dive in.  We recently covered probability.  We took the standards for grades two through four, and a few from fifth grade level, and looked at them in depth.  We built a base of knowledge, and then progressively advanced that concept until the students were tapped out.  This is useful strategy for those students who can never get enough!  They always want to know more about the topic, and we just need to feed the beast- helping them to learn the way to acquire information and when they are ready to move on to a new topic.

Another strategy is alternating classrooms.  This works really well in a particularly flexible school with particularly flexible teachers.  Usually, this takes place when a student is especially gifted in one area such as math or reading.  I benefited from this as a child, and have seen its success as a teacher.  I was a first grader allowed to go to a second grade classroom for mathematics instruction because I had demonstrated that I knew the majority of the standards to be covered that year.  Then, as a second grader, I was permitted to go to a third grade classroom.  My first year teaching, a kindergarten teacher asked me to take on one of her especially talented math students.  The student came to my classroom each day for math instruction because she was two grade levels above her peers.  Ask around your child's school to see which teachers would be open to something of this nature.

These are some fun and easy ways to accelerate the curriculum for the gifted children you encounter.  These are techniques to implement as a teacher, or to request as a parent.  Please feel free to pass along my information to parents or teachers who need more specific advice or steps to implement.  My goal is always to be a help and an encouragement to the gifted community. . .

Join us tomorrow as we investigate the idea of extending the curriculum, an addition or alternate to accelerating to best meet the needs of the gifted.  See you then!

Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom, Part 2

Today, we are going to take a look at gifted kids in the regular classroom and compacting. The number one complaint that I hear from parents of gifted children is that their kids are bored. Rightly so! The gifted child needs approximately one to three repetitions of a concept before they achieve understanding, and slightly more for mastery. Contrast that with most children, who require seven to nine repetitions, and lower level children who need who knows how many repetitions! Consider your child sitting and experiencing those extra six to twenty repetitions beyond what they need. . . As a reward for demonstrating their understanding quickly, most often their prize is MORE of the same work!

You would be bored out of your mind, too. . . The end result is varied but sad. Gifted kids turn themselves off to teachers; they oftentimes are off task when the teacher looks to them, trying to "catch" them in goofing off or not understanding. Teachers try to trick the gifted child into proving that they really aren't as smart as they think they are. Gifted children also under perform. They are either tired of the extra work or permanently checked out. They have given up on school as a learning place. Do you see your gifted child in one of these places right now? It's not a good place to be. . .

What can we as parents and teachers do and advocate? Today, we are going to talk about curriculum compacting for the gifted student.

What is curriculum compacting? It means compacting and condensing the curriculum to the meat, and trimming away all the fat. With curriculum compacting, you are cutting out the needless repetition in a lesson, and getting to the heart of the objective. A typical school lesson consists of an introduction, the teacher doing examples on the board, the students practicing with a partner, the students practicing independently, and the students reviewing for homework. Sound familiar? Each step of the lesson includes at least a dozen repetitions of the task for a grand total of nearly fifty repetitions. How many does the gifted child need? One to three. . . They checked out way back when you were just introducing the lesson, because they thought they already knew what you were talking about.

A compacted lesson includes stating the new objective. Three examples of increasing difficulty demonstrated on the board. Three examples of varied difficulty with each child in the group responding on a small white board to demonstrate understanding. A practice activity with a handful of problems done independently and submitted. Then, students who are not demonstrating mastery are pulled separately for more instruction as needed. See the difference? If a child demonstrates mastery, they are free to move on to the next topic. Period. Full stop. Extra work is for children who need extra practice.

Another way to approach curriculum compacting is called "Most Difficult First". This works particularly well in a classroom of highly varied ability levels. It requires some advance preparation, but is highly successful. After teaching a lesson, the teacher puts the "challenge" on the board. They write the numbers of the five or so most difficult problems on the board, or circle them on the handout. Any child who can complete these more difficult problems is free to skip the others. This works well because all children have the option. The children who need more help will make themselves known by not finishing the most difficult problems correctly. The gifted students will be free to move on, having shown mastery, instead of being chained to the other thirty problems on the page. . .

Another successful compacting method I have used is pretesting. I do this most often in math. Students are given the option to pretest on the math concepts being covered. The pretest includes all the objectives that the unit will be covering. Students can take the pretest to test out of a level and move on in the curriculum. Most math curriculum offer several versions of a post test. I simply doctor one of the post tests to create a pretest. Any student that passes the pretest can move on to the next higher level of that concept.

As a final note- my greatest advice as an expert on gifted children is simple.

Stop giving extra work.

