Transcript MULTIPOTENTIALITY ” - Central Middle School

“ MULTIPOTENTIALITY: ” “You can do
anything you want to do.”
“What do you want to do first ?”
Multipotentiality or Multitalented :
Is it Good or Bad for the Gifted Child ?
“ LIFE-SPAN CAREER COUNSELING CAN
MAKE A DIFFERENCE .”
DEFINING MULTIPOTENTIALITY:
• ABILITY TO SELECT & DEVELOP MANY CAREER OPTIONS:
WIDE VARIETY OF INTERESTS, APTITUDES & ABILITIES
(Frederickson & Rothney,1972)
• CONCEPT THAT ONE CAN SELECT & DEVELOP MANY
COMPETENCIES TO A HIGH LEVEL. (Fredrickson,1979)
• CONDITION WHERE ONE HAS INTERESTS & ABILITIES TO
PURSUE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES & GOALS
(Rysiew, Shore, & Carson, 1994)
Main Sources of Career Indecision:
Inadequate or inaccurate information
 Lack of confidence & decision-making skills
 Faulty self-observation
 Pressure to please others by making the perfect
career choice
 Girls a need to meet career & family goals
 Parental education & personal factors (anxiety)
 Early or late decision-making
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“THE GOOD SIDE”
 HAVE THE OPTION OF MANY POTENTIALLY GOOD
CHOICES, EARN HIGH SCORES ON ABILITY &
ACHIEVEMENT TESTS, DIVERSE STRENGTHS,
MULTIPLE EDUCATIONAL-VOCATIONAL INTERESTS,
HAVE MORE THAN ONE CAREER, USE LEISURE
ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP AREAS OF ABILITIES &
INTERESTS, HAVE PEER DISCUSSIONS & GROUP
WORK WITH OTHER MULTIPOTENIAL YOUTH,
EXPLORE BROAD CATEGORIES, USE CAREER
COUNSELING AS A VALUE-BASED ACTIVITY
THE BAD SIDE:
PRODUCES CONFLICT & STRESS:
 DIFFICULTIES IN MAKING DECISIONS BETWEEN
CHOICES ;“OVERCHOICE SYNDROME”, LACK OF
DECISION-MAKING SKILLS, OVERWHELMING
CAREER OPTIONS, COMPLEXITY OF DECISION
MAKING, DECISIONS BASED ON STATUS &
EARNINGS, PERFECTIONISM, GOAL SETTING,
DELAYED CAREER SELECTION, LONG-TERM
SCHOOLING, DELAY OF INDEPENDENCE,
EMOTIONALLY DRAINING, FINANCIALLY
DRAINING, FEEL COERCED BY OTHERS
THE GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILD
AND MULTIPOTENTIALITY:
MAINLY CONCERNS THOSE
WITH MODERATELY HIGH
IQ’s (120-140)
 ACADEMICALLY TALENTED,
STRAIGHT “A” STUDENTS
 MULTIPLE INTERESTS, TWO
OR MORE OUTSTANDING
DIFFERENT ABILITIES
 MORE SENSITIVE TO SOCIAL
NEEDS & MOTIVATION
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HIGH ACHIEVEMENT TEST
SCORES, OPPORTUNITIES
 MANY ACADEMIC &
EXTRACURRICULAR
INTERESTS
 CAREER EXPLORATION
BEGINS EARLY
 ABILITY TO PURSUE
ADVANCED DEGREES
 FAMILY OF ORIGIN SYSTEM
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SIGNS THAT MULTIPOTENTIALITY IS A CONCERN:
MAY BEGIN EARLY, THE PATH FROM EDUCATION TO
CAREER IS NOT ALWAYS SMOOTH,
COMPLICATED BY SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS &
NEEDS OF THE GIFTED CHILD.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONCERNS
DIFFICULTY
MAKING DECISIONS
DIFFICULTY
CHOOSING TOPICS
OR PROJECTS
MULTIPLE HOBBIES
BRIEF PERIODS
OF ENTHUSIASM
DIFFICULTY
FINISHING UP
DIFFICULTY
FOLLOWING THROUGH
DIFFICULTY
COMPLETING THOSE
ENJOYABLE TASKS
MORE SIGNS FOR CONCERN
AS A CHILD GETS OLDER:
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
DIFFICULTY
MAKING DECISIONS
OVERSCHEDULE
ACTIVITIES
LEAVING FEW
FREE PERIODS
DIFFICULTY WITH
FOLLOW-THROUGH
MULTIPLE SOCIAL
& RECREATIONAL
ACTIVITIES
LITTLE TIME
TO JUST THINK
NO CLEAR
PREFERENCES
MORE CONCERNS:
STUDENT MAINTAINS HIGH GRADES,
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
DECISION-MAKING
PROBLEMS
ACADEMIC
DECISIONS
OVERLY PACKED
CLASS SCHDULES
HIGHLY DIVERSE
PARTICIPATION
IN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
CAREER DECISIONS
ACCEPTS
LEADERSHIP
OF A WIDE
VARIETY OF GROUPS:
SCHOOL, RELIGIOUS
ACTIVITIES, COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS
OCCASIONAL SIGNS
OF STRESS & EXHAUSTION
DELAY COLLEGE
PLANNING & DECISION
MAKING
MORE CONCERNS:
May encounter dilemma of
opportunities lost.
