Here’s a list of interesting items to help intense students in a classroom setting. Fidgety tools, special sets, and even ear plugs!
All AboutIntensities
Gifted children are often described as intense. These intensities can manifest as extra energy, heightened senses, a deep desire to learn, and strong emotions. Learn more about giftedness and intensity.
Dino Obsession: Intellectual Overexcitability In Action
If you’re wondering what an “intellectual overexcitability” might look like, here’s me in kindergarten…
Calvin, High-Energy, and Sports
This comic highlights an additionally unfortunate issue high-energy kids suffer from: they’re physically active, yet may not be particularly interested in sports.
Understanding High Energy Gifted Kids
To understand how giftedness and physical energy are connected, stop picturing a fidgety kid interrupting the class. Instead imagine him deeply engrossed in his favorite activity.
Calvin: The Unexpected Gifted Kid
As a kid, I read Calvin and Hobbes religiously, checking out collections from the library and cutting out favorites from the newspaper. Now, I read these same comics and see Calvin in a different light: an example of all of the unexpected traits of gifted students.
Overexcitabilities: Five Unexpected Intensities
We know gifted students are far more complex than their test scores might suggest. And while we might expect certain quirks, others blindside us: a strange reaction to sound, a sudden outburst of tears, or a need to stand up at inopportune times. Dabrowski’s five overexcitabilities provide some insight into these unexpected moments.
Sensitivity in Gifted Kids
In class, a child suddenly explodes at another for making a clicking pencil sound, a student shuts down for the day after making an error while presenting, a distant natural disaster effects children’s moods. As a teacher, this layer of complex sensitivity builds on your already difficult job of tracking academic progress. To be effective, you must also navigate this emotional minefield.