Social studies for the gifted and talented

Social Studies Review, Spring 2002 by Gosfield, Margaret

It was with pleasure that I accepted the opportunity to serve as guest editor for this issue of Social Studies Review focusing on gifted learners. Not only did it permit me to draw on my teaching experiences in history and geography, it brought back fond memories of the teaching days in which I benefited from the work of the California Council for Social Studies.

Any discussion of programs for gifted students brings up the issue of elitism, whether expressed openly or implied silently. The field of social studies rightfully prides itself on preparing citizens for a democratic society. For some this suggests that gifted learners should not have special programs, since they must learn to live in the "real world" of a diverse society. All educators, however, are committed to the goal of assisting every student to reach maximum potential. Clearly, for this to happen for gifted learners, not only should curriculum be modified to be appropriate to their abilities, but they must also have intellectual peer interaction in order to fully develop those abilities. This does not mean they need be grouped together at all times, but they must have part-time or cluster grouping to provide this interaction.

As a social studies teacher, I treasured the opportunity to help gifted students reach their potential as future problem solvers and community and national leaders. Social studies is the ideal field in which to make leadership development a major focus. In studying historical figures who lived during the founding of our nation for example, students can learn the traits that enabled these founders to provide leadership for our fledgling country. And in classroom projects, they can learn to apply the lessons of history to their own actions, providing training and practice that will serve them and us throughout their lives.

The articles selected for this issue of Social Studies Review explore the need for programs for gifted students and describe how social studies teachers can make appropriate curriculum modifications. The articles are presented in trios, each with a different focus. We begin with a discussion of the philosophy and facts regarding social studies and gifted students in California. State Senator Jack O'Connell, who began his career as a social studies teacher, discusses the importance of training gifted students for leadership positions whether in politics, science, or industry and makes a persuasive case for it in his article, "Wanted: Gifted Students in Social Science." Barbara Clark, a national and world leader in gifted education, presents evidence from brain research to demonstrate the need for complex content materials and experiences, and in-depth curriculum studies at an accelerated pace as necessary ingredients of an appropriate school experience for gifted learners. Finally, LaDona Hein and Maureen Olsen, GATE Consultants for the California Department of Education, share information about the history of special programs for gifted learners in California and the recent changes being implemented. These include a broad spectrum of giftedness as part of the identification process, and great efforts to include underrepresented populations in programs for gifted students in California schools.

The second trio focuses more directly on curriculum. Sandra Kaplan, Clinical Professor for Curriculum, Teaching, and Special Education at the University of Southern California and a national curriculum specialist, spells out the components of a differentiated (modified) curriculum appropriate for gifted learners. She provides examples of how to meet specified educational standards through a variety of paths in her article, "Differentiated Curriculum: Multiple Means and Fixed Ends." Linda Brug discusses Advanced Placement (AP) courses in relation to meeting the learning needs of gifted students. Some districts offer only AP as their program for gifted high school students, while some educators contend that the nature of AP courses make them incompatible with the learning styles of gifted students. Brug contends that one can build in the flexibility and rigor of thinking required so that AP classes are both meaningful and appropriate for gifted students. Margaret Laughlin at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, demonstrates how one can teach national social studies standards in challenging ways to gifted learners in her article, "Challenges in Teaching Gifted Learners in Social Studies Classes."

The next group offers specific examples of classroom units or activities that provide meaningful social studies for gifted learners whether they are part of a heterogeneous group of students or a homogenous class of gifted students. Rosaleen Zisch points out the California standards in both social studies and gifted education that apply to her geography lesson on mountains. Mary Pat Vargas combines geography and history in her original simulation of the Lewis and Clark expedition, which was subsequently published by Interact. Her article, "Creating Simulations for Social Studies Classrooms" includes guidelines for teachers to develop effective simulations in general. And Jerry Flack shares a number of ways in which creative autobiography can be introduced into social studies curriculum so as to appeal to gifted learners.