Personality Type and School Adjustment Getting Inside Kids ’ Heads: How to Design Lessons that Foster Positive Social Action

I was a classroom teacher before I became either a parent or a high intelligence specialist. I had my own set views of how a “good student ” should perform and behave in school. I am a highly theoretical, matter-of-fact person by nature who generally considered idealistic people to be a bit on the foolish side. When younger, I was far more likely to make personal changes when they made sense to me rather than because it might make other people feel good. It didn’t naturally occur to me that I could or should vary my approach to reach more of my students; but I now know that learning needs, viewpoints and styles vary hugely within a typical classroom. Also, as an older, more experienced educator, I realize the importance of fostering positive social viewpoints and actions in our youth. The main task is to figure out how to reach students— students who bring their sets of values, viewpoints, and styles—to help them understand that what they are learning can benefit themselves and others. For that to be possible, though, what we teach them has to “fit ” their own perceptions, interests, and needs. Sensitivity and Caring Behaviors among Gifted Students Dabrowski suggests that a propensity for advanced moral development comes from a base of particular response patterns within the highly intelligent (1964). A significant aspect o