This is the number one step to take in getting gifted kids back into a learning state of mind. They don't need the extra work, you don't need the extra work, and it is not beneficial to them anyway. Studies have shown with repeated drilling, gifted children actually reduce their accuracy. When they have shown mastery- stop. That's it. Just stop. Let them choose another related activity, or have a variety of other mentally stimulating opportunities for them to choose from.


These are just a few strategies I have implemented in my classroom with great success. They are your's to fit to your students and your classroom. I'd love to hear other ways that the content is compacted to meet the needs of gifted learners!

**Most Difficult First is a strategy drawn from Susan Weinbrenner's book Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom. Several strategies this week originated and/or are adopted from theories presented here. Check it out in my bookstore for blackline masters and more complete implementation instructions. As always, feel free to email me for tips and advice!**

Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom, Part 1

I have had so many parents comment lately about their gifted kids who are in a regular classroom. Often, children who are fortunate enough to be identified as gifted have little else done for them after identification. Very few schools have self contained programs, and many do not even have a pull out program. A pull out program services your child for only a few hours a day or a few hours a week.

But what about the rest of the time?

Gifted children are gifted ALL the time. Just ask their parents. They don't stop being gifted when they go back to their classroom or when they go home. This is who they are, it's not something that they do or that they turn on or off.

I thought we'd spend some time talking about what do we do now that we know kids are gifted? What can parents advocate for and teachers do?

In the coming week, I will give you tips and suggestions. These are real, practical and personal strategies that work for gifted children in a gifted or a regular classroom. I know they work because I have done them and currently do them in my classroom. I won't ask you to do anything that I myself am unwilling to do. . . Please, join me for a week of learning how to help our gifted children not just survive, but thrive in school.

Tomorrow, we will take a look at curriculum compacting- how to cover the most amount of information with the least amount of repetition. . .

Friday Funnies

I was being silly with my class, and was pretending I was a mean teacher. I was saying that they had such a mean, always grumpy, no fun teacher. . . One of my little kiddoes piped up, "Mrs. Robbins, that would only happen if it were an inverse operation day." Can you tell we love algebra in our room?!

Oldy but a Goody. . .

If you have been around gifted education for any amount of time, you have seen this article by Stephanie Tolan. . .  But on the off-chance you are new to our little "community" I'd like to share it with you.  I distribute this to my parents at the beginning of each school year.  I also offer it to parents as a resource if their current teacher or administrators are currently not "getting it". . .It makes quite a statement.

***

Is It a Cheetah?

© 1996 Stephanie S. Tolan

It's a tough time to raise, teach or be a highly gifted child. As the term "gifted" and the unusual intellectual capacity to which that term refers become more and more politically incorrect, the educational establishment changes terminology and focus.

Giftedness, a global, integrative mental capacity, may be dismissed, replaced by fragmented "talents" which seem less threatening and theoretically easier for schools to deal with. Instead of an internal developmental reality that affects every aspect of a child's life, "intellectual talent" is more and more perceived as synonymous with (and limited to) academic achievement.

The child who does well in school, gets good grades, wins awards, and "performs" beyond the norms for his or her age, is considered talented. The child who does not, no matter what his innate intellectual capacities or developmental level, is less and less likely to be identified, less and less likely to be served.

A cheetah metaphor can help us see the problem with achievement-oriented thinking. The cheetah is the fastest animal on earth. When we think of cheetahs we are likely to think first of their speed. It's flashy. It is impressive. It's unique. And it makes identification incredibly easy. Since cheetahs are the only animals that can run 70 mph, if you clock an animal running 70 mph, IT'S A CHEETAH!

But cheetahs are not always running. In fact, they are able to maintain top speed only for a limited time, after which they need a considerable period of rest.

It's not difficult to identify a cheetah when it isn't running, provided we know its other characteristics. It is gold with black spots, like a leopard, but it also has unique black "tear marks" beneath its eyes. Its head is small, its body lean, its legs unusually long -- all bodily characteristics critical to a runner. And the cheetah is the only member of the cat family that has non-retractable claws. Other cats retract their claws to keep them sharp, like carving knives kept in a sheath --the cheetah's claws are designed not for cutting but for traction. This is an animal biologically designed to run.

Its chief food is the antelope, itself a prodigious runner. The antelope is not large or heavy, so the cheetah does not need strength and bulk to overpower it. Only speed. On the open plains of its natural habitat the cheetah is capable of catching an antelope simply by running it down.

While body design in nature is utilitarian, it also creates a powerful internal drive. The cheetah needs to run!

Despite design and need however, certain conditions are necessary if it is to attain its famous 70 mph top speed. It must be fully grown. It must be healthy, fit and rested. It must have plenty of room to run. Besides that, it is best motivated to run all out when it is hungry and there are antelope to chase.

If a cheetah is confined to a 10 X 12 foot cage, though it may pace or fling itself against the bars in restless frustration, it won't run 70 mph.

