USA - Highly gifted is not enough
Sylvia Zinser
people who end up in the secret universe of Sylvia Zinser - in, Sylvia Zinser's hodgepodge ' - have to fight against temptations: What would be because first? Cistercian bread, red fruit jelly or Lübeck Dabrowski's theory? The range of information, recipes and tips seems endless - a professional and practical. Sylvia Zinser author draws from the rich pool of experience and knowledge: She studied at the universities Mainz, Frankfurt, Konstanz, and the Northeastern Illinois University / USA, studying Magistra (Gifted Education) is to graduate and PhD physicist. She lives with her husband and children in Chicago, Illinois, and offers advice for families with gifted children. In an interview with the 'giftedness world' says Sylvia Zinser of giftedness and high ability, one day of giftedness', IQ tests, as well as similarities and differences in the cultures.
giftedness World: Who to Google the word "maximum talent ' enters receives currently 12 000 entries - either first or second place is your contribution through, giftedness and high ability '. How can you tell the difference between gifted and highly gifted? And is there a difference in lived high ability in Germany and the United States of America?
Sylvia Zinser: My conglomeration has its origin in the 90 years, so in a time when the put the Internet in its infancy. At that time I was working with an ASCII-browser over a slow modem connection. My motivation was that I could hardly find online children's songs. So put which I myself online. Since then, the collection expanded to include a lot of different topics, always according to my particular interests and the respective short supply.
The subject talent began to move, as my oldest son started reading at age three (that was still in Germany), and then later, when I here in the U.S. for a lot of information about Giftedness OCCASION. During my studies, "Gifted education" then it was my heart, as soon as possible to "export" the contents to Germany because I was aware that many children were not sufficiently supplied by their school and Some information, such as the theory Dabrowski, not known really was. And yet this construct describes a very precise and valid potential qualities of talented people. ECHA's program at the time was just emerging, and specialized teachers very rarely. Most talent came at some point in my sights, as my elder from our school for gifted children not got enough food. An Internet search showed the way at that time only two or three hits in Germany.
By definition, you tell the difference between giftedness and talent at the highest test result. With an IQ over 145 you are very talented, gifted 130-145. The difference from the norm (IQ 100) So once another standard deviation. In real life it looks but they do not. Not every gifted test with a score higher than 130, and not all extremely gifted tests on 145th
However, there are other indicators. Generally I would for adults (and older children) said that the higher the, the more talent or more intensive idiosyncrasies a person. These individual features can look very different. Some are extremely sensitive to sensory stimulation (noise, taste, etc). The next are very creative or musical. Other people have a tremendous emphasis on their individuality. Still others have perseverance and focus on their work or their project. Many gifted students have high interest not only in one direction, but in completely different areas. Giftedness is also analytical thinking skills. Things become more intense and well thought out questions, as does the surrounding area.
takes this opportunity a highly talented man and himself under the microscope - self-doubt sometimes to the point, or even depression. Maximum gift is a total personality picture. Several of these properties described come together and can even indicate a high talent when no clear results are indicated. Annemarie Roeper, one of the local pioneers of the subject goes even further and has developed its own method, based on observation of the person. She seems to be able to determine exactly their method giftedness to a few percentage points (The same subjects were later a regular IQ test subject).
There are psychologists who say also that with the ability to increase or asynchrony is striking. I think that is true for a lot of highly gifted children, in adults, but the back have grown.
Not everyone is a gifted high-flyers in academia. In the U.S., many high school dropouts and highly talented. You simply can not cope with the system and the system is not with them. In this context, we often find that gifted beyond their own border, its social barriers, to do things that "man" does not.
women are often not as noticeable, because the typical gender distribution and a striving for harmony with the environment and has many highly talented women of the neighborhood you normally gifted adapt has said and done here, however.
Generally speaking, the population of the most talented high and is about as diverse as the general population.
The transition is fluid, not the maximum talent clearly separated from the high talent. In some research an IQ of up to 145 is defined as "ideal": People in this area have less difficulty adapting to the environment. Abnormalities such as in the social sector connect more frequently at higher IQ, so at the most talented.
articles about life in the United States as high or very talented man: a comparison to provide for adults is difficult. But I think there is a reason why people emigrate from Germany to the USA: "The American Dream" - the chance to realize himself, some time to roll up the center of life his career entirely to start over, all this is more common in the States. Career is organized in Germany and a sudden change of employers is not often regarded as positive.
