Monthly Archives: May 2021
Resources and Tools for Supporting 2E Learners
Twice-exceptional learners, an oft misunderstood group, are those students with exceptional high abilities as well as exceptional challenges. These kids exhibit high intellectual levels while also having significant special needs such as ADD/ADHD; Asperger’s or ASD; sensory issues; ODD; or SPD (specific learning disability). Representing up to 20% (Oak Foundation) of students, twice-exceptional learners are too often overlooked in academic settings (affecting educational opportunities) and face misdiagnosis leading to inappropriate interventions.
Please check out the resources below as well as in the transcript which can 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 Noon NZST/10AM AEST/1AM UK 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. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com
Resources:
Project 2e-ASD Strategies for Gifted Students with ASD (Updates Blog) | UCONN
Project 2e-ASD (website) | UCONN
Conversations with The G Word #3: 2e, 3e & Neurodiversity (FB – ZOOM 1:13)
What is a Twice Exceptional Student? (FB Video 5:32) | Bright & Quirky
The Neurodiversity Podcast Blog
What is 2e? A Guide to Twice-Exceptionality
Susan Baum on Twice-Exceptionality (YouTube 4:19)
The Mythology of Learning, Part 1 Abandoning Deficit Models: A Paradigm Shift
The 2e Profile: Multiple Perspectives
2e News (website)
TECA (Twice Exceptional Children’s Advocacy)
SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted)
Twice-Exceptional Learners The Journey Toward a Shared Vision (pdf)
Twice-Exceptional Students | NAGC
Bright and Quirky (website)
How Teachers Can Help Students with Challenging Behaviors
Bright and Quirky (Blog)
Twice-Exceptional Gifted Children: Understanding, Teaching, and Counseling Gifted Students
Boost: 12 Effective Ways to Lift Up Our Twice-Exceptional Children
Navigating the Transition from High School to College for Students with Disabilities (book)
Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Handbook (book) | Oxford Clinical Psychology
101 School Success Tools for Smart Kids with Learning Difficulties
Creativity in Gifted Students with ASD
Cybraryman’s Twice-Exceptional Page
The 2E Resource: Teach Tools and Strategies
ADHD Bedtime Routine: How to Create One You Don’t Hate
Twice Exceptional (Blog)
How to ADHD (YouTube Channel)
Tilt Parenting (website)
Image courtesy of Pixabay Pixabay License
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad
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Super Smart and Thriving
The idea of ‘super smart’ is both about perception as well as a number. However, in education, the number (IQ) is generally a litmus test for gaining access to services. It can look very different depending on your point of view. Many people think of ‘gifted’ as only those who are designated highly or profoundly gifted. Indeed, there are groups who only offer opportunities to these children. Schools who have the resources to provide gifted services often include PG, HG, students with IQs over 130, high achievers, exceptional talent and the highly creative.
Opportunities for our brightest students should take into consideration the needs of individual students. The idea of a ‘one size fits all’ is no longer a viable option. Is the student a high achieving mathematics student, a child prodigy, or possess an exceptional talent? Among the best opportunities are those which involve some form of acceleration. The type of acceleration that works best considers each student’s particular need and personality. Acceleration can include early entrance, early out, grade-skipping, subject acceleration, radical acceleration, dual-enrollment, peer/expert mentoring, outside expert instruction, internships, or research opportunities; to name a few.
How can be best support the paradoxical needs of a super smart twice-exceptional child? Research has shown, that supporting strengths before deficits can have a much greater impact for a twice-exceptional child. Identification is paramount to providing the most beneficial accommodations. To meet the needs of a twice-exceptional student requires school admins, educators and staff to fully acknowledge and understand that 2E kids do exist. This often runs counter to what schools tend to do which is to remediate deficits first. Twice exceptional children may need exceptional emotional support, but academic challenge can play an important role in mitigating social-emotional needs.
There has been a tendency in recent years to see lack of diversity in gifted programs as an excuse to simply eliminate the programs all together. This is short-sighted and more often than not an excuse to balance the budget. Supporting diversity in gifted programming should look to expand opportunities for all students who require those services not adequately provided in the regular classroom. Eliminating services perpetuates social injustice. Diverse kids require diverse and non-prejudicial means of identification. Schools need to take a hard look at how to remove bias of all types in the identification process. They should look to the work of Dr. Joy Davis and Dr. Donna Y. Ford for starters.
