1G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1Supporting gifted children and their families in NSW and the ACTPublished by the NSW Association for Gifted & Talented Children Inc. ISSN 1038-5266

NEED HELP?Others have probably been where you are now!

People from the NSW Association of Gifted and Talented Children Inc have offered to listen and share their own experiences coping with gifted children.

Support Group contacts can be found on Page 2.

AGM REPORT

EARLY ENTRY

GIFTED TEENS

PERFECTIONISM

ACCELERATION

ISSUE NO 161 JULY 2011

2 G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

Editor: Vacant, Outside The Square Editor: Denise Wood, Layout: iImagination Ph 0421 669 877. Gifted is published four times a year. Material from gifted children, their parents and teachers, and others who are interested, is welcome via email with full contact details. Send to editor@nswagtc.org.au. Outside The Square send to: Denise Wood PO Box 104, Mudgee NSW 2850, email: dwood@csu.edu.au. Captioned photos and black on white artwork welcome. Deadlines for October 2011 Issue Monday 5th September 2011. Articles deadline Monday 22nd August 2011. Cover photo: courtesy of Cate Clark. Disclaimer: While the Association values the contributions received by Gifted, the ideas and information expressed by them is not necessarily that of the Association itself.

NSWAGTC PEOPLE & SUPPORT CONTACTS

BATHURSTDenise Wood0449 252 093

BLUE MTNS/PENRITHMimi Wellisch02 4739 0040

GOULBURNPatricia McNamara

02 4821 0611

NEWCASTLE/HUNTERAnna Barnes0403 834 493

HAYMary Lou Gardam

02 6993 4193

PORT MACQUARIEJenny McArthur

02 6585 1147

SHOALHAVENWendy Fetchet02 4422 1654

TWEED HEADSPatricia Cummins

07 5536 1157

WAGGA WAGGAAnne Flood

02 6921 3029

WELLINGTONSue Lacey

02 6845 1893

WOLLONGONGKath Walker02 4268 6389

SYDNEY(see list)

CONTACTSCatholic Schools Office Sydney Diocese 9569 6111 Catholic Schools Parent ContactsEarly Childhood Cindy Gordon 9798 8385Gifted Adults Tony Nolan 0417 270 664Gifted with Learning Disabilities Carol Barnes 0408 657 963 Catherine Wormald Catherine.Wormald@optusnet.com.auGovernment Schools Angela Chessman 9886 7743 Sally Hogan 9886 7525High Schools Irene McGrath (ah) 9623 6872Home Schooling Maria Jenkins 9939 1031Independent Schools Carol Barnes 0408 657 963ADHD Carol Barnes 0408 657 963Visual Spatial Tony Nolan 0417 270 664

SYDNEY BONDI Maureen Kremer 9337 1231 EAST Jude Allen 9365 1444 SOUTH/ST GEORGE Catherine Wormald 9586 3504 SUTHERLAND SHIRE Richard Szczepanski 9524 3657 HILLS DISTRICT Christine McDonald 9872 3598 LOWER NORTH SHORE Mary Findell 9969 6867

For links to email support groups see the Association web page.Disclaimer: The people on this contact list are members of the Association who have volunteered to be listed as Support Contacts. These people are happy to share their knowledge and experience with other parents or teachers of gifted children. While the Association values the contributions of their Support Contacts, the ideas and information expressed by them are not necessarily the same as that of the Association.

Gifted is published by the New South Wales Association of Gifted and Talented Children Inc, a registered charity (reference no. CC 26468) and a public benevolent institution (with donations being tax deductible).The Association aims to provide support to children, parents, teachers and community members through: Counselling. Raisingawarenessoftheneedsofgiftedchildren. Promoting strategies for identification and appropriate

schooling. Providingactivitiesandcamps. Encouragingtheestablishmentoflocalandregionalsupport

groups.Membership of the Association is available to all interested

individuals, groups and institutions. See inside back cover for a membership form. Financial hardship will be taken into account in regard to reduction in membership fees and charges for services. Donations are gratefully received and are tax deductible.

Contact details are:Postal and Street Address

NSW Association for Gifted & Talented Children Incc/- Hilltop Road Public School

Hilltop Road Merrylands, NSW 2160Tel: (02) 9633 5399 (with answering machine)

Fax: (02) 9633 5799For those wishing to email:

http://nswagtc.org.au/contacts/preferred-contact-points.html to find the best contact to assist with your enquiry.

NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children, 2011

ALBURYCathy Baillie02 6021 5913

NSW Association for Gifted and Talented Children Inc

ACTElizabeth Singer

02 6230 1660

Committee Executives : Rosemary Hammerton (President); Biing Liang Yin (Vice President); Anna Barnes (Secretary); Andrew Warburton (Treasurer)

Committee : Tracey Larkin (Parent Support); Adam Moy (IT Support); Ruth Lee (Marketing).

Like to help? If you would like to assist the Associations work please contact the Office on 02 9633 5399.

Support contacts offer their services to the NSWAGTC as volunteers they receive no

fees for their contributions, and are unable to accept payment from those whom they

have advised. If you feel that a Support Contact has been particularly helpful to you,

please let us know! You might consider joining the Association (if you are not a member), or making a donation (tax-deductible) in

recognition of their time and support.

3G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

Presidents Report to the AGM

C o n t e n t s

AGM Report 2011

During 2010-11, the NSW AGTC continued to face some major challenges: some reflecting the current context where we are one of a number of organisations offering activities for gifted children and where the internet provides access to information and research, and where financial issues have changed the way individuals join associations.

On the upside we have achieved a number of worthwhile activities that have provided support and information for different groups of our membership. We have made some changes to processes and continue to upgrade to address the identified glitches in our systems.

In 2010-2011, we have:

Presented a program of events, includingscience workshops and holiday workshops, that ran until April and provided regular, short workshops for children

Commenced putting the journal on line forthose who are financial members opening up the chance of easy sharing of information and access

Maintainedour journal as a valued resourcefor many families, educators and agencies in NSW and other states.

Updatedourwebsiteandstartedworkonarange of information pages that help provide advice and answers. The aim is to build its capacity to be a first point of call for all requests and comments, including a tiered access, having content available only to financial members meaning your membership also covers this access

Moved our library to become a specialcollection housed in a public library and thus easily accessible for our regional and urban members. This will also reduce costs of postage for members and the association, and enable us to keep better track of books with greater rates of returned books.

Presidents Report to the AGM by Denise Wood 3

Acceleration and My Child: An Interview with Maree, Lynne, Rosemary and Nat with Cate Clark 6

Message from the New President by Rosemary Hammerton 9

Perfectionism and Why Pencils Have Erasers: Part 2 by Jan Robinson 13

Helping Gifted Teens Make Sense of Themselves: A Counsellors Perspective by Jean Sunde Peterson 23

When to Start School if a Childs Development is Very Advanced by Kerry Hodge 28

FEATURES

NSWAGTC Contacts and Support 2

Whats The Buzz: Letters to The Editor 10, 35

Newsboard 11

GLD by Carol Barnes 12

Just A Thought by Denise Wood 16

Rhondas Rhetoric by Rhonda Filmer 17

From The Editor by Cate Clark 18

Outside The Square Compiled by Denise Wood 19

Feeling It All: Dabrowskis Psychomotor Overexcitability by Michelle Ronskey-Pavia 27

Support Group Noticeboard 38

Membership Application 39

Gifted Traits 40

REGULAR SEGMENTS

GIFTED GOES ELECTRONIC 10

G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 14

Heldadisplaytableatarangeofconferencesincluding the Asia Pacific Conference in Sydney, a Gagn day in Newcastle, the GATSTA Conference in Sydney and the MENSA Conference in Katoomba.

Held some new, special events: a dinnerwithProfFrancoysGagnand25classroomteachers who had the chance to have a conversation with him over a meal; the 2e Forumwhichprovidedover 100participantswith a full day of speakers and learning.

Submitted our views on the national curri-culum, the schools funding document and the teaching standards.

Involvedschoolstudents inproductionof theOutside the Square allowing them a chance to participate in authentic publishing.

Shared with other state associations for anational view. This helps put things in perspec-tive and establish ways to help each other.

We are close to offering online registration for all events, and for membership renewal, which will ensure a smooth processing for all member registrations.

