# data[].attributes.body
Please download a copy of the slides.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nov 24 Cultivating Positive Relationships in Social Mixing

# data[].attributes.headline
Check out this library of free team building activities

# data[].attributes.subject
Check out this library of free team building activities

# data[].attributes.body
Like the pirate ship activity? Explore and discover more fun activities to strengthen team cohesion in your classrooms!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Our library of free office and team-building games

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Our library of free office and team-building games

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore and discover fun activities to strengthen team cohesion, filtered by themes and tailored to all your team-building needs!

# data[].attributes.headline
Common Characteristics of Gifted and High-Ability Children (5 min read)

# data[].attributes.subject
Common Characteristics of Gifted and High-Ability Children (5 min read)

# data[].attributes.body
How do we talent spot gifted and high-ability learners? What characteristics and traits do they share? What are some myths/misconceptions about this group of learners? Read this short article to find out more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Gifted children often stand out. Whether you are a parent, an educator, or a student, you are likely here because you have noticed something about a student or about yourself if you are that student in question. Those without a background in gifted education may feel that gifted children stand out because of their good grades or high achievements. However, many of us who work with gifted children know that they are different for other reasons like their quirky sense of humor, their intense questioning, or their refusal to sit still in the classroom and repeat math facts when they would much rather be discussing the nature of infinity. Looking for gifted traits in children can provide information for parents, educators, and students themselves to decide whether they want to pursue intelligence testing, acceleration, or simply have a better understanding of who these children are.

What is Giftedness?

At its core, giftedness is a brain-based difference that contributes to our vibrant and neurodiverse world. This neurological difference means that profoundly gifted students experience a different intellectual, academic, and social-emotional development trajectory than neurotypical individuals. These differences are detailed in " The Neuroscience of Giftedness ," a series of articles from , the Gifted Research and Outreach organization.

To quote a beloved leader in gifted education, Dr. Jim Delisle, "Giftedness is an innate ability to both detect and comprehend the world in complex ways that differ significantly from age-expected norms." ( Understanding Your Gifted Child from the Inside Out , p8). Importantly, Delisle makes the distinction that giftedness is not always apparent just from looking at a student's achievements. This is often a source of tension when advocating for the highly gifted child who may appear average, or even below average, in school. Parents and educational professionals often hear the same myths about gifted students and must take the extra step to educate themselves on giftedness in order to better serve the needs of this population.

Like most people, highly capable students are unique individuals with varied and multifaceted talents and interests. Some demonstrate mastery in multiple areas while others excel in a single subject. Gifted identification often relies on a mix of gifted testing and more qualitative observations of gifted characteristics and behaviors.

Common Characteristics of Gifted Children:

Ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers

Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age

Strong sense of curiosity

Enthusiastic about unique interests and topics

Quirky or mature sense of humor

Creative problem solving and imaginative expression

Absorbs information quickly with few repetitions needed

Self-aware, socially aware, and aware of global issues

The National Association for Gifted Children lists additional traits of giftedness that parents may find useful. Of course, each gifted student is unique, and they may present with a mix of these traits or only two very intensely or perhaps you find that none of them at all fit.

What are Traits of Profoundly Gifted Children?

Profoundly gifted individuals score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ and achievement tests and have an exceptionally high level of intellectual prowess.

Characteristics of profoundly gifted individuals may include:

Rapid Comprehension: An advanced ability to learn and process information rapidly, combined with a need for constant mental stimulation; profoundly gifted students often work at a different pace than neurotypical peers-going far ahead or pausing to dive deeply in areas of interest.

Intuitive Understanding of the Basics: Difficulty concentrating on tasks that are not intellectually challenging, including repetitious materials or rote tasks; profoundly gifted children often need less practice to master an idea or concept.

Tendency toward Complexity: A need to understand the "big picture" of what they are learning; they may ask endless "why" questions or prefer to learn whole-to-part rather than part-to-whole.

Need for Precision: An appreciation for nuance and a need for precision in thinking and expression; they may often respond to questions with "that depends..." and they may struggle with multiple choice assessments that ask them to make definitive decisions without an extensive contextual background to questions.

High Expectations: A tendency to hold themselves and others to high standards, which can sometimes present as perfectionism or a very defined sense of justice; this may lead to challenges when understanding rules set by others or interacting with same-age peers who don't hold the same standards.

Divergent Interests: A vivid imagination and niche interests may make it difficult to connect with same-age peers; profoundly gifted students may seek out older children or adults who share their interests, or they may connect with younger children who are flexible in their thinking and engage in imaginational pursuits.

Oftentimes profoundly intelligent young people are not properly identified and, thus, do not receive an appropriately challenging education. Research shows this can lead to underachievement or even dropping out of school - studies indicate that 40 percent of all gifted students may be underachievers ( Handbook of Gifted Education , p. 424). The Davidson Institute exists to help these young, bright children gain recognition in the national conversation around giftedness and works directly with families to help them reach their potential.

Learn More about Giftedness:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Characteristics and Traits of Gifted Children | Davidson Institute

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Gifted children often stand out. Whether you are a parent, teacher or student, you may have noticed these gifted characteristics and traits.

