In October of this year, I was informed that TAGT would no longer be supporting gtchat. Our final chat with TAGT’s support was December 21st. I’d like to express my gratitude to TXGifted for their support over the past 12 years. In 2024, #gtchat will chart a new course. (See joint statement below.)
I would like to thank Deborah Mersino for her foresight to start the conversation on Twitter in 2010 and Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman) for his expertise at the beginning of #gtchat and continual support throughout the years.
Please take time to follow gtchatmod and my personal account on Twitter (X) and the Global gtchat Facebook Page for updates. Moving forward, I will have full control of the gtchat ‘brand’ and intellectual property rights to the content produced on this blog. It is my hope to continue the conversation and am currently researching my options.
If anyone would be interested in supporting my work in the future, please contact me at >>> gtchatmod@gmail.com <<< I welcome all ideas (see questions above) from my readers as to what you would like to see from gtchat.
Thank you all for joining the conversation the past 12 years. Stay tuned!
Depth and complexity are both important for GT students. They can be a powerful tool for differentiating instruction or diving deeper into content. Depth is gifted education helps GT students to expand knowledge and complexity is a way to challenge them. It is important to explain the meaning of depth and complexity to GT students early on in their education.
All students deserve to be challenged every day in the classroom. When the curriculum and instruction are not deep and complex enough, this does not happen. When depth and complexity are matched to students’ abilities, both rigor and engagement increase which is important for GT students. GT students thrive when confronted with deep and complex content. It can be a catalyst for exploring personal interests and passions.
From an early age, GT students are often presented mixed messages about their abilities and what being identified as ‘gifted’ means to them personally. When underchallenged in elementary school, they are unprepared in later years when the work is no longer easy. GT students need the support of parents, teachers, and mentors to learn to persevere in their studies and to know how to deal with setbacks.
Depth and complexity can be introduced as early as kindergarten across the curriculum. Content and instruction can incrementally differentiated. Throughout the school year, teachers can start with simple ideas and questions, and then increase the use of complex and deep questioning. GT students can benefit from looking at problems from different perspectives, looking for patterns, and discerning trends.
What can parents do at home to encourage deep and complex thinking? Parents are always their child’s first teacher and modeling how to think about complex issues is an important first step. They can engage their children in deep conversations to raise awareness of how they consider and react to everyday experiences in life. There are many difficult and complex issues in the world today. Parent should encourage older children to identify and discuss these issues.
Please note, this chat focused on using depth & complexity in gifted education. For information on J. Taylor Education’s Framework, go to Depth & Complexity Framework which includes Prompts & Icons (Kaplan/Gould).
A transcript of this chat may be found at Wakelet.
Global #gtchat will be on hiatus until further notice. Our Twitter (X) Account and Facebook Page will provide information on the chat, and news regarding the future of this chat.
Curiosity is defined as a strong desire to know or learn something. It is associated with all aspects of human development (Wikipedia, 2023). It is one of 3 key predictors of academic achievement. Academic goals are a part of personal growth when couched in curiosity (Eva, 2018). Curiosity is a human quality which cannot be duplicated by AI (Spencer, 2023). This is an important point to remember in an age of rapid developments in AI.
Curiosity comes from within – an intrinsic part of human existence. It is stimulated by a desire to know and understand something of interest. It’s important to understand that a student’s curiosity comes from lived experiences coupled with what they already know. When curiosity results in new discoveries and experiences, students feel exhilaration from learning and an even greater desire to learn more.
Curiosity can enhance learning by pointing out gaps in a student’s current level of knowledge and understanding. It prods a ‘hungry’ mind to seek new information and ways of doing things. It can increase persistence to more. A curious student is open to new experiences, passionate about new ways to learn, and prone to seek greater challenge in academic endeavors.
Research by Todd Kashdan distinguished 5 types of curiosity – ‘joyful exploration’, ‘need to know’, ‘social’, ‘anxiety acceptance’, and ‘thrill seeking’. When students are able to pair acceptance of anxiety associated with not knowing something with a need to know, learning becomes a more pleasant experience. Thrill seeking must be balanced by joyful exploration to counter any anxiety encountered in the learning experience to ensure positive outcomes.
There are many strategies available to promote curiosity in the classroom beginning with modeling curiosity, learning about student interests, and incorporating ‘what if’ questions into direct instruction. Curiosity can also be promoted by providing scaffolding and support through explaining a framework of types of questions (clarification, inferencing), inviting peer-to-peer questioning, and teaching students how to evaluate questions (Spencer, 2023). Finally, student curiosity can be stimulated by advocating student voice and choice, connecting content to student interests, and using prompts throughout the day to elicit awe (Eva, 2018).
A transcript of this chat may be found at Wakelet.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at 1AM GMT to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community.
There is a multitude of reasons why it’s important to support gifted students. Contrary to the belief that they will make it on their own, these students need their needs met, talents nurtured, and potential developed. When GT students are not challenged with appropriate depth, complexity, and at a pace commensurate with their abilities, they fail to learn the skills necessary to achieve such as how to study and benefit from hard work. Support in the form of engaging curriculum and instruction is a powerful antidote to boredom which can lead to underachievement and behavioral problems.
A GT student benefits from being supported by being able to pursue individual interests and passions which leads them to build the necessary skills to reach their goals and eventually sparks intrinsic motivation. Long-term studies have revealed that gifted programs have a positive effect on academic careers beyond the K-12 years leading to success in college and beyond. GT students supported through opportunities to learn with intellectual peers via pull-out programs, cluster grouping, and/or acceleration have improved social relationships and a more positive self-image.
How does society benefit from supporting GT students? A fractious debate often occurs when GT students do not have their needs met in public schools due to short-sighted policies. Retaining and meeting their needs can reduce drop-out rates and preserve critical funding for local schools. Society benefits from the development of artists, musicians, athletes, and students interested in pursuing STEM careers. Supporting GT students is also an important factor in creating future leaders and change-agents who are insightful problem-solvers.
Gifted education can benefit all students in a variety of ways. For the regular ed teacher, removing or clustering GT students allows more time to be devoted to other students. By restricting the range of achievement levels, remaining students have greater opportunities for their growth and recognition of their talents. Many innovative teaching strategies have been developed in gifted programs and adopted in regular classrooms such as PBL, self-directed learning, and differentiated instruction.
On local campuses, educators, admins, counselors, mental health professionals, and staff can all work together to support gifted students. Parents and community members can support gifted students through modeling good behaviors when working together, mentorships, internships, and enrichment activities. Gifted organizations and universities can support gifted students through talent searches, dual-enrollment, specialized courses, early entrance programs, and scholarships.
A transcript of this chat may be found at Wakelet.
Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at 1AM GMT to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community.
Global #gtchat 