Cultivating SEL in Gifted Youth

Every child is different, and this applies to children identified as gifted, HG, PG, and/or 2E. Emotional development will vary across the population and should not be stereotyped. The emotional development of gifted kids is primarily affected by asynchronous development and intensity. Intense emotions may present as anxiety, existential depression, or power struggles with others. Asynchrony can lead to uneven academic and emotional growth.

Social development can be difficult for some GT students, but not at all for others. It is, as with emotional development, a unique situation for each student. Many gifted children struggle with finding true peers among classmates and developing meaningful friendships. Unfortunately, some GT students feeling misunderstood resort to hiding their abilities in an att empt to ‘fit in’ socially.

SEL is important for all students and is most impactful when embedded in the curriculum as well as into academic instruction. Students need to be taught self-management skills which lead to academic independence and a sense of ownership of how they learn. Questioning can be a powerful strategy to integrate SEL into the curriculum followed up with classroom discussions to raise awareness and prompt reflection.

How can teachers meet the social-emotional learning needs of gifted learners? A little understanding can go a long way. Teachers need to be aware of myths about GT students, avoid sarcasm, recognize asynchrony, and avoid power struggles. One of the best strategies to aid in SEL is providing opportunities for grouping – in and out of the regular classroom; adjusting depth and complexity; and connecting with families. Teachers can also assist GT students’ SEL by seeking out-of-school opportunities for talent development, and academic programs and competitions.

Parents need to recognize that their gifted child is a child first and whose social-emotional development requires nurturing beyond the school walls. As their child’s first and most important advocate, parents should cultivate positive relationships with their teachers and seek the support of other parents with GT students. Parents can also nurture SEL and growth by providing enrichment opportunities outside of school and ways for their child to develop peer relationships (i.e., summer/weekend camps).

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 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:

3 Ways to Integrate SEL Into the Curriculum | Edutopia

38 Simple Ways To Integrate Social-Emotional Learning Throughout the Day

Gifted and Talented Children: Addressing Social Emotional Challenges (pdf) | Kentucky Department of Education

Social Emotional Learning: Teaching Principles for Creative, Talented and Gifted Students | American Psychological Association

Maximizing the Social and Emotional Growth of Gifted Children

Social-Emotional Learning | Ricks Center for Gifted Children

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum | Gifted Association of Missouri

Stop Neglecting Gifted Students’ Social and Emotional Needs

Supporting Gifted Students’ Social and Emotional Learning (pdf)

Nurturing the Social-Emotional Development of Gifted Children | Potential Plus UK

Social-Emotional Curriculum with Gifted Students (book) | NAGC

Social and Emotional Learning for Advanced Children in Early Childhood Birth to 8 (book)

The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We Know? (book)

Gifted SEL Continuum (pdf)

Predictions for Gifted Education in 2023

Gifted Social and Emotional Resources | Davidson Gifted

Cybraryman’s SEL Pages and More

Responsive Classroom

Graphics courtesy of Lisa Conrad

Confronting Gifted Stereotypes

Stereotypes about gifted individuals are often based on long ago proposed hypotheses. The ‘disharmony hypothesis’ – that they lack non-cognitive abilities – is one such instance. The ‘disharmony hypothesis’ is a broad generalization which negatively portrays the gifted as socially and emotionally disabled. Ascribed to all gifted children, this hypothesis pre-supposes disruptive behaviors, absentmindedness, and arrogance. A 2016 study (Baudson & Preckel, 2013 & 2016) in Germany found it a prevalent stereotype among pre-service/in-service teachers.

When confronted with negative stereotypes, GT students may respond by trying to avoid or deny their gifted identification. Negative expectations on the part of adults can cause some students to react by fulfilling those expectations (Jussim & Harbor, 2016). Negative gender stereotypes (i.e., girls aren’t good at math/science) can impair Gt students reaching their full potential by trying to ‘fit in’.

Stereotypes based on gifted identification and gender may affect how teachers view and/or interact with female students. When negative stereotypes are considered in identifying gifted students (such as behaviors), female gifted students may be overlooked (Preckel et al, 2015). Recent studies (Lubinski, Benbow, & Kell, 2014) actually show that female gifted students were often viewed more favorably in school than their male counterparts.

