Roeper Review

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Eight effective activities to enhance the emotional

and social development of the gifted and talented

George T. Betts & Maureen F. Neihart

To cite this article: George T. Betts & Maureen F. Neihart (1985) Eight effective activities to
enhance the emotional and social development of the gifted and talented, Roeper Review, 8:1,
18-23, DOI: 10.1080/02783198509552921

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02783198509552921

Published online: 20 Jan 2010.

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But each gifted class may have their
own set of issues to address and
manage.
It may be helpful for individual
teachers to survey their students. In
this way, teachers can gather informa-
tion on a personal level and better
tailor their program to incorporate the
development of social and emotional
Wellness.
O ne group of students was asked
to list the things they liked best
about their gifted class. It was
not surprising to find that at least half
of the responses focused on affective
needs. Here are just a few of their
answers:
"In this class, everyone is so under-
standing. And when we need it, we
can always count on moral support."
"Our teachers (in the gifted class)
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have a better sense of humor than
other teachers. Here, we always
have someone to talk to if we feel we
can't talk to our parents, other
teachers of friends."
"I like the way our teacher gives us
the time to talk about our feelings if
we feel upset or angry."
"This class has helped me open my
mind and try new things."
When we are willing to explore the
social and emotional needs of the gifted
from their viewpoint, we are most
effective in leading them to thrive and
survive the challenges that accompany
high potential.
CONFERENCE
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18/R, R, VIII, 1, Sept, 1985
Eight Effective
Activities to
Enhance the
Emotional and
Social Development
of the Gifted and
Talented
George T. Betts
Maureen F. Neihart
Educators are beginning to realize the
importance of including the emotional and
social domains with the cognitive when
developing an approach for teaching the
gifted and talented. Specific activities have
been selected by the authors which have
been field tested with small groups of
students in summer programs and in the
public and private school settings. These
activities will facilitate the emotional and
social development of the gifted and
talented.
George T. Betts (Ed.D), is the Director of
the Center for the Education and Study of
the Gifted, Talented and Creative at the
University of Northern Colorado in Gree-
ley. Maureen F. Neihart (M.A.) is currently
working on a doctorate in counseling
psychology at the University of Northern
Colorado in Greeley.
E ducators agree, by and large, that
schools must provide opportuni-
ties for the full development of
its students cognitive, socioemo-
tional and physical development are
all elements of a sound education. How-
ever, in the case of gifted and talented
children, most of the emphasis has
been placed on enhancing their intel-
lectual and creative characteristics
rather than on their emotional nature
(Roeper, 1982). An analysis of several
of the basic models of curriculum and
instruction used with gifted children
reveals that the heaviest emphasis
favors intellectual development.
Roeper Review, Volume 8, No. 1. Copy-
right 1985. Roeper City and Country
School.
Realizing, however, that learning is
influenced by powerful human feeling
and emotions (Hendricks & Fadiman,
1976; Treffinger, Borgers, Render &
Hoffman, 1976), gifted education spe-
cialists have begun to explore ways
that teachers can incorporate into their
lessons activities which enhance the
social and emotional development of
gifted youngsters. Indeed, even though
gifted children have the same basic
needs of security, belonging and love
and esteem as other children, they also
have needs which are unique to chil-
dren who possess high creative and
intellectual abilities (Gowan, 1971;
Colangelo and Zaffrann, R., 1979;
American Association for Gifted Chil-
dren, 1978; Galbraith, 1983; Delisle,
1984).
Betts (1985a) has listed seven cate-
gories of curriculum development nec-
essary for the emotional and social
growth of the gifted individual. These
include:
1. Awareness, understanding and
acceptance of self.
2. Awareness, understanding and
acceptance of others.
3. Interpersonal skills:
(a) communication skills;
(b) interviewing skills;
(c) discussion skills; and
(d) conflict reduction skills.
4. Group process and interaction
skills.
5. Creativity:
(a) creative thinking and problem
solving; and
