presentation power point

vol. 35 • no. 3 GIFTED CHILD TODAY

FEATURES

Everything I Ever Wanted to Learn About Teaching, I Learned From Gifted Boys Mary E. Cooper, EdS'

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to explore four experiences that the author has encountered in her teaching career and focus on how they have shaped her understanding of gifted males and the instructional strategies that she uses in her classroom. The situations described in the article focus on four distinct subgroups of gifted males, James and Michael, the students who lack confidence and express self-doubt; John, the twice- exceptional student; Jorge, the culturally diverse student; and David, the underachiever. All of the situations are based on personal reflections from the author's 10 years of teaching secondary science.

Keywords: gifted males, instructional strategies, culturally diverse, twice exceptional, underachiever

The term teacber may be defined in many different ways,but the underlying definition is that of one who instmctsthe learning of others. The object of the instruction provided by teachers can vary from the core subject content to character education to life skills. Regarciless of the type of instaiction or content area, teachers nurture their students as they develop into lifelong learners. The social and emotional development of our .students is as important as the content knowledge, and it is how we interweave our nurturing of their acadencdc development with their social and emotional development that leads to the success of our students.

Gifted males at the high school level often struggle with the expression of the qualities associated with the interpersonal and intrapersonal areas in their identity development. The issues that gifted males often face include alienation and disengagement, underachievement, and relationship development. In terms of alienation and disengagement, Schultz and Delisle (2003), theorize that there are not as many "rites of passage" that are recognized for males in their community at this time. Gifted males may have trouble realizing what their place is in society or that they are contributing to society so

they feel alienated or disengaged frorn the situation that they are experiencing. Underachievement in schools is of concern to all parties involved in the education of young people. The term underacbievement is not an easy term to define. In education, the term underachievemetit could be used to compare groups of individuals, schools, or even nations. The social or media definition of underachievement has been used "as a synonym for much of what is perceived to be wrong with education" (Smith, 2010, p. 41). According to Dowdall and Colangelo (1982), there are three themes involved in the overall definition of a gifted underachiever. The first two themes focus on the discrepancies between the potential and actual achievement of a student and the predicted achievement and the actual achievement of the student. The third component focuses on the failure of a student to develop or to use potential. Underachievement is present in our schools, especially among the gifted male population. Hoover-Schultz (2005) discuss the relationship between gender and underachievement revealing that 25% of gifted females would be considered underachievers, whereas more than 50% of gifted males would be considered underachievers. The reasons behind a student and their display of underachievetTient tnay vary. Some students may believe that underachievetTient is a sign of being "cool" and they use this as a tool to attain a level of popularity. Other students may utilize underachievement as a coping mechanism to avoid ridicule or teasing from bullies. Schultz and Delisle also point out that relationships are critical at the adolescent level of development for boys. Boys are trying to define their own identity while dealing with the pressures to develop same-sex and opposite- sex relationships within their peer group.

The purpose of this article is to explore four experiences that I have encountered in my teaching career and focus on how they have shaped tny understanding of gifted males and how I, as their teacher, nurtured their social and emotional developtnent while nurturitig their academic development. These situations focus on four distinct subgroups of gifted males, the student who expresses a lack of confidence and

DOi: 10,1177/1076217512445991. From 'University of Georgia. Address correspondence to: Mary E, Cooper, Science Education. University of Georgia. 325M Aderhoid M\. Athens, GA 30602-

7143; emaii: [email protected].

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self-doubt, the twice exceptional, the culturally diverse, and the underachiever. All of the situations are based on personal reflections from my 10 years of teaching secondary science.

The Student Lacking Confidence and Expressing Self-Doubt

I first met James and Michael when they were enrolled in one of my honors chetiiistry classes. The boys were only two members of a close-knit group of friends who were virtually inseparable. They participated in several extracurricular activities together and would often spend the weekends at each other's homes, playing video games, doing hotnework together, and helping each other with chores.