# data[].attributes.headline
Four ways teachers can show they care (7 min read)

# data[].attributes.subject
Four ways teachers can show they care (7 min read)

# data[].attributes.body
Research suggests caring relationships with teachers help students do better in school and act more kindly toward others.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If I asked you to tell me what you remembered most about your favorite teacher growing up, I bet you wouldn't say much about the subject matter. Instead, I'd expect you to describe how he or she made you feel as you learned that subject matter-the sense of excitement or discovery you felt, or the safety to take chances and make mistakes, or the confidence that you were valued as a human being, warts and all.

According to research, few factors in education have a greater impact on a student's educational experience than a caring relationship with his or her teacher.

© Jim Cummins/Corbis

One researcher described it this way: Imagine two teachers teaching the same lesson on poetic construction. One is very impatient with students and the other supportive. Knowing only that, we can probably guess which students learned the lesson better.

Science has found that students who have caring relationships with teachers are academically more successful and show greater "pro-social" (or kind, helpful) behavior. A caring teacher can transform the school experience especially for students who face enormous difficulties, such as dropping out or dysfunctional home lives. One student who faced these kinds of hardships told a researcher that the greatest thing a teacher can do is to care and to understand. "Because if not," he said, "the kid will say, 'Oh, they're giving up on me, so I might as well give up on myself.'"

Fortunately, research has identified practical tips for teachers to help them build caring relationships with students. Here are some of the tips I find most important:

1) Get to know your students and the lives they live. This is especially important if your students are from a different cultural or socio-economic background than you. Numerous studies have shown that cultural misunderstanding between teachers and students can have a hugely negative impact on students' educational experience. But research has also shown that teachers who visit students' homes and spend time in their communities develop a deep awareness of students' challenges and needs and are better able to help them.

If your time is limited, then ask students to complete an "interest inventory," which can be as simple as having students write down their five favorite things to do. Their responses will give you ideas for making the curriculum more relevant to their lives-a sure method for letting students know you care about them.

2) Actively listen to students. A teacher who actively listens to students is listening for the meaning behind what students are saying, then checks in with them to make sure they've understood properly. This affirms students' dignity and helps develop a trusting relationship between teachers and students.

If the chaos of the classroom doesn't allow you to give this kind of focused listening to a student who really needs it, then set a time to talk when there are fewer distractions.

3) Ask students for feedback. Choose any topic-it doesn't have to be academic-and have students write down, in a couple of sentences, what confuses or concerns them most about the topic. By considering their feedback, you are showing students that you value their opinions and experiences. It also creates a classroom culture where students feel safe to ask questions and take chances, which will help them grow academically.

4) Reflect on your own experience with care. Oftentimes, we unconsciously care for others the way we have been cared for-for better or worse. When one researcher interviewed four different teachers at the same school who all shared one particular student, she found that each teacher cared for the student in the way she had been cared for as a child. It didn't even occur to the teachers to ask the parents-or the child himself-what the child's needs might be. Instead, they made assumptions about the child's background based on their own childhoods; as a result, the child received four different types of care-which may not necessarily have been appropriate to his/her needs.

Reflecting on how you were cared for or not cared for as a child will give you insight into the kind of care you might be extending to your students, and allow you to adjust your care to fit their needs.

As teachers, we often don't realize how even the smallest caring gesture can have a huge impact on our students. As evidence, I'd like to share the story of Sam, a high school student from south central Los Angeles who had transferred high schools three times before being interviewed by researchers for a study.

After years of feeling uncared for in school, Sam was very surprised when he received a phone call at home from his current school's office, wanting to know why he was absent that day. His other schools, he said, never called to check on him. A small act of caring-but here's how Sam said it made him feel:

When they call my house if I'm not here, they're real friendly. My auntie has an answering machine, and sometimes I'll hear a voice start to leave a message like 'Hi Sam. If you're there, we're wondering why you're not in school today...' If I hear that, I pick up the phone and explain why I'm not there. And they believe me. They trust me, so I trust them.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If I asked you to tell me what you remembered most about your favorite teacher growing up, I bet you wouldn't say much about the subject matter.

# data[].attributes.body
Did you know that there is a checklist to review and monitor social mixing efforts in schools? Check out Slides 32-38 to find out more.

# data[].attributes.headline
Understanding & Dispelling Common (Mis)perceptions about gifted and HALs

# data[].attributes.subject
Understanding & Dispelling Common (Mis)perceptions about gifted and HALs

# data[].attributes.body
Discussion Questions: What assumptions and/or expectations did the judge have of Marcus? If you were Marcus' form teacher, what would you do?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2024 case studies_characteristics of HALs

# data[].attributes.headline
Understanding & Dispelling Common (Mis)perceptions about Gifted and HALs

# data[].attributes.subject
Understanding & Dispelling Common (Mis)perceptions about Gifted and HALs

# data[].attributes.body
Discussion Questions: What assumptions and/or expectations does Teacher X have of Sue? If you were Sue's form teacher, how can you help her? What else could you do?

As both groups are responding to this question, please indicate your group number before sharing your response.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2024 case studies_characteristics of HALs

# data[].attributes.headline
Understanding & Dispelling Common (Mis)perceptions about gifted and HALs

# data[].attributes.subject
Understanding & Dispelling Common (Mis)perceptions about gifted and HALs

# data[].attributes.body
Discussion Question: If you were Joan's form teacher, what steps would you take to help her?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2024 case studies_characteristics of HALs