TIPical Gifted Kids

Eastern NC Gifted Conference
East Carolina University

Presented by
Richard D. Courtright, Ph.D.
Gifted Education Research Specialist
Duke University Talent Identification Program

Stephen Colbert
Truthiness (n.)
What you want the facts to be,
as opposed to what the facts are.
What feels like the right answer,
as opposed to what reality will
support.

Myths of Giftedness
The Gifted are...
 more prone to emotional disturbance
 have everything going their way
 can succeed without help
 should be valued mostly for their brain power
 are more stable and mature
 should assume responsibility for others
 enjoy being examples to/for other children

Myths of Giftedness
The Gifted are...
 have abilities that are always valued by their
families
 excel or exceed the norms in all areas of
development
 need to be disciplined more than others
 will always reveal their giftedness
 are high achievers with high motivation to excel in
school

Truths of Giftedness
The Gifted are the most
heterogeneous group to
study, because they can vary the
most on the most variables.
-- Tracy Cross
The College of William & Mary

Gifted children and [gifted] adults see
the world differently because of the
complexity of their thought processes
and their emotional intensity.
People often say to them, “Why do you
make everything so complicated?”
“Why do you take everything so
seriously?” “Why is everything so
important to you?”...

The gifted are “too” everything:
too sensitive,
too intense,
too driven,
too honest,
too idealistic,
too moral,
too perfectionistic,
too much for other people! ...

Even if they try their entire lives to fit
in, they still feel like misfits. The
damage we do to gifted children and
adults by ignoring this phenomenon is
far greater than the damage we do by
labeling it.
Without the label for their
differences, the gifted come up with
their own label: “I must be crazy! No
one else is [like this] but me!” Silverman,
Linda
...The Columbus Group

On the other hand, being academically gifted can
get you in trouble with kids who don’t like the way
you get straight A’s.

Being smart can sometimes mean a drop in
popularity with groups of ―normal‖ kids who don’t
like brains.

Once you get a reputation as a brain, its [sic] hard
to lose it. I try not to answer every question the
teacher asks, even though it might mean a better
grade.

Middle school male, 7th grade

Last year this boy was my very best friend.
He wasn’t very smart, but he didn’t care
that I was. Until this year.

Now, he won’t speak to me. I’m really
upset about this but maybe sometime
he’ll be nice to me again.

Middle school female, 7th grade

If someone is talking about a topic and I
tell them what I know about it, they seem
to think that I am bragging… and I don’t
mean for it to be that way!
I just try to share my knowledge with
them but they take it that I am bragging.
Now I’m careful of who I say things in
front of.

Gifted Kids Speak Out – Delisle, J.

America’s Love-Hate
Relationship with the Gifted

DABROWSKI’s Theory of
Emotional Development

Three Factors:
Factor 1: Heredity / Constitutional

Factor 2: Environmental / Social

Factor 3: Self-directed / Autonomous

The Columbus Group
―Giftedness is asynchronous
development in which
advanced cognitive abilities
and heightened intensity
combine to create inner
experiences and awareness
that are qualitatively
different from the norm…

The Columbus Group
…This asynchrony increases with
higher intellectual capacity. The
uniqueness of the gifted renders
them particularly vulnerable and
requires modifications in
parenting, teaching and
counseling in order for them to
develop optimally.‖

Dyssynchrony implies
Vulnerability
Kate, like every highly gifted child, is an
amalgam of many developmental ages. She may
be 6 while riding a bike, 13 while playing the
piano or chess, 9 while debating rules, 8 while
choosing hobbies and books, 5 (or 3) when
asked to sit still.

How can such a child be expected to fit into a
classroom designed around norms for 6 year
olds?
Tolan, 1989

She walked into the high school
guidance office and told the head of
guidance that there was a
philosophical flaw in the idea of AP
courses when there was a good
college across town. She wanted
college courses, NOW. He suggested
learning to get along with peers was a
valid goal…

She walked into the high school
guidance office and told the head of
guidance that there was a
philosophical flaw in the idea of AP
courses when there was a good
college across town. She wanted
college courses, NOW. He suggested
learning to get along with peers was a
valid goal…
She said she already knew how to
pretend to be stupid.

What is Duke TIP?

 A self-supporting, non-profit, educational
organization dedicated to the identification
and support of academically gifted students.
 Founded in 1980, over 2 million students
have participated in the Duke TIP Talent
Searches.
 Arm-in-arm with schools and families, Duke
TIP works to identify talented young people
and to provide them with a wide array of
fulfilling educational opportunities, from 4th
grade through 12th.

Endogenous characteristics
 Originates from the characteristics of the individual
 Gifted attributes as a matter of degree, not kind
 Examples in gifted students:
 Overexcitabilities
 Asynchronous development
 Perfectionism
 Excessive self-criticism
 Multipotentiality

Characteristics of the Gifted:
The Good News & The Shadow Side
 Acquires and retains  Impatient with the
information quickly slowness of others;
 dislikes routine and
drill;
 may resist mastering
foundational skills;
 may make concepts
unduly complex.

 Inquisitive  Asks embarrassing
attitude, intellectual questions;
curiosity; intrinsic  Strong-willed;
motivation; searching
 Resists direction;
for significance
 Seems excessive in
interests;
 Expects same from
others.

 Ability to  Rejects or omits
abstract, conceptualize, details;
synthesize; enjoys  Resists practice or
problem-solving and drill;
intellectual activity.  Questions teaching
procedures.