We have had challenges maintaining our resource centre our staff work in part time jobs that require huge commitment on the part of staff, and the demands of running on a shoe string in the end wear dedicated staff down. Our technology and systems have become outdated and let us down many times. Our public face has suffered damage which leaves scars and as a management committee that is voluntary with full time work and parenting commitments it has not been possible to always meet the demands.

Financially,theNSWAGTCisinneedofsupport.Asa not for profit association, reliant on membership fees for the bulk of our income, we find that, with reductions in membership due to a number of factors it is increasingly difficult to confidently predict where our income will come from. The difficulties we have had with our administration certainly dont contribute to member confidence in the Association, and this in turn impacts on our income. Over the last 3 years we have had a series of problems maintaining someone in the Treasurers role, and this is now at a point where, while records are kept up to date and moneys owed paid, an overarching plan is absent. With a period of time now without a Treasurer, a clear plan of income management was not developed for the current year, and was not monitored and finalised for 2010. While we were aware of challenges, the loss of our Treasurer in October last year meant that the task

was not completed. We did not have a replacement TreasureruntilFebruary2011,andtimesincethenhas been spent on catching up.

We have struggled sometimes as a committee due to stresses beyond our control and constant worry about how we move on what is the future direction of the Association what do our members need and how do we best achieve this?

There have been altered expectations of the Committee with a need for increased involvement in the Resource Centre, time needed to solve problems, and a forward looking, proactive role. As President, I have worked to address theseconcerns and to negotiate roles, relationships and forward moving actions. I feel passionately about being in touch with members and responding to queries and concerns is one of my most satisfying roles. When I receive responses that indicate I have made a difference in the life of a family it is very rewarding.

The NSWAGTC has addressed issues by:

Establishinggoals andadirectionaldocumentthat provides steps to work towards

Creating a set of Key Performance Indicatorsto measure against and to clearly indicate what tasks need to be done

Reviewingourconstitutiontoreflecttherealitiesof being such a committee over the next few months this will be finalised and reviewed with members.

G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1 5

I believe this Association has an important place in advocating for gifted families at a community, school and political level. We need to have a strong voice and to not be afraid to stand out and make a noise. We need to be able to be on the ground when decisions are made and to state our point of view. We need to know what you as members need from the Association and to know we can call on member support when needed: with projects, with events and with support for each other in our online forums and discussions.

The Committee has a different profile to the group atour lastAGMsadlywesawTony,EmilyandAndrew leave in October and Mimi who left buthas returned. I am glad that we have had others step in (as a Committee we are able to appoint new nominees to the Committee when a position falls vacant) and so we welcomed Kylie, Gary and FlorencetotheCommitteewithfresheyesandnewperspectives. Rosemary and Lynelle have continued to support the Committee over the whole year. I have to thank all those involved in the Committee in the last 12 months for their input, their work and their support.

It is important here to acknowledge the work of the office staff: Julie contributed many extra hours to try and solve our data base problems and who was on call for many of our members well beyond her allocatedworkhours.Hervisionof theprogramswe could run was large and she worked hard to bring what could be done to fruition. Sharon, our finance officer has created a sense of financial stability and record keeping and, Georgia, has worked to keep up with the administration work. David and Christina have worked on the website, and answered many questions about how to do differentactivities,andCateandPhilhaveproducedfour journals to inform you. Volunteers such as Anita and Cindy have helped with playgroup and intheOffice.Elisabethhasprovidedadministrationsupport at events. A band of support group leaders across the State have provided local activity and interaction, a range of workshops and important family support thank you.

There are others to thank as well. A range of venues including schools and community centres have provided locations for events, enabling a spread of locality for programs. Presenters haveprovided engaging activity and fun for children, and information for parents. Others have provided computer advice, technical information and support and material and time to work with equipment. Hilltop Road Public School has supported theAssociation with office and room space.

I believe in the next 12 months, the Committee will need to be involved at a grass roots level with the activities of the Association at events, talking to parents, advocating at other meetings, contributing to the information available on the website and in general putting in physical time to ensure the goalsareachieved.Eachmemberhasthechanceto take on an aspect within the Association to develop the Association as a whole as well as to reflect their interests and sphere of influence. The vision is a Committee and Staff team who work synchronously, supporting the work of both perspectives, and building plans with the same goals in mind a shared approach that utilises the skills of all involved.

The balance on the Committee is essential to effective functioning for the Association. There needs to be representatives from the membership base of parents and families as well as those with long standing commitment to the ideals of the association. There needs to be a surety that the Committee keeps in touch with the membership and reflect what it is you need, while having a broader view of the community and arenas where our gifted children need to be advocated for. With-out such a balance the risk of fractured thinking occurs. Without active members there is no Association and it is essential that the Committee is able to know what is needed, to meet with and talk to all members and to share in the success of events and activities. As an Association there is a new future and with a clear plan and strong spirit there is an assurance that the Association will regenerate itself into a group with a strong voice and be able to act as an agent for change.

ThisismylastAGMreportasPresidentandIamsad to move on at a time when so much work is needed. It disappoints me that I have not been able to achieve some of the goals I envisaged when I took on the role the inclusion of programs and connections for our regional members; the development of online processes and activities and more support on political fronts for gifted childrenandtheirfamilies.However,Ihavehadtheopportunity to work with a variety of members and others supporting gifted children and their families and I will continue to do so. After 11 years involved with the NSWAGTC as a Committee Member,it is time to open these chances for others to experience.

I wish the incoming Committee the best in their work.

Denise Wood

Without doubt the request for articles about acceleration has brought the most prolific influx of

stories that Gifted has seen in the last eleven years. Comments and/or feedback about the topic have

elicited the responses of disaster to the best thing we ever did. In this, Part 2 of a feature article on acceleration, Gifted asked the same questions of

four parents who had varying acceleration experiences in the hope that by sharing their experiences, readers may get a greater sense of the very complicated topic of

acceleration. These parents come from various states of Australia.

Please note that part 1 of this article is available online at http://nswagtc.org.au/mynswagtc/gifted-journal/online-

issues.html in the Full Access file. However, you must be a full financial member

in order to access the article.

6 G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

Cate: What difference did acceleration make to your childs engagement with learning?

Maree: B and our family are still paying for the failure of the gifted ed teacher/junior school to identify B as gifted early in junior school and the continued failure of the gifted ed teacher and school to adequately meet his needs until senior school. Climbing out of prolonged underachievement and getting back motivation, curiosity and self efficacy is difficult and takes time but it is achievable. Old (bad) habits really do die hard. Early identification and challenge are so important in the long term. Spending the first seven years of school trying to find anything to do but pay attention and do more boring work does little to instil the pattern for good listening and concentration skills let alone attention to detail, motivation, organisation ... Bob has paid again and again for the school and teachers failing to meet his needs in the early years of his schooling.

Lynne: Jonathon was interested, and challenged for a while. He was achieving at the top of all classes but

Physical Education by the end of the second term after the acceleration.

Nat: I think that because the acceleration was handled badly and it wasnt nearly enough (added to the fact that no other real provisions were offered) Em continued to be disengaged from learning. Weve been lucky enough to find two teachers (at her new school) that have got her and she has had moments where she has sparked up and engaged in what has been happening at school. But for the most part, she is still achieving years below what she is capable of.

Rosemary: James was not disengaged prior to accelerating. In fact, in high school, his disengagement became more apparent. His results had been variable since Year 7 and were mostly only just above average until he hit Year 11 last year (2009). He set himself a goal last year and achieved very high results.

Cate: Were there issues around self esteem?

Maree: The main problem was one of self efficacy as Bob got to the stage where he believed the teachers

7G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

low expectations of him were right and he refused to do more challenging work saying he couldnt do it its too hard.

Lynne: Before or after the acceleration? I would say there were probably less after the acceleration, especially after Jonathon sorted out the social side of life as a Grade 9 student.

Nat: Weve worked hard to make sure that Em is comfortable with being who (and what) she is. Regardless of her interaction with the education system, shes still a confident, happy child when shes being herself outside of school.

Rosemary: James has always been his own person and quietly confident. I would say the acceleration boosted an already fairly healthy self esteem.

Cate: How did others respond (eg childs friends, other parents and teachers) to the process?

Maree: The response from the children was generally supportive in the receiving classes. I would say that Bob had only positive experiences with the other students.

Some teachers would never be convinced a child should be moved out of their age group box. Others appeared to feel threatened and were actively disruptive of the process and made it more difficult for Bob than it already was. I was labelled a pushy parent for trying to get my sons needs met.

