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Gifted Learners: Addressing Their

Affective Needs

2

Addressing Affective Needs

Social and emotional issues

Classroom strategies

Affective curriculum/guidance and counseling plan

It is important that affective goals be attended to

as well as the cognitive and academic goals. Self

concepts, attitudes, motives, values, interests, and

emotions are components of positive self

actualization and functioning fully in society and

the curriculum must contribute to nurturing the

affective domain as well as the cognitive domain.

—A. Harry Passow (1986)

4

Characterist

ics and

Interactions

Possible issues

Interaction

Affective

Cognitive

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Peer pressure

Perfectionis

mIntrov ersion

Self-

es

teem

/ide

ntity

Social

skills

Comp

etitive

ness

Ove

rexc

itabi

lities

Possible Issues

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Responsibility and

leadership

Family dynamics

Study skillsCollege guidance

Career exploration

Building a Context to Address Affective Issues

Fostering a Supportive School Context

Psychological safety

Flexible programming

Being with other gifted students

Services that focus on whole

child

Meaningful interactions with

adults

Curricular outlets for expression of

intensities

Strategies for Affective Needs

Discussion groups

Guided reading/viewing

Role- playing

Mode switchingSpatial strategies

Pair problem solving

Journal writing

Additional Components to Address Affective Needs

Professional development for

teachers and parents

Differentiated college and career planning

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Scope and Sequence• Scope refers to the comprehensiveness of the

curriculum:– What are the important skills, attitudes, and supports

needed to be built into the learning experience?

• Sequence refers to the organization and order:– When is the student ready for what topics?– How can we transition well from elementary to

middle to high school?– What do we want the students to be able to do at

particular times?

• Map out the affective curriculum for your K–12 high-ability students; include social skills, college and career guidance, and attention to social and emotional needs.

An Affective Curriculum Meeting social and emotional

needs, K–12

A planned set of experiences

Differentiated for the gifted child

Partnership between the G/T specialist and the counselor

Professional development for faculty/staff

Parent education

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Applying Guidance and Counseling Activities With Gifted Students

•Incorporate guidance and counseling activities into the classroom.

Role of teachers

•Work with coordinators and teachers to create a standards-based guidance and counseling plan that is differentiated for gifted students

Role of counselors

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LogisticsWhen?

• Homeroom/advisory/morning circle time

• Language arts or social studies class

• Health and wellness class

• Guidance activity times

• Lunch

By Whom?

• Homeroom teacher

• Humanities teachers

• Counselor• G/T resource

How?

• By taking the gifted students separately so the discussion can be differentiated

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K–8 Affective Curriculum MapSubject K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Academic Development(e.g., learning to be organized, learning to deal with doing well)

College and Career Development (e.g., exploring careers and the education needed, visiting college campuses)

Citizenship (e.g., understanding how to get along, managing stress, understanding emotions)

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Grade-Level Curriculum MapSubject

First grading period

Second grading period

Third grading period

Fourth grading period

Academic Development(e.g., learning to be organized, learning to deal with doing well)College and Career Development (e.g., exploring careers and the education needed, visiting college campuses) Citizenship (e.g., understanding how to get along, managing stress, understanding emotions)