Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education

Learning Module

Topic: Mental Giftedness

I. Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:

a. define the concept of "Mental Giftedness";

b. determine the characteristics of gifted students and the various methods that should be
employed to aid their performance; and

c. adopt the traits of gifted children to determine the best techniques for teaching them in a
proper way.

II. Content The Definition & Meaning of Being Gifted

Children who are gifted are defined as those who demonstrate an advanced ability or
potential in one or more specific areas when compared to others of the same age, experience or
environment. These gifted individuals excel in their ability to think, reason and judge, making it
necessary for them to receive special educational services and support to be able to fully
develop their potential and talents.

Gifted children come from all different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as economic
status. While no two gifted children are the same, many share common gifted characteristics
and traits, such as:

- Advanced thinking and comprehension above their age peers

- Emotional intensity at a young age

- Heightened sense of self awareness

- Highly developed curiosity

- Excellent memory

What is Mental Giftedness?

There are many definitions of giftedness, none of which are universally agreed upon.
Depending on the context, definitions often guide and influence key decisions in schools such
as determining the eligibility and criteria for gifted education programs and services, what areas
of giftedness will be addressed (e.g., specific abilities in a subject area such as math), and when
the services will be offered. As parents of gifted students or professionals who work with gifted
children, it is important to understand the different definitions and what they mean in order to
provide the appropriate guidance and support needed for social-emotional development.

At its core, giftedness is a brain-based difference that contributes to our vibrant and
neurodiverse world. This neurological difference means that profoundly gifted students
experience a different intellectual, academic, and social-emotional development trajectory than
neurotypical individuals. These differences are detailed in “The Neuroscience of Giftedness,” a
series of articles from GRO, the Gifted Research and Outreach organization.

Common Characteristics of Gifted Children:

- Ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers

- Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age

- Strong sense of curiosity

 - Enthusiastic about unique interests and topics

- Quirky or mature sense of humor

- Creative problem solving and imaginative expression

- Absorbs information quickly with few repetitions needed

- Self-aware, socially aware, and aware of global issues

Intellectually Gifted

“Intellectually Gifted” means a child whose intellectual abilities, creativity, and potential for
achievement are so outstanding that the child’s needs exceed differentiated general education
programming, adversely affects educational performance, and requires specifically designed
instruction or support services. Children from all populations (e.g., all cultural, racial, and ethnic
groups, English Learners, all economic strata, twice exceptional, etc.) can be found to possess
these abilities.

State Definitions of Giftedness

Gifted definitions with respect to students in schools vary from state to state. Most
states will base their definition of giftedness on a comparison to others of the same age or by
needs that are not provided by the regular classroom. Some states have certain criteria for
gifted identification. In the case of Illinois, for example, gifted students are considered gifted and
talented if they score in the top 5% locally in any area of aptitude, specifically in language arts
and mathematics. However, not all states require that school districts follow the state definition.

What is the IQ of a Gifted Child?

The majority of the population will fall within an IQ of 85 – 115. The mean, or average, IQ
is 100. A gifted child’s IQ will fall within these ranges:

Mildly gifted: 115 to 130 Moderately gifted: 130 to 145 Highly gifted: 145 to 160
Profoundly gifted: 160 or higher

These gifted IQ ranges are based on a standard bell curve. However, different IQ tests may
influence this range as some test ceilings cap at 145. Additionally, different gifted professionals
have used other terms, such as “exceptionally” gifted. While a universal consensus on these
ranges and labels may not be reached, it is understood that students who deviate from the
average IQ of 100 require special educational accommodations to meet their needs.

What are Traits of Profoundly Gifted Children?

Profoundly gifted individuals score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ and achievement tests and
have an exceptionally high level of intellectual prowess.

Characteristics of profoundly gifted individuals may include:

A. Rapid Comprehension: An advanced ability to learn and process information rapidly,

combined with a need for constant mental stimulation; profoundly gifted students often
work at a different pace than neurotypical peers–going far ahead or pausing to dive
deeply in areas of interest.

B. Intuitive Understanding of the Basics: Difficulty concentrating on tasks that are not
intellectually challenging, including repetitious materials or rote tasks; profoundly gifted
children often need less practice to master an idea or concept.

C. Tendency toward Complexity: A need to understand the “big picture” of what they are
learning; they may ask endless “why” questions or prefer to learn whole-to-part rather
than part-to-whole.

D. Need for Precision: An appreciation for nuance and a need for precision in thinking and
expression; they may often respond to questions with “that depends…” and they may
 struggle with multiple choice assessments that ask them to make definitive decisions
without an extensive contextual background to questions.