Lynne: I think the extended family were disapproving, I didnt really ask them what they thought, nor tell them what was happening before it happened. My friends mainly thought it was appropriate, though there are still some who use the term pushed him rather than really understanding the nature of needing to facilitate opportunities for gifted kids.

Other parents were largely unaware that it could even happen, and there were quite a few questions I was asked about that but they were all aware of his exceptional abilities (incidentally, he is not exceptionally gifted, on the scale of giftedness).

I think that his friends were of much the same opinion. I am not really sure.

Nat: We were quite surprised by the reaction to the acceleration by some parents. Some wrote us off as being pushy parents, another mother was trying to get her child accelerated and immediately started to buddy up with me, trying to find what the magic formula was. Some found us a source of curiosity. In our particular community we didnt find anyone who was supportive of the acceleration and I think this was due, in part at least, to the fact that Em was the first child ever to be accelerated at that particular school.

The children in the class that she was placed in mostly teased her about the age difference. One girl took it upon herself to mother Emalee, which did not make for happy times for my totally independent young miss! We learnt very quickly not to mention Ems birth date or age around other parents and kids.

As for teachers, most that we have dealt with since have been against the idea of acceleration because of perceived social interaction problems. After my initial contact with the

new school that we changed Em to, the acting principal strongly suggested that we put Em back into the class where she rightly belongs. I stood firm and refused to let them move her. Most teachers have shown a lack of understanding of the reasons behind Ems skip regardless of our attempts to get them to see her.

Rosemary: We didnt really talk about it much with other parents. We told James that it was OK to play with his Year 4 friends as well as make new friends, but he really didnt look back. In fact, to our surprise, he was voted school captain in Year 6.

Cate: What if the child has some reluctance about leaving friends behind? How much weight did you give to your childs feelings in making this decision?

Maree: See above!! Bobs initial reluctance was really more nervous apprehension than about leaving friends behind. He chose the year group that he finally accelerated into based on the age group he wanted to play with at lunch time. He was comfortable with that group and said that was where he wanted to get to.

Lynne: The fact that Jonathon did not want to miss Grade 6 year reflects the weight given to his views. The idea for a radical acceleration in high school, and the timing of it, was his. I knew where he was on the scale, and I knew that he would be able to handle it academically and the rest would follow, so I was more than prepared to help him achieve what he wanted to achieve.

Nat: Emalee has always been vastly different to the children in her class so leaving friends behind was not a problem for her as there were none. It is only this year that she has found a child that has similar interests and who tolerates Ems fascination with certain topics.

Rosemary: James feelings were paramount. We would not have gone ahead if he was not enthusiastic or at least willing to give it a go.

Cate: What do you wish you had known then (before the grade acceleration) that you know now?

Maree: The level of unprofessionalism that can exist in school culture. I have met with many parents of gifted, and learning disabled, children their stories are all the same just change the name of the child/teacher/school. If I knew at the gates of the Kindy what I know now, I would have home schooled and avoided the enormous cost incurred by my son and family.

Lynne: I wish that I had known about early entry. I wish that I had understood that much of the mythology surrounding acceleration is just that. I wish that I had known more about the research about acceleration and about the needs of gifted kids much earlier in his education. However, regret is a useless emotion, so theres not a lot of point in indulging in it. I just spend a fair bit of my spare time now helping to inform other parents who are currently where I was ten years ago and lobbying those who make the decisions to make better decisions.

Nat: I wish Id trusted my gut instincts about particular teachers, and then later the school as a whole. I wish Id been more forceful about getting the acceleration right as a process. I wish Id gone for early entry into Kindergarten and with a better teacher so that Ems first years at school werent so awful for her. I wish Id stood firm in my belief that we, parents, are the experts when it comes to our

G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 18

Full psychometric testing available throughout 2011

Classes are held Saturday afternoons 1-4 pm,for boys and girls of superior ability.

To apply for the 2011 programme or bookin for IQ Testing please contact:

The Extension Centre Office,Boundary St, Croydon, NSW, 2132

(02) 9704 5634

kids, and not let myself be persuaded by the fact that the teachers were the professionals.

Rosemary: I think James could possibly have coped with another years acceleration. He got a HD for the university course he did in Year 11 and was equal first in the State which really set me thinking about how much time he must have wasted at school. I think (like his siblings) he will enjoy university much more than school. Perhaps if I had known more about the benefits of radical acceleration, we may have gone down that path its hard to say.

Any final comments?

Maree: Passion, enthusiasm and the ability to teach well really engages Bob and inspires him to try harder. This year has started out better. He is finally finding an interest and hopes to pursue it at university next year. He is actually looking forward to more learning rather than his previous aim to finish school and never go back. Meanwhile, Im on the sidelines holding my breath and hoping that he will finally find more like minded teachers and students at university. Maybe there the child with the rage to learn will re-emerge from his long hibernation.

Lynne: I continue to live in hope that one day the needs of gifted students will automatically be fully met in all education systems. I live in hope that the need to group like minded students in a critical mass will be recognised as essential to their social, emotional and intellectual well being. I live in hope that students will be grouped and moved through their school experience in accordance with their ability, not their age. I live in hope that Australia will one day celebrate

academic achievement in the same way that it celebrates sporting achievement.

Nat: The teachers that weve come across (with only one or two exceptions) have mostly been totally under informed about giftedness, let alone profoundly gifted kids, and know nothing other than common misconceptions regarding acceleration. I now have an almost 10 year old daughter in Year 6 who is trying her best to enjoy aspects of school but who has been grossly underachieving since Kinder. Currently I am working on a chronology of whats happened to Miss Em since she started school. Shes off to high school next year and were determined to make her experience there far better than her experience of primary school has been.

Rosemary: Acceleration is definitely an under utilised intervention for addressing the needs of high ability students. The whole process of acceleration was fairly seamless for us, greatly assisted by an informed principal and a supportive school environment. On its own, acc-eleration was not sufficient to address his learning needs, but he got through school and actually enjoyed his final year. When we talked recently about the various factors that impact on intellectual development and academic success, James rated having three older siblings (read mentors) as the most significant for him. I wouldnt disagree!

Readers please note that the content in this article was obtained from 2010-2011.

*Not her real name.

Got a comment? Got a question? Email the editor at:editor@nswagtc.org.au

9G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

Well it is certainly interesting times to be stepping in to the Presidency of the NSWAGTC. We are in the midst of change and facing enormous challenges, the extent of which have only become apparent to the new committee since their election. We are embracing these challenges as an opportunity to remodel ourselves, improve processes and services, and ultimately become more engaged with your needs as members.

Before I elaborate on some of the exciting developments we have planned, it is my pleasure to acknowledge the contribution of some past volunteers and staff who have moved on. Denise Wood, our outgoing President has worked tirelessly over the past three years and before that as a committee member. She has also worked as the Editor of Outside the Square, the centre-spread of this magazine, which many children have no doubt enjoyed over the years. On behalf of our membership, we thank Denise most sincerely for her dedicated leadership and commitment, and we welcome her continuing involvement and support as immediate Past President.

Cate Clark is retiring as Editor of Gifted after 11 years in the job, which makes her the longest-serving editor of the journal. During that time the journal has evolved its professional standard and layout, becoming more visually appealing while full of compelling information valuable to parents, carers and educators of gifted children. On behalf of the readers of Gifted, past and present, we thank Cate and wish her well with her future endeavours.

We are so fortunate to have had committee members join us with expertise in areas that we need right now, including Business Management, Accounting, Marketing, Information Technology and Change Management. Some of us are full-time parents, teachers, psychologists, medical specialists. What has drawn us together for this important work, is our common experience of parenting gifted children and adolescents, and seeking to have their needs recognised and addressed. A personal profile introducing each new committee member will be forthcoming in the next edition.

As Im an oldie, I will give a brief background for those who dont know me. I first joined the Association in 1988, when my oldest children were 5 and 3, co-opted by my GP to help her organise some events for the Sydney South Support Group. Life intervened, as it is wont to do, and two more children, a return to teaching, post-graduate studies in Pastoral Care (early 90s), Gifted Education (early 2000s) and an expanding career, meant that I did not become actively involved again until 2008 when I published my sons story. I did this in the hope of inspiring other parents struggling with a disengaged and discouraged son or daughter for whom school is a mismatch, that there can be astonishing light at the end of the tunnel when these children find their niche and regain their self belief. In 2009 I joined the NSWAGTC committee and have filled a number of positions since. My main work at present is as a Gifted Education Coordinator and Teacher Mentor K-12, and as a Teacher Educator with Teacher Training Australia.

