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Gifted Learners: Addressing Their
Affective Needs
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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)
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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)