On the other hand, the university education in Germany is still high quality - more aligned to lead independent thinking. In the U.S. there are at renowned universities in part multiple-choice tests in physics - a test-type, which in our study would have been unthinkable.
adolescents and young adults are trained to be specialists, but to see the big picture, they learn not necessarily. Gifted children should and want to but just that: an education that will open their prospects of being able to rise above boundaries, which in Multipotentialität justice.
My comparison of the education in the U.S. and Germany is of course a bit unfair, because I found the training from the 80's in Germany with the ones in the U.S. compare. In two years, when my eldest son has his first semester in Germany behind, I can once again make a comparison ...
giftedness world you practice and love sports, music, politics and literature. And you know what items can be identified by the gifted / talented students maximum - in your view, what world-famous celebrities from sports and music, politics and literature are particularly gifted?
Sylvia Zinser: Oh dear ... This is a very difficult question for me because I really only people up close, direct contact to assess can.
get my information from either the radio or the newspaper, barely out of the television, which complicates the assessment of celebs ever. Barack Obama I think is highly intelligent, not because I agree 100% with his policies but because he goes beyond borders, for example in the selection of its employees. The U.S. well-known Chicago Erin Oprah seems very high to be on the scale with her empathy and engagement with the diverse groups of people and their interest in completely different topics.
Sally Edwards (triathlon), I think is very intelligent, she also breaks Boundaries in their field. One of her goals is to inspire women to the sport, consider themselves not just once for athletic. At the races organized by it difficult to see prominent ladies who successfully mutate to amateur athletes. Last, in these races, but no one, because Sally Edwards claimed that space for themselves. To stay in Triathlon: Faris Al-Sultan is also in the category of cross-border and free spirits, try the new, creative work with their profession and are constantly evolving and know pretty much what they do.
Frank Schirrmacher is an example from the media with his informed Criticism of the electronic media and its use, criticism on conditions that are easy to swallow the population and accepted.
I now have available some few people who have defied their own borders or barriers imposed by society. Of course this list is far from complete. Also, I am afraid I can not dare to make an accurate assessment of the IQ of a person or to draw in assessing the boundary between giftedness and high ability - and certainly not on the distance.
giftedness World: How to identify gifted Adults, if a path to a psychologist - to psychologist - is worth to get tested? Is there such a thing as "safe / hard facts" and such a thing as "soft facts" regarding the security of being gifted? And what maximum talent is detected?
Sylvia Zinser: A good indicator are gifted parents, siblings or children. According to statistics are different first degree relatives of more than 10 or 15 IQ points from each other. That's right, of course, not always, when in addition there learning disabilities or weaknesses can vary enormously, the IQ again. But a good rule of thumb is it already. It is very common, especially among mothers (permanent home parents) that they analyze retrospectively their childhood when their child has been tested as highly gifted. Own character will be found that match the nature of the child and the comparison inevitably comes, the feeling of never having to fit, and at some point the question of her own talent.
It may be a negative impact on parents and child when parents try to what they themselves did not live out of their child, but this need not be so. It can also mean a liberation for the father described, the mother described as that they find the courage to question their own borders.
can also be an indicator of school success. Moderate notes, however close a high-talent is not enough. The most famous example is Albert Einstein, who was not in school to the first.
The softer factors I have described above in the first question already, but these are not really easy to identify the individual person, people keep their own sensitivity to be normal, eg a noise or odor sensitivity is not immediately connected with high ability but perhaps even a nuisance. Intelligent people often feel attracted to other intelligent people and so far fall in the idiosyncrasies of friends then not so much.
A reliable detection of a high aptitude or distinguishing between giftedness and high ability is really only possible with a test. One problem is that the current provision in Germany IQ tests a maximum IQ of 155-160, higher IQs can not be tested. In isolated areas of the tests can be used for a very talented person ever go off the questions, which reduces the total value.