E. High Expectations: A tendency to hold themselves and others to high standards, which
can sometimes present as perfectionism or a very defined sense of justice; this may lead
to challenges when understanding rules set by others or interacting with same-age peers
who don’t hold the same standards.
F. Divergent Interests: A vivid imagination and niche interests may make it difficult to
connect with same-age peers; profoundly gifted students may seek out older children or
adults who share their interests, or they may connect with younger children who are
flexible in their thinking and engage in imaginational pursuits.

Six different types of giftedness: I.

Successful

This is the traditional understanding of gifted children: they’re good at school.

“Successful” gifted children are obedient in class, do homework without a lot of
prompting, test well, and may become perfectionists. Unfortunately, these children might
face jealousy from some peers due to being “teacher’s pet.” But in general, most of them
are well-adjusted goal-setters.

II. Autonomous

Autonomously gifted children are like successful children in that they understand
and can perform well in a traditional school system. But they are willing to push
boundaries in ways that “successful” gifted children are not. Autonomously gifted
children are strong leaders and creative thinkers. They seek opportunities to pursue their
interests. For example, if they are interested in trains but their school does not feed this
passion, they may look for summer programs or extracurricular opportunities to build
train sets or visit stockyards.

III. Challenging and Creative

Challenging and creative students are generally the opposite of “successful”

gifted children. They may harbor extraordinary creative gifts as writers, composers,
artists, photographers, graphic artists, or fashion designers. Their creative dispositions
put them at odds with a traditional school system.

IV. Underground

While many children’s giftedness is discovered in their primary years, some

students may slip through the usual testing. Others don’t even manifest their giftedness
until their middle school years. Some gifted children develop asynchronously (at a
different pace from their peers); their gifts may be hidden or masked until later in their
traditional education.

V. Potential Dropout or At Risk

These students require the most sensitivity and patience. They may come from
an unstable home environment or a culture which discourages academic excellence or
gifted education (especially for girls). Some may never have experienced support for
basic educational goals, or their parents or caregivers might be completely disengaged
from their school experience.

VI. Doubly Exceptional

Doubly exceptional (or 2E) children are those who are gifted and who also exhibit
a learning or physical disorder. The disability may hide the gift, or the gift may
overwhelm the learning/physical challenge, leaving one or the other undetected. Doubly
exceptional students may also suffer from attention or processing disorders.

There are several different domains of giftedness into which students in today's classroom may
fall. Teachers should be able to recognize the characteristics of the different domains.
Intellectual

Students whose giftedness is described as intellectual giftedness display characteristics

that most people identify as 'gifted'. They are abstract thinkers who show enthusiasm and
excitement for new ideas. They learn quickly and use a large vocabulary. These persons
process information in ways different from non-gifted peers. This is the stereo-typical gifted
student who easily learns new information in many different academic fields and enjoys the
challenge of learning new information. There is a definite need for instruction beyond the
general curriculum in order to meet the needs of the intellectually gifted student.

Academic

Academic giftedness is different from intellectual giftedness in its scope. Academically

gifted students show enthusiasm for specific interest areas and display advanced
comprehension in those areas. They have exceptional skills in verbal or non-verbal reasoning
and good memorization skills. This is the student who wants to talk about (trains)…the history of
trains, the fastest train, new models of high-speed trains. Or this student devours information in
science class but is an average-achiever in English language arts (ELA). Serving this student's
needs often depends on harnessing their natural passion in one academic area and helping
them apply it and develop aptitude in other areas.

Creative

Creative giftedness can be identified by the development of unusual ideas or original

responses to problems. Students in this domain of giftedness come up with several unique
solutions to problems and often display a sense of humor. They are challenged by creative tasks
and their unusual ideas make them stand out from their peers. This student is seen as 'quirky'
because of their unusual ideas and their willingness to share those ideas. Meeting the creatively
gifted student's academic needs can often be a matter of letting them explore their own ideas
rather than providing instruction beyond the general curriculum.

Leadership

Giftedness in leadership may not manifest in young students because it requires a level
of autonomy. These students display exceptional organizational skills and can motivate others.
They are well-liked by their peers and hold themselves and others to high expectations. They
are self-confident, like structure, and express themselves well. This student organizes the
groups they are in or is a magnet for other students when they are forming their own groups.
Their natural ability to motivate others and build relationships attracts their peers to them.
Allowing this student to lead and develop those skills can be a part of cooperative learning
activities.

