Del Siegle - Developing Mentorship Programs for Gifted Students

THE PRACTICAL STRATEGIES SERIES
IN GIFTED EDUCATION

series editors
FRANCES A. KARNES & KRISTEN R. STEPHENS

Developing
Mentorship Programs
for Gifted Students

Del Siegle

P RUFROCK P RESS , I NC .

Copyright 2005 by Frances A. Karnes

and Kristen R. Stephens-Kozak

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59363-768-2

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Contents

Series Preface

The Practical Strategies Series in Gifted Education offers teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, and other interested parties up-to-date instructional techniques and information on a variety of issues pertinent to the field of gifted education. Each guide addresses a focused topic and is written by scholars with authority on the issue. Several guides have been published. Among the titles are:

Acceleration Strategies for Teaching Gifted Learners

Curriculum Compacting: An Easy Start to Differentiating for High-Potential Students

Enrichment Opportunities for Gifted Learners

Independent Study for Gifted Learners

Motivating Gifted Students

Questioning Strategies for Teaching the Gifted

Social & Emotional Teaching Strategies

Using Media & Technology With Gifted Learners

For a current listing of available guides within the series, please contact Prufrock Press at (800) 998-2208 or visit http:// www.prufrock.com.

What Is Mentoring?

A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a months study of books.

Chinese proverb

Mentoring has existed for as long as one generation has passed its wisdom to another (Tomlinson, 2001). The basis for the term originated in Homers Odyssey. Odysseus left his trusted friend Mentor in charge of his household and his son Telemachus during his absence. Athena later disguised herself as Mentor and guided Telemachus in his search for his father (Pennsylvania State University, 19992002).

Mentoring involves a more knowledgeable and experienced individual helping a less experienced individual reach a major life goal (Goff & Torrance, 1999; Tomlinson, 2001). This relationship can range from a formal arrangement that is carefully planned and executed to a serendipitous meeting of like-minded individuals with a common interest (Nash, 2001; Tomlinson). The relationship is based on trust and a genuine desire for growth and learning (Goff & Torrance, 1999).

Mentors are more than role models. In addition to providing skills, they support and challenge as they help their younger charges develop a vision for the future (Kaufmann, 2003). They teach, counsel, engage, and inspire (Nash, 2001) and often serve as friends throughout the process (Silverman, 2000).

Mentorship programs can provide motivated gifted and talented students with an opportunity to apply inductive thinking and problem-solving skills to advanced content that is often associated with real-life situations. Mentorships generally serve one or more of the following student goals:

• career explorations,
• research beyond the scope of the regular classroom,
• opportunity to study topics not available in the regular curriculum,
• development of specific skills, and
• opportunity to work with experts in fields of interest (Idaho, 1999).

Three groups of gifted and talented students particularly benefit from mentorships: highly gifted, disadvantaged, and underachieving students. The highly gifted need challenges well beyond the schools resources; the disadvantaged profit from significant role models, career and college counseling, and possibly summer employment and scholarship opportunities; the underachieving benefit from meaningful learning experiences, individual attention, and a change from the status quo (VanTassel-Baska, 2000)

At the core of mentoring is the practice of mentors recognizing young peoples talents and interests and providing opportunities to explore and develop their skills (Siegle & McCoach, 2005). Mentoring has withstood the test of time because it works under a variety of conditions with individuals of all ages. Mentoring at an early age helps young people recognize and appreciate their own uniqueness (Bennetts, 2001) as they pursue their talents and creativity (Torrance, 1984). Older students benefit even more from mentoring experiences (Roberts & Inman, 2001). Adolescents enjoy working with others apart from their families. They benefit from opportunities for collaboration, assistance with the transition from youth to young adulthood, college and career guidance, chances for choice, and development of their esoteric interests (Bennetts, 2001).

Torrance (1984) documented that mentors make a difference in the educational attainment and creative achievement of their mentees. Students in mentoring relationships have better school attendance, are more likely to attend college, and have better attitudes towards school (Jekielek, Moore, Hair, & Scarupa, 2002). Mentored students stay in school longer and accomplish more as adults (Torrance, 1984). Mentorships increase student self-confidence and self-awareness (Nash, 2001). They promote responsibility and the importance of preparing for the future (Purcell, Renzulli, McCoach, & Spottiswoode, 2001). This includes improved organization and time management skills (Davalos & Haensly, 1997). In addition, when youth enjoy a regular, positive activity with an adult over the course of a year, they are 46% less likely to begin using drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, and 52% less likely to skip school. (Charityguide, n.d., p. 1)

Gifted students need for advanced knowledge, inductive learning through exploration and problem solving, and diverse interests make them ideal candidates for mentoring experiences. Gifted and talented students learn more deeply and at an accelerated pace which necessitates assistance beyond conventional classroom and home environments. They need to investigate the complexities and interrelationships among disciplines that can only be discovered with assistance from highly knowledgeable experts. Mentors are also necessary when gifted and talented students have interests that their peers are not prepared to explore (Robert & Inman, 2001). Classroom teachers, gifted and talented specialists, and parents may lack the specialized knowledge necessary to develop gifted students talents. Mentors provide a level of sophistication and intensity of interest that is normally not accessible from traditional sources (Siegle, 2001). Mentors and mentees form a partnership where they explore their passions and interests (Roberts & Inman, 2001) and unique knowledge and talents (Nash, 2001). The mentee engages in real world learning and has an opportunity to study content in a ceilingless environment beyond the confines of the classroom curriculum (Davalos & Haensly, 1997).