Gifted Young Children : A Guide for Teachers and Parents

by Porter, Louise

• ISBN13: 9780335205523
• ISBN10: 0335205526
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-09-01
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

Gifted Young Children is a comprehensive guide to identifying and working with young children with advanced development. Louise Porter shows how to identify gifted children aged 0 to 8 years and how to challenge them without pushing too hard. She suggests strategies for ensuring their emotional and social adjustment, including ways to enhance self-esteem, increase their resilience to stress and promote friendships. She provides guidelines for counselling children about their giftedness and shows how professionals can help families in their efforts to meet their children's needs. Different strategies for educating gifted young children are assessed, and issues faced by immigrant families with gifted children are also addressed.

Author Biography

Louise Porter lectures in the School of Special Education and Disability Studies at Flinders University in South Australia.

Table of Contents

Figures	xiii
Tables	xiv
Acknowledgments	xv
A rationale for gifted education	1	(12)
Key points	1	(1)
Advocates for gifted education	2	(2)
But is it necessary to start so young?	4	(1)
Rationale for a focus on young children	5	(1)
The detractors	6	(3)
A proposed resolution	9	(1)
Early childhood gifted education	10	(1)
Conclusion	11	(1)
Suggested further reading	12	(1)
Discussion questions	12	(1)
The meaning of giftedness	13	(22)
Key points	13	(1)
Definitions of giftedness	13	(2)
The concept of intelligence	15	(2)
a single capacity	17	(1)
multiple capacities	18	(6)
information processing theory	24	(1)
qualitative differences	25	(2)
creativity definitions	27	(2)
the after-the-fact definitions	29	(2)
giftedness versus talent	31	(1)
other cultural views	32	(1)
Clarifying the terminology	32	(1)
Conclusion	33	(1)
Suggested further reading	33	(1)
Discussion questions	34	(1)
The making of talent	35	(17)
Key points	35	(1)
Introduction	36	(1)
Renzulli's three-ring model	36	(1)
Tannenbaum's psychosocial model	37	(3)
Sternberg and Lubart's creativity model	40	(1)
developmental model	41	(1)
Gagne's differentiated model of giftedness and talent	42	(1)
A proposed model	42	(8)
Conclusion	50	(1)
Suggested further reading	50	(1)
Discussion questions	50	(2)
Recognising advanced development in young children	52	(27)
Key points	52	(1)
Introduction	52	(1)
Common signs of advanced development in young children	53	(1)
Cognitive (thinking) skills	53	(10)
Speech and language skills	63	(1)
Motor abilities	64	(1)
Social skills	65	(2)
Emotional characteristics	67	(4)
Exceptionally gifted children	71	(2)
Prodigies	73	(4)
Summary	77	(1)
Conclusion	77	(1)
Suggested further reading	78	(1)
Discussion questions	78	(1)
Assessing developmental advances in young children	79	(28)
Key points	79	(1)
Introduction	80	(1)
Some key terms	80	(1)
Types of assessment error	81	(1)
Planning assessment	81	(3)
Principles of assessment	84	(1)
Difficulty of identifying gifted young children	85	(1)
Parental reports	86	(2)
Teacher observations	88	(2)
Structured observation	90	(1)
Checklists	90	(2)
Portfolios	92	(2)
Normed tests	94	(1)
Intelligence testing	94	(9)
A proposed assessment model	103	(2)
Conclusion	105	(1)
Suggested further reading	106	(1)
Discussion questions	106	(1)
Emotional adjustment of gifted children	107	(11)
Key points	107	(1)
Introduction	107	(1)
Debates about gifted children's emotional adjustment	108	(3)
The evidence about gifted children's emotional adjustment	111	(2)
Explanations for conflicting findings	113	(3)
Implications of the debate	116	(1)
Conclusion	116	(1)