(b) relaxation and visual imagery.
6. Problems of being gifted.
7. Nurturing environments and
people.
The authors have worked with the
above seven categories to develop ap-
propriate activities for the develop-
ment of the emotional and social needs
of the gifted. Included in this article are
8 effective activities which are appro-
priate for use with the gifted in a group
setting.
Guidelines for Facilitating Groups
Most teachers have had little, if any,
training in group process and facilita-
tion. As a result, they often try affective
activities with poor results and then
wonder what went wrong! Following
are guidelines which can make the
difference between a meaningful ac-
tivity and an irrelevant exercise.
F irst, always role model the be-
haviors you want students to
learn. For example, use "I" state-
ments (e.g. "I'm really not sure if what
 we're going to do today will work, but I
do feel that it's important to try.") to
express your immediate feelings.
N ext, always have an opening
and closing for every activity.
Never abruptly leave an ac-
tivity. The activities described here
include suggestions for closure for that
reason. It is also important to tie one
session to the next, particularly if you
meet with students only once a week,
as is the case in many gifted programs.
Without some type of continuity, stu-
dents may begin to lose sight of the
purpose of the activities.
Finally, deal with conflict openly.
When conflict is ignored, students are
essentially being taught that conflict is
not OK and, in essence, "we are not
going to deal with those feelings here."
Any trusting, working group has peri-
ods of conflict; be prepared for them.
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Conflict is an avenue for future growth
and development.
Introduction to Activities
The following activities have been
selected because of their effectiveness
with students in public school pro-
grams for the gifted and in the Summer
Enrichment Program at the University
of Northern Colorado (Betts, 1985b).
The activities can be used with groups
of students within a school year. It is
recommended that all of the activities
be included in your plan for the devel-
opment of the affective and social
domains of your gifted and talented
students.
1. Temperature Reading
This activity is designed to help
teachers learn more about their stu-
dents and to allow the students to learn
more about themselves and each other.
It is extremely appropriate to use this
activity early in the year during the
first few minutes of each class.
Each person has a certain "emo-
tional" temperature which describes
how the person is feeling at a certain
time. A rating scale from "1" to "10" is
used with "1" being low and "10" being
high. If a person is a "1," then that
person does not feel good about life or
what is going on. By the time a person
becomes a "5" life is not so bad, but it
could be better. Everything is fine when
the person reaches a rating of "10." The
person feels good about life and what is
happening and wants to tell everyone
how exciting life is at that time.
Each person in the group is asked by
the teacher/facilitator to share the rat-
ing and to give the reasons why that
rating was chosen. At first, students
will be hesitant to share the reasons
why, but as the trust in the group
develops, they will give more and more
information.
It is essential to understand how the
other people in the group are feeling
about themselves and their worlds. If
most of the people in the group are "3s"
at a certain time, the group will func-
tion differently than if everyone is
functioning as "10s." Understanding
other people is a key for group partici-
pation and cooperation.
2. Self Needs Assessment
Gifted children often have difficulty
finding ways to get their needs met.
They may have intellectual, social, and
emotional needs that are not typically
addressed at home or at school. Teach-
ers/facilitators can help students
assess their needs in all areas and
assist them in developing strategies
and goals that will address their par-
ticular needs. Give each student a
crayon and a piece of paper that has the
diagram on it (see Figure 1). This will
be the form for their "Initial Needs
Assessment" (Vass, M., Holistic Health
Workshop, 1982). Explain that they are
to color in each section of the pie to the
extent that they are currently satisfied
with that area of their life. Explain that
this activity will help clarify for them
those areas in which their needs are
being met most fully.
Figure 1.
W hen everyone is through col-
oring in the pie, ask them all
to hold up their sheets at the
same time. Encourage them to share
their observations about their needs