Parents are in a unique position to advocate and support their super smart child. When advocating, it’s imperative that parents learn the lingo of gifted education to gain the best results & facilitate communication with educators. It is critical for parents to document their child’s early behaviors and achievements. Anecdotal information can enhance initial efforts to develop IEPs in early education. Parents can look for interests out-of-synch with age-peers, mature reasoning ability, advanced awareness, and advanced academic skills. Super smart kids’ needs often go far beyond the traditional school setting. Parents need to know what’s available in their child’s school. It’s great if they have the means, but parents may need to get creative in providing extracurricular resources.
A transcript of this chat can be found at our Wakelet page.
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 Noon NZST/10AM AEST/1AM UK 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. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com
Resources:
17-year-old Graduates from University of South Florida with 2 Degrees
This 12-year-old Genius has her Sights Set on Becoming a NASA Engineer
10-year-old Turkish Prodigies Write Books to Inspire Children
First Latino DACA Recipient to Win the Rhodes Scholarship, Credits his Elementary GT School Teacher
Mount Vernon STEAM Academy Valedictorian Accepts Full Ride to Harvard
Oakland Technical High Senior to be School’s first Black Male Valedictorian
Meet the Philly Teen Who Just Won the Prestigious Gates Scholarship
3 Black Geniuses with Highest IQs Ever in the World
15-Year Old Black Girl, High School Senior Wins Global Math Competition
Classical Connections: Rising Stars
Barstow High Senior Jamaal Willis Accepted into Harvard — and 5 other Ivy League Universities
Advice for Smart, Driven Young People from 8 of The Most Successful Mentors In The World
Why Mental Resilience Matters and How to Build It (pdf)
The Truth about Intelligence: What Makes Someone Smarter than Others?
The Truth about Intelligence: What is It Really?
Mind the Gaps: The Holes in Your Brain the Make You Smart
Found: More than 500 Genes that Are Linked to Intelligence
“I’m Smart, So I Should Be Able to Overpower ADHD. Right?”
Top Graduating Senior a Tech Whiz and Gifted Musician
Challenge Your Top Students | Scholastic
Photo courtesy of Pixabay Pixabay License
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad
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Metacognition and Social Development
Metacognition is the process by which we monitor and control (self-regulation) our own cognitive process. It can be explicit (slow and deliberative) or implicit (rapid, automatic and without awareness). A1Metacognition involves thinking about thinking; self-awareness; building an understanding of self in the context of one’s environment; mentalizing (considering mental states of others). Understanding one’s own behavior can benefit from the assessment of our behavior by others. Metacognition affects willpower, assigning blame, regret for one’s actions, agency, free will, and decision making.
Metacognition’s main function is to enhance social interaction when we communicate our thoughts to others. (Firth, 2012) Social metacognition includes one’s beliefs about others’ mental processes in light of situational norms and cultural expectations. It allows us to consider and discuss aspects of our perceptual and decision-making processes with others; thus improving our own decisions.
Should ‘intellectual character’ be an aim of education? Intellectual character involves curiosity, attentiveness, intellectual humility, open-mindedness, tenacity, and courage. When intellectual character is a main focus in education, healthy social and emotional development becomes a key element in student achievement and success. Teaching intellectual character can greatly enhance effective thinking. It can teach students to value knowledge over close-mindedness. It can also help them to decipher truth from opinion.
Why should a gifted/2E student be taught metacognition? Teaching metacognition can help students create a positive self-identity, develop social skills, learn emotional regulation, develop vocabulary to express deep thoughts and emotions, and learn executive functioning skills. Metacognition plays a strong role in collaboration; working well with others. Gifted students often struggle with participating in group work and the expectations of others regarding their behavior in these settings. Understanding metacognition can help gifted/2E students to better understand themselves; how neurodiversity can be seen as a strength; and to see intensities, not as pathological, but a manageable part of who they are.
Strategies which can be used to teach metacognition include bibliotherapy, mentoring, teaching resiliency, reframing what is ‘normal’, and cultivating student strengths and interests. (Postma) Employing a regulation checklist can be useful in teaching metacognition. A checklist can improve cognitive regulation and individual student performance. Classroom strategies which can be used to teach metacognition may include creating mnemonic devices to enhance memory, teaching word analysis and listening skills, and active reading strategies.
Metacognition is a blank slate at birth that is written on by social interactions; such as, talking to others, listening to stories and looking at pictures. Parents have significant influence in these initial interactions. Children begin to reflect on the relationship between action and knowledge at about age 4. Introspection influences behavior and parents can provide opportunities for them to gain requisite knowledge to enable good decisions regarding behavior.
