How The Gifted Brain LearnsBy

David Sousa

What is a Gifted Brain?Before we get to that question, I think we should start with, “Why do we need to learn about intelligence and how the gifted brain learns?” To me, what we know about the brain, intelligence, and how we learn will give us a great deal of insight into how we can help students reach their highest potential and just importantly - love learning.

“Since we know we can make students smarter, and that intelligence is not static but ever-changing, the more we know about how smart kids differ from each other and the

more we are able to make more kids smarter! There are multiple answers to that question.”

– Joseph Renzulli

Researchers, however, do agree on one characteristic of giftedness: “….it derives from a well above average level of intelligence.” Chapter 1: What is a Gifted Brain? summarizes several predominant theories of intelligence and giftedness. The chapter will provide different insights into this complex and controversial question by describing the theories of several well-known researchers.

Joseph Renzulli’s Definition of Giftedness:Renzulli’s Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness (see Venn diagram below) suggests that giftedness results from the interaction of the following three traits that must work together:

General Abilities: processing information, integrating experiences and abstract thinking or specific abilities that were above average;

Commitment to Task: perseverance, hard work, endurance, perceptiveness and self-confidence;

Creativity: flexibility, fluency, originality, openness to experiences and a willingness to take risks.

His work brought the value of integrating creativity and imagination to the forefront of every classroom. For many years our educational system relied primarily on teachers lecturing from the front of the classroom, while students sat in straight rows students working independently on paper and pencil worksheets. Objective and standardized tests were used to measure a student’s progress. Renzulli’s theory stimulated educators to provide more opportunities for creative programs.

Here is a link to an interesting website about Renzulli.

http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/sem/semart13.html

.

Howard Gardner is well known for challenging us with this question. “Ask not how smart the child is, but how is the child smart?” His Multiple Intelligences research suggests that we possess at least eight intelligences (summarized below). According to Gardner, an individual is predisposed to developing each of the intelligences to different levels of competence. He defines giftedness as, “…an individual being exceptionally competent in one or more of the intelligences.” These intelligences are the product of the interaction between genetic predisposition and the environment or a combination of nature and nurture.

For Gardner, intelligence is:

the ability to create an effective product or offer a service that is valued in a culture;

a set of skills that make it possible for a person to solve problems in life;

the potential for finding or creating solutions for problems, which involves gathering new knowledge

The table below lists and briefly describes Gardner's multiple intelligences. It also provides examples of relevant behaviors for each type of intelligence. By T.M. McDevitt and J.E. Ormrod at http://www.edu cation.com/reference/article/Gardners- multiple-intelligences/

Type of Intelligence Examples of Relevant Behaviors

Linguistic IntelligenceAbility to use language effectively

Making persuasive arguments Writing poetry Identifying subtle nuances in word

meanings

Logical-Mathematical IntelligenceAbility to reason logically, especially in

mathematics and science

Solving mathematical problems quickly

Generating mathematical proofs Formulating and testing hypotheses

about observed phenomena

Spatial IntelligenceAbility to notice details of what one sees and to imagine and manipulate visual objects in one's mind

Conjuring up mental images Drawing a visual likeness of an

object Making fine discriminations among

very similar objects

Musical IntelligenceAbility to create, comprehend, and appreciate music

Playing a musical instrument Composing a musical work Showing a keen awareness of the

underlying structure of music

Bodily-Kinesthetic IntelligenceAbility to use one's body skillfully

Dancing Playing basketball Performing pantomime

Interpersonal IntelligenceAbility to notice subtle aspects of other people's behaviors

Correctly perceiving another's mood Detecting another's underlying

intentions and desires Using knowledge of others to

influence their thoughts and behaviors

Intrapersonal IntelligenceAwareness of one's own feelings, motives, and desires

Discriminating among such similar emotions as sadness and regret

Identifying the motives guiding one's own behavior

Using self-knowledge to relate more effectively with others

Naturalist IntelligenceAbility to recognize patterns in nature and differences among natural objects and life-forms

Identifying members of particular plant or animal species

Classifying natural forms (e.g., rocks, types of mountains)

Applying one's knowledge of nature in such activities as farming, landscaping, or animal training

This list at http://professorlamp.com/ed/TAG/7_Intelligences.html describes the intelligences with respect to gifted and talented children.

1. Linguistic:a. Children with this kind of intelligence enjoy writing, reading, telling stories

or doing crossword puzzles. 2. Logical-Mathematical:

a. Children with lots of logical intelligence are interested in patterns, categories and relationships. They are drawn to arithmetic problems, strategy games and experiments.

3. Bodily-Kinesthetic:a. These kids process knowledge through bodily sensations. They are often

athletic, dancers or good at crafts such as sewing or woodworking. 4. Spatial:

a. These children think in images and pictures. They may be fascinated with mazes or jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing, building with Leggos or daydreaming.

5. Musical: a. Children are always singing or drumming to

themselves. They are usually quite aware of sounds others may miss. These kids are often discriminating listeners.

6. Interpersonal:a. Children who are leaders among their peers,

who are good at communicating and who seem to understand others' feelings and motives possess interpersonal intelligence.

7. Intrapersonal:a. These children may be shy. They are very aware of their own feelings and

are self-motivated.