Stereotypes can affect a teacher’s expectations of what they believe a student can do or how they should behave; i.e., expecting quirky behavior. In some instances, this may lead to students adapting to these stereotypes. Decisions about who is identifies for gifted programs and the scope of those programs may be guided by stereotypes about GT students. This may result in limiting opportunities for these students. Stereotypes confirming a teacher’s personal bias may influence how teachers respond to students identified as gifted leading to negative interactions.

What can be done to change teachers’ negative stereotypes about GT students? Specific information should be shared with pre-service teachers at the undergraduate level regarding research-based evidence about GT students. Professional development in two areas is essential when attempting to change negative stereotypes: 1) increased knowledge about giftedness and 2) understanding about the consequences of those stereotypes. An important aspect of countering negative stereotypes is frequent contact with gifted students over time; throughout a teacher’s career.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Resources:

The Unique Psychological Needs of Gifted and Talented Students | Dr. Gail Post

The Impact of Teacher Perception of Gifted Individuals on the Instruction of Gifted Students (pdf, Thesis, 2022)

Common Myths about Gifted Students (pdf)

Common Myths About Gifted Children (pdf) | California Gifted Network

Teachers-in-training perceptions of gifted children’s characteristics and teacher-child interactions: An experimental study

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

Do stereotypes strike twice? Giftedness and gender stereotypes in pre-service teachers’ beliefs about student characteristics in Australia

Stereotypes of Giftedness in Current and Future Educators

6 Myths and Misconceptions About Gifted Children

Do Mass Media Shape Stereotypes About Intellectually Gifted Individuals? Two Experiments on Stigmatization Effects From Biased Newspaper Reports | Gifted Child Quarterly

Beyond the Gifted Stereotype | ASCD

The Mad Genius Stereotype: Still Alive and Well

Nerds and Geeks: Society’s Evolving Stereotypes of Our Students with Gifts and Talents (pdf) | Gifted Child Today

Differences in self-concept between gifted and non-gifted students: A meta-analysis from 2005 to 2020 (pdf) | Annals of Psychology

Understanding the Stereotypes Against Gifted Students: A look at the social and emotional struggles of stereotyped students (pdf) | Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Teachers’ Implicit Personality Theories About the Gifted: An Experimental Approach | School Psychology Quarterly

‘Troublesome boys’ and ‘compliant girls’: Gender identity and perceptions of achievement and underachievement | British Journal of Sociology of Education

Stereotype threat in classroom settings: The interactive effect of domain identification, task difficulty and stereotype threat on female students’ maths performance | British Journal of Educational Psychology

Bullying and the Gifted: Welcome Back to School?

The Social, Cultural, and Political Aspects of Intelligence

One of the Greatest Barriers to Gifted Education | Dr. Gail Post

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

Bullies and the Bullied

In many instances, it can be difficult to identify signs of bullying regarding GT students. This population may try to obscure the situation, see it as a personal failing, or try to fix it on their own. GT students who are bullied may try to hide their abilities, have difficulty socializing with age-peers, experience loneliness, or develop a negative self-image. When dual statuses are involved, the prevalence of bullying rises. This can include 2E students, GT + LGBTI students, or culturally diverse GT students.

It is extremely important in the prevention of bullying for schools to have an explicit anti-bullying policy with specific provisions for GT students. Anti-bullying policies should identify who are deemed aggressors, victims, or bystanders as well as vulnerable populations. It should state consequences of bullying behaviors. Teachers should consider GT students when contemplating anti-bullying interventions (possible bullying scenarios, classroom discussions, etc.) and the effect of gifted education programs which separate out gifted students.

It is naïve to think that the GT student will always be the student being bullied. Bullying can transform the victim into a bully, and this needs to be considered. School personnel need to be vigilant in recognizing bullying behavior and taking steps to intervene at the onset of the behaviors. Attempts should be made to determine if the bullying is in retaliation by a victim or why the behavior is occurring. School counselors, when available, should be utilized before stronger measures are enacted.

