Education for Gifted Students

Often children with exceptional intellectual and creative capacities are overlooked in the average public school classroom. A gifted child has inherent abilities and skills that are sometimes misread and misdiagnosed. The purpose of this section is to examine the characteristics of a gifted child, to discuss the difficulties faced by both teachers and gifted students in a regular classroom, and to analyze the innovative "child-centered" approaches many schools are using to foster gifted children's exceptional abilities.

How is a child determined to be gifted?
Problems in regular classrooms
Public school gifted program initiatives
Other innovations for the gifted child

How is a child determined to be gifted?

There are many characteristics gifted children share. The following list, adapted from the Office of the Gifted and the Talented, US Office of Education, details some of the traits demonstrated by gifted children.

They typically learn to read earlier with better comprehension of the nuances of the language. As many as half of the gifted and talented population have learned to read before entering school. They often read widely, quickly, and intensely and have large vocabularies.
They commonly learn basic skills better, more quickly, and with less practice.
They are better able to construct and handle abstractions than their age mates.
They are frequently able to pick up and interpret nonverbal cues and can draw inferences, which other children have to have spelled out for them.
They take less for granted, seeking the "hows" and "whys".
They display a better ability to work independently at an earlier age and for long periods of time than other children.
They can sustain longer periods of concentration and attention .
Their interests are often both wildly eclectic and intensely focused.
They frequently have seemingly boundless energy, which sometimes leads to a misdiagnosis of "hyperactive".
They are usually able to respond and relate well to parents, teachers, and other adults. They may prefer the company of older children and adults to that of their peers.

In a school with a gifted program, a child who demonstrates some of the above characteristics will engage in a series of tests to determine whether he/she will be a suitable member of accelerated classes. Often a general knowledge exam like the KBIT or the Slossom test is administered. If the child has met a minimum score, he/she is asked to take an individual IQ score. If the child's score is more than two standard deviations above the mean and the child is determined to have a need for a gifted program, he/she may be placed in the gifted group (Green, 1991).

Problems in regular classrooms

Teachers often have difficulties attracting and sustaining a gifted student's interest in a regular classroom. Many times these children are diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder or labeled as "problem children". Some of the classroom problems that teachers encounter with gifted children include "messy" work, resistance to assigned projects, withdrawal, boredom, inattention to teacher's comments or class discussions, and separation from the rest of the class. These difficulties have often been over-looked or qualified to be characteristics of a problem child. However, these problems are often characteristics of a gifted and talented child.

Research by Marcella R. Bonsall concluded that these problems are actually manifestations of a gifted child's creative traits. A child who deals with issues in the abstract or on a theoretical basis is likely to hand in messy assignments because of their lack of attention to detail. A student who separates himself from the rest of the group may be suffering from unusually high sensitivity. Students who are inattentive during classroom discussions are usually daydreaming or experiencing concentrated periods of thinking. Students who jump to answer questions without out demonstrating a knowledge of sequential concepts are generally highly intuitive. Gifted students sometimes act up during periods of inactivity in a classroom, often signaling that he/she is overtly eager and alert (Bonsall, 1997). These are just some examples of the problems that gifted children display in a regular classroom. Often teachers are unable to deal with the root cause of these behavioral displays. Instead, the gifted children are passed over and labeled "problem" children (Green, 1991).

Public school gifted programs

In order to combat the difficulties gifted children face in a regular classroom, public schools have created many individual education programs. These programs are designed to help children who need additional and non-traditional teaching methods. As of 1996, thirty-six states had mandated gifted and talented programs. The remaining states have discretionary state-supported gifted and talented programs. Gifted and talented children make up anywhere from four to fourteen percent of total enrollment, depending on the state (U.S. Department of Education, 1996).

Public schools generally apply one of two methods to encourage educational growth of gifted children: grade acceleration or enrichment programs. Acceleration was the most commonly practiced way to stimulate a gifted child's development. Allowing the gifted child to "skip" grades remains the most cost-effective and convenient way to challenge an intellectually superior child. However, psychologists have called into question the effects this grade promotion might have on the child's emotional development. Although the gifted child has increased capacities for learning, he/she often has problems adjusting emotionally (Shurkin, 1992). To combat this dilemma, many school districts around the country have implemented enrichment programs to help foster the gifted child's abilities. These enrichment programs have taken shape in the form of resource rooms with an appointed "gifted" teacher. Gifted children usually attend this specialized class for at least one period a day, during which the teacher nurtures their particular intellectual curiosities through innovative and creative activities. Many states also offer summer enrichment camps for gifted children to help supplement their regular education gained through the school year.

A recent development has been to create magnet schools for gifted children. In Houston, Texas, a highly successful magnet school, River Oaks Elementary has offered exceptional opportunities for gifted children. River Oaks has created an atmosphere of increased learning for motivated, dedicated, and highly-intellectual students. The magnet school depends heavily on consistent testing and assessment of students to better analyze their progress and achievement. In creating a specialized school for gifted children, the school district has allowed students to learn, work, and succeed in a school designed to foster exceptional talents and creativity.

Other Innovative Programs for Gifted and Talented Youth

Many colleges and universities offer private summer and weekend session programs to help gifted children develop their intellectual and creative skills in a more conducive environment. The Center for Talented Youth is among the most popular summer camps for highly intelligent students. Their program selects sixth, seventh, and eighth graders who perform well on the SAT to attend. Public schools, as well, have developed many extra-curricular and summer programs designed to engage gifted youth.

A major source of intellectual stimulation for gifted students lies in competition (Winner, 1996). Various local and national organizations have sponsored competitions for exceptional students in the areas of history, math, spelling, and science. A particularly innovative competition held nationally is the Odyssey of the Mind. The Odyssey is designed to encourage creative youth to apply their talents to solving a problem. By using a complex process of identifying a problem, brainstorming solutions, and working together as a team, gifted children use all of their intellectual and creative talents to produce real solutions to real problems. These types of competitions encourage gifted children to employ their talents and to be proud of their intelligence.

Gifted and talented children learn at an increased rate than their age-mates and must be taught accordingly. Public schools and private foundations are currently developing strategies to help nurture exceptional abilities. Public school's attempts at incorporating individualized education programs for gifted students are supported by the National Association for Gifted Children, a non-profit organization devoted to exploring and discussing issues associated with the education of gifted children. The strengths of gifted programs lay in their use of child-centered techniques. Smaller classes, continual assessment, curriculum based on the needs of the students and creative approaches to learning are all important aspects of gifted programs. Our educational system is devoted to making the most of our children's abilities and fostering the most intelligent and creative adults possible. Without the constant challenge specialized programs offer gifted youths, many of our brightest children may not live up to their full capacity.

Government 375: Educational Reform and Ideology