James first caught my attention with his love of mathematics and his social nature. He would often , come to my class early in the morning to work on his homework in a quiet location as opposed to the cafeteria or the gym. He enjoyed talking about the problems that he was solving, saying that math was one of the only subjects that made sense to him. He did quite well in my chemistry class when it involved the application of theory as opposed to just pure theory. He was one of the few students who relished the opportunity to tackle stoichiometry problerns. James spent time after school with his friends working on probletns in my classroom as I worked on grading papers, preparing labs, and tutoring students. As the boys would work, they would talk about what they had done the previous weekend or what they were planning on doing the next weekend. These boys became "my boys," and I enjoyed the time spent listening to their stories and observing their interactions.

In the end, Jatnes did quite well in my honors chemistry class, earning a grade of "A," and was recommended to enroll in physics the next school year. When James left my classrootn for the summer break, he was looking forward to the next year as a junior in high school. He was planning on physics and two math courses as well as Advanced Placement courses in Language Arts and History. He was happy to have a break; however, it was evident that he would miss his school friends during the summer tnonths.

Michael was also enrolled in a different section of honors chemistry. He was very difficult to get to know and was very quiet in class. When answering a question in class, he w ould nod in agreement or make a gesture to show that he did not know the answer or that he was thinking. He did his homework, completed labs, and performed decently on exams. He was also recommended for physics with his friends, yet he

did not appear to be excited. Michael simply went with the flow. He earned a low B in the class and was satisfied.

The following year, my teaching schedule and the class schedule of these two young men did not align in such a way that I had the opportunity to talk with them often. We would pass in the hall and exchange helios, and occasionally, we would run into each other in our small town. In the spring of their junior year, I made the rounds to recruit students for tny AP science course for the next school year during registration. I spoke with James and Michael, and they left for the summer break planning to take the course the following spring. I was happy because "my boys" would be back in my class.

The first days of an AP class can be very overwhelming. Students are introduced to course content, exam dates, and exam formats in addition to the usual introductory

tnaterials. James and Michael were very overwhelmed. They were overwhelmed with their classes, college applications, the SAT exam, a case of senioritis, and afterschool jobs. James was no longer the eager student frotn his sophomore year. He was ready to graduate and move on with his life. He was trying to decide where he wanted to go to college and how he was going to pay for college. Michael was strictly ready to graduate. He had decided that he was going to take time off between high school and college. He was more interested in a technical school, but regardless, he was ready to get out because he claimed that he hated high school.

The second day of class, both of the boys came to me and expressed concern. They brought with them a course withdrawal form. They said

that they did not think that they would have time to dedicate to the class and that they had heard it was difficult. James, one of the brightest students I have ever taught, said that he was not smart enough and really did not want to fail. He really needed this course to graduate. I was shocked by his lack of confidence. I had not seen that side of him before, and I did not like it. Michael quietly nodded and said he felt tbe same way. I agreed that I would sign the form if and only if they stayed one more day and made it through a full lesson. They complied, but as I led the lesson and discussion that day, I could tell that I was going to lose my boys one more time. I reluctantly signed the form and sent the boys on their way. I soon found out tbat these two gifted students were placed into a lower level science class with a reputation of being an "easy A."

Two weeks later, I heard a knock at my classroom door: James and Michael were there pleading with me to talk to

THESE

SITUATIONS FOCUS

ON FOUR DISTINCT

SUBGROUPS OF GIFTED

MALES, THE STUDENT

WHO EXPRESSES A LACK

OF CONFIDENCE AND

SELF-DOUBT, THE TWICE

EXCEPTIONAL, THE

CULTURALLY DIVERSE,

AND THE

UNDERACHIEVER."

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L the administration and help them return to my class. I told them that it was a little late. We had already had our first test and were deep into the next unit of study. They stated that they were miserable in the new class. Both boys described the assignments as being busywork, which involved coloring worksheets. They were upset because they believed they were being chastised for not paying attention when in reality they had completed the assignment and were waiting for others to finish. They appeared frustrated as they described a day in class when they were told to put their AP Calculus homework aside when listening to The Lorax as it was read aloud in class.