IS IT STILL A CHEETAH?

If a cheetah has only 20 mph rabbits to chase for food, it won't run 70 mph while hunting. If it did, it would flash past its prey and go hungry! Though it might well run on its own for exercise, recreation, fulfillment of its internal drive, when given only rabbits to eat the hunting cheetah will run only fast enough to catch a rabbit.

IS IT STILL A CHEETAH?

If a cheetah is fed Zoo Chow it may not run at all.

IS IT STILL A CHEETAH?

If a cheetah is sick or if its legs have been broken, it won't even walk.

IS IT STILL A CHEETAH?

And finally, if the cheetah is only six weeks old, it can't yet run 70 mph.

IS IT, THEN, ONLY A *POTENTIAL* CHEETAH?

A school system that defines giftedness (or talent) as behavior, achievement and performance is as compromised in its ability to recognize its highly gifted students and to give them what they need as a zoo would be to recognize and provide for its cheetahs if it looked only for speed. When a cheetah does run 70 mph it isn't a particularly "achieving" cheetah. Though it is doing what no other cat can do, it is behaving normally for a cheetah.

To lions, tigers, leopards -- to any of the other big cats -- the cheetah's biological attributes would seem to be deformities. Far from the "best cat," the cheetah would seem to be barely a cat at all. It is not heavy enough to bring down a wildebeest; its non-retractable claws cannot be kept sharp enough to tear the wildebeest's thick hide. Given the cheetah's tendency to activity, cats who spend most of their time sleeping in the sun might well label the cheetah hyperactive.

Like cheetahs, highly gifted children can be easy to identify. If a child teaches herself Greek at age five, reads at the eighth grade level at age six or does algebra in second grade we can safely assume that child is a highly gifted child. Though the world may see these activities as "achievements," she is not an "achieving" child so much as a child who is operating normally according to her own biological design, her innate mental capacity. Such a child has clearly been given room to "run" and something to run for. She is healthy and fit and has not had her capacities crippled. It doesn't take great knowledge about the characteristics of highly gifted children to recognize this child.

However, schools are to extraordinarily intelligent children what zoos are to cheetahs. Many schools provide a 10 x 12 foot cage, giving the unusual mind no room to get up to speed. Many highly gifted children sit in the classroom the way big cats sit in their cages, dull-eyed and silent. Some, unable to resist the urge from inside even though they can't exercise it, pace the bars, snarl and lash out at their keepers, or throw themselves against the bars until they do themselves damage.

Even open and enlightened schools are likely to create an environment that, like the cheetah enclosures in enlightened zoos, allow some moderate running, but no room for the growing cheetah to develop the necessary muscles and stamina to become a 70 mph runner. Children in cages or enclosures, no matter how bright, are unlikely to appear highly gifted; kept from exercising their minds for too long, these children may never be able to reach the level of mental functioning they were designed for.

A zoo, however much room it provides for its cheetahs, does not feed them antelope, challenging them either to run full out or go hungry. Schools similarly provide too little challenge for the development of extraordinary minds. Even a gifted program may provide only the intellectual equivalent of 20 mph rabbits (while sometimes labeling children suspected of extreme intelligence "underachievers" for NOT putting on top speed to catch those rabbits!) Without special programming, schools provide the academic equivalent of Zoo Chow, food that requires no effort whatsoever. Some children refuse to take in such uninteresting, dead nourishment at all.

To develop not just the physical ability but also the strategy to catch antelope in the wild, a cheetah must have antelopes to chase, room to chase them and a cheetah role model to show them how to do it. Without instruction and practice they are unlikely to be able to learn essential survival skills.

A recent nature documentary about cheetahs in lion country showed a curious fact of life in the wild. Lions kill cheetah cubs. They don't eat them, they just kill them. In fact, they appear to work rather hard to find them in order to kill them (though cheetahs can't possibly threaten the continued survival of lions). Is this maliciousness? Recreation? No one knows. We only know that lions do it. Cheetah mothers must hide their dens and go to great efforts to protect their cubs, coming and going from the den under deep cover or only in the dead of night or when lions are far away. Highly gifted children and their families often feel like cheetahs in lion country.

In some schools brilliant children are asked to do what they were never designed to do (like cheetahs asked to tear open a wildebeest hide with their claws -- after all, the lions can do it!) while the attributes that are a natural aspect of unusual mental capacity -- intensity, passion, high energy, independence, moral reasoning, curiosity, humor, unusual interests and insistence on truth and accuracy -- are considered problems that need fixing.

Brilliant children may feel surrounded by lions who make fun of or shun them for their differences, who may even break their legs or drug them to keep them moving more slowly, in time with the lions' pace. Is it any wonder they would try to escape; would put on a lion suit to keep from being noticed; would fight back?

