UNDERSTANDING THE GIFTED

 Borrowed from Ron Ciraulo, Gifted Educator from Issaquah, Washington

…has a wide range of knowledge.

Positive attributes : a variety of interests and abilities

Negative attributes : trivia collector, consumer of information rather than producer

Needs : opportunities to explore

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...uses advanced vocabulary and communication skills.

Positive attributes : expresses ideas well

Negative attributes : manipulates others verbally, intellectualizes feelings

Needs : opportunities to interact

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... is capable of accelerated learning.

Positive attributes : learns easily and rapidly

Negative attributes : gets bored with routines, disrupts

Needs : rapid pace, depth of content

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...makes unusual connections and relationships.

Positive attributes : links, connects and transfers knowledge

Negative attributes : goes off on tangents; gets off task

Needs : opportunities to link, to pursue tangents; practice in focusing on crucial tasks

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...sees discrepancies, inconsistencies.

Positive attributes : good analyst

Negative attributes : can be self-critical, judgmental, perfectionist, critical of others

Needs : opportunities to explore issues, to make a difference; to learn how to deal with their own imperfections, and to carefully communicate to others their imperfections.

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...has an intense personality.

Positive attributes : excited by learning, learns rapidly and deeply

Negative attributes : difficult to move off a subject, too high an energy level

Needs : opportunities to interact with others of like mind, to pursue interests

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...has a creative personality.

Positive attributes : sees things in unique, unusual ways

Negative attributes: non-conformist

Needs : opportunities for divergent thinking, open-ended activities; opportunities to practice appropriate interaction with others

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...often has an introverted personality.

Positive attributes : philosophical

Negative attributes : non-risk taker, vents on family

Needs : private time to recharge; safe environment in which to take risks.