Our first priority, as the incoming Committee, has been to analyse past financial and management processes to understand what we need to do differently in order to streamline operations. Theres no point having wonderful ideas for future events if our registration systems and accounting processes continue to let us down. To this end, we are setting up an e-commerce function on our website, which should be operational by the end of July. We are very grateful to a new committee member who has already made a substantial donation to this project and is overseeing its implementation. This is phase one of ongoing improvements to the functionality of our website.

We apologise ahead of time for possible delays in some services, while we are expediting this. If you have any skills that you could offer, for example office skills, sourcing and writing articles, editing, IT, responding to inquiries, fund raising, please email us at:

secretary@nswagtc.org.auAlternatively, please consider making a (tax deductible) donation. We urgently need funds to stabilise the Association and to build better systems and services to support you on the gifted journey and ensure all our children reach their fullest potential. You will find a Donate Now link on our home page at: www.nswagtc.org.au.

A Message from the New President By Rosemary Hammerton

ST IVES NORTH PUBLIC SCHOOLTHE KU-RING-GAI UNIT FOR GIFTED

& TALENTED STUDENTSA Designated Centre of Excellence

Celebrating 20 years of expertise in gifted education

For more information contact the co-ordinator:Mrs Carmela May 02 9144 7743

St Ives North Public School87 Memorial Avenue, St Ives NSW 2075

Mrs Julie Organ Principal

APPLICATIONS FOR 2012 NOW OPEN

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 26th AUGUST 2011

VACANCIES YEAR 3LIMITEDVACANCIES YEAR 5

SCHOOL

ST IVES NORTH

Learn to Live

The Ku-ring-gai Unit for Gifted and Talented Students provides a challenging and rigorous program in

full-time classes for Years 3 to 6.A differentiated curriculum incorporates extension and enrichment

of the Key Learning Areas in a very supportive and caring environment with specialist teachers qualified in gifted education.

10 G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

Dear Cate

I just received my copy of Gifted and was delighted that you ran the story on Misdiagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults. I refer this book to many of my clients parents as it is exceptional. I see many kids who are inappropriately diagnosed with a myriad of conditions rather than gifted. I believe the school system would rather put the ADHD label on a child rather than gifted. It is easier for them or that is what I think!! I was reading the story about Harrison and it reminded me of a boy I saw last year I hope his school understands or importantly wants to understand.

The magazine continues to be great. There is nothing else like it out there. Congratulations!!!

Best Wishes

Ernst Meyer Educational Psychologist

Received via Email 21 May 2011.

Hi Cate

Just wanted to say Ive been doing my monthly review spreadsheet this morning and have been going back over all of Catrionas reviews pulling out quotes. Thank you Catriona so much for them all youve made such thoughtful and insightful comments on all of the books, never just gushing or lambasting as some reviewers tend to but offering interesting and pertinent analysis and I am impressed again by how prolific you are! (Found a Violet Mackerel up already!)

Thanks so much

Leonie Jordan Walker Books

Received via email 24 May 2011.

Hi Cate

Thanks so much for the recent articles on acceleration. It has been terrific to read of other parents experiences, both the good and the bad. As I continue my rollercoaster journey with my two young gifted kids Ill remember to put sticky notes on all the relevant articles so that I can go back and reread as necessary!

Regards

One happy Mum

Received via email 10th June 2011.

The NSWAGTC is continuing to upgrade its electronic offerings by improving

the use of its website as a tool of communication with you, our members,

and transferring the processing of transactions online. By around the

end of July you will be able to renew your subscription to the association and make secure online payments

for things such as events, books and donations. Please go to the website at http://nswagtc.org.au and follow the menu links to myNSWAGTC and

then Join Now! to ensure that you can benefit from these changes and that

the association can communicate with you by email when necessary.

As part of these improvements recent editions and all future editions of the Gifted journal will be accessible to

members on the myNSWAGTC menu. If you update your contact details on the website you will be advised by email

when the latest online edition has been released. Over the next few months

we will be surveying our members and journal readership regarding the option

of making all future editions a fully online journal.

G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1 11

Maths Competition

The 2011 Australian Mathematics Competition has

been set for Thursday 04 August 2011.

www.amt.canberra.edu.au/eventsamc.html

for more information.

Preferred Contact PointsGot a query that you would like answered by your Association? Go to:http://nswagtc.org.au/contacts/preferred-contact-points.

htmlto find out the correct email address to contact to get a response to your question. Below are the areas according to email contacts:

Event InformationFor communications about events apart from registrations

Event BookingsFor communications about event bookings/registrations

MembershipFor communications about membership records and details

AccountsFor communications about financial accounts

Teaching SupportFor communications about teaching gifted children

Gifted with Learning Disabilities (GLD)For communications about gifted children with learning

disabilities (twice exceptional)

Highly GiftedFor communications about highly gifted children

Visual SpatialFor communications about visual spatially oriented children

General EnquiriesFor general enquiries not better handled elsewhere

WebmasterFor communications about any website issues

Editor Gifted JournalFor communications related to the Gifted Journal

A Letter to All Readers of Gifted

After ten years of reviewing books for Gifted it is with some sadness that I wish to inform readers that I have to take a break from deadlines in order to focus my limited energy on family matters. I will still be writing reviews for and moderating the Online Booklist (http://nswagtc.org.au/reviews.html) and trying to write regular blogs at The Cats Library (http://nswagtc.org.au/blogs/the-cats-library.html) and gifted readers who are interested in new releases in childrens literature are encouraged to visit these sites regularly. Writing for Gifted has been a great opportunity and working with Cate Clark, editor extraordinaire, an honour and a privilege. May all your gifted and talented children readers and non-readers alike thrive and grow into strong, creative individuals to lead and nourish this much maligned but often beautiful and amazing world we share.

ARE YOU MISSING AN ISSUE OR TWO? BACK ISSUES OF GIFTED ARE AVAILABLE @ ONLY $6 + $3 P&H Contact the office@nswagtc.org.au

12 G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

By Carol Barnes

A presentation by a representative of NSW Department of Education and Training on the NSW DET gifted policy.

A presentation by a lawyer on using disability discrimination legislation to allow GLD children and indeed all LD children to benefit from their profession-ally recommended classroom accommodations and special exam provisions.

A panel of four allied health professionals on whats on offer in the way of support and remediation for GLD children.

A panel of successful young people who are them-selves GLD.

A plenary on school advocacy from the point of view of BOTH the parent AND the teacher.

The formal presentations were complemented by a chill-out room for parents new to gifted or new to GLD, to eat lunch together and chat informally and compare experiences, and also by small group discussion sessions, the reports of which will be compiled into a submission for policy makers on how we may most effectively pool resources to support these brilliant yet counter-intuitive learners. Watch this space for further information about its publication towards the end of the year.

Carol Barnes is the volunteer Convenor of the NSWAGTC support group for parents and teachers of GLD children, and the mother of two gifted young adults with multiple learning disabilities. If youd like to receive information about the GLD Group, identifying GLD children, or parenting and teaching GLD students, Carol may be contacted at:

carol@bartink.com.au.

Saturday 14 May saw over 100 parents, teachers, psychologists and other professionals from at least four States gather at the Australian Catholic University, Strathfield for the NSWAGTC inaugural full-day conference on gifted children with learning disabilities (GLD).

Instead of GLD Forum, we called the conference 2e Forum for reasons best explained in the flyer, which can still be found here: www.nswagtc.org.au/files/2e_day_-_regn_Form_-_edited_3.pdf

The Forum keynote speaker was Dr Mark Selikowitz, a Sydney developmental paediatrician with a special interest in gifted children with disabilities, and author of introductory books on dyslexia and ADHD.

The program included:

Several sessions for parents and/or teachers on how to support GLD children both at home and in the classroom.

13G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

*Please note that part 1 of this article is available online at: http://nswagtc.org.au/mynswagtc/gifted-journal/online-issues.html in the Full Access file. However, you must be a full financial member of the Association in order to access the article.