This metaphor, like any metaphor, eventually breaks down. Highly gifted children don't have body markings and non-retractable claws by which to be identified when not performing. Furthermore, the cheetah's ability to run 70 mph is a single trait readily measured. Highly gifted children are very different from each other so there is no single ability to look for even when they are performing; besides that, a child's greatest gifts could be outside the academic world's definition of achievement and so go unrecognized altogether. While this truth can save some children from being wantonly killed by marauding lions, it also keeps them from being recognized for what they are -- children with deep and powerful innate differences as all-encompassing as the differences between cheetahs and other big cats.

That they may not be instantly recognizable does not mean that there is no means of identifying them. It means that more time and effort are required to do it. Educators can learn the attributes of unusual intelligence and observe closely enough to see those attributes in individual children. They can recognize not only that highly gifted children can do many things other children cannot, but that there are tasks other children can do that the highly gifted cannot.

Every organism has an internal drive to fulfill its biological design. The same is true for unusually bright children. From time to time the bars need be removed, the enclosures broadened. Zoo Chow, easy and cheap as it is, must give way, at least some of the time, to lively, challenging mental prey.

More than this, schools need to believe that it is important to make the effort, that these children not only have the needs of all other children to be protected and properly cared for, but that they have as much RIGHT as others to have their needs met.

Biodiversity is a fundamental principle of life on our planet. It allows life to adapt to change. In our culture highly gifted children, like cheetahs, are endangered. Like cheetahs, they are here for a reason; they fill a particular niche in the design of life. Zoos, whatever their limitations, may be critical to the continued survival of cheetahs; many are doing their best to offer their captives what they will need eventually to survive in the wild. Schools can do the same for their highly gifted children.

Unless we make a commitment to saving these children, we will continue to lose them and whatever unique benefit their existence might provide for the human species of which they are an essential part.

What Gifted Kids Need to Succeed

Have you read The Gifted Kids' Survival Guide by Judy Gilbraith?  If you haven't, you need to right now!  It is written for ages 10 and under, so pick up an extra copy to read with your child. . .  This will help you, and your child, have a better understanding of what it really means to be gifted.

Towards the end, Judy Gilbraith shares 5 things all gifted kids need in order to be successful in school- and in life!

Challenge
Self-esteem
Communication
Self-awareness
Help!

I find the last two are the most important, and most difficult, to obtain.  Gifted children need to learn who they are- and not what others are telling them.  They are much more complex than your average joe kid, and that makes it all the more harder to get to know the constantly evolving self that is the gifted child.  Give your child to freedom to learn who they are and to constantly be reinventing that as well!

HELP them!  Be there to listen and share, mentor and guide.  Be a resource and lead them to other good resources.  I'm here, too.  I am happy to help you- so you can help them!

Tuesday's Training Tip: Role Play

My tip for this week is fairly simple: Role Play. Whatever it is that your want your kids to be learning, you need to practice. Would you put them on stage for a dance or piano recital without taking them to practice lessons? On the field for a baseball game without having them first practice with a team?

In the same vein, you shouldn't send your kids out into the world without first practicing what you want them to do. In my class, we practice before ever guest speaker, every field trip, every assembly. We practice listening to others. We practice taking turns. We practice talking about problems. We practice not interrupting. We practice every single skill for which I am going to hold the accountable.

If I don't practice with them ahead of time, I can't expect them to know what to do at "show time". As their parent, you should be preparing them for the show of life. Take time to teach them and to practice with them that which is most important that they know. . . And most importantly-Have fun with it! We practice both the right thing to do, as well as the wrong. We have SO much fun with this! The kids beg to do it once you have done it enough for them to see.

I encourage you to make a list with your family of the most important social skills for your kids to know. Write them on note cards and put them in jar. Let your kids take tuns pulling them out after dinner or before breakfast. They can practice these situations, and you can add more to it as you or your children think of them. Before you know, it will be a fun and important practice in your family, too. Use my list above to help you get started, or email me for more ideas for your Family Role Play Jar.

Even More on the Asynchronous Topic. . .

Aimee raised an interesting point in her comment on Monday's post.  She said she, as a gifted child, often played with kids much younger than her.

I find with gifted children that relationships are flexible.  Friendships can be formed with much younger, much older, or even adult peers.  Gifted children are looking for a "safe shelter", a place where they can finally rest from the stresses of just being who they are. . .  They may find this in many different forms.  I don't typically see gifted children having only one best buddy.  They have a variety of friends who serve a variety of purposes, because they themselves have unqiue and special needs for companions.