The Person is thus triggered by analogy when jumping to the ceiling, and if you added together all the different jumps, the total jump height been too low. During testing, one should look at each sub-test and therefore not only the total.
testing in the U.S. theoretically go up further. I think the standard IQ tests underestimate both the States and in Germany the number of the most gifted (and talented) people. My feeling is that the bell curve of ability is not really a bell curve, because there seems to be extremely gifted more than the Gaussian statistics expected. That would actually be even an interesting research project.
to get a psychologist or psychologist is particularly necessary when problems occur, such as the self-esteem suffers, to obsessive or addictive behavior develops, or if an adult does not know why he has trouble with his environment to deal or how he can find his way in life.
However, this is a huge barrier for many people - a visit to the psychologist is affected in Germany, as in the U.S. with a stigma. One way this barrier is scaling it to perform a Mensa test for rough assessment of their own intelligence. If the own environment also has an active Mensa group work, you may have killed two birds with one stone: we know about its own giftedness and can meet people who have understood better. However, you should consult a psychologist still, if the problems persist, but then have an idea why you have problems.
giftedness world complain in forums gifted adults they are faced with disadvantages when other people - know that they are gifted - colleagues, neighbors. From your experience: Is this just a problem in Germany - or is it envy this factor in the U.S.?
Sylvia Zinser: At the risk now to connect to several feet, I do not think it sent, if adults mention their own giftedness, except to very close friends. Most people mean by giftedness "higher intelligence", and nothing more. That sounds like a gold treasure, a desirable commodity. That this treasure, therefore, is not without a huge weight understand only experts, non-experts do not understand what is happening in their talented neighbors and be jealous of the external.
I know not know if jealousy has only to do directly with high ability or with success, with self-realization of highly talented people. With success, I do not mean external wealth but rather internal: a joy in their work, while the neighboring malocht a satisfaction perhaps to an undesirable job. On the other hand, there are external unsuccessful gifted and there could be neighbors and friends ask why they are not richer than when they are so smart but - the envy of schadenfreude.
The giftedness can not be seen individually but only in relation to the total personality. There are studies that show that the percentage increases of the introverted person with the IQ. Neighbors of introverts are not considered socially happy, what then mutated into "who considers himself well for something better" and "Well, he's just gifted." But this is international, I think, and found in the United States as well as in Germany.
Compared Germany against USA, I believe that the early development of children is common. Kindergartens and preschools to go here with the alphabet and numbers as to how to use toys - children can deal with it if they want. Envy towards children or competition, which child reads before I have experienced little, this envy is more common in sport, when the friend of her own child in the school football team has been included, but not his own child.
giftedness world giftedness little further considered - including the gifted / highly gifted children - what are the problems which are the gifted today, especially among the nails?
Sylvia Zinser: There are now more teachers who are aware of the issue, as There were 9 years. There are a number of primary schools, to deal very well with the gifted provide them project work, they do not consistently as a supply teacher, but would give them extra food. At such schools, these children feel good. What I think is still underdeveloped, but is that giftedness is not purely academic, yes. These children are often very clearly "different" to collect, for example, and identify bugs from the grass during the classmates play soccer. It is often difficult for gifted children to find friends, have the same or similar intense interest. Sometimes these children feel like from another planet.
I think it is important that highly intelligent children are aware of their high or maximum gift and learn what can make everything come in the combination pack. Only then can they understand their feelings and characteristics compared with their classmates. In the same context, children must also have the chance to meet like-minded people. If schools could offer some lessons for the "faster" children would be helped a lot. needs additional work, of course, for the small group of the most talented, because they do not exist in the view of many teachers and principals. One of my professors at Northeastern has once put it this way: A Child with IQ 160 feels a gifted class for children with IQ 130, as well as a child with IQ 130, a regular school class feels. Above all, parents need to really put across to find these children's friends, mentors, or pen pals.
Otherwise there is the group of children who are not tested as gifted, but show very clearly all the characteristics of gifted children. If schools, for example, more accurately from only a measured IQ of 120 look, and these children anböten extra food, they would be helped. I read again and again that school principals and teachers focus too much on the magic 130, without the specific test to take a closer look. should be in every school authority be someone employed who can read the tests that can analyze whether perhaps there is a part-giftedness, or a learning disability.
this have such "irregular" children are more difficult to fit into the system. You use part of their intelligence to compensate for their weakness (n), on days on which they are to successfully push their success, they often to external factors (luck, nice teacher, etc.), and a failure to ascribe to themselves alone. These children need someone who understands their asynchrony, promotes the strengths, not weaknesses but ignored by the child is planning how it can evolve.
