Culturally Responsive Teaching in Gifted Education

Our guest today on #gtchat was Dr. Joy Lawson Davis, Award-winning Author, Expert Scholar in Diversity and Equity in Gifted & Advanced Learner Programs.

What is culturally responsive teaching? Culturally responsive teaching uses cultural characteristics and experiences of ethnically diverse students to teach more effectively and make learning more relevant and meaningful (Gay, 2000). It matches curriculum with the needs of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, LGBTQ, low-SES, 2E/3E GT students (Davis, 2022) and employs curriculum which respects individual student and attempts to increase awareness by relating culture to course content.

Culturally responsive teaching is essential for GT students. It allows them to connect their multicultural backgrounds and experiences to content (Ford, 2015). Linked to wide-ranging positive outcomes, it has been shown to improve attendance, academic persistence, and overall interest in school. Specifically for GT students, culturally responsive teaching addresses stereotype threat (conforming to a stereotype) and affects identity development, equity & excellence, and the management of student emotions.

A culturally responsive educator should have democratic attitudes and values including an understanding of the nature of social justice. Teachers should appreciate and respect the diversity represented in their classrooms and recognize the existence of biases and prejudices. Culturally responsive educators understand how cultural identity develops and attempts to view social issues from various perspectives.

A culturally responsive classroom recognizes and honors diversity and acts as a safe haven for students where learning takes place in a less judgmental atmosphere. In it, teachers possess cultural awareness and seek to learn about their students specific cultural backgrounds. Curriculum is culturally relevant and multicultural content is infused into lessons and activities in a culturally responsive classroom.

Effective strategies for developing a culturally responsive curriculum include adopting student-centered approaches to diversity, questioning traditional concepts and evaluating its effectiveness. A culturally responsive curriculum should be evaluated for overtly discriminatory practices which could hamper talent development and the presence of unrealistically high expectations (Stambaugh & Ford, 2015). Adapting MTSS strategies can be helpful for 2E/3E students by addressing both remediation and challenge, and providing culturally relevant opportunities for deeper investigation (K. Henry Collins, 2020).

The transcript for 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 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.

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:

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice 3rd edition (book)

A Personal Case of Culturally Responsive Teaching Praxis (pdf, book excerpt)

Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Diverse Students (book)

Culturally Responsive Teaching in Gifted Education: Building Cultural Competence and Serving Diverse Student Populations (book)

Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students: Perspectives from the Field (book)

Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (pdf)

Identifying and Serving Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Gifted Students (Position Statement, pdf) | NAGC

UHD Faculty Address: Culturally Responsive Teaching’s Impact on Gifted Students

Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms for Gifted Students

Bright, Talented & Black (2nd edition, book) | Dr. Joy Davis

Increasing Equity in Gifted Programs

Supporting Gifted ELLs in the Latinx Community

Supporting Special Populations in Gifted Education

OK State Department of Education: Culturally Responsive Teaching for Gifted Students (pdf)

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students and Gifted and Talented Programs (thesis)

TAGT Book Study Series: Culturally Responsive Teaching & Serving Diverse Populations in Gifted Education

Cybraryman’s Culture Page

Cultural Competence to Help Diverse Students | MiddleWeb

Using Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in the Gifted Classroom (pdf) | Dr. Joy Lawson Davis

Photo courtesy of Dr. Joy Lawson Davis.

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

Giftedness in Film

Many GT kids have unique feelings of being different and misunderstood. This can lead to isolation and alienation in the classroom. Film with positive images can benefit these kids. Cinematherapy – using movies to help students understand themselves – can help GT students identify with characters and ideas in film leading them to gain insights into their own lives. Positive images of giftedness help GT kids to learn problem-solving skills involving interpersonal relationships and provide an outlet for discussing sensitive topics. This may be best accomplished in a homogeneous gifted classroom.

Far too often, all children are exposed to negative portrayals of gifted children which further erodes how society overall views GT students. When portrayed in a negative light, gifted children can become the victims of bullying and prejudice on the part of adults impacting them throughout their lives. Gifted children with heightened perceptual abilities and sensitivities may be overwhelmed by ethical and moral concerns when gifted characters are portrayed as social misfits, nerds, or outcasts.