Introduction

Having defined a view of a perfectionist, the factors that may contribute to perfectionism, and some of the beliefs and behaviours common to many perfectionists in the previous article, the next step is to look at what strategies can be used to try to prevent or at least remediate perfectionistic tendencies in young people.

Attribution of success or failure in perfectionists: (Or why they think they achieved or failed!)

The personal belief of someone as to what led them to experience either success or failure is very revealing.

Unhealthy perfectionists tend to

Minimisesuccesses(Itwasonlybecauseitwaseasyto find the information/do the task.)

Overgeneralise and exaggerate failures (That wholeassignment was no good because they lost marks on one aspect)

Blamethemselvesforfailureinternalise attribution (Im just not good enough.)

Healthy perfectionists tend to

Attribute their success to their own effort/ability (Iworked hard on that research.)

By Jan Robinson

GATSTAPRESENTER2010

Make situation specific attributions for failure, eventhough they feel great frustration/anger with failure (That was careless I should have analysed that section more before I wrote it.)

Remediating Perfectionism

The burning question is of course, What can parents and teachers do to remediate/prevent perfectionism? The answer is to change the thinking of these students from It will never be good enough to Im just going to challenge myself to do the best I can and be happy that Ive learned something new and each time I do this I will improve.

In the Home

Parents should strive to:

Examine theirownbehaviouroftenaperfectionisticchild has at least one perfectionistic parent! Are you overly critical of your own achievements? Do you do everything for your child, thereby implying they cant do it well enough?

Givetheirchildunconditionallovethatisunrelatedtotheir behaviours, successes or failures show that you love them for who they are as a person.

Forge strong emotional ties respect your childsfeelings positive or negative.

Communicate openly and honestly with their child praise when it is truly warranted, and keep reprimands for major issues the rest of the time discuss and negotiate ways to improve or move forward.

14 G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 114

Encourage your child to admit problems or personaldifficulties to see them as part of everyones life experience and something to be responded to rather than fretted about.

Be aware of giving unspoken, implied criticism thedisapproving tone of voice, the frown, the raised eyebrow etc.

Model acceptance of theirown failures/limitations in all aspects of their lives laugh at yourself, share your faults.

Trytoteachyourchildnottotake grades personally. Be willing to acknowledge your childs dissatisfaction with their grades on a task, and then teach them to look at it in relation to the marking criteria, rather than as a reflection of their ability they can also then see what aspect to work on for improved performance next time.

Demonstratethroughyourownactionsthatmistakes are part of the learning process in ALL parts of life. They are not specifically an indication of failure.

Encourage setting of realistic goals in any aspect oflife.

Teachyourchildbasicorganisationalstrategiestouse keeping their things in order, establishing routines for daily life etc.

Talkabouttheunattainablenatureofperfectionfrom an early age children can develop a healthy understanding if it is consistently discussed.

Giveplentyofopportunitiesathomeinsafesettingstoexperience failure and practice resilience in continuing on eg in encouraging children to try new things a new food, a new hobby, a new place to visit etc.

Encourageyourchildtobeanexplorerof lifegivethem safe but broad parameters and let them go theyll discover that trial and error is a valid way to learn new things that a mistake can teach more than finding the right way straight away can. Such experiences have the added benefit of empowering them as they have a time when they have control/autonomy over their life.

Give children the opportunity to see that in somesituations/tasks, that there are more than one way to achieve success learning that there can be multiple CORRECT alternatives can be very liberating!

Modelresponsetostresswhatyoudoandhowyouovercome it positively to move forward.

Be forgiving and accepting of others mistakes andshortcomings.

Encourage your child to understand that workingthrough conflict in friendships is normal and often part of developing deeper friendship bonds, rather than a reason to break off friendships.

Readthroughthecriteriaforschooltaskswithyourchildand monitor their progress especially helping them to bring each step to closure rather than letting them go on and on researching ad infinitum (for example).

Teach them to draw joy and satisfaction from theirlife to relish and enjoy their successes, and to keep frustrations and mistakes in perspective.

In the Classroom

Students need to be able to feel they can trust in the teacher in order to be able to work with him/her. That trust

means that the teacher is able to give the necessary push to the perfectionistic student to encourage the student to be more of a risk maker (trying something risky because they want to do it)/risk taker (trying

something risky because it is required of them by someone else). Stretching the challenge level of the student to the point where they experience small failures occasionally and can accept those small failures as part of the learning process, teaches them to view failure as NOT the end of the world!

Developing a sense of self efficacy, that is related to the attainment of excellence, rather than perfection, will also improve the sense of self worth in an unhealthy perfectionist. It is important that teachers give students the tools and strategies to allow them to achieve this.

Teachers can assist the perfectionist by:

Modellingacceptanceoftheirownfailures/limitations.

Demonstrating an acceptance of mistakes madeby students and assist them in finding strategies to overcome or correct them (Particularly avoid the What were you thinking?! comment.).

Teaching that mistakes are an integral part of thelearning process not an indication of failure.

Modellingandteachinghowtosetrealistic,achievablegoals and that focus should be on improvement.

Explaining the importance of being a risk maker AND a risk taker, and also explaining the difference between them: risk maker (trying something risky because they want to do it), risk taker (trying something

risky because it is required of them by someone else). Ask them to recall situations involving both and talk about where their comfort levels were in each to develop self awareness it may aid them in overcoming the

negative feelings or anxiety they may be experiencing.

Encouragingpositiveselftalk.

KeepingthefocusontheprocessANDtheoutcome,NOT one or the other evaluate progress rather than product only.

Providingopportunityforinterestbasedprojectstheseare based on a desire to know and a wish to succeed.

Providing clearmarking criteria for tasks set in classand encourage students to look closely at the criteria in considering their achievement so that they understand that it is the content that is being assessed, not their worth as a person.

Assistingstudentstocometoapointofclosureoneachstep of a task by setting clear parameters regarding number of sources/time to be spent on it/number of points to be included etc.

mistakes are part of the learning process in ALL parts

of life.

Explain the importance of being a risk maker AND a

risk taker,

15G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1 15

Teaching students to usemarking criteria to allocatetime and effort level to be expended on each section of the task. Explain the requirements clearly and advise of the need to know when to stop researching encourage the child to set a time limit or a number of sources as the maximum needed.

Presentingworkthatisatthepointofoptimallearningjust slightly above mastery level research indicates that this promotes flow and develops intrinsic motivation.

Creatingopportunityforchallengethatmaybringsomeexperience of failure, or of things that they dont know so that they have somewhere to go in their learning.

Teaching students to rehearsewhatmight gowrong to voice concerns they may have about the task before they attempt it and discuss ways that they might respond to problems pre-empting it becoming an issue.

Consideringwhatyouwillrewardandhowitwillberewarded; are we only rewarding the right answer, or are we rewarding effort, personal progress or even original thinking that shows new perspectives?

Providingcounsellingonperfectionisticbehavioursthatarise from time to time eg negative thinking patterns, unthinking, self limiting behaviour, self sabotaging behaviour, goal setting etc.

Providingaccesstomentorswithinorexternaltotheschool setting.

Using bibliotherapy. (Also use examples such as theprocess of writing a book to discuss the striving for excellence rather than perfection, or the lives of eminent people. Thomas A Edison wrote I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways that dont work. and Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Similarly Einstein stated Do not worry about your problems with mathematics. I assure you mine are far greater. Such personal reflections show students that everyone has doubts and everyone fails, and that everyone has to strive and challenge themselves it being part of the process of moving forward in learning.)

Without Being Alarmist Something to be Mindful OfUnhealthy perfectionists are vulnerable to psychological disorders if feelings of self worth are left unchecked. These can be expressed as:

Low self confidence

Eating disorders

Anxiety

Personality disorders

Social phobias related to their own worth friendship difficulties

Physical medical conditions eg irritable bowel disorder, migraine etc

Alcoholism/drug taking

Depression

The cycle of success = self worth, and not meeting excessively high standards = failure, means that

perfectionism can lead to very low self esteem and low self efficacy, which can lead to depression.

Moving ForwardThose first signs of perfectionistic tendencies the comments about a competition or a school task of I have to be the best or the way a child responds to compliments Thanks, but I should have done better than that can be overlooked as throwaway lines.

However, if such responses become habitual then more explicit attention to changing such unhealthy beliefs and behaviours needs to be undertaken. If children can be prevented from slipping into unhealthy perfectionistic thinking and behaviours in the first place, then there is more an increased likelihood of them developing healthy forms of perfectionism where excellence is desired, rather than perfection.