A transcript of this chat can 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 Noon NZST/10AM AEST/1AM UK 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. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com
Resources:
Modeling Structural Relationships of Metacognitive States with Tendency to Virtual Networks through Mediating of Social Adjustment in Gifted Students | Avicenna Journal of Neuro Psycho Physiology
Clarifying the Connections among Giftedness, Metacognition, Self-Regulation, and Self-Regulated Learning: Implications for Theory and Practice | Gifted Child Quarterly
Development of Metacognitive Concepts about Thinking in Gifted and Nongifted Children: Recent Research (Abstract) | Learning and Individual Differences Vol. 8 Issue 4
A Metacognitive Portrait of Gifted Learners | International Handbook on Giftedness
Building Metacognition in Gifted Students for Future Success | GHF Dialogue
Cognitive Characteristics of the Gifted: Reconceptualized in the Context of Inquiry Learning and Teaching | Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education
Smart People or Smart Contexts? Cognition, Ability, and Talent Development in an Age of Situated Approaches to Knowing and Learning | Educational Psychologist
Developmental and Cognitive Characteristics of “High-Level Potentialities” (Highly Gifted) Children | International Journal of Pediatrics
Competitive Goal Orientations, Quality, and Stability in Gifted and Other Adolescents’ Friendships A Test of Sullivan’s Theory About the Harm Caused by Rivalry | Gifted Child Quarterly
Metacognition and Flexibility: Qualitative Differences in How Gifted Children Think | Talents Unfolding: Cognition and Development
Metacognitive Awareness Scale, Domain Specific (MCAS-DS): Assessing Metacognitive Awareness during Raven’s Progressive Matrices | Frontiers in Psychology
Meta-Reasoning: Monitoring and Control of Thinking and Reasoning | Trends in Cognitive Sciences
The Relation between Student’s Effort and Monitoring Judgments during Learning: A Meta-analysis | Educational Psychology Review
Metacognitive Experience on Raven’s Matrices Versus Insight Problems | Metacognition and Learning
Links between Intellectual Humility and Acquiring Knowledge | The Journal of Positive Psychology
Educating for Intellectual Virtues (pdf)
Finding Middle Ground between Intellectual Arrogance and Intellectual Servility: Development and Assessment of the Limitations-owning Intellectual Humility Scale (pdf) | Personality and Individual Differences
Human Metacognition across Domains: Insights from Individual Differences and Neuroimaging | Personality Neuroscience
The Influence of Metacognitive Skills on Learners’ Memory of Information in a Hypermedia Environment | Journal of Educational Computing Journal
The Role of Metacognition in Human Social Interactions | U.S. National Institutes of Health
Social Metacognition: Using Social Emotional Learning to Defeat Helplessness and Engage Hope
Cybraryman’s The Brain and Brain Games Page
Metacognition: Nurturing Self-Awareness in the Classroom | Edutopia
Image courtesy of Pixabay Pixabay License
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.
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The Neuroscience of Neurodiversity and Insights into Bright Minds
This week at #gtchat, we discussed the science of neurodiversity with Dr. Nicole Tetreault; author of the new book “Insight into a Bright Mind”. Dr. Tetreault is a neuroscientist, writer, meditation teacher, and speaker. She specializes in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disorders and translates the promise of neuroscience and positive psychology for individuals to live the best quality of life. She has a BS in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior from UC Davis; a MS in course work in Physiology from UCLA; and a PhD in Biology from Caltech.
Neurodiversity, a term first coined in 1988, refers to the vast array of mental functions which defines our uniqueness, our individuality as human beings. Cognitive differences define who we are. As a species, neurodiversity is our insurance policy for continued existence. Our environment, both at birth and throughout life, contribute to how our neurodiversity is shaped and nurtured. Understanding and accommodating the unique needs of each child is incumbent on all of us – parents, educators, and society at large.
Neurodiversity is found in 20% of people. Neurodiverse people have distinct neuroanatomy and each human has their own unique brain wiring + processing. Brain research offers insights into the range of human diversity!