I spent the weekend reflecting on their situation and struggled to answer several questions. What do I do now? How do I help the boys deal with this situation? How do I help them deal with the self-doubt and lack of confidence that they had regarding the AP course?

I tnet with the boys, and we decided that it was best for them to find a way to discuss the issue with our school principal. James, the communicator, requested a meeting with me and the administration. Michael was present and ready to discuss the issues that concerned him most. The meeting lasted only minutes with James doing all of the talking and Michael doing all of the nodding. James described the situation and stated that he was not being challenged and would rather fail a challenging course than fail an easy course. Again, Michael nodded in agreement. The boys were disrnissed from the meeting to attend class, and I was left with my principal. What would happen next? We discussed the fact that this was an unusual situation that neither of us had experienced before. We chose to be flexible and allow the boys to return to my class with the understanding that all missed work was to be made up; thus, the boys would be required to attend tutoring Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons until they were caught up with the material.

It took 6 weeks to catch the boys up with their lessons. During the review lessons, I revealed some of my schooling history First of all, I did not like high school either. I almost failed third grade because I would not read the Judy Blume books that my teacher recommended. I confessed that I made a D in high school algebra because I refused to use "hamburger patty" paper to do my graphs. I hated classes that were boring and did not challenge me. I despised teachers who talked down to other students. I shared stories of my college classes and the professors who challenged me each day like Dr Green, my organic chemistry professor, who said "Mary, you are not going to get everything correct the first time. It is through mistakes that we make discovery So start making rnistakes and do it often!"

James, an extroverted person by nature, related well to others and sought to develop relationships with others through collaboration and discussion in the classroom. When he felt he had made a mistake by changing to the lower level class, he came to me. He recognized that he disliked the rnode of instruction and the expectation as it was not challenging to him, and he believed though he could not relate to the teacher or the students in the course.

Similarly, Michael realized that the lower level course did not match his personal expectation of self. Michael knew his personal strengths, what he enjoyed, what he disliked, and what he wanted to do with his life. When he was placed into the lower level course, he realized that he was not satisfied with the environtnent. He had to come out of his comfort zone and take the necessary steps to rectify the situation.

How did I support these two young rnen? When the boys were in my honors chemistry class as sophomores, I encouraged all of rny students to participate. I tried to impress on them that our class acts as a team. I chose various methods of instruction from lecture, discussion, collaborative grouping, laboratory investigation, student presentations, and various tiiedia formats. I shared with my students where I had difficulties and successes to assure them that no one is perfect. I chose to nurture my students by listening to them, supporting them in their own decisions, and allowing for flexibility. In the case of Jatiies and Michael, and their return to AP class, I allowed them to voice their concerns, I supported their decision to leave the AP course and then to reenroll weeks later I volunteered to assist them with the process of making up the missed work by giving up my afternoons 3 days a week for 6 weeks. I shared personal stories with them to help them reflect on the decisions they had made in their lives and to think about the path that they were choosing to take as they were about to graduate from high school.

The instructional strategies that apply to James and Michael fall into the affective instructional strategies category According to Ferguson (2009), classroom climate, character education, and self-understanding are atnong several affective instructional strategies that can be integrated into daily curriculum for multiple course content areas. Teachers and students can create a comfortable classrootii environtnent together by developing contracts, which establish rules and consequences. In addition, the classroom environment can be made comfortable by developing a rapport with students by adding students work, drawings, and photos to further establish that students have a "stake" in the classroom and the decisions that are made in the classroom. By developing a "team" spirit rapport with students in my classroom, I established a comfortable classroom environment for my students. James and Michael felt at ease when in my classroom and were able to express themselves as they desired, which aided them in developing their own self-understanding.

