"Taxonomy of affective curriculum for gifted learners"

1. AUTHOR'S NOTE: The author establishes credibility through personal experience with teaching GT learners with poor emotional intelligence (and, consequently, a focus in his/her post graduate education on affective curriculum)

1.1. "My empathy for these students drove me to study the foundations of affective (social-emotional) education in my graduate studies."

2. THE DETAILS: Cavilla's Taxonomy is structured into four levels. Each level focuses on aspects of social-emotional learning that is appropriate for that developmental stage.

2.1. EXAMPLE: Kindergartners are mature enough to work on developing in areas of cooperation, respect, self-image, and responsibility.

3. NOTE: Each level appears to build upon previous levels.

3.1. EXAMPLE CONT'D: Cavilla's Taxonomy identifies self-esteem as an area of social-emotional learning for grades 2-4. This appears to directly build upon the focus on self-image identified for grades K-1

4. PRIOR CONNECTION: The framework for social–emotional learning developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) served as a basis for Cavilla’s proposed taxonomy.

4.1. MORE DETAILS: Essentially, the CASEL framework has 5 competencies for person-centered social-emotional learning: self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision making, self-management and relationship management. In layman's terms, the more competent a learner is in each of these areas, the greater their emotional intelligence.

4.2. EXAMPLE CONT'D: Each level in Cavilla's Taxonomy can be matched with progress in the competencies identified in the CASEL framework. For example, the focus on respect in grades K-1 can lead to greater competency in social awareness (per the CASEL framework)

5. THE PROBLEM: Recent research indicates that social-emotional learning is critical in the modern-day classroom (especially for GT learners), yet teachers have not been well-equipped (with either tools or curriculum) for this shift.

5.1. "There is a lack of practical guidance for teachers on how best to deliver social–emotional learning, despite evidence that its integration into school curricula can improve academic performance."

6. THE SOLUTION: Employ Cavilla's Taxonomy of Affective Curriculum for Gifted Learners

6.1. "Dr Derek Cavilla, from the University of Central Florida, has developed a framework called Cavilla’s Taxonomy of Affective Curriculum for Gifted Learners, which aims to help gifted learners achieve their potential through the power of social–emotional learning. Through this method, gifted children learn a willingness to view failure as opportunity and the ability to set meaningful goals."

7. THE ULTIMATE GOAL: "Passion" is identified as one of the focus areas in the final level of the taxonomy. This area depends on the development of areas from previous levels (e.g. grit, intrinsic motivation, curiosity, etc), and thus "enable gifted learners to apply the knowledge, resources, and potential impact of his or her passion to his or her field of study, organisation, or society at large. This has important potential impacts on the progress of society as a whole."

7.1. BONUS: Not only would the "real-life" benefits impact society, but it would impact the learner as well. According to the article, GT individuals who graduate with a high emotional intelligence are more likely to be hired and have higher wage-earning potential.