Guiding the Gifted: Traditional and Emerging Practices in School Counseling
Format
Individual Presentation
Location
Ballroom F
Strand #1
Social & Emotional Skills
Strand #2
Mental & Physical Health
Relevance
Early recognition and appropriate counseling interventions of gifted students within a school setting increases the probability of future extraordinary achievement over the life space and reduces the risk for later social, behavioral, emotional, and/or educational problems (Gross, 1999 & Harrison, 2005). The social, emotional, and intellectual development of gifted children, through a school counseling lens in particular, has received little attention outside the journals that deal specifically with gifted children. The net result is that school counselors are often uninformed or misinformed regarding the social and emotional developmental needs of gifted children in relation to intellectual development and schooling (Wood, 2010a). Professional school counselors could greatly benefit not only from research that incorporates a systemic approach but also from practical applications as well. Building upon that assertion, VanTassel-Baska (2009) suggested in order for human external influences to be productive in children’s lives, adults must be trained in relevant skills, select interventions, and ensure that the systems within which they function are attuned to the need for flexibility in implementation. In addition, counseling services for gifted students are enhanced when professional school counselors and the like have expertise in gifted education (NAGC, 2010). Bottom line, the social and emotional contexts of children’s lives influence their ability to learn (Santrock, 2009), and professional school counselors should focus their efforts on collaborating with other educators in their schools to establish the conditions for optimal growth and development in their students (Howard et.al., 2008)
Brief Program Description
An awareness of the unique characteristics of gifted children is important for school counselors. Being gifted doesn’t mean that their self-identities align with their academic strengths. Students need guidance to navigate the murky waters of school, friendship, and the meaning of giftedness. Get activities for small groups to help students with challenges that include perfectionism, isolation, communication, and other intensities.
Summary
Professional school counselors are in a position to develop, implement, and evaluate services, interventions and programs fostering achievement for all students within their comprehensive school counseling programs (Devoss & Andrews, 2006), actionable information and knowledge is grossly insufficient on the experiences and practices of professional school counselors working with gifted students. Therefore, this presentation focuses on a collaborative process for working across professional disciplines within a school ecology to address and support students who are identified as gifted. Included is information on (1) the need and rationale for collaborative partnerships among elementary school counselors and gifted intervention specialists; (2) the use of the ASCA National Model along with National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) guidelines to plan and develop practices for meeting the social and emotional needs of the gifted learning; (3) description of the social and emotional characteristics of gifted learners; (4) recommendations for practice. Discover basic tenets of an affective curriculum adapted to the elementary student. Last, get activities for classroom guidance or small groups to help students with challenges that include perfectionism,isolation, communication, and other intensities
Evidence
This presentation is based on 11 years practitioner-based practice with this population using American School Counseling (ASCA) and the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) as a foundation. Additionally, the latest professional research on the topic will be explored.
Biographical Sketch
Jill Minor is a professional school counselor who has been working with gifted children for over 12 years. She has presented at local, state, national, and international conferences on the topic of social and emotional needs of gifted children. Additionally, she has just completed her doctoral degree with her dissertation titled: Elementary School Counselors’ Professional Experiences and Practices Working With Students Identified as Gifted: A Qualitative Study. Jill is an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati.
Neil Duchec is Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor-S and an Assistant Professor at Northern Kentucky University. He is a certified School Counselor in GA. He has 20 years of counseling and clinical supervisory experiences with diverse populations. Neil has presented at local, state, national, and international conferences. Neil is a proud father of a gifted child.
Keyword Descriptors
school counseling, gifted, affective curriculum, social and emotional needs, education
Presentation Year
2016
Start Date
3-8-2016 10:15 AM
End Date
3-8-2016 11:30 AM
Recommended Citation
Minor, Jill and Duchac, Neil, "Guiding the Gifted: Traditional and Emerging Practices in School Counseling" (2016). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 186.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2016/2016/186
Guiding the Gifted: Traditional and Emerging Practices in School Counseling
Ballroom F
An awareness of the unique characteristics of gifted children is important for school counselors. Being gifted doesn’t mean that their self-identities align with their academic strengths. Students need guidance to navigate the murky waters of school, friendship, and the meaning of giftedness. Get activities for small groups to help students with challenges that include perfectionism, isolation, communication, and other intensities.