As a parent, you can encourage your gifted child to interact with all different types of people.  Find people who match their interests- chess partners, crossword puzzle groups, or even preschoolers who also still like to pretend.  Being broad-minded (while still being safe and aware) about their peers may be the key to finding their special relationships and freeing them from isolation and loneliness. . .

Friday Funny on Tuesday

Last week, we were working on algebra in my class.  One of the problems on the page was 7 + f.  There was a value given at the end, but the boys in my class wanted to despute it.  They said that 7 + f had to equal m, or 13.  Their reasoning?  F is the 6th letter of the alphabet, and 7 + 6 equals 13.  The 13th letter of the alphabet is m.  Thus 7 + f = m, or 7 + 6 = 13.

I love these brains!

More on Asynchronous Development

The other day, we talked about how gifted children can be asynchronous in their strength areas. They could be more mathematically adept than they are at reading, or vice versa.

Asynchronous development can also refer to a child's development across the standard spectrum of child development. . . All kids have some variance within normal ranges for their development. This keeps parents sane and helps them from beating themselves up comparing their children to other children!

For some reason, we see an additional component with gifted children. Gifted children are developing in tandem: their intellectual skills and their social skills. They can trick us with their mental age into not seeing them correctly. They are so bright that we often expect to see their emotional and social skills matching their intellectual age. And yet, something strange happens. Their intellectual age and their emotional age DO NOT match. In fact, they are often behind their age mates in their emotional development. They can be just as far behind their age mates in their social skills as they are ahead of them in their intellectual.

Their little brains are working so hard on their intellectual growth that for some reason their social skills are trailing behind. They can be months, or even years, behind their peers and classmates. This serves to separate them even further from their classmates in a regular education class. This is another area that keeps them from being able to have friends and further isolates them.

An aware parent is critical as you develop this awareness. Helping your child to understand their differences, and to continue to grow is the only way they can experience success in peer relationships. Guiding them given their unique set of needs becomes an important part of your parenting. . .

There is hope: Gifted kids catch up. They learn, they become sensitive, and they grow empathetic. With help, caring and guidance they develop into well-rounded and socially-adept adults. It just takes much guidance and even more patience. . .

Gifted Testing

A commenter recently asked about gifted testing.  Her comment was specific to Canada, which I don't have a lot of information on- however, I am happy to share what information I do have on testing.

In the United States, a parent can request that their child be tested by their school district.  In most states and most districts, they do a "blanket" testing at some point.  In my school district, we test all second graders.  This is because the tests are more likely to produce accurate results at this age.  Parents can also request testing.  

If testing by your local schools is not an option, or if you home school, you still have options.  You can see a child psychologist and request an IQ test or evaluation.  This is the most costly, in my experience, but can be the most accurate.  It also gives you a better holistic picture of your child as a thinker.  Be careful in who you choose; some doctors will say all kids are gifted as that is what most parents want to hear.

Another option, which I highly recommend, is to have your child tested independently.  If you know a certified teacher, they can act as a proctor.  You can order the CogAt and have your child tested.  They will then send you the results.  This will help you see your child's strength areas, as well as whether they are significantly asynchronous in their giftedness.  Asynchronous intelligence is very common, so don't fret if you see high scoring in one area and low scores in another.

The CogAt is a very commonly used test for giftedness that measures a child's percentile against age-level peers.  It is controversial as well.  It is frequently used because it is inexpensive, it can be group administered and because it tests in three separate areas.  Testing in three separate areas is required by most school systems.  It is controversial because it appears to be biased towards majority populations.  Additionally, many gifted students do not test well on it, which causes false negatives. 

There are a host of other tests that can be conducted; these are just the two types of testing that I see most often.  

For my Canadian friends, I found these two gifted resources that might give you information more specific to your nation.  

• Gifted Canada    

• Calgary Centre for Gifted

Asynchronous Development in Learning

I wanted to spend just a little time addressing the topic of asynchronous development. This has two popular meanings in the field of gifted development. Today we will address how this term is applied to one aspect of an individual.

First, it can refer to a child's higher degree of giftedness in one area. Typically, we refer to a child as being verbally gifted or quantitatively gifted. To a lesser degree, you hear of a child's spatial giftedness. Often, you see a child with particular acuity at math or language. You then see the child having a weakness in the reflexive area. We also see evidence of gifted children having learning disabilities in their weaker area. This is usually referred to as a child being "twice-exceptional". Many scholars and researchers believe that the greater the skill in one area, the greater the deficit will be in the other area. It is almost as though the scales are trying to balance themselves.

This could happen for a variety of reasons. Gifted children tend to shy away from their weaknesses. We like and are successful at that which comes easiest to us. We tend not to like the tasks which are most difficult for us. In my current self-contained program, you only need to be in the 97th percentile in one area to qualify, because we feel that you can learn to be stronger in your weaker area. You have the potential to be successful in many areas if taught the right coping skills and learning strategies. We have seen tremendous growth in students with this ideology.