Parents and teachers who become aware of perfectionistic children/adolescents in their care must also be aware that simply beginning to say all the right things or putting into place those strategies previously mentioned, will not turn around years of ingrained belief and behaviour patterns. Changing these habitual responses will involve firstly bringing the perfectionist to some level of self awareness about their beliefs and behaviour patterns, and will then take time and perseverance in order to help them begin to use the different thinking and strategies which will encourage them to more positive learning patterns. A team effort between the student themselves, parents and teachers, is more likely to elicit the most favourable outcome in remediating unhealthy and limiting perfectionistic behaviours.

And in Answer to the Question Posed in the Title of This Paper ...Pencils have erasers in order to achieve that fine balance between risk and challenge in our work; to encourage us to take on tasks that are at our optimal challenge level and therefore involve risk. The eraser is there to reassure that mistakes are okay, because you have the tools to correct them. The willingness to accept our errors, to find where we went wrong, and to learn how to correct it for next time, is that tool our eraser! This tool or approach puts the focus on growth in learning, rather than on achievement.

As parents and teachers, our task then, is to teach perfectionistic children in our care the thinking patterns and behaviours that will overcome their unhealthy perfectionism tendencies (or to stop them developing in the first place). We need to encourage them to adopt this, healthier, approach to life and learning in short, to provide them with the eraser on the end of their pencil.

The most difficult part of attaining perfection is finding something to do as an encore.

Author unknown.

Jan Robinson has experience teaching in the UK and Australia over a period of 22 years. Currently Curriculum and GAT Coordinator K-10 for an Independent girls school in Sydney, she holds a COGE Certificate and Masters in Gifted Education. Jan has drawn on academic reading within the area, her time in the field of education, and her own experience of perfectionistic tendencies within her immediate family in discussing the subject of perfectionism in this paper.

G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 116

The NSWAGTC is now calling for expressions of interest

Editor of Gifted journal. Forover20yearsthejournal,Gifted,hasbeenatthe forefront of the gifted community in New South Wales (and other States) providing information to parents, teachers and other interested parties about the uniqueness and challenges of gifted children.

In the role of Editor you will:

seek appropriate articles, contacting andnegotiating with contributors

seekappropriateadvertisingforthejournal

liaisewithagraphicdesigner inregardtothejournals design

negotiate with printers to produce a qualityprint product

keepuptodatecopyrightrecords

load completed articles onto the NSWAGTCwebsite database (training supplied)

The role would most suit an organised thinker who is prepared to work outside the square to deliver a quality print and electronic product. Writing/editing background is preferred and the ability to set and maintain deadlines is essential. Some handover assistance will be provided.

Please note that this will initially be a voluntaryposition. It provides a visible platform for a person seeking to demonstrate their editorial and management skills.

For further information contact Rosemary Hammerton at:

secretary@nswagtc.org.au

17G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

It has long been a concern: what happens to gifted students from low socio-economic backgrounds and how do they thrive in our current education systems allowing them to progress to university? The home background of pupils is the single most important factor influencing educational outcomes. Poverty is strongly correlated with a range of other home background variables, including parental educational attainment, thus it is difficult to separate the effects of limited financial resources from other home background factors (www.iiep.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_u pload/Info_Services_Publications/pdf/2009/EdPol10.pdf). It is truly important to remember that gifted children are born into families with any type of background.

The Federal Government wants twenty percent of undergraduate enrolments by 2020 to be people from poor backgrounds. I think this goal is becoming increasingly difficult to realise for a number of reasons. We are living in an increasingly stratified society that represents an ever widening gap between the very wealthy and the very poor. NSW, particularly Sydney, has become a very competitive place with distinct lines between geographic area and socio-economic levels. It would seem that the trend is to choose independent education if the family has the means to do so which results in some pooling of students from like backgrounds within their families schools of choice or by location. Schools undoubtedly reflect the investment they attract from their feeder communities. Characteristically, the schools with the greatest educational challenges will attract the least resources locally. We have evidence of stratification of educational resourcing along socio-economic lines.

Do not misinterpret this argument by concluding that I think independent education is superior to public education. I have never said this and never will. Experience has taught me that the best and the worst of education occurs in the public system. But I make the comment that the very most demanding work required by schools is to value add in skills and knowledge to children whose home backgrounds have given them the least chance of success. If we leave that job to the most stressed schools we are a state that cares too little. We have become only interested in our own well being and not in that of the community in which we belong.

And gifted children will fall through the cracks more than ever and certainly more than half a century ago when the vast majority of students were publicly educated and teachers were sent across the state as a condition of their bonded employment. It was easier then to access scholarships and university education even if you came from a home where there had been only modest education. I was a recipient of that advantage and I wish no less for every other child with intellectual potential.

Responses are welcome to filmer@tpg.com.au

After teaching for twenty years Rhonda established Twice Exceptional which caters to the learning needs of gifted students and those with learning disabilities, their parents and schools.

By Rhonda Filmer

Under Privileged Gifted Children

RHONDASH E T O R I C

18 G I F T E D J U L Y 2 0 1 1

By Cate Clark

The Gifted JourneyThe gifted journey is a long one. I have been participating in my own for over forty years! My children Grace and James, still in their teens, are learning their own versions of the trip. In this edition Gifted celebrates the gifted experience and some of what that entails.

Starting SchoolKerry Hodge well known academic in the field of gifted found that many

young gifted kids need to start formalised schooling ahead of their age cohorts. In this article Kerry talks about the experiences of families with young gifted children who looked for ways to support their small poppies. Pages 28 34.

AccelerationAfter the business of starting school, acceleration quite often becomes an area that gifted families need to consider. In this final article on one of the most confronting areas of gifted education, mums Nat, Rosemary, Maree and Lynne complete their observations of what the acceleration experience has meant for their families. Pages 5 7.

Perfectionism Many gifted families find that they have a child who is quantifiably outside the norm their child thinks and feels very much differently from other children of a similar age. One of these asynchronies may be a child whose rage to learn manifests itself in perfectionism. However, Jan Robinson points out there are ways to be a healthy perfectionist. Pages 13 15.

Gifted TeensAs suggested in the opening paragraph giftedness is a lifelong experience. Being a gifted teenager is very hard. The struggle to fit into societal norms yet to perform to academic, parental and self expectations can be an incredibly taxing experience. Jean Sunde Peterson, a counsellor and academic from the United States, offers some wise words for teachers and parents in dealing with the developmental variations that gifted teens often exhibit. Pages 23 26.

The 2011 AGM Presidential Report and Message From the New PresidentThe 2011 AGM Presidential Report and Message From the New President In early June the NSWAGTC had its Annual General Meeting. Denise Wood delivered her final report as President (pages 3-5). Also new President Rosemary Hammerton introduces herself and explains where to from here for the NSWAGTC. Page 9.

A New Editor for GiftedI wished to advise readers that this is the last edition of Gifted that I will organise and edit. After eleven years I believe that it is time for a new person to look at the journal in a fresh way. I wanted to personally thank each and every one of Gifteds readers over this time for the privilege of allowing this journal into your home and/or school.

I also wanted to thank all the people who contributed articles, stories, anecdotes and photos over this time. I most particularly wish to thank Denise Wood for being a pleasure to work with as childrens editor for Outside the Square and also Catriona Coote who has voluntarily reviewed hundreds of books for the Association. Thank you also to David Farmer, the NSWAGTCs current webmaster (and previous editor of Gifted) who helped me initially learn the ropes and recently for his patience as I learnt how to load electronic files to the website.

People such as the ones mentioned above make good organisations great and I thank them for the dedication to the cause of helping to advocate for gifted children in this State over the last eleven years.

I began on this editorship journey when my daughter Grace was identified as gifted at age three and accelerated into Kindergarten the following year. My son James was also to be identified shortly after this being able to attend preschool a year earlier than most children. Through the years we have experienced some amazing things as a gifted family and both Grace and James graciously consented to be written about and photographed (see photo this page and also page 23 and 25) in order to share some of these experiences. I thank them for their support of their Mum.

Lastly, in 2005 I was lucky enough to (finally) marry my childhood sweetheart Geordie. I wish to thank him for his limitless support. It was wonderful to have someone to talk to about things gifted.

Finally to any new members reading the journal for the first time I welcome you and I encourage you to hang on and enjoy the ride!