COLLEGE
MULTIPLE
ACADEMIC MAJORS
CHANGES COLLEGE
MAJOR
THREE OR MORE TIMES
OUTSTANDING
ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE
CONCERNED
ABOUT SELECTING
CAREER
INTENSE
EXTRACURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES
“GO-ALONG-WITHTHE-CROWD”
CAREER CHOICES
MORE CONCERNS:
Despite excellence high
performance & evaluations,
ADULTHOOD
MULTIPLE
POSITIONS
IN SHORT
TIME PERIODS
FEELINGS
OF APATHY
FEELS LACK OF
FITTING INTO
MOST JOBS
CAREER PROGRESS
FALLS BEHIND
SAME –AGE PEERS
UNEMPLOYMENT
PURPOSELESSNESS
DELAYED
SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
UNDEREMPLOYMENT
FEELINGS OF
ALIENATION
DEPRESSION
LIFE-SPAN CAREER COUNSELING:
Includes developmental, social, and
psychological transitions.
 CAREERS ARE FORGED
 LONG SERIES OF DECISION-MAKING
 DEVELOPING ATTITUDES
 CAREER EXPLORATION
 CAREER PLANNING
 SELF-REFLECTING
RESTRUCTURES OF BELIEFS
 BUILDING PERSONALITY
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INDIVIDUALIZED, MULIDIMENSIONAL, &
DIFFERENTIATED COUNSELING HELPS:
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ABILITIES / INTERESTS EXPLORATION
ABILITY / INTEREST TESTS
VALUES / NEEDS CLARIFICATION
LIKES, LEISURE ACTIVITIES & SELF-REFLECTION
DESIRED PERSONAL PRIORITIES / PERFERED LIFESTYLES
HONORS & AP STUDENTS CREATING NEW CAREERS
HIGH-ABILIITY STUDENTS & GOALS OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
SOCIETAL TRENDS & MENTORSHIPS OR CAREER COACHES
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING , REAL-LIFE, CONCURRENT CAREERS
BEGIN PROCESS - DELAY DECISION-MAKING UNTIL COLLEGE
INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR
MULTIPOTENTIALITY :
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL:
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Provide exposure to the
world of work
Encourage career
fantasies
Encourage focusing
activities (projects)
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Identity development
Use biographies of eminent
people
Evaluate skills, talents, &
interests to help them
understand areas of
greatest interest
MORE INTERVENTIONS :
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JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL:
Discuss meaning & value
of work
Family & community
values of work
Volunteer work & job
shadowing
Prioritize & decide on few
extracurricular activities
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SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL:
Vocational testing
Visit colleges of Interest
More volunteer work
Internships
Core curriculum
Value-based guidance
Avoid conforming or
stereotype careers
Explore career models
INTERVENTIONS FOR COLLEGE
STUDENTS & YOUNG ADULTS:
Seek career counseling with assessments
 Vocational interests, needs, and values
 Enroll in a career planning class
 Encourage careful course selection
 Avoid conformist & stereotyped major choices
 Seek a mentor, Liberal Arts as a Major
 Prepare to enter any of several fields
 Engage in long-term goal setting and planning
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Decision-making stages:
(Clarke Carney & Cinda Wells,
“Discover the Career Within You”)
Awareness- I need to choose
 Self-assessment- Who am I ?
 Exploration- Expanding or narrowing options
 Integration- Putting it together
 Commitment- Choosing Occupation, program of
study, or job
 Implementation- My choice- ‘just do it’
 Reevaluation- I made a good choice ?(on-going)
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LIFESPAN CAREER GUIDANCE FOR
MULTIPOTENTIALITY:
 Prepares the gifted for many options by
acknowledging occupational interests,
competencies, creativity, and preferences
may indeed change over time. A
collaboration for career counseling would
involve classroom teachers, teachers of
the gifted & talented program, parents
(they know the child), and counselors.
THE GIFTED CHILD DEVELOPS:
A PERSONAL DEFINITION OF IDENTITY, ACHIEVEMENT,
& CAREER SUCCESS AFTER CAREFUL SELF-ANALYSIS
OF ABILITIES, LIFE GOALS, AND OCCUPATIONAL
POSSIBILITIES.
 WITH PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY THEY EXERT
CONTROL OVER THEIR LIFE BY MAKING GOOD
DECISIONS; THE REST JUST HAPPENS, THEREFORE,
THEY ADJUST AND ADAPT TO CHANGES IN CAREER
AND IN LIFE.
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Questions / Comments ?
Philomena M. P. Bernard, Counselor
[email protected]
337-457-5895/457-5161