There is also research which indicates that the brain actually demonstrates more activity in the strength regions and less in the weaker regions. It could be that some people are just better at certain tasks. Our brains may just be wired for specialization.

This is just one description of asynchronous development. This term gets bandied about in gifted education so much. We will look at the other way that it is commonly used next. Stay tuned!

What is Gifted, Part 5: Characteristics of Gifted

I was just talking to a mom of a student today and we were talking about how to know gifted kids. If I spend any amount of time with a kiddo, I can tell with fair accuracy whether or not they are gifted.

I'm not a savant and I don't have a radar; I've just been in this field for awhile. There are certain characteristics that start to stand out. . . I'm going to share them with you, althought this isn't really a party trick that will earn you favors at parties. It's just fun to look at which characteristics which gifted children have. They won't have them all, but you may start to recognize your child here somewhere. Feel free to post a comment sharing what you see!

• Unusual alertness in early infancy
• Unusually large vocabulary at a young age
• Advanced comprehension of abstract ideas
• Largely self taught reading and writing skills, quick adeptness
• Unusual emotional depth and high sensitivity
• Idealism and sense of justice develop at an early age
• Preoccupied with thoughts, daydreams
• Impatient with other people
• Wide range of interests (often with extreme interest in some areas)
• Tendency to put ideas together in ways that are not obvious
• Desire to organize
• Limitless questions stemming from curiosity

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Many parents of preschoolers could probably look at this list and see their child, whether they are gifted or not. What we look at in terms of giftedness is the degree and the age. Gifted kids demonstrate these characteristics to a high degree and at an earlier age than their peers. . . Their parents are not showing off on the playground talking about their kids; their kids really are demonstrating these characteristics at significantly earlier ages. A girlfriend of mine has a three-year-old teaching herself to read. Another had a four-year-old do a comprehensive report on elephants- and memorize it. My younger brother could give directions to our house from ten miles away at four.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at these characteristics. I think for now we will draw this series to a close, although I may post more on what it is to be gifted in the future. I have some other areas I will be hitting on in coming days. Gotta keep it interesting for those varied interests!

**These characteristics came from Dr. James Webb's book, A Parent's Guide to Gifted Kids. Keep an eye out- I will be hosting a book study on this in the fall. **

What is Gifted, Part 4: Two Types of Thinking

As we continue on in looking at what giftedness is and is not, I would be remiss in not mentioned different types of ways the think. These thinking styles dramatically effect the way that we act and see the world. This is particularly important to parents who have more than one child.

I have parents come to me all the time and say that they can see why their first child tested into the gifted program, but boy they just aren't sure about number two. . . Number one is driven, follows rules and likes order. Number two is just all over the place! Their room is a mess, they day dream all the time, they don't know which way is up!

Don't fret just yet! Thankfully, there is not just one way to be gifted! Kids can think in equally gifted but totally different ways! For some reason, we see gifted kiddoes fall into two primary thinking styles(or some combination of the two- like me!). We have our concrete-sequential kiddoes and we have our abstract-random kiddoes.

Basically, Concrete Sequential people are black and white people. They like order, structure, rules and logic. The world of school and the world at large was geared for these kids! This is what we value, and that is why the kids at the highest end of this thinking style are those that we are most likely to consider gifted.

On the other hand, our Abstract Random people are like creative endeavors, they see the gray area in logic, and they think outside the box. They are inventors, writers, and discoverers. We never would have found North America without them! This is not necessarily the thinking style that we value in our society. Thus, kids that are at the highest level of this thinking style are not usually considered gifted. Our schools, tests and programs are often difficult for them, as well, which contributes to their underachievement and problems in school. . .

Still a little uncertain? Here is a little chart to help you see the personality types and to try to find yourself and your children somewhere along the line. . .

Concrete Sequential are characterized by:

• Order and quiet
• Exact directions
• Guided Practice
• Know the accepted way of doing something
• Can apply ideas in a practical, hands-on way
• Are given approval for specific work done

Abstract Random are characterized by:

• Cooperative work
• Assignments with room for interpretation
• Balance of social activities and work
• Noncompetitive atmosphere
• Personalized learning
• Are given personal attention and emotional support

Abstract Sequential are characterized by:

• Lecture and reading
• Follow traditional procedures
• Work alone
• Research
• Logical explanations
• Are respected for intellectual ability

Concrete Random are characterized by:

• Trial and error approach
• Hands-on experiences
• Brainstorming and open-ended activities
• Produce real, but creative, products
• Original and unique approaches to problem solving
• Self-directed learning

Also, so that you are aware and able to be an effective parent and guide for your children, I also want to share some challenges common to these different thinking styles.