I certainly have!

G I F T E D O U T S I D E T H E S Q U A R E J U L Y 2 0 1 1 19

How are we different now to those who are part of our history? How are we the same? Around you now is a world far removed from the world of your parents,

and even more far removed from the world of your grandparents.100 years ago in 1911, it would have been impossible to imagine some of the

ways we do things now, and some of the tools and materials we use. How have our minds changed? Do we think differently than our ancestors?

In this issue we will consider families in the past, and facts and figures about you gathering data for historical use perhaps. Every day we make history but we dont always realise it. Some experiments to raise questions in your

mind, and some ways of developing the strength of your mind. For our youngest readers, there are ideas on finding your family tree; for older readers some

ideas about the types of mind we need for the future, and ways of building your mind power. For everyone there are some puzzles for exploring. Enjoy!

How are we different now to those who are part of our history? How are we the same? Around you now is a world far removed from the world of your parents,

and even more far removed from the world of your grandparents.100 years ago in 1911, it would have been impossible to imagine some of the

ways we do things now, and some of the tools and materials we use. How have our minds changed? Do we think differently than our ancestors?

In this issue we will consider families in the past, and facts and figures about you gathering data for historical use perhaps. Every day we make history but we dont always realise it. Some experiments to raise questions in your

mind, and some ways of developing the strength of your mind. For our youngest readers, there are ideas on finding your family tree; for older readers some

ideas about the types of mind we need for the future, and ways of building your mind power. For everyone there are some puzzles for exploring. Enjoy!

G I F T E D O U T S I D E T H E S Q U A R E J U L Y 2 0 1 120

Finding Out About Your Family Family trees are used to create a visual image of the connections between generations and relations. The concept of using a tree developed from the way families often have different branches.

You can start you own tree that shows your immediate family and then start to put together the branches if you know of other members.

1. Draw a tree trunk on a piece of paper, with a number of branches. Cut out leaf shapes you can make them different sizes or from different colours of green.

2. Put your name on a leaf and place it near the top of the tree. Make leaves for your siblings.

3. Add your parents, and their brothers and sisters to the middle, level of the tree.

4. Right at the bottom you need to write your grandparents names. Some of you will know four grandparents; some two, some only one! All our families are different.

You can see that if you then explore your cousins, and other members of their families you can soon start to see how connections happen. How much can you find out about your grandparents as you do this? What memories are there to gather and collect as family

stories?

Are you similar to any of your earlier relatives? You might find you look like some, or you remind your

relatives of others.

Families are all different is yours one tree, or a collection of trees? Are there many complex branches or simple, singular ones? Families impact on the way we view the world and how the world views us. Finding out the stories of your family is a way to better understand yourself sometimes too.

Evidence of you! What are the things that are individual to you? That make you unique? Can you build a profile of yourself that highlights your differences?

Make A Set Of Fingerprints: Stepoutontotheblankpage.Youmayneedtohavesomeone help you as your feet will be slippery.

Standstill,sothattheprintisclearandthenstepoffonto a towel of piece of newspaper.

Again,compareyourfootprinttotheonethatwouldbe left by others is there a family likeness?

Personal Detective:Other data you can collect for your profile:

Make a fact file: your favourite items food, music, TV programs, books, authors, breakfast cereal, sport. Collect the same information from other family members and compare the details.

Collect your numbers your weight, height, birthday, number of teeth.

Write a personal song: what lyrics would you create to describe you and

what melody would you put it to? Choose an easy well known tune, and write lyrics about

you to sing!

Make a family map: what are the important dates for your family? Map them on a calendar and see if any patterns emerge? Are all the birthdays at certain times? When are the special occasions is there a pattern here?

Explore your ancient measurements what is your span, cubit, digit, palm, hand?

(if you are interested in other ancient measurements, have a look at this glossary of measurement terms: www.hemyockcastle.co.uk/measure.htm)

When your detective work is done and your file is complete, compare your information to others you

know.

What do you notice about you?

You will need:

Astamppadwithgoodink Blankpagesofwhiteorpale

coloured paper

Then:

Carefullyplacethepadofyourthumb on one hand on the inkpad. Roll it slightly to ensure good coverage. Next, place your thumb firmly on the blank page, pressing evenly down until the mark is clear.

Repeatthiswithyourotherfingersand then the fingers on the other hand.

Itmightbeinterestingtocollectthefingerprints of other family members how similar are they?

Footprints: You will need:

Abakingtraywithapieceofthinfoam,largeenough to fit your foot on.

Blankpaper.

Paint.

Waterandtoweltocleanyourfootafterwards!

Then:

Setupyourfootstamppadinaplacewhereyoucan easily wash your feet.

Coverthefoamwithathinlayerofpaint.Spreaditout so that it is even across the foam.

Withbarefeet,standcarefullyonthepaintpad,moving your feet to ensure the soles are evenly covered.

21G I F T E D O U T S I D E T H E S Q U A R E J U L Y 2 0 1 1

While our younger readers have been thinking about themselves in terms of facts, figures and preferences, for our older readers there is another perspective to each of us how we think, how we learn and how we use our mind to solve problems.

What is your thinking style?Five thinking styles have been identified by Robert Bransom his descriptions give details of the different ways that people think about their experiences, their problems and their actions.

Can you identify yourself in and of these profiles?

1 Synthesists: creative thinkers, who notice opposites in the world around them; who like to confront those around them with different viewpoints or concepts.

2 Idealists: set big goals; have high expectations for themselves, aim to achieve high standards in everything they do.

3 Pragmatist Thinkers: resourceful, flexible. Like to be rewarded quickly for what they do. Set short term goals.

4 Analyst Thinkers: are accurate, thorough thinkers who pay attention to detail. Like to make logical plans and backup their ideas with information.

5 Realist Thinkers: doers; respond to sensory input, like short concise information. How do you think about the experiences you have or plan to have? Do any of these describe you?

Others see the mind in different ways.Howard Gardner (who developed the theory of multiple intelligences) has also described what he calls the five minds for the future:

The Disciplinary Mind: this mind is about mastering knowledge and skills, learning the details of formal areas of study. It is the mind of factual learning and study, of order and logic.

The Synthesizing Mind: this mind integrates various experiences, knowledge, and skills to create a whole picture. This is the mind that communicates the big picture to those around and to make connections from experiences and knowledge.

TheCreatingMind: this mind is capable of finding new ideas, new perspectives, new connections.

It clarifies problems, asks questions, identifies original ideas.

The Respectful Mind: this mind is sensitive to others the differences, the similarities, the relationships and understandings about the differences between humans.

The Ethical Mind: this mind is where the responsibilities towards those around the person, their values and important judgements are considered and dealt with.

Gardner describes these minds as necessary in everybody noting that while there may be natural tendencies to think in a certain way, it will be important that everyone nurtures their thinking across all the sorts of mind. He considers that what is needed for the future is an ability to utilise all the different minds at different times, depending on the situation. He talks about the need to not work on each mind discretely but rather to see them as constantly developing over time, with certain times when the focus may be more or less on one. It matters that we are able to utilise different approaches to the problems and issues in the world today.

Can you control the way you think, or the type of mind you are strongest at using? He suggests that we can all work to build our mind power across the five minds.

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Number Patterns and ProblemsFibbonacci Numbers are a well known pattern sequence that appears in many places in nature and in man made settings. Their emergence is always intriguing. You might want to look up some more information about these numbers at:

www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Fibonacci.htmlor

http://plus.maths.org/content/os/issue3/fibonacci/index

Here are some puzzles that use these numbers. Have fun with them!

Leonardos Leaps I try and take the stairs rather than the elevator whenever I can so that I get a little more exercise these days. If Im in a hurry, I can leap two stairs at once otherwise its the usual one stair at a time. If I mix these two kinds of action step onto the next or else leap over the next onto the following one then in how many different ways can I get up a flight of steps?

Making a bee-line with Fibonacci numbers Here is a picture of a bee starting at the end of some cells in its hive. It can start at either cell 1 or cell 2 and moves only to the right (that is, only to a cell with a higher number in it).

There is only one path to cell 1, but two ways to reach cell 2: directly or via cell 1.

For cell 3, it can go 123, 13, or 23, that is, there are three different paths.

How many paths are there from the start to cell number n?

I am sure you will discover something as you work out the answers to these! I found them all, and more puzzles at:

www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibpuzzles.html

In this issue I have given you some ideas about your history, about being a personal detective and about how you can develop your ability to think and problem solve.

