Gifted: Guidance and Counseling

The following topics align with the Florida K-12 Gifted Endorsement, Florida Department of Education Board Rule 6A-4.01791, and the 2019 Pre-K-Grade 12 Gifted Programming Standards from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). The standards are endorsed by the Association for the Gifted of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). The codes in parenthesis reference the NAGC-CEC Teacher Preparation Standards in Gifted and Talented Education (12/2013).

Topic 1: Understanding the Gifted

• Identify common attitudes, biases, and preconceived expectations held about gifted children by teachers, parents, age-related peers, and throughout American society. (GT6.1-GT6.5)
• Discuss the many ways these attitudes affect the everyday lives of gifted children and impact educational services available to them. (GT6.1-GT6.5)
• Identify several current definitions of giftedness. Note the impact each definition has in a school situation, at home, and in society at large. (GT6.1, GT6.2, GT6.4)

Topic 2: Developmental Characteristics

• Attain a developmental understanding of gifted individuals across the life span from infancy to adulthood incorporating a holistic perspective (namely: intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual/moral). (GT1.1, GT1.2, GT6.1-GT6.5)
• Describe how the interaction between the environment and innate capabilities affects productivity throughout life. (GT2.3, GT2.4, GT5.3-GT5.5)

Topic 3: Phenomenological Experience

• Understand the inner experience of gifted children. (GT1.2)
• Become familiar with Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration and the importance of Developmental Potential and Overexcitabilities in understanding the gifted. (GT1.2, GT6.2, GT6.3)
• Become cognizant of personality variables that affect the social and emotional well-being of gifted children. (GT1.2, GT6.1, GT6.2)
• Understand the distinguishing characteristics of emotional and spiritual giftedness. (GT2.1, GT2.2, GT2.4)

Topic 4: Strengths and Vulnerabilities

• Understand strengths and vulnerabilities of a gifted individual that originate from within the self. (GT1.1, GT1.2)
• Understand vulnerabilities that are due to another’s reaction to giftedness. (GT1.1, GT1.2, GT6.1-GT6.3)
• Understand vulnerabilities that are due to a specific circumstance. (GT1.1, GT1.2, GT6.1-GT6.3)

Topic 5: Personality Variance

• Realize that some researchers further categorize gifted people by IQ scores, into highly and profoundly gifted categories. (GT1.2, GT6.1, GT6.2)
• Understand that a person who has an IQ that is two or more standard deviations above the norm will have a greater difficulty finding peers and will be misunderstood by others. (GT1.2, GT2.4, GT3.4)
• Recognize that a person with an IQ two or more standard deviations above the norm is different. (GT1.2, GT3.2-GT3.4)
• Understand that any grouping of traits for profoundly gifted individuals is merely for convenience of presentation. (GT1.2, GT3.2-GT3.4, GT6.2, GT6.3)

Topic 6: Special Populations

• Describe the different social and emotional needs of gifted students from special population. Include gender, ethnicity and culture, socioeconomic status, twice exceptional, and underachieving students. (GT1.1, GT1.2, GT3.1-GT3.4, GT6.3)
• Realize the need for additional or different assessment tools to identify special population students. (GT4.1-GT4.3)
• Learn how to recognize, understand, and support gifted children with multiple differences. (GT4.1-GT4.3)

Topic 7: Risk Factors and Resiliency

• Identify risk factors and resiliency as related to gifted students. (GT1.2, GT2.1, GT2.2)
• Enumerate what you can do as a teacher to help students at risk. (GT2.1-GT2.4)
• List symptoms in children and adults of addiction and physical or sexual abuse. (GT1.2, GT6.1-GT6.3)

Topic 8: Opportunities in Educational Placement

• Read the Templeton national report on acceleration—A nation deceived: How school hold back America’s brightest student, Vol. 1 and 2 (2004) and A Nation Empowered, Vol. 1 and 2 (2015) by Colangelo, N., Assouline, S., & Gross, M. (GT4.2, GT5.3, GT5.4, GT6.2, GT6.3)
• Understand two categories of acceleration—grade based and subject based—and list 18 acceleration options that respond to gifted students’ academic needs and support their social and emotional well-being. (GT3.2)
• Compare and contrast Florida’s Acceleration Statute 1002.3105 f. s. with your district’s schools’ policies and activities for acceleration. (GT3.2, GT4.2, GT5.2)
• Recognize home-schooling as a positive option for some gifted students and families. (GT5.2)
• Be aware of myths, fears, and expectations of teachers and administrators that hold back students and the research that responds to these concerns. (GT6.1, GT6.2)

Topic 9: Counseling, Guidance, and Career Placement

• Understand the need for supportive services for gifted individuals due to the complexity and sensitivity of their nature. (GT3.1-GT3.3)
• Recognize that a counselor, therapist, or psychologist must be educated in the gifted field so not to misdiagnosis common characteristics of gifted individuals as pathology. (GT6.1-GT6.3)
• Realize counseling provides empathy and partnership in times of need. (GT6.1, GT6.2)
• Identify activities and resources to assist K-12 students who are gifted in planning for further education, career, or life choices. (GT6.5, GT7.2, GT7.3)
• Recognize that guidance and career counseling support gifted individuals in decision-making for positive life choices. (GT4.5, GT5.4, GT7.2, GT7.3)

Topic 10: Supporting Social Skills and Leadership Development

• Learn how to help students develop social skills and inspire leadership. (GT4.5, GT5.4, GT5.5)
• Support gifted children’s experience of global interconnectedness and personal responsibility to take action. (GT5.4, GT5.5)
• Realize that a primary need in life is to belong. (GT2.1)
• Help gifted children to appreciate that their profound sensitivity and empathy can be channeled to help humankind. (GT5.4, GT5.5)
• Recognize that perceptivity, empathy, ethics, values, integrity, and leadership are related. (GT2.2, GT5.4, GT5.5)

Topic 11: Advocates for the Gifted

• Acquire and refine the knowledge and skills needed to advocate for gifted learners. (GT6.5)
• Identify how parents, teachers, and educational advocates can positively affect gifted services and programming. (GT6.5)
• Identify advocacy issues, needs, resources, educational laws, skills, and strategies. (GT6.5)
• Support the necessity of self-advocacy by gifted students. (GT6.1, GT6.5)

Topic 12: Parenting and Family Dynamics

• Understand that gifted children naturally have unique needs that parents are challenged to address daily. (GT1.1, GT1.2)
• Recognize that parents of gifted children need guidance and support to respond suitably to additional needs and demands of their children. (GT1.2, GT6.2, GT6.3)
• Realize that parents of gifted children may experience isolation from other parents due to others’ lack of understanding; societal expectations and myths; jealousy; competition; and lack of acceptance that gifted children have special needs. (GT1.2, GT6.2, GT6.3)
• Understand the significance of the quote from Mr. Rogers: “The best thing parents can do for children is to listen to them.” (GT1.2, GT6.2, GT6.3)