Here are links to two online resources. The first one is a link to his charter school in New York.

http://howardgardnerschool.com/

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/index.html

I have been especially interested in Gardner’s research and often implement his strategies. As suggested earlier in this summary, students need opportunities to use all the intelliegences. Art, music, interpersonal and kinesthetic strategies must be provided. Drawing a picture, composing or listening to music, debating an issue, interviewing experts….. all of these activities are essential for learning. For example, if a teacher’s objective is for students to understand the literary elements of a novel (setting, characters, plot, etc.), different learners will grasp the concept in different ways. One student might illustrate

the elements through drawing, another might be able to re-create the elements through acting, and yet another might better be able to summarize them in writing. I was never a good test taker. I was much better at research or demonstrating what I had learned in a more creative way. Teaching with the multiple intelligences allows teachers to provide opportunities for authentic learning that is based on each student’s learning style, talents and interests.

In the 1980’s, Francoys Gagne proposed a comprehensive model that made a distinction between the components of giftedness and the nature of talent. He differentiated between giftedness and talent by proposing that giftedness represents innate abilities in multiple domains, while talent is a skill in a single domain that has been systematically developed. In other words, talent implies the presence of well above average natural abilities. One cannot be talented without having gifts. The reverse cannot be true. Some students with well above average natural abilities do not translate these gifts into talents.

He maintains that the persistent lack of differentiation has resulted in gifted and talented programs that focus mainly on the academically gifted and provide little or no support for highly talented students. I can’t argue with that. Most programs in our area do seem to address the needs of our students who are gifted in reading and/or math.

Like Howard Gardner, Gagne’s research includes references to different domains. The chart below, while somewhat complicated, summarizes his findings.

http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/policies/gats/assets/pdf/poldmgtcolrdiag.pdf

http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/robert-sternbergs-educational-theories-1679

Originating from his own negative experience with traditional IQ measurements, Robert J. Sternberg developed an alternative intelligence model. His Triarchic Theory describes giftedness as the combination of three types of intelligences that produce different patterns of giftedness. In this model, intelligence is defined by three types of behavior and giftedness results from the ability to perform the skills in one or more of the areas with exceptional accuracy and efficiency.

Charles Dietz studied Sternberg’s theories on the teaching of gifted pupils. “Sternberg asked himself why many people with the practical ability to do a job such as his – to teach, research and administrate – were rejected because of an inability to memorize facts. He concluded that the American educational system was failing many talented

students because it was unable to recognize or nurture their creative and practical abilities.”

“Taking practical experience with highly intellectual people, who aren't exactly successful in life into consideration, Sternberg describes three different kinds of intelligence in his model:

Analytical thinking which focuses on planning, monitoring, reflection, and transfer.

Creative thinking which focuses on developing, applying new ideas, and creating solutions.

Practical thinking which focuses on selecting and shaping real-world environments and experiences.”

In conclusion, here are some interesting facts about intelligence.

Facts About Intelligence

By

Stephen Ceci (2001)

1. IQ correlates with some simple abilities. The higher your intelligence, the faster you process information and the

quicker you can solve problems.2. IQ is affected by school attendance. The longer a person remains in school, the

smarter s/he becomes. Staying in school can prevent your IQ from slipping. IQ declines over summer vacation and with the lack of performance. For each year of high school not completed, this is an average loss of 1.8 IQ points. Delaying school also has adverse effects on IQ.

3. IQ is not influenced by birth order. There is no correlation between birth order and intelligence. However, as a group, smarter people tend to have fewer children than those of lower intelligence.

4. IQ is related to breastfeeding. By age 3, breast-fed babies have an IQ that is from 3 to 8 points higher than bottle-fed babies. (This may be related to the amount of time a mother and child spend together while nursing. It may also be that the immune factors in mothers’ milk present children from getting diseases that deplete energy and impair early learning.

5. IQ varies by birth date. Students born late in the year, as a group, show lower IQ scores.

6. IQ evens out with age. Siblings who are raised separately may have marked differences in IQ when they are younger. However, once they reach adulthood, their IQs are more similar. (This is probably due to genetic factors which take priority over environmental ones.)

7. Intelligence is plural, not singular. Three kinds of intelligence are generally recognized: spatial, verbal and mathematical. A fourth type, practical/common sense, also has been noted by researchers. Other recognized GATE theorists embrace the theory of multiple intelligences.

8. IQ is correlated to head size. Based upon IQ tests, the larger a person’s head, the smarter he is.

9. Intelligence scores are predictive of real-world outcomes. Over their lifetimes, people who have completed more school tend to earn more. College graduates earn more than high school graduates. Those with professional degrees early more than college graduates. As a rule, the higher a person’s intellectual ability, the higher her earnings.

10. Intelligence is context-dependent. A person can be really smart in one area and very average in other areas. Being able to reason complexly depends upon what each person is required to think about.

11. IQ is on the rise. Average IQ has risen 20 points with every generation. We are smarter than our parents and our children will most likely be smarter than we are. The bar continues to rise.

12. IQ may be affected by the school café menu. Diet influences brain functioning. Eat your fish. It’s brain food! A 14% increase in IQ was noted after preservatives were removed from the café menu in New York City public schools.