In addition to the affective instructional strategies, mentoring played a large role in my relationships with James and Michael. Mentorships occur at varying degrees, and when itnplemented as a teaching strategy, a clear definition of the mentorship relationship must be established (Schatz, 1999). For example, some mentorships are very formal and may include a formal partnership between a school and a business, which matches individuals based on career interests, goals, and interests, whereas some mentorships are simply based on one individual assisting in the growth of another individual, which was the case with Jatiies and Michael. The mentoring relationship that developed between James and myself, and Michael and myself

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Stemmed from my attempts to nurture their individual feelings of self-doubt and low self-confidence. By sharing stories of my struggles and successes through school, I was able to reach out and discuss their issues while we were sharing cotnmon interest in science.

How are the boys doing? Both are doitig very well. James is still agonizing over what to do with his life. He still prefers math to any other subject, but he once again displays the confidence that he once exhibited. Michael now speaks to me each day and asks questions in class. He still nods from time to time but he is comfortable in our class and accepts the challenges presented each day.

T h e Twice-Exceptional S t u d e n t

My experiences with John turn our attention to the twice- exceptional student. By definition, twice-exceptional students are "those students who meet criteria for being identified as both gifted and learning disabled" (Barber & Mueller, 2011, p. 109). Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was first described by Kanner as "includitig language and communication impairments, a severe inability to relate to others, sensitivity to external stimuli, and rigid and repetitive patterns of behavior and interest" (Nicpon, Doobay, & Assouline, 2010, p. 1028). The autism spectrum ranges from students who exhibit classic autism to students with Asperger's syndrome to students who have pervasive developmental disorder (National Institute of Health, 2011). The main characteristics associated with students with varying degrees of autism along the spectrum include engaging in repetitive activities, resistance to environmental change, resistance to a change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences such as touch or sound. Asperger's syndrome, which affects John, is a condition where "affected individuals are characterized by social isolation and eccentric behavior in childhood. There are impairments in two sided social interaction and non-verbal communication" (Ozbayrak, 1996, p. 1). According to Henderson (2001), students with Asperger's syndrome lack the emotional skills to identify and define physical signals or cues given from their peers. They cannot interpret body language to the same degree as other students. Regardless, students with Asperger's syndrome understand when they are receiving negative attention from their peers but may not understand how to cope with that attention.

Wenzel and Rowley (2010) point out that students with Asperger's syndrome need both academic, and social and emotional support to cope in the classroom. The academic support .should provide students with organizational skills, adaptation skills, and clear expectations. Students who are presented with a routine in the classroom are more likely to be successful because there are clear well-established expectations. The more interested a student is in the content then the more engaged they will be and the tnore likely they will participate in class. Teachers can also provide feedback to students on a regular basis to reinforce the expectations that

are in place. Wenzel and Rowley (2010) also point out that students should be challenged and pushed beyond their level of comfort so that they can experience new challenges and develop new social skills. The social and emotional support should support a student's area of interest, but teachers should not encourage students to become too dependent on the supports that are in place.

As I reflected on my experiences with John, I found myself asking, "How can I nurture his social and emotional needs when I do not completely understand his perspective on relationships?"

John was a student in one of my chemistry classes who was described by his parents as a "work in progress" in terms of his Asperger's because, unlike many individuals with Asperger's, John was aware of his social inadequacies and worked to overcome them. During the first days of school when we were completing pretests and interest inventories, I noticed that many of the students in our class were polite to John, but they were not overly friendly. They would sigh when John asked a question or would express interest in a particular topic that may or may not have been the topic that we were discussing in class. It wasn't until we introduced our first major topic that I saw and experienced some of the frustrations that the other students felt and experienced with John over the years. One morning, John approached me and stated that he had read the entire textbook and had a few questions. We talked in the hall during class change for about 10 min, and it became apparent that a few questions were, in reality, limitless. Not wanting to dissuade the enthusiasm, I stated that we had better continue our discussion at a later date so that we could begin class. During lecture and discussion, John sought to relate every topic to either Star Wars or video games. He openly stated that he did not have friends and spent most of his time at home in his room reading, watching movies and TV, or playing video garnes. During our first lab activity, it became apparent that students were trying to avoid working with John because of his lack of task commitment and the ease at which he moved to an unrelated topic. Two young women took it on themselves to work with John. They knew going into the experience that they would do most of the work, that they were at risk of not completing the assignment, and that the experience may prove frustrating but they were not going to allow John to be isolated from the group.

