Time for Reflection

Meeting the needs of gifted introverts

What do they all have in common?
Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, JK
Rowling, Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein,
Rosa Parks, Warren Buffet

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/13/famous-
introverts_n_3733400.html
From Quiet by Susan Cain
I had always imagined Rosa Parks as a stately woman with a bold temperament, someone who
could easily stand up to a busload of glowering passengers. But when she died in 2005 at the age of
92, the flood of obituaries recalled her as soft-spoken, sweet, and small in stature. They said she was
'timid and shy' but had 'the courage of a lion.' They were full of phrases like 'radical humility' and
'quiet fortitude.


Do we value introversion?
Culturally, we tend to associate leadership with extroversion and attach less importance to
judgment, vision and mettle.
We prize leaders who are eager talkers over those who have something to say. (the have a beer
with test)
At Harvard Business School, an institution that one graduate described as the spiritual capital
of extroversion, grades are based half on class participation, and first years do most of their
studying in mandatory groups called learning teams. Students are expected to be relentlessly
social outside of class, too.
NYT September 15, 2012: Susan Cain Must Leaders be Gregarious?

Indicators
Whats the GT link?
Many traits we identify as being the qualities of
giftedness also match the qualities of introverts.
However, while introverts are a minority group in society, they form the majority
of gifted people. Moreover, it appears that introversion increases with
intelligence so that more than 75% of people with an IQ above 160 are
introverted.
The Gifted Introvert
By Lesley Sword, Gifted and Creative Services Australia http://highability.org/the-gifted-
introvert/#sthash.QdjX0Ap2.dpuf
Meeting the needs of gifted introverts in the classroom
Given the above characteristics it is not surprising that school is not a positive experience for many gifted
introverts. It can be loud, crowded, superficial, boring, overstimulating, and focused on action, not reflection.
Many teachers report being extroverts. It is very difficult for an extrovert to understand an introvert.
Therefore the teacher may see the introverted student as someone with a problem, not as simply someone with
a different personality type. This may lead to attempts to get them to be friendlier, to work in larger groups, to
talk more often and more spontaneously, and to be more outgoing and interactive.
Instruction for the introvert should differ from that provided for the extrovert. Methods should utilize that internal
reflective focus and honor the need for structure, quiet, and small groups. Such strategies include: independent
studies, small group instruction, collaborative learning activities, tiered instruction, debate, dramatics or
role-playing, journaling, quiet time, and book clubs, to name a few.
We need to start however with awareness because, just like giftedness, being
an introvert is commonly seen as negative, as anti-social, and as weird by
much of the world. And we know that all it is is different.
See more at: Introversion the Often Forgotten Factor Impacting the Gifted Authors: Jill D. Burruss and Lisa Kaenzig
Citation: From the Virginia Association for the Gifted Newsletter. 1999 Fall 21(1).


http://www.sengifted.org/archives/articles/introversion-the-often-forgotten-factor-impacting-the-gifted
How does it feel to be a gifted introvert at school?
Resources & Ideas
1. TodaysMeet (todaysmeet.com) allows teachers/students/peers to have one to one
conversations outside of regular class times when not all opinions are heard
2. Letter Journals are weekly or bi-weekly open ended writing prompts that allow students a
chance to share opinions/ideas/outside of school lives in a one to one dialogue with their teacher
over time (builds a relationship and trust level)
3. Portfolio/Goal Setting documents that track students interests and needs over time(CCSD
PEP Portfolios)
4. Differentiated Pull Out times with students
5. Online learning tutorials allow for independent studies with one on one interaction with teacher
and student as they progress at their own pace on a topic they are passionate about: examples-
Code.org (learn computer programming through online tutorials), Artofcomposing.com (compose
an original piece of music) etc
6. Access to publishing opportunities- Teen Ink and Stone Soup take student submissions