Development and Characteristics of Gifted and Talented Learners
Candidates understand development and characteristics of gifted and talented students.
2.1: Cognitive
and affective characteristics of gifted and talented learners, including those
from diverse backgrounds, in intellectual, academic, creative, leadership, and
artistic domains.
1. The article, "Challenging Gifted Middle School Students" discusses the emotional and behavioral challenges that are frequently seen in gifted middle school students; which includes unhappiness, social isolation, and behavioral maladaptation. The article also explores struggles that gifted middle school students may have with their executive functions. Since I teach middle school gifted students, this article demonstrates my understanding of the needs that my students may be struggling with.
2. Post #1 from the course "Strategies," discusses the characteristics of gifted children that make the both interesting and challenging to work with. This post demonstrates my ability to understand the characteristics of gifted learners, and learn how to address those characteristics in my instruction.
2.2: Effects
of culture and environment on the development of gifted and talented learners.
1. Post #2 from the "Teaching the Gifted Underachiever" course discusses one type of underachievement and the families role in underachievement. This post discusses the negative impact that parents can have on gifted underachievers when they are working harder than the student.
2.3: Role
of families and communities in supporting the development of gifted and
talented learners.
1. The Types of Underachiever bookmarks are meant to be given to other teachers to help them identify different types of gifted and talented learners quickly and efficiently. They describe characteristics of gifted underachievers and offers suggestions to help teachers motivate them and work with them more successfully in the classroom.
2. Post #3 from the course, "Nature and Needs of Gifted Learners" discusses the importance that others have on early gifted learners and issues relating to the social-emotional development of gifted learners throughout their early childhood years. This demonstrates my understanding of the impact that parents have on gifted children early on.
3. Writing Assignment #1 from the course, "Strategies" discusses how important it is for both parents and teachers to be informed about the characteristics of gifted learners, including twice-exceptional students.
2.4: Unique
academic, social, and emotional developmental milestones of gifted and talented
learners from early childhood through adolescence.
1. Post #3 from the course, "Nature and Needs of Gifted Learners" discusses the importance that others have on early gifted learners and issues relating to the social-emotional development of gifted learners throughout their early childhood years. This demonstrates my understanding of the development of giftedness and the
social-emotional development of gifted and talented youngsters.
2. Post #4 from the course, "Nature and Needs of Gifted Learners" discusses the relationship between creativity and the integration of the cognitive, affective, physical, sensing and intuitive aspects of the human mind.
2.5: Similarities
and differences among gifted and talented learners as well as compared to the
general population.
1. Post #5 from the "Teaching the Gifted Underachiever" course compares and contrasts different types of underachievers. Specifically, it compares dependent and dominant; and conforming and non-conforming underachievers. This post demonstrates my understanding of different types of gifted underachievers and why they need to be approached differently.