GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILDREN

Teaching Talented and Gifted Children

Teaching Talented and Gifted Children

Introduction

According to developmental psychologists Howard Gardener and Abraham Maslow, all students are technically gifted at something (Dahlberg, 1992, p.08). However, within the area of what takes place in the classroom, a teacher can be of assistance to those superstars to stand out even more by simply adding some extra strategies and tactics to their teaching repertoire. Thus, in this paper we will discuss Chloe, a Year 8 student who is very gifted in maths and science. In this regard, we will outline different ways through further research by means of which Chloe can be supported in achieving her full potential in these subjects.

Discussion

Usually superheroes can lift cars, see through walls, jump high and fly etc. But the question is what incredible things can students like Chloe do? Is she getting enough help to see through the insignificant? Is she being assisted in lifting her standards from the least to her most? Is she being taught about how to fly over educational hurdles and obstacles?

Effective Assessment

An initial step in regards to how to deal with a gifted child is to first identify a child with these gifts. Initial identification comes at a young age, when a child develops high vocabulary and mathematical patterns. Yet this often does not signify giftedness at a later age. It is necessary to mention here that gifted students will not necessarily fir the classic criteria of a high achieving student. On the contrary, students who are let's say exceptionally gifted in science and math may suffer or lag behind in other academic subjects. This will put them below the scale of high achievers, which is recognised using standardised practices in a classroom. A more appropriate way of recognising gifted children can be IQ tests and achievement of higher grades in the classroom setting. A problem may arise with the application of IQ tests. As most of these tests are in the English language, the gifted students that belong to other linguistic communities, or who face a problem in properly expressing themselves using vocabulary, will without a doubt not perform well on these tests, and thus will be left out. In this regard, it might be also appropriate for teachers to look at other non verbal cues, such as body language and behaviour amongst students to find whether they are gifted or not. Interviews with the parents of children, and developing an understanding with them will also enable teachers to identify successfully gifted children.

Good planning

Once the gifted has been identified, it is imperative for the teacher to design a separate curriculum for the gifted child. Often a time, if a gifted child is in the league with the rest of the children, he will feel ignored. In the present case allowing Chloe to follow a normal syllabus with the rest of the children in her class might underrate her abilities and not help her reach her true potential. In this regard the curriculum that is developed ...