Discussion questions	117	(1)
Gifted young children's self-esteem	118	(20)
Key points	118	(1)
Introduction	118	(1)
What is self-esteem?	119	(2)
Characteristics of individuals with a healthy self-esteem	121	(1)
Signs of low self-esteem	122	(1)
Effects of low self-esteem	123	(1)
Self-esteem of gifted children	124	(2)
Methods to enhance self-esteem	126	(10)
Conclusion	136	(1)
Suggested further reading	136	(1)
Discussion questions	137	(1)
Promoting resilience in gifted young children	138	(14)
Key points	138	(1)
Introduction	138	(1)
Definitions	139	(3)
Stress and gifted children	142	(1)
Sources of stress for gifted young children	143	(1)
Protective factors	144	(2)
Methods to promote resilience	146	(4)
Conclusion	150	(1)
Suggested further reading	151	(1)
Discussion questions	151	(1)
Meeting gifted young children's social needs	152	(16)
Key points	152	(1)
Introduction	152	(1)
Elements of friendships	153	(1)
Benefits of friendships	154	(1)
Effects of isolation	154	(1)
Social adjustment of gifted children	154	(3)
Social issues facing gifted young children	157	(3)
Social skill and social competence	160	(1)
Identifying socially at-risk children	161	(1)
Methods to promote social inclusion	162	(3)
Conclusion	165	(1)
Suggested further reading	166	(1)
Discussion questions	166	(2)
Meeting gifted young children's learning needs	168	(33)
Key points	168	(1)
Introduction	168	(1)
Aims of an early childhood curriculum	169	(1)
Educational challenges for gifted young children	169	(2)
Curriculum	171	(1)
Principles of curriculum planning	171	(1)
Curriculum differentiation	172	(3)
Environmental organisation	175	(8)
Curricular content	183	(5)
Teaching and learning processes	188	(6)
The marriage of content and process	194	(1)
Product	194	(2)
Use of computers	196	(1)
Exceptionally gifted children	197	(1)
Parent collaboration	197	(1)
Conclusion	198	(1)
Suggested further reading	199	(1)
Discussion questions	200	(1)
Teaching gifted children considerate behaviour	201	(25)
Key points	201	(1)
Introduction	201	(1)
Rationale for a focus on behaviour management	202	(1)
Types of disruptive behaviour	202	(1)
Behavioural difficulties of gifted children	203	(2)
Theories of behaviour management	205	(6)
Strengths and weaknesses of the theories	211	(3)
Criteria for evaluating the theories	214	(4)
Prevention of disruptive behaviour	218	(1)
Intervention: teaching children to behave considerately	218	(5)
Conclusion	223	(2)
Suggested further reading	225	(1)
Discussion questions	225	(1)
Children whose gifts are disguised	226	(28)
Key points	226	(1)
Introduction	227	(1)
Gifted girls	227	(2)
Gifted boys	229	(1)
Gifted children from minority cultures	229	(1)
Children in poverty	230	(1)
Rural children	231	(1)
Gifted underachievers	232	(3)
Gifted children with disabilities	235	(5)
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder	240	(5)
Responding to the needs of atypical children	245	(6)
Conclusion	251	(1)
Suggested further reading	252	(1)
Discussion questions	252	(2)
Counselling gifted young children and their families	254	(19)
Key points	254	(1)
Introduction	254	(1)
Counselling goals for gifted children and their families	255	(1)
Counselling issues for gifted children	255	(3)
Suggestions for supporting gifted children	258	(4)
Issues for the family	262	(5)
Supporting the parents	267	(3)
Conclusion	270	(1)
Suggested further reading	271	(1)
Discussion questions	271	(2)
Formulating a policy on advanced learners	273	(7)
Key points	273	(1)
Introduction	273	(1)
Benefits of formal policies	274	(1)
Components of a policy	274	(4)
Conclusion	278	(1)
Suggested further reading	279	(1)
Discussion questions	279	(1)
Appendix I Checklists	280	(12)
Appendix II IQ tests	292	(14)
Bibliography	306	(38)
Index	344