Cinematherapy follows the same process as bibliotherapy: students identify with characters, experience empathy, reflect on insights gained, and apply them accordingly. Specifically, educators can use ‘guided viewing’ of pre-screened films, provide well-crafted discussion questions, and time for reflection. High quality curated films can reach 2E students, ESL students, and low-SES students at the same time as fulfilling curricular objectives in social-emotional learning or even underachievement.

Some recent movies depicting gifted characters include A Brilliant Young Man (2014), Hidden Figures (2016), Gifted (2017), and Radioactive (2019). Additional movies include Tesla (2020), Hero Mode (2021), and the Enola Holmes films (2020, 2022). It would be remiss to overlook documentaries focused on the gifted which are both beneficial and appealing to GT students. Included are The G Word Film from Marc Smolowitz, 2e: Twice Exceptional from Tom Ropelewski, and Zebra: Gifted People.

The iconic tv show, The Big Bang Theory (& its spin-off, Young Sheldon), engenders strong feelings in the gifted community which range from love it to detest it. With characters both gifted and 2E, it has to be included in our discussion. Other recent television shows include Sherlock (2010 – 2017),- Scorpion (2014 – 2018), The Gifted (2017 – 2019), and MacGyver (2016 – 2021). Additional shows include The Mysterious Benedict Society (2021 – 2022), Criminal Minds (2005 – 2020), The Good Doctor (2017 – present), and Genius (2017 – present).

A transcript of this chat may be found at Wakelet.

Resources:

Cinematherapy in Gifted Education Identity Development: Integrating the Arts through STEM-Themed Movies (pdf)

Guided Viewing of Film With Gifted Students: Resources for Educators and Counselors | Gifted Child Today

Best Movies & Television for Inspiring Gifted Kids

Movie Night Activity Plan | MENSA for Kids

The 15 Best Movies About Geniuses and Gifted People (2023)

5 Best Child Prodigy Movies You Shouldn’t Miss (2022)

‘Good Will Hunting’ And 9 Other Movies About Characters With Genius Minds (2022)

18 Best TV Shows With Genius Main Characters (2022)

20 Films about Math, Mathematicians and Math Geniuses (2023)

Reel Life this Ain’t

Giftedness in the Media

Fostering The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children through Guided Viewing of Film | SENG

The Impact of Popular Culture on Gifted Children

Gifted in Reel Life

How Pop Culture Stereotypes Impact the Self-Concept of Highly Gifted People

Zebras: Gifted People (Vimeo – Rent/Buy)

2e: Twice Exceptional (Vimeo – Rent/Buy)

The G Word Film

Cybraryman’s Teaching with Movies Page

Movies Featuring Gifted Kids (and Adults!) | Hoagies Gifted

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

Gifted Role Models in Literature

By building relationships with GT students, teachers can gain insights into books from which students can most benefit; especially those with characters with whom they can relate. Gifted protagonists can inspire GT students and well written books can be much more appealing to these students who may aspire to be writers themselves. Literature portraying strong gifted and talented characters provides GT students with role models who let them see they are not alone and it’s okay to be talented or exceptional in a field of interest.

What are some favorite gifted characters from literature? My favorite is Everett in Allis Wade’s The School for Gifted Potentials. This character is highly relatable for gifted kids and especially for those with intense feelings. Another favorite is Artemis in the Artemis Fowl series. I have often recommended these books to kids interested in sci-fi. Jake in Surviving the Applewhites series by Stephanie Tolan is a great read for young GT students.

Classics that are appropriate for GT students include A Wrinkle in Time, Matilda, The Mysterious Benedict Society series, The Magic Treehouse series, and Ender’s Game. Additional classics include The View from Saturday, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Redwall, All About Sam, and Cam Jensen.

As with classics, there are many good books available for GT students. Some current selections are Coasting Casey A Tale of Busting Boredom in School, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, and The Boy Who Loved Math. Series books such as Tom Ripley and Encyclopedia Brown are good choices as well as The Boy Who Loved Words and Up In The Garden Down In The Dirt. More in current literature includes Violet the Pilot, Going Places, and Olivia.

