SENGinar: Same, Similar, or Different? Openness to Experience, Overexcitability

Are gifted students different from their peers in ways that go beyond intelligence?  This session will present a look at research on Openness to Experience and Overexcitabilities, their similarities and differences, and trends that help describe some of the sometimes hard-to-capture differences between gifted students and their peers.  Research suggests that being highly Open is associated with creativity, and that high levels of Openness coincide with the presence of multiple overexcitabilities; we will consider the implications of that for students’ fit in traditional school environments. We’ll take a look at Conscientiousness, too!

About the Presenter:

Dr. Shelagh A. Gallagher the current President of the National Association for Gifted Children. She is also

director of Engaged Education, where she works with teachers and schools around the world to promote

appropriate education for gifted children. Dr Gallagher has conducted research and published articles on topics

including the personality attributes and giftedness, developmental and academic needs of gifted adolescents, questioning strategies for gifted students, and twice-exceptional students. She is an eight-time winner of the NAGC Curriculum award for her Problem-Based Learning units and recipient of the “Person of SIGnificance” award from the National Society for Gifted and Talented. Every summer, she works with gifted adolescents as a Fellow at Camp Yunasa.