Responding to the Unique Social and Emotional Learning Needs of Gifted Australian Students
This chapter presents an overview of the multifaceted characteristics of intellectually gifted students, their social and emotional needs, and ways of scaffolding their social and affective growth for academic engagement from an Australian perspective. Ge
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Abstract This chapter presents an overview of the multifaceted characteristics of intellectually gifted students, their social and emotional needs, and ways of scaffolding their social and affective growth for academic engagement from an Australian perspective. Generally, gifted students experience and respond to external influences quite differently to many of their same-age peers of average ability due to their asynchronous chronological and intellectual development and their social and emotional complexities. This asynchrony has implications for their social interactions, social and emotional learning (SEL) needs, programming, and provisions. Research reiterates that their unique characteristics require accurate identification and supportive educational provisions to enable the holistic development of their intellectual, social, and emotional growth. Recognising the unique characteristics and needs of gifted students and helping them to extend their skills to develop SEL competencies are preludes to enhancing their academic achievement, while consecutively promoting their personal well-being and healthy relationships.
Keywords Social and emotional learning Intellectually gifted students Holistic needs Supportive strategies Healthy relationships Well-being
1 Introduction In the gifted education field, the socio-emotional characteristics and needs of gifted learners, sociocultural diversity, multi-exceptionalities, and ambiguity in provisions are key areas in current Australian research, discourse, and practice that are relevant to social and emotional learning (SEL) (Gross 2010; Kronborg and Plunkett 2013; Lassig 2009; Long et al. 2015; Townend et al. 2014). There is a body of research on the socio-emotional characteristics of diversely gifted students (e.g. see Gross 2010; Hoekman et al. 2005; Vialle 2012); however, empirical research on provisional S. Smith (&) GERRIC, School of Education, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia e-mail: [email protected] © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 E. Frydenberg, A.J. Martin and R.J. Collie (eds.), Social and Emotional Learning in Australia and the Asia-Pacific, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3394-0_8
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effectiveness for supporting the socio-emotional growth of gifted students is weaker (Wiley and Hébert 2014). While over a century of wide-ranging research indicates gifted children can have advanced socio-emotional development commensurate with their advanced intelligence, many environmental and psychosocial influences can inhibit or promote their well-being and healthy relationships (Peterson 2009). Specifically, the concern here is with the SEL of intellectually gifted students (IGS). In this chapter SEL will be discussed through the lens of the Collaborative for Social, Academic, and Emotional Learning (CASEL 2013, 2015) framework. Accordingly, a SEL programme engages students in constructive interactions, meaningful activities, and challenging learning tasks, using collaborative in-class and community interrelationships
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