Social & Emotional Sensitivities In Gifted Children

Giftedkids.ie Webinar Series

Social & Emotional Sensitivities in Gifted Children

Presented by Dr. Colm O’Reilly,

Director&

Catriona Fitzgerald, Academic Co-Ordinator

Irish Centre for Talented Youth

Supported by Social Entrepreneurs Ireland,

C.T.Y.I. & N.C.T.E.

Dr. Colm O’ReillyDirector, CTY Ireland

Ms. Catriona FitzgeraldAcademic Coordinator, CTY Ireland

Overview of the area.

Framework for understanding social and Emotional

Development

Self Concept of the Gifted Child

Myths around this area

Multipotentiality

Underachievement

The way forward

Copyright @2010 CTYI

Terman studies and the growth of IQ

Renzulli and the Three Ring Concept

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Gagne’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness

and Talent.



Needs Issues


Expectations of Others

Risk-Taking

Dissonance

Ownership

Impatience

Identity

Buescher, T. M. (1985). A framework for understanding the social and emotional development of gifted and talented adolescents. Roeper Review, 8(1), 10-15.Copyright @2010 CTYI


Self-Concept

includes “cognitive, perceptual, affective and evaluative facets” (Hoge & Renzulli, 1993, p. 449).

“a person’s self-perceptions formed through experience with and interpretations of one’s environment … (and) are influenced especially by evaluations by significant others, reinforcements, and attributions for one’s own behaviour” (Marsh & O’Mara, 2008, p.543).


Global Self-Concept

Academic SC

Achievement

Ability

Classroom

Non-Academic SC

Social

Family

Peers

Self-presentation

Confidence in Self

Physical

Physical Appearance

Physical Skills

Song & Hattie’s Hierarchical Model (1984)

Need to be challenged

Need to be valued

Need to find peer group

Need to be accepted as an

individual


Gifted students should be with students their

own age

Being well rounded should be the primary

goal for gifted student development

Adults and teachers know what gifted

children experience.

Everyone is gifted or nobody is gifted.


Gifted students development is often out of synch

They demonstrate advanced academic aptitude but often are unable to deal with the social implications of this.

There is a need to fit in but this can be difficult.


Studies have shown that secondary school students are uncomfortable with the term gifted to describe their ability.

Can lead to high expectations from parents and teachers.

Classmates in school often unsupportive.


Almost 50% of gifted students are introverted compared to 25% of regular population.

This does not mean gifted students are anti-social rather that they use an internal frame of reference when generating ideas.

This can cause problems when they need to communicate these ideas.


Young people with diverse talents who could succeed at a high level in a number of fields.


Hard to narrow down options to a single career

May suffer from perfectionism

May be coerced by parents and teachers to take high points courses.


A future career explored as a way of life.

Not just limited to one career.

Use leisure activities to pursue interests.

Talk with peers!!


Underachievement is seen as a discrepancy between assessed potential and actual performance.

Colangelo (2003)


Temporary underachievement is often in response to a situational stress or event.

Chronic underachievement is where someone has a pattern of underachievement across a variety of situations.

Reis (1998)


Aggressive students demonstrate disruptive and rebellious behaviour.

Withdrawn students seem bored and uninvolved.

Rebellious students combines aggressive and withdrawn behaviours.

Whitmore (1980)


To Gain Attention

Can be solved by rewarding good behaviour.

To Gain Control of a Situation.

Involves a power struggle with parents and teachers.


Make curriculum more interesting.

Being part of a good peer group can prevent underachievement.

Being part of clubs and extra-curricular activities help reduce underachievement.

Be vigilant! Even though it’s not happening now doesn’t mean there won’t be a problem in the future.


Helped with subjects at school

Challenged students intellectually

Broadened the mind

Gave a better outlook on school

Allowed students to be creative


Increase in self confidence.

Meeting intellectual peers.

Improved communication skills.

Made New Friends


Encourage controlled risk taking

Provide a variety of social experiences.

Read biographies of eminent individuals.

Get mentorship opportunities.

Allow them to be who they want to be.

Struggles and emotional turmoil happen to everyone. We can’t avoid them, it’s dealing with them that matters.


Dr. Colm O’ReillyDirector

Ms. Catriona FitzgeraldAcademic Coordinator

t. +353 1 700 5634

e. [email protected]

w dcu.ie/ctyi

Copyright @ 2010 CTYI

http://www.dcu.ie/ctyi

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Social & Emotional Sensitivities In Gifted Children