Gifted Education and LGBT Populations

When I was the 7th and 8th grade teacher of the gifted education in Hattiesburg, Mississippi one of my students came out as being homosexual. What I witnessed this young man experience for the next two years saddened me. My hope is that during this semester, you have gained enough perspective as a culturally responsive teacher to support all the students in your classroom. In the space below, please feel free to share your thoughts.

What Are Some Type I, Type II, and Type III Activities

Creating a culturally responsive classroom requires you to be sensitive to the needs of all the cultures represented in your classroom. At the same time, you need to design programming that requires students to explore their own cultures. In the space below, describe a menu of Type I, Type II, and Type III activities that will engage your students and enable you to transform your classroom into a culturally responsive learning environment.

What is the Impact of Immigration on Gifted Programs?

This video is about a decade old, but the information shared impacts many of y'all's classrooms. Watch this video and then describe how immigration has impacted identification of gifted students and programming for your gifted program. (As of March 30, 2015 -I apologize, this video has been pulled from the Internet. Feel free to skip this blog.)

What Do You Already Know About Twice-Exceptional Students

Twice-exceptionality is a major topic in the field of gifted education. Before you begin this module, describe what you already know about this population of students.

Physical Disabilities and Giftedness

Too often we associate twice-exceptional learners with those who are gifted and have a learning disability. However, there are a number of gifted children who have physical or sensory disabilities. At the same time, there are a number of students with physical or sensory disabilities who are also gifted. Unfortunately, most of our current identification methods are not sensitive enough to identify their giftedness. Watch the videos below and then describe what a culturally responsive teacher can do to be more culturally sensitive with their identification procedures and to create programming that meets the needs of this special population.

What Is Twice-Exceptionality

One of the myths that we need to debunk is that a student with a disability cannot also be gifted. I understand the paradox as it seems odd to say that a child is gifted but also has a cognitive processing issue. While on the surface this might seem conflicting, there are a significant number of students in our population that are both gifted and have a disability. Watch this video and then describe two children that you might suspect are twice-exceptional. 

What Can We Do For Gifted Females?

After reading Ch. 9, you should be able to describe specific interventions to support gifted females. Summarize the most critical need for this population and describe three steps you will take in your school to meet this need. 

I've Never Been a Gifted Female

I have never been a gifted girl so I cannot identify with the societal pressures of growing up as one. I am married to a gifted wife and the son of a gifted mother. As such, I have an outsider's perspective on the balance that they constantly try to strike among being an excellent mother and wife while striving to excel in their respective professions. One time I asked my wife if she felt more pressure to excel at one of those areas more than any other. She responded, "No, I feel the pressure to be excellent at all of them equally." That was one of the most powerful statements she has ever said to me.

Growing up, I often spoke with my mom about careers that were available to her when she was young. I remember her telling me that she was not allowed to be in the accounting club in high school (I thought to myself, who would want to be in the accounting club anyway...maybe they did you a favor - but I digress). She ultimately became a CPA and opened her own private practice - but not until I was in the middle school.

This module we will read and discuss gifted girls and underachievement. Take a moment to watch this short clip. Afterwards, share your feelings about the pressure you feel to 'do it all' and how you think that pressure is felt by today's young gifted females. Then describe three steps you can take in your school to create a 'Positive Female Program'.