There are some excellent resources available online for locating literature for GT students with gifted role models. One of the best resources is Mensa for Kids’ Excellence in Reading Program (membership NOT required) with grade level reading lists and reading activities. Book publishers who specialize in books for the gifted community are a good resource: Prufrock (Routledge), Free Spirit Publishing, Royal Fireworks Press, Gifted Unlimited LLC, and Tumblehome Books.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Resources:

Gifted Role Models in Literature and Film

Book Lists for Gifted Learners

Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers (3rd edition) (book)

Books for Gifted Children with Gifted Characters (pdf) | Columbus (OH) City Schools

Books Featuring Gifted Girls as Main Characters | Byrdseed

Books Featuring Gifted Guys | Byrdseed

Books whose Protagonists are Especially Gifted, Intellectually

Books for Gifted Kids | Lisa VanGemert

A Little Bit of Everything: Great Things for Gifted | Lisa VanGemert

14 Great Picture Books for Gifted Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

Gifted Bibliotherapy | Washington County (VA) Public Schools

Books for Developing Self-Awareness and Mindfulness in Young Gifted Children (Books that Feature Young Gifted Characters)

Books for Children, Featuring Gifted Children | Hoagies Gifted

Nurturing Social And Emotional Development In Gifted Teenagers Through Young Adult Literature | SENG

Gifted Fictional Characters

Finding Age Appropriate Books for Gifted Readers | Gifted Parenting Support

Association for Library Service to Children

Tumblehome Books

Royal Fireworks Press

Mensa for Kids’ Excellence in Reading Program

Meeting the Educational Needs of Young Gifted Readers in the Regular Classroom (pdf)

Goodreads (Group): Gifted Children and Adults: Finding a Community

14 Great Picture Books for Gifted Preschoolers and Kindergarteners

5 Book Series that Show Gifted People Being Creative

Book Lists for Gifted and Avid Readers | Davidson Gifted

Gifted Reading List | Davidson Gifted

Reading List: Good Books for Bright Kids | CTY Johns Hopkins

Children’s Books with Gifted Protagonists (Pinterest) | Boulder Valley Gifted and Talented

Inspirational Books for Gifted Students

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

The Cost of Raising Gifted Kids

Assessments and testing mark the beginning of the journey for many parents of GT kids. It’s important to understand the difference between the two and which is necessary for their child. Testing is generally regarded to determine intellectual ability and many schools (but, not all) do school-wide testing in 2^nd or 3^rd grade. These results are usually used to decide entrance to GT programs. Assessments are far more wide-ranging and are usually done privately at the parents’ expense. They are rarely covered by insurance and may include travel expenses as well as professional fees.

Parents of GT students experience many extraordinary financial costs beginning with assessments followed by expenses for enrichment such as special classes, academic camps, or summer programs. Extraordinarily talented students may require tutors, mentors, and coaches which can be expensive. Families who choose private schools have tuition and travel costs or homeschool have curriculum, books, and tech costs as well as loss of income of the parent providing instruction.

One of the first unexpected costs associated with higher education is the availability of financial aid or lack thereof; it’s not automatic and there are lots of smart kids competing for aid (hint: check the school’s endowment funds). The cost of college visits – finding the right ‘fit’ – can strain a family’s budget. Virtual visits and online research beforehand may help. For accelerated students or Early College entrants, there may be fewer merit scholarships (if college transfers) and fewer work-study opportunities due to the student’s age.

One of the hidden costs of raising gifted kids is the extraordinary amount of time required to engage inquisitive minds and precocious interests. Parents of gifted kids often spend extensive amounts of time learning about and advocating for an appropriate education for their child – meetings with school personnel, forming parent groups, and locating resources. Time required for travel to extracurricular activities or alternative education options, time away from work for parents, and time to attend conferences can be overwhelming.

The social-emotional costs of raising a gifted child can also affect family budgets. Mental health care and counseling can become a real financial burden. Social costs come into play when parents seek to provide and nurture friendships for their child who may be experiencing asynchronous development. A less often discussed cost for GT students is the emotional costs of bullying by other students and unfortunately by some adults. This can lead to lifelong issues for many.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.