Both parents and students bring their own styles into the college selection process. Counselors who are aware of the characteristics of these styles can best help students when selecting appropriate schools. This article discusses parental approaches to choosing a college. To assure good decisions, educators need to take a more active, systematic…

This article introduces "Resiliency Training," a program designed to support early university entrants as they take on the challenges and adventures of their sophomore and junior year at the University of Washington (UW). As the Academic Counselor and Counseling Services Coordinator for the Robinson Center, watching the students engage with the…

In this article, the author talks about celebrating the differences of all gifted students. Rather than isolate or ridicule creative individuals, people need to recognize that the very characteristics that enable creative people to think originally may cause them to be seen as different and even bizarre. She suggests that people need to accept and…

How do teachers teach gifted students whose emotional age trails their chronological age? How can they integrate those students into their classes so that these students mature while not detracting from the learning of the other students? In this article, the author offers pieces of advice on teaching gifted students whose emotional ages trail…

Reports on the growth and achievement of gifted girls and women in the past decade have been encouraging. Certainly, more women today feel encouraged to achieve, assume leadership, and pursue careers formerly dominated by men. The women's movement and the programs it inspired have helped promising girls plan and act on deeply held interests and…

In this article, the author talks about the importance of funding gifted education programs. She begins with a story of Emily, a gifted child who, because of lack of funding in her school district, received a pullout program for a few hours a week--far from enough to meet the child's needs. She had little chance to meet other gifted students and…

In this article, the author talks about building resilience--that ability to push through hardship to success, to rebound from failure, and to "keep on keepin' on" when things seem impossible. The author assert that lots of gifted and talented kids need help building their resilience. In today's world, when striving for mediocrity can seem like…

"All children are gifted." Yes, all children may possess gifts, but not all children are academically gifted. That alone is one of the strongest arguments for having a child assessed by a trained professional if one believes they may be gifted. There are many aspects to being gifted which is why a full-scale assessment is recommended. It is much…

Currently, American schooling, driven by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and standardized tests, emphasizes development of intelligence. Because of this, teachers must heavily emphasize acquisition of foundational information (facts) in lectures, assessments, and of course, time-consuming test preparation, at the expense of intellect, that…

Response to Intervention (RtI) promotes a well-integrated system connecting general, compensatory, gifted, and special education in providing high quality, standards-based instruction and intervention that are matched to students' academic, social-emotional, and behavioral needs. There are three levels to this framework. Tier 1 (or Universal) is…

Peter, 7 years old, spends most of his time playing with his stick alone. After several unsuccessful attempts to get Peter to join his cousins, his aunt asks the boy's parents if they have considered having him evaluated by a psychologist. Peter's parents are not as concerned about the stick behavior as is his aunt. Although the attachment to his…

Parents and teachers occasionally express concern that their children are too focused on the discovery of mathematics. The author remembers clearly one upset father who told him, "Just teach my daughter what she needs to know. Don't worry if she understands why it works. She just needs to know how to get the right answer." The author agrees with…

Most educators who work with gifted students acknowledge the importance of creativity and have found various ways to include it as part of the gifted education curriculum. In many cases, however, developing creativity is still viewed as something separate from academic learning. Students with undemonstrated creative potential often are excluded…

In order for students to learn well, someone or something must capture their interest. Novelty and intellectual challenges are good approaches for gaining attention. Imaginative strategies include storytelling, discrepant events, dressing in costumes, music, dynamic video clips, comic strips, humor, models, puppets, the element of surprise,…

Raising any child is challenging for parents, but raising a gifted child can be especially demanding. Parents benefit from quality information about giftedness as well as effective parenting strategies for working with very bright youngsters. Parents may wish to better motivate their gifted children, helping them to take personal responsibility…