 Can see cause-effect  Difficulty accepting
relationships. the illogical—such as
feelings, traditions, or
matters to be taken on
faith.

 Love of truth, equity  Difficulty in being
and fair play. practical;
 Worry about
humanitarian
concerns.

 Enjoys organizing  Constructs
things and people into complicated rules or
structure and order; systems;
seeks to systematize.  May be seen as
bossy, rude or
domineering.

 Large vocabulary and  May use words to
facile verbal proficiency; escape or avoid
broad information in situations;
advanced areas.  Becomes bored with
school and age peers;
 Seen by others as a
―know-it-all.‖

 Thinks critically; has  Critical or intolerant
high expectancies; is toward others;
self-critical and  May become
evaluates others. discouraged or
depressed;
 Perfectionistic.

 Keen observer; willing  Overly intense focus;
to consider the unusual;  Occasional gullibility.
open to new
experiences.

 Creative and inventive;  May disrupt plans or
likes new ways of doing reject what is already
things. known;
 Seen by others as
different and out of
step.

 Intense concentration;  Resists interruption;
long attention span in  Neglects duties or
areas of interest; goal- people during period
directed behavior; of focused interests;
persistence.
 Stubbornness.

 Sensitivity, empathy for  Sensitivity to criticism
others; desire to be or peer rejection;
accepted by others.  Expects others to have
similar values;
 Need for success and
recognition;
 May feel different and
alienated.

 High  Frustration with
energy, alertness, eager inactivity;
ness; periods of intense  Eagerness may disrupt
efforts. others;
 Schedules;
 Needs continual
stimulation;
 May be seen as
hyperactive.

 Independent; prefers  May reject parent or
individualized work; peer input;
reliant on self.  Non-conformity;
 May be
unconventional.

 Diverse interests and  May appear scattered
abilities; versatility. and disorganized;
 Frustrations over lack
of time;
 Others may expect
continual competence.

 Strong sense of humor.  Sees absurdities of
situations;
 Humor may not be
understood by peers;
 May become ―class
clown‖ to gain
attention.

Potential Problems Faced by SOME
Gifted Individuals
Exogenous Problems:
 Educational conformity vs. individualism
 Expectancies by others
 Peer relations
 Family relations
 Power struggles

Gifted Individuals
Exogenous Problems:
 Enmeshment (or ―confluence‖)
 Mistaking the abilities of the child
 Sibling relations
 Parental understanding (lack thereof)
 Chance and location factors

Potential Problems Faced by
SOME Gifted Individuals
Isolation
 Feels the anxiety of being different
 Few role models
 Lack of societal respect

Potential Problems Faced by
SOME Gifted Individuals
Overload
 “Penciling in Playtime”

Gifted Individuals
Exogenous Problems:
There is evidence to show that the gifted are
influenced by their peers’, parents’ and teachers’
feelings about their abilities. If they are seen as
mental freaks, unhealthy personalities, or eccentric
simply because they are brainy or creative, many of
them will avoid the stigma through conformity.
Some would rather underachieve and be popular
than achieve honor status and receive ostracism.

Abraham Tannenbaum

Social Dynamics and the
Gifted/Talented Student
Study by Tannenbaum
High school juniors ranked the
preferred characteristics
 average – brilliant
 studious – non-studious
 athletic – non-athletic

Study by Tannenbaum
Significant difference favoring the
BRILLIANT-
NON-STUDIOUS-
ATHLETE

Study by Cramond & Martin
Student teachers ranked the
preferred characteristics

Significant difference favoring the
BRILLIANT-
NON-STUDIOUS-
ATHLETE

Experienced teachers ranked
the preferred characteristics

 The Brilliant—Studious—Non Athlete was
chosen last in every study
 ―Athlete” occupies the top four places in all three
surveys
 Non-studious occupies the top spot in all three
surveys
 Preservice and experienced teachers chose
―average‖ over ―brilliant‖ as a descriptor

 There are, in fact, peer groups (cliques) in
virtually all schools
 Students associate ―brains‖ with ―nerds‖
 High achievers resist being labeled a brain, and
consequently…
 High achievers employ strategies to avoid the
―brain-nerd‖ connection

To avoid the ―brain - nerd‖
connection, strategies were
employed that include:
 Denial
 Distraction (excellence in another domain)
 Deviance (class clown)
 Underachievement

The Power of Social Context
Our children are taught to wear masks before they
recognize their own faces. They are made to put their
tender, pliable forms into prefabricated shells –
cultural roles prescribed for their age, sex and class. All
too soon the open faces and fluid selves are disfigured
as were the bound feet of the women of Manchu China.
They are crushed to meet social expectancy. Those who
fail to escape the constraints of masks and sheaths can
only look ahead, not up or down, right or left...

Elizabeth Drews

RECOMMENDATIONS
 Treat gifted children as children first
 Establish communication among parents, teachers
and counselors
 Teach gifted children social skills, ways to manage
stress, and to enjoy non-academic activities
 Try to understand the social milieu of school
 Learn about the individual child’s personality, social
goals and needs
 Create opportunities for gifted children to interact
 Model adaptive behaviors

RICK COURTRIGHT
Gifted Education Research Specialist
Duke University
Talent Identification Program

Phone: (919)668-9130

Email: RCourtright@tip.duke.edu

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