I hope that you have found it interesting and that it has given you some food for thought. Until next time, keep always seeking to find new answers, to ask good questions and to be surprised by what you find out!

As always, if you have work to publish please submit it to my email address:

dwood@csu.edu.au

I look forward to receiving it.Denise

Ways to Build your Mind PowerPractice: to build the power of your disciplined mind, you need to be willing to take in new knowledge and to practise the skills and techniques you learn until you have mastered them. Practise is what builds strength we know this in sport, but even in things of the mind.

Diligence: this also builds your disciplined mind. You need to focus on taking in the details, in finding out further information asking good questions and continually seeking to know more about something, approaching learning as a life long experience.

Organising: for your synthesised mind, being conscious of the importance of being prepared, having the materials one needs, planning and setting goals allows you to be prepared and to be ready for new ideas. Using tools that show how ideas connect and link helps deeper understanding.

Open Mindedness: again, for your synthesising mind, if you are able to be open minded when you hear new information asking how it links, what it tells you about what you already knew, what else you now know. These attitudes help us to assimilate new information and to bring it to bear on our existing knowledge in new ways.

Go Beyond: your creative mind requires you to think beyond the obvious to ask questions that are new in an area, to look for unexpected connections and ideas. Creative work is about taking whats known and enhancing it, adapting it, taking the risk of putting out something different.

Understand Others: your respectful mind becomes stronger when you deliberately seek to get to know and understand others who are different to you. When you put effort and real thought into the way you work with others; the way you listen to them and consider their point of view and ideas, when you show acceptance of the differences and care for others you will strengthen your capacity to utilise your respectful mind.

Reflect on Your Responses: your ethical mind allows you to behave and respond in ways that reflect your personal values. You can strengthen its capacity by being aware of your behaviours, by thinking through what is important to you and what you value in others, yourself and the world at large. A daily time of meditation allows you to establish what is important and what is not, to decide about how you will respond to problems or people and to reflect on how you managed. Using this time to be aware of yourself builds the power of your ethical mind for when you are making other decisions or plans.

Be Mindful: another strategy that is presently being spoken about is the need to be mindful and deliberate to be aware of the world around you, of what is happening right now. Television and computer games create new realities and sometimes these become more important than what is just around us. Making time each day for doing nothing for sitting quietly and letting ones mind and body rest can make a difference to how strong our thinking power is, and our problem solving behaviours are.

Your mind is a powerful tool and unique everybody approaches everything differently!

It needs looking after and for a long time this was not realised. Looking after your precious mind will help you make the most of it.

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IntroductionIn individual, small group, or whole classroom counselling, I often include some psychoeducational information about normal developmental tasks when counselling individuals at any age. Since gifted teens face the same developmental tasks as anyone else their age, I offer this kind of information to them, too, when appropriate. Their experience of development is undoubtedly qualitatively different from others, but my framing their troubling thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in developmental terms seems to be helpful.

I also consider it important to speak in terms of universal developmental tasks, reminding gifted teens that struggles with identity, direction, autonomy, relationships, differentiation from and within family, and resolution of conflict probably characterise adolescents across cultures, socio-economic levels, and ability levels. Such information can help them embrace their own humanity and make sense of themselves and others. It may also help them be less critical of, and more patient with, themselves and adults and peers in their lives.

Sorting Out Feelings and BehavioursFor counsellors, feelings and behaviours make sense. Feelings can be unsettling, but they make sense when circumstances are considered. Behaviours may be ineffective and cause major probl-ems, but they may make sense as attempts to meet needs, to defend the self from real or perceived threats, to get attention from someone important to them, to be different, or to hide feelings of shame.

Making sense of feelings and behaviours can help gifted teens

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gain a greater sense of positive control. Feelings are not bad or good; they just are. Feelings can indeed feel out of control and crazy scary for someone accustomed to using a quick mind and good oral language skills to exert control in many areas of life. Behaviours can feel beyond personal control as well, and, given their high ability, gifted teens with behaviour problems may be called immature. Behaviours may frustrate, dismay, and embarrass invested adults. However, viewing feelings and behaviours in context, talking about them, and normalising them may help gifted teens to feel empowered regarding choice, personal agency, coping, expressive language, and relationships instead of feeling shame, defensiveness, and low worth.

Counsellors ideally offer a nonjudgmental, objective adult presence useful for helping children and teens sort through complex concerns. Counsellors have particular listening and responding skills. They are not invested in outcomes, with a personal stake, in the same way that parents, teachers, coaches, and directors are. They offer a blank slate for exploring the self, discovering strengths, and having these validated.

Each gifted adolescent is developing a work in progress. Supportive adults, during developmental challenges, can help gifted teens feel more comfortable and confident in school and elsewhere. Meeting them where they are, not where the adults think they ought to be, can be powerful. Counsellors and teens can work collaboratively toward more effective responses to environmental stimuli. When counsellors, educators, and parents pay attention to non-academic strengths and show interest in the whole person, comfortable, appropriate, and crucial relationships may result.

Sensitivities and Intensities Raising awareness of characteristics clinicians and researchers have associated with giftedness can help a gifted teen feel more normal as a gifted person. The brain of a gifted person is likely processing a great amount of environmental stimuli at any given time, hyper-responsive to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, interpersonal cues, and reminders of past experiences, for example. Dealing with these may feel overwhelming at times. Sensory overload may deplete energy and demand retreat. Even in the classroom, such sensitivity can have an impact on relationships with teacher and peers. Intensities related to intellect, creative expression, physical movement, and emotions can affect these relationships as well. Information about giftedness can help gifted teens put extreme feelings and odd behaviours into perspective and can potentially help them cope with challenges in and outside of the classroom.

In fact, an adult simply commenting that giftedness can be both asset and burden can lead to a productive discussion. Educators and perhaps the general public are accustomed to seeing high ability as an asset. The field of gifted education also typically focuses significantly on high motivation for academic performance when considering eligibility for special services, curriculum, and how services will be structured. It is important to consider how sensitivities and intensities can be burdensome and potentially problematic. Highly able teens may have learned how to hide the burden side. When I speak to groups of gifted teens, they seem surprised and appreciative when I focus on it. When I speak to their parents, I experience the same reaction. Feelings and behaviours make better sense after a discussion of characteristics associated with high ability, including the asset burden paradox of giftedness.

PerfectionismPerfectionism is frequently brought to the attention of counsellors who work with gifted individuals. Perfectionism

may help gifted teens gain adult approval, win awards, and ensure college entrance. In fact, doing things well and right is probably valued in a perfectionists culture. Perfectionism may be simply an extreme version of a societally valued attribute.

However, perfectionism has a downside. Perfectionists may fear failure so much that they do not venture into unfamiliar academic, social, and experiential territory without knowing what to expect and without bringing in prior knowledge as they usually do. In addition, perfectionism may preclude enjoying the trip when working on a paper or project, due to tense preoccupation with the end product. Students struggling with perfectionism may find it difficult even to begin an assignment for fear that they cannot produce a product that fits their grand vision. Others may be unable to stop at the page limit when doing a writing assignment because theyre nowhere near done yet. Perfectionistic individuals are also likely to be highly self critical. They may not feel valued for who they are, instead feeling valued only for performance.

Pertinent psychoeducational information and discussion can help gifted teens sort out and make sense of perfectionism, challenge irrational beliefs about the expectations of self and others, refrain from catastrophising about imperfection, and focus on ratcheting down anxiety with self talk.

DevianceThe label gifted implies deviance. It is the deviance that argues for special services. Indeed, giftedness is about

being different. In the United States, the label is often applied to students whose scores are approximately two standard deviations above the mean on a measure of intellectual ability, although school districts vary in how the construct is

defined, interpreted, and applied. Regardless of how gifted is defined, the distance from average increases as test scores (or ratings of a talent assessment) venture far beyond two standard deviations on a bell curve of a particular domain.

It makes sense that, the farther out on the bell curve of intellectual or another ability someone is, the more interpersonal challenges are likely. Mindmates probably are more difficult to find, and interests may be quite different from those of even moderately gifted peers. Feelings of loneliness may pervade all school years. Using the bell curve to help both comfortably gifted and extreme ability students make sense of themselves and others can be helpful. It is, after all, quite normal for high capability individuals to feel intellectual distance, or