Five Ways to Support Gifted Students in Your Classroom

1. Learn how gifted students think.

If you want to support gifted students in your classroom, it's important that you make an
effort to learn how they think and learn about the different struggles they face. Understanding
that gifted students have special needs, requirements, and trends in behavior will help you meet
their needs and better support them in the classroom.

2. Created tiered assignments for students.

Tiered assignments can help you meet the needs of all students. Choose the basic
standard objective and design an assignment on that standard to make the middle tier. Once the
middle tier is finished, you make the other tiers by adding support for at-risk children and adding
challenge for gifted students. Here are two simple ways you can add challenge to assignments:

3. Include a variety of levels in your classroom library.

Make sure your classroom library has a variety of texts to support the reading ability and
interests of gifted students. You can also encourage students to bring reading materials from
home, but make sure the materials they bring challenge them to learn new words and increase
their reading skills.
4. Utilize their talents and interests.

Gifted students are often asked to do busy work when they finish assignments ahead of
others. Instead of taking that approach, try utilizing gifted students' talents and interests to
further explore a skill. For example, students could write or draw something related to the
assignment/skill or they could act out solutions to the problem or project.

5. Explore real-word application.

Gifted students understand math algorithms, science concepts, and grammar rules very
quickly. You can encourage them to move beyond the skill they're learning by applying it in the
real world. For example, they can explore how area and perimeter affect an architect's design or
how scientists use animal classification to understand animal life and how it functions. Gifted
learners are those whose potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the following
domains: intellectual, creative, social and physical. They need services and activities not
ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop their potential.

Topic: Mental Giftedness

III. Activities Activity One: Essay (5 pts each)
Answer the following questions briefly.
1. How will you define “giftedness” in your own words?

— Giftedness is a type of involuntary or natural development in which a person has

advanced cognitive abilities and increased intensity interact to form unique
feelings, experiences and understanding. With increased intellectual ability, this
asynchrony grows. The Gifted’s uniqueness makes them particularly vulnerable,
necessitating changes in parenting, teaching, and counseling in order for them to
reach their full potential.

2. As a future educator, does differentiated instruction ideal to be utilized in a

mainstreamed class of average and gifted individuals?
— Differentiated instruction is a teaching method that adapts instruction to the
needs of all students. Instead of lumping students into one big group, it allows us
to provide the support they require. As a future educator, you should use
differentiated instruction within the mainstream class to differentiate between
average and gifted students. Gifted students could go beyond what is really being
taught in the classroom and challenge themselves by continuing to work on
something that is more at their level of learning. It's effective for both average
and gifted students because they take on more responsibility for their own
learning when they are given another set of options for learning through the use
of different instructional materials.

3. Cite an activity appropriate for children with mental giftedness. Elucidate your
answer concerning its appropriateness and efficacy in utilizing it during
instruction.
— Enable Gifted Students to Work Together. Allowing gifted students to work in
groups improves their academic performance while also benefiting other students
in the classroom. When gifted students collaborate, they push themselves in new
directions. They bounce ideas off one another and push one another’s ideas
forward. They also learn that, as smart as they are, they must put forth effort
when dealing with difficult material.

Activity Two: Essay Paper (30 pts + 5 pts for the unique title)

Construct an essay paper consisting of not less than 200-words. Make sure the
three important elements (Introduction, Body, and Conclusion) is present in your paper.
The topic of your paper is about mental giftedness awareness. Don’t forget to create
your own title for your essay paper.

DEALING WITH MENTAL GIFTED STUDENTS

 Every child is unique and special in their own way. Furthermore, each child’s
experience is unique, which is why it is critical to be aware of their differences in relation
to other students, and to provide attention and support not only at home, but also at
school. A school is a social and educational environment in which a child spends the
majority of their day, second only to their home.
Our challenge as a future educators is to meet the needs of every student.
Everyone should have the chance to learn, grow, and strive for excellence. Mentally
gifted individuals with exceptional talents, skills, and educational potential have unique
needs on which we must concentrate, evaluate, and be aware of in the classroom. With
proper education and guidance from teachers and peers, talented students can make a
significant contribution to their communities, schools, and fellow students.
Children with special abilities feel and think differently than their peers. If their
gifts and talents are to be developed, emotional aspects of their educational journey are
just as important as cognitive needs. However, understanding the importance of being
flexible with your curriculum and understanding the needs of the child is critical to being
an effective teacher and building trust with your students, especially students who are
mentally gifted.