Despite the lack of social interaction and communication, John liked to talk about movies and Star Wars, and TV— especially commercials—and he was a voracious reader. He knew what he liked, what he wanted to do, and how he is going to go about it. To nurture John's interaction with others, I chose to set up learning opportunities that would require John to engage in conversation with students like the ladies in his lab group who were understanding of his irnpairment and were fair in their expectations. For example, in studying the trends of the periodic table, I have students design a three dimensional periodic table. The assignment is a partnered activity where one student makes measurements and the other person

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builds the structure. In the end, the students work together to describe the relationships expressed in their product. John worked with another gifted male student who had a fascination with music and physics. While the boys worked on the periodic table, they discussed Star Wars and black holes and musical jingles in TV commercials. John was comfortable in this setting. He was able to be himself and carry on a conversation with another person while collaborating on a project. In addition, I listened to John and took the time to clarify when needed. He still comes by between classes to ask a question that crosses his mind. He has trouble understanding that I may not know an answer off the top of my head and tries to reason it out aloud as he walks away.

The instructional strategies that I implemented with John were implemented to assist John with his organizational needs, employ his creativity and interests beyond the science classroom, and assist John in his affective development. Donaldson and Zager (2010) suggest that self-regulation, direct instruction, and goal structure are interventions that have proved beneficial in mathematics for students with Asperger's syndrome. Self-regulation is a strategy that utilizes checklists to assist students in organizing and self-regulating problem solving. Teachers and students use the checklist to provide feedback to one another through the progression of a task. Direct instruction provides students with repetition, constant reinforcement, and guidance. For the twice-exceptional student, the increased positive reinforcement is key to their affective development. The goal structure provides students the opportunity to identify a goal and to work toward that goal in a stepwise fashion. The self-regulation and goal structure assisted John in being able to focus on the task at hand, which enabled him to carry on conversations and discussions with his classmates that were on task and less frustrating for his classmates. By increasing the peer learning opportunities for John, I was able to create the classroom environment that supported John and his learning needs.

The Culturally Diverse

I have recently experienced a change in my teaching career from a teaching position in an urban district to a rural district. As a teacher in the urban district, I witnessed the cultural bindings that held a group of males together. For example, as teacher in the Atlanta area, I once had one class that hosted students from five different countries, including Mexico, Cuba, Nigeria, Bosnia, and Colombia in addition to the United States. All of the students seemed to appreciate each other in terms of their heritage and their link to friends from their respective countries. Each group held tight to traditions because they were accepted by each other and they had the support necessary to nurture their social and internal emotions. They were able to truly be themselves and not feel as though they had to justify themselves. In addition, their self-identity was well defined.

As I moved to the rural school system, I saw that our culturally diverse students are more isolated from each other and have difficulty reconciling their academic needs with

their social needs. The school demographics are as follows: 89.5% White, 5.8% Latino, 1.5% Aftican American, 0.8% Asian, and 0.7% Native American. The majority of the faculty is also White with very few culturally diverse teachers on staff During my 1st year at the rural school, I taught all gifted honors science classes, and all of my students were White except for two Korean students who were cousins. I have recently encountered a Latino male, Jorge, who is currently enrolled in biology. Jorge is a very bright student; however, he has failed the biology course once before as well as a few other courses in his freshman year of high school. During the first few days of school, I administered the typical pretest to all students and then analyzed the results to see what topics need more time devoted to them as opposed to others. The typical score on the pretest is in the 20% range; however, because there were several students repeating the course, the scores of some students fell into the 40% range. Jorge's score was 78%. I immediately questioned Jorge about his feelings toward taking this course again, and he responded saying that he knew biology and made a high passing score on the End- of-Course Test (EOCT) but he slept most of the time in class and did not do his homework because he was bored in class. He was going to try to keep his grade to a B and get back on track to graduate. After a few weeks of observing Jorge in class, it became apparent that he would pick and choose his assignments based on how challenging he felt they were. For example, during the Genetics Unit, Jorge would participate in class for complex dihybrid crosses or analyzing pedigrees but would start doing his math homework (precalculus) or putting his head down when it came to reviewing terminology or basic principles. The fact that a student was making As on tests, participating in class when topics were tough, and escaping boredom via precalculus grabbed my attention.