Cyberbullying has been on the rise with the increase usage of social media and was exacerbated by recent pandemic lock-downs. Contextually, cyberbullying generally occurs outside of school in online forums and often anonymously, but can have repercussions in school settings. Because cyberbullying affects student life, schools need to include counseling and consequences when it’s brought to their attention. It also needs to be addressed in the school’s anti-bullying policies.

When should bullying be referred to healthcare professionals or law enforcement? Bullying can produce significant anxiety disorders (social, OCD, GAD), depression, stress, and withdrawal. Extreme scenarios requiring immediate healthcare interventions may include issues such as suicide ideation or moral disengagement (i.e., poor judgement behavior). Law enforcement may be necessary when physical threats or actions occur or after other interventions are deemed insufficient.

A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Resources:

Scoping Bullying and Cyberbullying Victimisation Among a Sample of Gifted Adolescents in Ireland | International Journal of Bullying Prevention

Cyberbullying in Gifted Students: Prevalence and Psychological Well-Being in a Spanish Sample

Exploring Revenge as a Mediator between Bullying and Victimisation in Gifted and Talented Students

Identifying, Preventing and Combating Bullying in Gifted Education (book)

Bullying and Children with High Learning Potential | Potential Plus UK

Bullying and High Learning Potential | Potential Plus UK

Bullying and the Gifted: Welcome Back to School? | Psychology Today

Early Adolescent Gifted and Talented Students and Their Experience with Bullying (pdf)

When is it safe to be smart? | Dr. Gail Post

Bullying, Forgiveness and Submissive Behaviors in Gifted Students

Bullying and Gifted Students

Gifted, Bullied, Resilient: A Brief Guide for Smart Families (book) | GHF Learners

Trauma: A Call for Collaboration | SENG

Inclusive Communities say “No” | SENG

Covert Aggression and Gifted Adolescent Girls (pdf)

Why Gifted Students Are Targeted by Bullies

Bullies and Bullying | Hoagies Gifted

Prevention: Learn how to identify bullying and stand up to it safely

Cybraryman’s Bullying Page

Cybraryman’s Cyberbullying Page

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad

Talking to Gifted Kids about Giftedness

Should gifted children be told they are gifted? Absolutely – Chances are they already know or suspect – but not always. More likely, they feel different from others, and this can have all kinds of ramifications. Gifted children are not monoliths – being HG or 2E – their unique experiences need context for them to thrive. Not being told they are gifted can lead to struggles with making friends, boredom, behavior issues, and conflicts with adults.

Dr. Jim Delisle has written about his approach to talking to children about being gifted – it’s about ‘better at’ and not ‘better than’. It’s not a matter necessarily of being different, but how they feel about being different from peers which needs to be addressed when talking about giftedness. Parents of gifted children can often talk to their children from the standpoint of being gifted themselves – sharing personal experiences is a great place to start.

At the moment a child begins to question or share feelings of being different from age-peers, a conversation about giftedness should begin. A child’s maturity and inquisitiveness should be taken into consideration about when to talk about what being identified as ‘gifted’ means. At times, outside forces – bullying, test results, required assessments, school deadlines – all contribute to the necessity of beginning the conversation.

What strategies can teachers use when talking to their students about giftedness? Teachers are in a unique position when talking to their students about giftedness. They may have to put personal prejudices on hold as well as respect the wishes of parents. Talking to students about being gifted is an area of teaching which can greatly benefit from continuing PD. It’s always good to have an evidence-based plan in place. Teachers can help students to understand the benefits of being identified, seeking appropriate academic options, and planning for the future.

What are the benefits of telling a child they are gifted? Validation – whether one likes it or not, the ‘label’ exists. Telling a child why it exists helps them understand the importance of gifted education – challenge, opportunity, and responsibility. Relief – it can help to calm feelings of not being understood, acknowledging areas of strengths (academics, the arts, etc.), and the inappropriateness of labels such as ‘nerd’ or ‘weirdo’. Success – once a child comprehends the nature of their abilities, they can work to excel in areas of strength and interests culminating in a more rewarding life.

A transcript of this chat may be found at Wakelet.