and those of others. Look for areas in
which there is complete satisfaction or
complete dissatisfaction. For closure,
tell students to brainstorm strategies
for meeting some of the needs that were
expressed in the group.
3. Hawaiian Basketball
Hawaiian Basketball is extremely
popular and effective with students
because it is a physical activity and it
generates a wide variety of feelings.
The purpose of the game is to tempo-
rarily change the group's typical pat-
tern of interaction and to communicate
feelings about those interactions.
Form two teams of five to eight
members each. Teams should have
equal numbers of members. There
should be at least two people who
know how to play basketball and at
least two who do not know how on
each team. The team to win is the first
team on which every member has made
a basket. However, once a player has
made a basket, that person is out of the
game. Allow at least 15 minutes of
playing time and 30 minutes for
discussion.
U sually, the first time the stu-
dents play, the good players get
the ball, make their shot, and
sit out, leaving the unskilled players
alone on the court. Occasionally, a
team will figure out right at the start
that what needs to happen in order to
win is cooperation. Certainly, the team
with a bad first experience catches on
fast the second time around, for the
only way to win is for the better
players to assist the unskilled players.
Meet with each team separately for
discussion afterwards. Ask students
to describe the feelings they had while
they played.
Themes that typically emerge during
the game are fear of failure, coping
with frustration, working coopera-
tively with people of different skill
levels, and self-acceptance. To close
the activity, ask each student to com-
plete the sentence, "Three feelings I felt
today were , , and
5. Futures Imagery
There is very little available infor-
mation concerning career guidance
activities for the gifted. Such activities
need to address a variety of factors
because a career is more than just a job
for the gifted individual; it is a choice of
lifestyle with considerations for social
issues, personal values, and goals.
This guided imagery exercise is ef-
fective because it is openended and
gives the child the freedom to explore
all kinds of options. It is an activity
which incorporates all aspects of their
future lives. Before starting the ac-
tivity, have each student find someone
R, R, VIII, 1, Sept, 1985/19
 in the group to share the experience
with afterwards. It will be easier for
students to process the material in
pairs and they will get to share much
more this way.
W hen everyone has a partner,
tell them to get very comfort-
able in their chairs and close
their eyes. Then read the following
imagery. Make sure the pauses are long
enough to allow them to experience
their thoughts and feelings.
Imagery Exercise
Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
. . . Feel the cool air as it enters and
flows through your body. . . . Slow
your breathing.. . . Let your shoulders
relax. . . . As you exhale, push out all
the air.. . . Pause one minute.. . . Feel
the tension drain from your legs . . . .
out your feet. . . . Breathe slowly . . .
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and as deeply as you can.
Imagine that you are all finished
with your education. Look at yourself.
. . . What do you notice? . . . Determine
how old you a r e . . . 25? 30? older? See
yourself in the place where you live. . .
go through the rooms.. . . What does it
smell like? . . . Look at the walls . . . .
what is on them?... Be aware of ho w it
feels to be living here.. . . Notice what
you like best about it. . . . (Pause one
minute) . . . Be aware of any other
people living with you. . . . Look at
them. . .(Pause). . .Now imagine that
it is a weekday morning. . . . You are
getting ready for work.. . .How do you
feel? . . . Go to your closet or dresser
and choose your clothes for the day. . .
see yourself picking them out . . .
touching them.... In your mind's eye,
see yourself finish getting ready for
work. . . (Pause). . . Think about what
you will be doing that day . . . (Pause)
. . . What are you looking forward to?
. . . (Pause) . . . Is there anything that
you wish you didn't have to do today?
. . . Now you are ready to leave for
work . . . do you walk, drive, take a
train?. . .Look around you as you go to
work.. . . What are you aware of? . . .
Notice the surroundings. . . the sounds
. . . how are you feeling as you go to
work? . . . You arrive at the place
where you are working. . . . Who do
you see there? .. . Observe the place
where you work . . . the colors . . . the
size . . . the people. . . (Pause).. . . See
yourself starting to work.. . .Be aware
of the different things you do and how
you feel about them.. . . (Pause two to
three minutes). . . . Imagine that it is
the end of the day. . . . What are your
plans for the rest of the day.. . . How
will you spend it? . . . See yourself
leave work and doing what you want
with the rest of the day and evening. . .
(Pause). . . . Who are you with? . . .
20/R, R, VIII, 1, Sept, 1985
Where are you? . . . . Notice the sur-
roundings. . .(Pause).. . .Seeyourself
return home.. . . How does it feel to be
there? . . . Notice what your plans are
for the weekend and the next few
weeks? . . . Be aware of the things you
are particularly looking forward t o . . .
(Pause). . . . As you end your day,
notice your thoughts . . . your ideas.
. . . What are your plans? . . . Observe
how you feel about the day. . . . Take
one last look around you.. . .
Continue to breathe deeply . . . feel
the air travel through you . . . it flows
slowly . . . begin to move your hands
. . . (Pause). . . . Move your toes and
feet . . . you're feeling refreshed . . .
your body is moving slightly . . . you
feel alert and open your eyes.
G ive the students 10 to 15 min-
utes or more to share their ex-
periences. Then bring the
students together in small groups and
ask them to share what they learned
about themselves. Help them to look at
the lifestyle they imagined. As an
option, students could be asked to
write a description of what they
imagined. They would then have a
permanent record of their ideas,
thoughts, and feelings which they
could evaluate carefully several times
if they wanted. To put closure on the
activity, ask them to share with the
group what it is that they value for
their future.
The Analogy Game
The Analogy Game is a nonthreaten-
ing means of giving feedback to indi-
viduals. It is best to play it after
members have worked together for a
few months and know each other fairly
well. It is especially recommended for
overnight trips and retreats. The pur-
pose of the game is for students to
become aware of how others see them.
To begin the game, appoint someone
to be "it" and instruct them to think of
one other person present in the group
without telling anyone whom they
have chosen. Everyone present then
takes turns asking analogy questions
to try to determine who the secret
person is. Give the group an example or
two analogy questions to get them
started. For example, if this person
was an instrument, would s/he be a set
of drums, a flute, or a saxophone? If
this person was a tree, would s/he be a
willow, an oak, a fruit tree, or an
evergreen?
No one is allowed to guess who the
secret person is until at least 12 ques-
tions have been asked. Guessing before
that time greatly reduces the feedback
the individual receives. Choose a re-
corder to list the choices and decisions
the person who is "it" makes. Having a
written record facilitates processing
later on and gives the secret person a
more permanent record of the feed-
back.
When someone does eventually
guess correctly, ask them to share what
information revealed to them who the
secret person must be. To process,
have the group share their perceptions.
To close this activity, ask the group to
summarize what they have learned
about the perceptions others have of
them. Each person could finish the
sentence, "Others see.me as "
As follow-up, group members could
discuss how they feel about the per-
ceptions others have of them. Do they
want to change anything about these
perceptions? How might they accomp-
lish these changes?
6. Positive and Negative Aspects
of Being Gifted
Gifted children have both positive
and negative experiences as a direct
result of their giftedness. However,
they are often unaware of the ways in
which their giftedness impacts all the
areas of their lives. The following
activity increases their awareness and
facilitates expression of the feelings
they have about their giftedness.
D
ivide students into groups of
four or five and give each group
a large piece of paper and a felt-
tip pen. Instruct them to write the word
"gifted" in the middle and to draw four
lines out from it, like the spokes of a
wheel.
Then tell students to write a positive
result of being gifted for each vertical
line and one negative result for each
horizontal line. For example:
I get work done fast
People
School expect
is - gifted me to be
boring good at
everything.
I get more privileges
When this is accomplished, instruct
them to draw two lines for each line
they already have and to write one
positive and one negative consequence
for each experience they have already
recorded. For example:
I feel pressured
y^ all the time
People expect me to /
be good at everything ~*V
\ I get support for
trying new things
 Figure 2

N \ 1
S \ 1

S \
N
S

^ p ? '
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"9?
fti

HiJdL

1l.11 ^7? expedience

Y

ff) - / vsonai

R, R, VIII, 1, Sept, 1985/21

 Figure 2

As I begin this booklet: My life is:

I am

I am
While working on this booklet, I realize that:
I am I have learned

I am
I have learned

During the next few weeks I want to:

Going beyond...
Finish each sentence as honestly as you can. Don't censor your
answers.
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Later, I hope to be: Today I a m .

Tomorrow I want to be

My friends are

Love means
I find these things easy to do:

I am insecure when

I hide my ability when

I am REALLY myself when I

I find these things difficult to do:.

My main strength is

In ten years I

I feel secure when .

These things I want to learn about:

My parents are

When I first meet people I

Most people think I.

During my life, the goals I am going to accomplish are:
When I don't like people I

The hardest thing for me to do is

When I face a problem I

These things I value deeply:.

When I am upset with others

I like myself most when .

22/R, R, VIII, 1, Sept, 1985

 Encourage them to continue extending
this as far as they can so that they
record the far-reaching consequences
of being gifted. Allow about 30 minutes
for them to complete the activity.
H ave a sharing time and ask the
children to note similarities
and differences among their
responses. Encourage them to elabo-
rate on particular responses. Point out
the variety of feelings they seem to
have about their experiences. You can
use this activity to teach students to
use "I feel when
statements.
Don't let this activity turn into a
gripe session. It's important for stu-
dents to see that others share their
experiences and feelings, but it's also
essential to work toward acceptance of
who we are and toward positive self-
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esteem. Use the closing time to take the
focus off the content of the activity and
onto the group interaction itself. Ac-
knowledge again that they seem to
have quite a bit in common with one
another even though each person is
unique in some ways as well. Close by
asking each student to complete the
phrase, "I'm glad to be part of this
group because " student at a time volunteers and shares
7. Journey into Self
A "Journey into Self" (see Figure 2) is
given to the students at least three
times per year. The purpose is to give
the students opportunities to answer
selected questions about themselves
and their lives. Time is spent talking
about the importance of knowing more
about their own life and how periods
of reflection can aid in this under-
standing.
Each person is given a copy of
"Journey into Self" and is asked to take
time at home in a quiet atmosphere to
complete the journey (see excerpt,
Figure 2). The students return them to
school where the teacher/facilitators
keep them until the third one is com-
pleted. The student is then given the
three copies of "Journey into Self" back
and is given time to analyze their
responses to look for the patterns and
the changes in their answers during the
year.
A group discussion is held to look at
what has been experienced and what
has been learned by the students. This
activity is essential in helping the
students develop a better understand-
ing and acceptance of themselves and
their lives.
8. Strength Bombardment
Rarely do we get positive, honest
feedback from other people, nor do we
take the time to look inward to see our
own strengths and successes in life.
Strength Bombardment is designed to
provide students with the opportuni-
ties to look closely at their lives and to
receive feedback from their peers and
from their teacher/facilitators.
Students are divided into groups of
four or five and are given a sheet of
paper (see Figure 3). They are asked to
sit quietly and to think about the word
"success" and what it means to them.
They are then asked to complete the
paper which asks them to think about
three successes they have had, a suc-
cess they have had the last week, and
then their greatest success. The last
statements they are asked to complete
deal with an anticipated success and
what success means to them. They
complete the paper before talking with
any of their other group members.
t this time the students are
A
given stickers (2"x2") which
can be used to give feedback to
the other students in their group. One
her successes with the other members
of the small group. As the person
shares, the other group members think
of all of the strengths they are hearing
through the sharing and begin to write
the strengths on the sticker. After the
person finishes the sharing of the
successes, each member gives the
person the sticker with the strengths
on it and explains in more detail what
strengths are written down on the
sticker. In this way, the group members
are bombarding the student with their
perceptions of the strengths of the
individual. The process is repeated
with all group members so that they
will have an opportunity to be bom-
barded in a positive manner.
For closure, all of the groups return
together and share how it felt to write
about their successes and what they
experienced when they were bom-
barded with positive strengths about
themselves.
Figure 3. Strength Bombardment
Success Number One
Success Number Two
Success Number Three
A Success This Week
My Greatest Success
An Anticipated Success
To Me, Success Means .
Conclusions
It is essential for educators to in-
clude activities which will aid in the
emotional and social development of
gifted and talented students. The ac-
tivities presented in this paper repre-
sent the authors' attempt to begin a
curriculum which emphasizes the emo-
tional and social development. In to-
day's society, it is not enough to just
focus on the cognitive domains of
learning. An integrated approach
which combines the cognitive, emo-
tional, and social is necessary.
REFERENCES
American Association for Gifted Children. (1978).
On being gifted. New York: Walker and Co.
Betts, G. (1985a). Journey into self. Greeley, CO:
Autonomous Learning Publications and Spe-
cialists.
Betts, G. (1985b). An approach for the development
of the emotional and social needs of the gifted.
Journal of Counseling and Development, in
press.
Colangelo, N., & Zaffran, R. (Eds.). (1979). New
voices in counseling the gifted. Dubuque, IA:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing.
Delisle, J. (1984). Gifted children speak out. New
York: Walker and Company.
Galbraith, J. (1983). The gifted kid's survival guide.
Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
Gowan, J.C., & Bruch, C.B. (1971). The academically
talented and guidance. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin.
Hendricks, G., & Fadiman, J. (1976). Transpersona/
education: A curriculum for feeling and being.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Roeper, A. (1982). How the gifted cope with their
emotions. Roeper Review, 5(1), 21-24.
Simons, S. (1978). Vultures. Niles, IL: Argus
Communications.
Treffinger, D.J., Borger, S.B., Render, G.F., &
Hoffman, R.M. (1976). Encouraging affective
development: A compendium of techniques and
resources. Gifted Child Quarterly, 20, 47-65.
Copies of articles from
this publication are now
available from the UMI
Article Clearinghouse.
ouse
Mail to: University Microfilms International
300 North Zeeb Road. Box 91 Ann Arbor. MI 48106
R, R, VIII, 1, S e p t , 1985/23