I discovered that Jorge had requested to take honors courses when he was in the eighth grade but was not placed into the classes during scheduling. I asked why he did not have his parents request his schedule change, and he said that his dad was gone out of state for construction work most of the time and his mother did not speak English very well. As a freshman, he did not want to push the issue himself and left it alone thinking that the counselors would not listen to him. I decided to check and see if Jorge had been tested for the gifted program. He was tested in the sixth grade but did not qualify due to his Cognitive Abilities Test (CoGAT) scores. His grades in middle school were high, which placed in on the A honor roll many times. Once Jorge entered high school, his grades dropped dramatically and his attendance changed as well. His involvement in team sports changed drastically. In middle school, he was active in soccer, wrestling, and baseball. Jorge said that he used to love school and he liked his teachers. Now, Jorge says he cannot wait to leave school each day, and sometimes he does not even come to school. He does not think that his teachers like him, and he says he has this reputation for being a bad kid because of his other Latino friends. I personally did not see this at all. I saw a bored kid who is

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Struggling to be himself How can I as a teacher help Jorge and other kids like him to be high-achieving students again and feel as though they fit in?

As a teacher of the gifted, I have discovered that the social and emotional issues that students face go hand in hand with the academic issues. In the case of Jorge, he is a bright young man who is lost in terms of his social identities. He exhibits a willingness to make friends, to socialize, to participate in discussions in and out of class, and he enjoys making others laugh. Jorge needs, however, to see the value of schooling and learn to evaluate his personal educational needs.

During this time of investigating Jorge and serving as a teacher-mentor, we have developed a good relationship, and I have observed that he is becoming more vocal in his schooling. He has registered for honors science, history, and math classes next year In fact, when he begins slacking off, he gets back on track saying that he has to be in those classes so that he can go on to college. He has realized that he can be both culturally social and academically social. His social-emotional identity is evolving, and he is becoming more integrated into the student body He is also working to help his Latino friends do the same.

Gifted students who are in a culturally diverse population face many issues, especially the males. Issues that are common among the culturally diverse gifted population include testing and assessment issues, different ideologies from teachers, underachievement, and socioeconomic issues (Ford & Harmon, 2001). In terms of the social and emotional development of the culturally diverse student, issues dealing with student perceptions by teachers play a pivotal role. Teachers tnust understand that there are cultural differences that affect cotnmunication among students. There are some cultures that value oral communication over written and may not allow students the opportunity to present their work in a manner that fits with their talents.

Underachievement in the culturally diverse is due to learned behaviors and can be a result of lack of identification based on cultural differences (Ford & Harmon, 2001). Flexibility, understanding, cultural knowledge, and support from teachers can help these students excel in class.

The Gifted Underachiever

David was a student in one of my chemistry classes. He was very much an athlete and popular with the young women in the high school. He played several sports such as football, basketball, and soccer. He always walked the hall between classes with a girl by his arm. In class, he was also very cool and social, and would often move his seat so that he could talk to other students during class. Although he would return to his seat once he was prompted, he would rarely pay attention and check the time often as he waited for class to end. His grades were consistently poor in regard to tests and quizzes and when it came to homework, he earned a "0" each day. The behaviors that David exhibited in class and his low performance led me to meet with his parents. His parents stated that they could do nothing with him at home. He would come home late, avoid

chores, and talk back. They left the meeting saying that they would talk to him but not to get my hopes up and that he may just have to fail to wake up. At first, I agreed with his parents and thought that I would just let him do whatever he wants as long as he did not interfere with my other students and their learning. For a few days, David was quiet in class and actually did some of his homework and made a good quiz score, but that soon changed, and he went back to his old habits.

