Mirum: Vivamus est ipsum, vehicula nec, feugiat rhoncus, accumsan id, nisl. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer Guiding the Gifted

Advanced Academic Services

Austin Independent School District

The term Locus of Control was first coined by psychologist Julian Rotter in 1966. Rotter defined Locus of Control as a theory in personality psychology referring to the extent individuals believe that they can control events that affect them. Rotter believed that people fall into two categories of “Control.” These two types are Internal and External Control. Dr. Rotter developed a method known as the I-E Scale to assess the two concepts. In addition to developing the Locus of Control philosophy, he also developed the Social Learning Theory. Julian Rotter was one of the most well respected psychologists of the 20th

century and is considered to be the pioneer of the social learning framework which transformed behavioral approaches to personality and clinical psychology today.

LocusofControlandtheGi3edChild

Internal Locus of Control--The belief that one’s own actions determine life’s consequences.

Example: John believed he did well on the exam because he had studied and prepared well for it.

External Locus of Control--The belief that fate, chance, the actions of others, or the

difficulty of the task affects life’s consequences. Example: Jane believed she

did not do well on the exam because the teacher made the exam too hard and her

sister’s loud music prevented her from studying.

Internal Control External Control

Greater motivation and confidence in own ability

Larger percentage of underachievers

Higher scores on standardized achievement tests

More males than females

Have more realistic life goals Experiences test anxiety

How do these two concepts

affect Gifted students?

More likely to adapt their behaviors following negative

experiences

Easily discouraged, and gives up more readily when faced

with difficult tasks

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must

have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.

We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost,

must be attained.”Madame Curie

Whether a child has an Internal Locus of Control or External Locus of

Control there are some ways that teachers, parents and other family

members can build patterns of success for gifted children.

Some of these methods are:• Reward students verbally with praise

for their successes.• Establish realistic and attainable

goals for the student.• Minimize anxiety by helping the

student to organize and create a plan for success.

• Emphasize task mastery as opposed to grades.

• Model and teach time management.• Teach stress management.• Meet with the school guidance

counselors to seek their assistance in helping the students to develop aspirations for their future.

• Realize and accept that the student’s goals or aspirations may differ from those you may have for them.

Austin Independent School District Advanced Academic Services

Gifted Children’s Bill of Rights

You have a right...

...to know about your giftedness.

...to learn something new every day.

...to be passionate about your talent area without apologies.

..to have an identity beyond your talent area.

...to feel good about your accomplishments.

...to make mistakes.

...to seek guidance in the development of your talent.

...to have multiple peer groups and a variety of friends.

...to choose which of your talent areas you wish to pursue.

...not to be gifted at everything.

Del Siegle

President, National Association of Gifted Children

2007-2009

Interesting Facts about Notable Gifted People in History:• Her family suggested Louisa May Alcott find work as a servant or a

seamstress. An editor told her she could never write anything with popular appeal.

• Beethoven‘s teacher called him hopeless as a composer.• Caruso's teachers said he had no voice at all and could not sing.• Winston Churchill failed sixth grade.• Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of good ideas.• Thomas Edison's teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything.• Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn't read until

he was seven. His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams."

• Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school.• Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college.• Admiral Richard E. Byrd had been retired from the Navy, as "unfit for

service" until he flew over both poles.• Abraham Lincoln entered the Black Hawk War as a Captain and came

out as a private.• Rocket scientist Werner Von Braun failed ninth grade Algebra.• F. W. Woolworth's employers at the dry goods store said he did not

have enough good sense to wait upon customers.• Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies,

15th out of 22 in chemistry.

“Its not how you start, but how you finish!”

Lyricist, Dorothy Fields