Concrete Sequential struggles with:

• Making choices
• Open ended assignments and "what if" questions
• Dealing with opposing views
• Taking new approaches
• Interpreting abstract ideas
• Seeing the forest

Abstract Random struggles with:

• Working alone
• Attending to details and giving exact answers
• Working within time limits
• Concentrating on one task at a time
• Being corrected
• Expecting less emotional response from others

Abstract Sequential struggles with:

• Expressing emotions
• Working cooperatively in groups
• Writing creatively
• Taking risks or facing the unpredictable
• Open ended problems
• Placing grades in perspective…reducing perfectionism

Concrete Random struggles with:

• Pacing and meeting time limitations
• Completing projects
• Choosing one answer
• Keeping detailed records
• Prioritizing
• Accepting others’ ideas without showing another way
• Accepting when change is impossible

I am not interested in reinventing the wheel; these list came from this article. They have a few others interesting lists and more information if you want to check them out!

Training Tip Tuesday: Setting Rules

One of the most helpful ideas I have learned as a teacher is to have clear, established rules. People do best when they know what is expected of them. In my classroom, we have the rules posted on the wall. Now, it is easy when someone disobeys (even me) to refer to the rules. No warnings are needed as the rules sign serves as that warning, all the time. Immediately after breaking one of our rules, a consequence is awarded, and life moves on happily.

In our family, even without kids yet, we decided to make our Robbins Nest Rules. . .

Here are our rules:

There are some good tips I have learned about rules over the years. . . (I have the blessing of getting to start fresh every year, and you can choose to that as well if you need to!)

• Only use three to five rules. That way, kids and adults can remember all the rules, all the time.

It is important that every know the rules that so they don't feel tricked. Then, they can never say that it is unfair or that they didn't know. These are the rules.

• Number your rules.

This way, you can say, "You are not following Rule 2. What is Rule 2 in our family?" The child can state the rule to reinforce it. You can immdediately have a discussion and a consquence.

• Explain your rules.

Notice our's have Scripture verses beneath them to explain them- take time to make sure your rules make sense to everyone expected to follow them). If you kids, especially your gifted kids, don't understand why you made the rules for your family, they will be less likely to follow them.

• Practice role playing your rules.

I will talk more next week on the importance of role playing. It was one of the most important ways to insure your success at implementing roles, and it is just plain fun!

• Don't be afraid to change your rules as your family changes.

You may need different rules for different stages of life. Be willing to be flexible. My kindgarten class has different rules than my third grade classroom. Your family with your children will have different rules form your family with middle schoolers. . .

• Follow your own rules.

You are the best teacher of the values that are important in your family. Your willingness to follow and respect the rules is the best way to teach them to your children.

Why a Gifted Class?

I currently teach in a self-contained gifted class, and I am often asked if that is what is really best for gifted kids. Just today, I had a family touring the school, wanting to know why a self-contained is better than a pullout. It is so hard to be a parent, and so hard to make those tough decisions about what is really best for your own individual child.

Many schools offer a pullout program, and I think it definitely has its place. For kids that are one standard deviation removed from the regular education program or for kids gifted in only one area, pullout is great! Kids in these categories will benefit from pull out programs because the education is matched to their abilities. They are with their age level peers for socialization, and get the necessary enrichment and advancement where they need it.

That said, for kids that are in the 97th percentile and higher (that small 3% of our population), I am passionate about self-contained. . . Here are just a few of the reasons that I share with parents:

• Giftedness is not just acceleration. Giftedness affects the whole child. A teacher trained in understanding giftedness will be both empathetic and adept at reaching the gifted child in all areas of their development, not just their academics.

• The majority of regular education teachers have had little or no training in how a gifted brain learns. Thus, they are unprepared for the unique academic, social and developmental concerns of a gifted child.

• Studies have shown that gifted kids need only one to three repetitions, while children in mainstream education require at least five to seven repetitions. Imagine the torture of repeating endlessly the tasks which you have already mastered. And when you are successful- you are most often rewarded with more practice of these same skills. No wonder gifted kids check out!

• In a gifted classroom, you have a wonderful support system surrounding you. You have parents, teachers, administrators and fellow peers of your students who know and understand what it is to be gifted. Instead of defending and explaining yourself over and over (and over and over), you are sharing, collaborating and fellowshipping.

• Gifted kids thrive when surrounded by like-minded peers. Because of their rarity in main stream education, based on statistics, most gifted kids in mainstream education will find one or two close friends throughout their entire academic career- if they are fortunate!