Dr. Nicole Tetreault
Neuroscience today is being rewritten with higher populated studies, the use of functional MRIs, and the development of advanced brain-mapping programs. It is providing scientific proof rather than anecdotal messaging that each of us has a distinctive brain signature which is not bound by traditional conceptions of gender, ethnicity, creative genius or extraordinary challenge. Neuroscience is providing a roadmap to influences in brain development … our “genetics, upbringing, experience, environment, epigenetic factors, emotionality, bodily and sensory responsivity, and our autobiographical memories.” (Tetreault, Insight, 2021)
Why is neural plasticity important? Neural plasticity is a matter of wiring in the brain. It is the recognition of the brain’s ability to grow and change throughout our lifetimes. The brain is its own designer. Neuroplasticity is seen as the basis for decision-making, how we process emotions, and the extent of executive functioning; all with respect to life experiences, environment, and individual openness. It is susceptible to both positive (ex., a supportive environment) and negative influences (ex., trauma) which strengthens the argument for providing a rich educational environment for growing bright minds.
Neural plasticity is the processing of building your brain and neural connections. It is known that neurons that fire together wire together. We can create positive neural plasticity through our attention, intention and behaviors.
~ Dr. Nicole Tetreault
Asynchronous brain development in bright minds occurs when there is a disconnect between possessed knowledge and ability as related to chronological age. Asynchronous development in bright children can affect a child’s ability to focus and their productivity. New research in neuroscience should be reflected in how we identify and assess intelligence. Asynchronous development in bright minds can lead to misidentification and lifelong consequences of inappropriate responses based on outdated science and mindsets.
Giftedness exceeds standard tests and academic performance — it is a way of experiencing and perceiving the world with enhanced receptivity, openness and processing. I’ve identified 11 ways a gifted person experiences the world based on neuroanatomy and processing.
Dr. Nicole Tetreault
Giftedness, in light of recent research, should be seen on a spectrum. It can present as a child prodigy, exceptional talent, intense intellectual ability, or twice-exceptional. Words matter and definitions of giftedness need to go beyond education, achievement, and what it means to be successful in life. Rather, giftedness involves exceptional abilities of an individual who interprets and sees the world in unique ways.
Twice-exceptional children who exhibit high intelligence with learning challenges must first be recognized and then supported. Uneven development of different regions of the brain can compromise learning and behavior. 2E kids should be shown compassion; provided with meaningful materials in positive and safe learning environments; have challenges recognized, but strengths accommodated and prioritized.
A transcript of this chat can 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 Noon NZST/10AM AEST/1AM UK 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. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.
About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com
Resources:
Insight Into a Bright Mind: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Stories of Unique Thinking (book)
For the Trees Episode 9 Podcast (77 min.): “Nicole Tetreault, Ph. D.: Insight into a Bright Mind”
Conversations with CAGT – Nicole Tetreault March 2021 (YouTube 55:28)
Accessing the Building Blocks for Positive Neural Plasticity
Neuroscience of Asynchronous Development in Bright Minds
Robust Prediction of Individual Creative Ability from Brain Functional Connectivity | National Academy of Sciences
Creatives Unlock Unique Brain Networks
The Human Connectome Project’s Neuroimaging Approach (2016)
The Organization of Behavior: A Neuropsychological Theory 1st Edition (book 1949)
The Gifted Brain Revealed Unraveling the Neuroscience of the Bright Experience
Network Neuroscience Theory of Human Intelligence (2017) | Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Subjective Emotional Well-Being, Emotional Intelligence, and Mood of Gifted vs. Unidentified Students: A Relationship Model (2019) | National Institutes of Health
Human Intelligence and Brain Networks | Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience
Genetic Variation, Brain, and Intelligence Differences (2021) | Molecular Psychiatry
Change in Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence and Student Achievement: The Role of Intellectual Engagement (2017) | Child Development
Neuroscience of Creativity (book) | The MIT Press
Handbook of Giftedness in Children: Psychoeducational Theory, Research, and Best Practices (book)
Emotional Modulation of Cognitive Control in Referred Gifted Male Adolescents: A Pilot Study
Directed Connectivity Analysis of the Brain Network in Mathematically Gifted Adolescents (2020) | Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience
Optimized Gamma Synchronization Enhances Functional Binding of Fronto-parietal Cortices in Mathematically Gifted Adolescents during Deductive Reasoning | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Emotional Intelligence in Gifted Students | Gifted Education International
Cybraryman’s The Brain and Brain Games Page
Cybraryman’s Asynchronous Development Page
Neurodiversity: What You Need to Know
Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage
Photo courtesy of Nicole Tetreault, Ph.D.
Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.
Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT 