Here is a list of helpful books in regards to Gifted Education. There are over a dozen books on this list which obviously doesn't include all the wonderful books out there regarding giftedness. (Pricing and vendors are subject to change.)
A humorous, engaging, and encouraging look at raising gifted children. Offers practical advice to help parents re-examine the ways they perceive and relate to their children. Some topics include understanding giftedness, working with the school system, dealing with perfectionism, and being an adult role model.
Raising a gifted child is both a joy and a challenge, yet parents of gifted children have few resources for reliable parenting information. Includes practical guidance in areas such as gifted characteristics, peer relations, sibling issues, motivation & underachievement, discipline issues, intensity & stress, depression & unhappiness, educational planning, finding professional help, etc.
Gifted children and adults are often misunderstood. Their excitement is viewed as excessive, their high energy as hyperactivity, their persistence as nagging, their imagination as not paying attention, their sensitivity as immaturity, etc. This book provides practical methods for nurturing sensitivity, intensity, and perfectionism. Also includes info on Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration.
□How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and How to Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish (Amazon Prime $12.23)
Using the unique communication strategies, down-to-earth dialogues, and delightful cartoons, parents and teachers learn how to help children handle the everyday problems and strong emotions that can interfere with learning. Shows how parents and teachers can join forces to inspire kids to be self-directed, self-disciplined, and responsive to the wonders of learning.
Illuminates the abilities of visual-spatial learners and describes the challenges they face in traditional learning environments. Helpful for teachers, parents and visual-spatial learners themselves.
Describes the intellectual and emotional needs of children of high ability; typical and advance reading patterns for kids in K-12 grades; how to give reading guidance and discuss books with young readers; etc. Includes a list of more than 300 books for readers of all ages carefully selected to promote intellectual and emotional development.
Presents a roadmap for implementing, sustaining, and evaluating school-wide cluster grouping. Full of teacher-tested classroom strategies. Includes info on professional development and gaining parental support. Contains a CD with customizable, reproducible forms plus a PowerPoint presentation designed for teacher in-service training.
□Re-Forming Gifted Education: How Parents and Teachers Can Match the Program to the Child by Karen B. Rogers, Ph.D. (Amazon Prime $14.99)
Guides parents through the process of negotiating an educational plan that meets their child’s needs and describes several recommended models for acceleration and enrichment. Includes a “Gifted Education Planner” which uses questionnaires from the book which makes it easy for parents to help determine their child’s strengths, weaker areas, interests and preferred learning styles.
Written for parents and teachers, this is a guide to fostering creativity and sustaining the creative spirit in children both at home and school. Describes various theories, personality traits, and programs, process & products that foster creativity.
For children ages 8-12 and their parents/teachers. Topics include bullying, school performance, perfectionism, friendships, and sibling rivalries. Fun quizzes, tip sheets, and practical Q&A sections from other gifted kids and preteens. Strategies for dealing with stress management, parents’ and teachers’ expectations, anxiety, cyber-bullying, friendship troubles, etc.
For children ages 10 and under and their parents/teachers. Geared toward your gifted and talented readers, but also helps adults understand what it means to be gifted. This book will help bright, talented children know they are not weird or alone in the world. Answers questions about what giftedness is (and isn’t), how to cope with teasing, how to deal with perfectionism, and how to make friends.
For preteens and teens. Full of surprising facts, survey results, strategies, inspiring teen quotes, and essays, the guide gives readers the tools they need to appreciate their giftedness and make the most of who they are. Includes info on twice-exceptional, emotional and social intelligence, creativity, teen brain development, managing life online, testing and standards, homeschooling, I.B. programs, college alternatives, STEM careers, cyberbullying, etc.
□There are Those by Nathan Levy and Janet Levy, picture book (Amazon Prime $14.74)
Picture book. Celebrated around the world, this best selling poem artfully depicts an inspirational message. “Nathan Levy captures the essence of what it feels like to be gifted in a few words.”
□Helping Gifted Children Soar: A Practical Guide for Parents and Teachers by Carol A. Strip, Ph.D. with Gretchen Hirsch (Amazon Prime $16.55)
Educates parents and teachers about important gifted issues such as working together, evaluating classroom programs, forming parent support groups, choosing appropriate curriculum, meeting social and emotional needs, and more. Book also available in Spanish as Ayudando a Los Niños Dotados a VolarUna Guía Práctica Para Padres y Maestros.
Sometimes kids who have the brain and heart to succeed lack or lag behind in crucial “executive skills” – the fundamental habits of mind required for getting organized, staying focused, and controlling impulses and emotions. Learn steps to identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses, use activities and techniques proven to boost specific skills, and problem-solve daily routines.