And lastly, parents should not be condemned by their surroundings because they encourage their children. Parents do the right thing: they give their child intellectual fodder. With parental support can accelerate the learning of facts perhaps, but not that is a math genius from a normally gifted child.
giftedness world what should be done in your view? What are your personal expectations of politics, economy, science, media and churches?
Sylvia Zinser: I think it here with the Bible - specifically with the talent parable. A man gives his servants different, but huge sums of money (talents) to manage. Two use the money to act, and act until they achieve the double. The third buries his share in the world. All people have different talents in different intense expression. Everyone has a right to use these talents to multiply. Talent should not be wasted but buried in the basement used to benefit the family, the economy, its own country and of humanity.
talents can flourish only when children in kindergarten or the school can work on their level, when children and young people can immerse themselves in long-term projects, if the school they asked them to think deeply, analyze relationships, create new ways to evaluate what they do and thus learn to find its own problems to attack and solve. These are objectives that can not be queried by multiple choice.
I do not deny the meaning and purpose of PISA, but schools must not teach with the goal of better test statistics (This is even more extreme in the U.S.). There are so few gifted that promotion would be statistically irrelevant.
So what to do science? The definitions must be revised. An IQ test is not everything, there are other ways to find gifted students, parents, teachers and self-nomination to culture-independent tests. Again, testing should be developed, which measure about IQ 160th I am aware of the statistical difficulty, but I think it is necessary. A concept is unfortunately only proven and therefore face the population justified if it is measurable.
The school policy should enshrine a right to support for gifted children and for Finance also made available. Some simple measures such as Akzelerierung are not even expensive and are usually effective, according to research.
The economy could project opportunities for children and adults provide. It would be nice if talented people have an opportunity to pursue research ideas, children in competitions such as Youth Research, adults in their spare time maybe.
should also farms career changers face open and not reported as a decline in the CV.
giftedness world What contribution could make an annual and international "Day of giftedness? Who should call him and escorted into the life?
Sylvia Zinser: In the U.S., yes it an incredible variety of designated days ("speech-like-a-Pirate-Day, Environment Day," "...- Memorial Day, etc). A day of high ability, if initiated, may not perish. One possibility would be to use such a day to train teachers. Another to organize exhibitions of works by the gifted.
Such an exhibition of art can include poems in addition to research. Effective that day is but only if the media help to ensure the dissemination and if farms and municipalities gifted as sponsors stood to the side. The artists, writers and researchers would then, however, in their works and works are to explain their motivation to interact with visitors and engage in discussions on the subject to show that they, like any other human beings with feelings, interests and preferences are. Not everyone could afford to gifted interest contributions, but such exhibitions were a way to bridge and reduce prejudices.
Better than one-day events would, however, fixed forums, clubs or cafes, where one is accepted as a talented person, and again can imagine works and ideas, perhaps you can just relax and can chat to other like-minded people. These would have all year, or at least be open regularly, and imagine rotating works and projects of those present. I would of course do not require that such authors bring their IQ test.
general, the goal should be to celebrate the talents of all kinds.
Since are a number of years here in the U.S., the Davidson Institute for Talent Development. This organization, founded by a couple who sold his software empire to put significant sums of money in order to promote maximum gifted. Every year there are meetings, children get together and play board games and other games together. Completely non-social children suddenly fit into a random community, as one would not expect it. A similar organization in Germany would be a possible model for promoting maximum gifted.
giftedness world hard to imagine - but you will also now and then have time to dream: From what you dream about - what do you want for your life? What visions do you have?
Sylvia Zinser: use My talents in different directions. Again taking singing lessons. Triathlon to coach. To found a school for gifted younger when we return from the U.S. to Germany. to qualify for Ironman Kona. And to find the time for all that:)
Thank you.
Interview with Sylvia Zinser led Lilli Cremer-old currency for the world's giftedness.
Contact:
Dr. Sylvia Zinser szinser@zinser.no-ip.info http://tinyurl.com/SZ-sSammelsurium http : / / tinyurl.com / ZinserHochbegabung