I saw another change in David when we began our unit on ground state electron configuration in chemistry. After explaining the rules and showing students examples, I implement a lesson plan where I give each .student a small whiteboard, a periodic table, a dry erase marker, and an eraser I present them with the atomic number of an element or a symbol and then the students write the configuration and display the board to me so that I can give them a quick "yep" or "nope" on their response. If they are correct, they erase and prepare for the next example. If they are incorrect, they try again. I have used this technique since I began teaching and it has always been fun for the students and very successful. David responded in an unexpected manner. He was so excited that he was getting them right and beating many of the students that he began developing new rules as he went. I allowed him to take the reins and continue the game as this was the first titiie that I saw him as an active participant in class. David continued to be active in class the following week and made an A on the test. He regressed back to his old habits but not to a point where he was failing the class. To keep him motivated, I started introducing more games into the class that would tap into his competitive side, and each time he became more involved.

As I taught David that year, I saw characteristics that are typical among gifted underachievers such as social isolation, hyperactivity, and perfectionism. David would only take interest in class when it came to a competition that enabled him to feel accomplished. He excelled greatly in class when competitive games were played to help learn or review material. He loved physical competition outside the classroom when he played sports. He enjoyed the competitive nature of wooing gids away from other boys in the hall. David related well with his peers and his teammates. He was very social and enjoyed talking and carrying out activities for the school such as pep rallies, homecoming activities, and concerts. Competition within the team or among teams outside of class was never an issue for David. He enjoyed the social aspect of it all.

I chose to use competition and discussion groups as an instructional strategy to help David learn while socializing; thus, his participation was encouraged. He was able to be physically involved and tap into his interest in competition and socializing with others. In terms of his intrapersonal side, David struggled with his own internal competitions. When it came to a test or a quiz, he would give up because he had convinced himself that he would fail anyway. He would rather not risk failing and take the zero on the test or quiz. I chose to provide feedback to David and offer him positive reinforcement when he was participating.

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Conclusion The purpose of this article was to explore four experiences

that I have encountered in my teaching career and focus on how they have shaped my understanding of gifted males and how I, as their teacher, nurtured their social and emotional development while nurturing their academic development. The instructional strategies that I implement in tny classroom are for the benefit of the student, and each student brings with them a unique set of needs that I must meet for them to be successful in their endeavors. The learning strategies that are the most beneficial for gifted students, especially gifted males, are those strategies that relate the instructional purposes, curriculum, and setting; are diverse; are generative in nature; provide a balance among active and passive activities; mesh with cognitive styles of both the teacher and the learners; and are subordinate to educational purpose (VanTassel-Baska, 2003).

As teachers, we will find that our classrooms hold students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. In this article, I highlighted four special experiences that have influenced my views on teaching and how I think about the support I offer my students. For the doubtful student, I offer flexibility and an open ear. For the twice-exceptional student, I offer an understanding that they need support in ways that may be different from their peers or may be in addition to the support offered to their peers. Eor the culturally diverse, I am open to cultural influences and am available to advocate for them and with them. For the underachiever, I am supportive of their need to find their niche, whether it is in competition, kinesthetic hands-on activities, or through interpersonal discussions. It is through these valuable lessons that I learned everything I know about teaching from gifted boys and I continue to learn more every day.

Conflict of Interest The author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest with

respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

References Barber, C, & Mueller, C. T. (2011). Social and self-perceptions of

adolescents identified as gifted, learning disabled, and twice- exceptional. Roeper Review, 33, 109-120.

Donaldson, J. B., & Zager, D. (2Olo). Mathematics interventions for students with high functioning autism/Asperger's syndrome. Teaching Exceptional Chiidren, 42., 40-46.

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Bio Mary E. Cooper, EdS, is a doctoral student in gifted and cre- ative education at the University of Georgia. She teaches hon- ors chemistry and AP biology at Lumpkin County High School in Dahlonega, GA. Her research interests include the social and emotional development and support of gifted students.

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