• Perhaps my most compelling reason is for the social development of the child. I was in a self-contained class from third through sixth grades. How I wish they had had it in the primary grades back in those days! All children can tell when someone is different. And gifted kids are intuitive enough to sense these differences. They feel isolated, alone, misunderstood and set apart in the mainstream classroom. I know. I felt it every day, and I still feel it now as an adult. If you can give your child the chance to be with people who “get” them and who accept, them how could you not? The alternative is sentencing them to a lifetime sentence of solitude. . .

Now, a self contained classroom is not best for everyone, and I know there are circumstances where it is not the best choice for a family. However, when asked for my professional opinion this is what you get!

In Other News

Check out my class in today's paper!

What is Gifted, Part 3

Let's continue on in defining what it is to be gifted. . . Today, we're going to talk about what giftedness isn't.

It isn't something you "did" to your child. Want to know how I can tell the parents of the truly gifted children in my class? They are the ones throwing up their hands and saying- "I swear, I didn't do this!" They are frustrated, exasperated and alone. Many, if given the option, simply want a regular childhood for their kids, and peace in their families.

It isn't a one way ticket to success. For a variety of reasons, few gifted children reach their potential, and way too many are underachieving. Just recently, the book Outliers by Malcom Gladwell really examined some of the reasons why certain children develop into successful people and others don't. But we know far, far too many gifted kids are falling through the cracks.

It isn't always easy. Gifted kids struggle with loneliness, isolation, peer pressure, perfectionism and a host of other real and serious side effects of giftedness. The depth of their feelings and perceptions are incomprehensible to anyone except another gifted person.

It isn't just how your child was raised. Comprehensive studies have looked at brain development, and we can say with confidence that many of the characteristics of a gifted brain develop in utero, before a child has been nurtured and shaped into their future self.

It isn't just how your child was genetically formed. Comprehensive studies have looked at behavioral patterns of gifted kids, and we can say with confidence that parents play a critical role in their child's intellectual development. What you do matters for your child's cognitive success!

Please, don't fall into people's ideas of what giftedness is and what it isn't. Keep reading, and keep learning. . . I will be back on Monday with more on what it is to be gifted.

What Does Gifted Mean, Part 2

Yesterday we looked at some observable differences between gifted kids and bright kids. Today, let's look at something more quantifiable. How about a chart that shows you where are all kids tend to fall, normatively within their own age groups. . .

You have heard people toss around terms like standard deviations, normal bell curve, and percentiles. . . Let's explain some of those, and define them as related to giftedness. Take a look at the graph below (I didn't make this; I just copied it from a website because it is very readable).

This is a normal bell curve distribution. You can tell that from its bell shape along the x and y axes. All children fall somewhere on this bell curve when compared to their age level peers. Where they fall is determined by their intelligence level. This is commonly referred to as their IQ.

When we are talking about the average population, you can see they fall between 85-115 in terms of their IQ scores. This is considered one standard deviation's difference, because we move one step away from the middle of 100. This is 70% of the kids at any age level. And there is nothing wrong with that! How could there be, when so many kids are there? This is the level that determines developmental stages, state standards, and normal cognitive development. Most doctors and teachers are directing their attentions to this popular 70%- and are reaching mostly everyone.

But what about the rest?

We are not going to talk about the children to the left. Those are the special needs students and there are many programs and websites that address those kiddoes. I am not saying they don't have advocacy needs; that is just not my particular area of expertise. For our purposes, we are addressing the gifted. To do that, we need to travel right on our bell curve.

If we go right, again, one standard deviation we will fall into the IQ range of 115-130. This is considered a 2 standard deviation difference. Look at how the population drops off. This is only the 13.6th percentile of the population tested. This is considered highly intelligent, or moderately gifted. These people have a higher IQ than roughly 83% of the population. The low end of this spectrum is where most bright kids fall in terms of IQ, and the highest end of this spectrum may qualify for a gifted program or possibly be gifted in one area.

Let's look at the last two standard deviations to the right. These are the top 2-3 percentile of IQ scores and are considered highly to profoundly gifted. Their IQ's are 130 or higher. On a giftedness test, they are scoring in the 97-99th percentile. If you have had your child tested for a gifted program and they score a composite of 97 or 99, that doesn't mean that they got a 97% or a 99%. That means that they scored higher than 99% of all the other students who took the test at their age level. Whoa.

Doesn't that put it into a bit more perspective? Your child did not simply ace a test. Your child has a higher level of intelligence than 95-99% of all other children their age. They think differently than those 95-99% of other kids their age as well! That right there is why it is so important that we learn about and help these special little kiddoes. They are not like their age level peers- clearly! The bell curve doesn't lie. Because these gifted kids are different, they have different needs than bright or average children. That is what this website is all about- helping you help your child as a guide and an advocate.