Gifted Learners:

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Gifted Learners Youre gifted, you should be
able to do that without my help!

• Katie Reedy

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Definition

• Being gifted is defined as students who perform
  or show potential for performing at high levels
  of achievement when compared with others of their
  age, experience, or environment.
• Giftedness is a result of heredity and
  environment it is not something that can be
  acquired.

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Dealing with Giftedness in Public Education

• With limited funding, schools are faced with
  either helping one gifted child or helping the
  majority of the students.
• Schools often expect, when a program cannot be
  specifically designed for gifted children, that
  they remain in mainstream education and use their
  advanced performance potential to help fellow
  students.
• Because of this, gifted students usually learn a
  significantly smaller amount of new material in
  an academic year than average students.

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Identifying Giftedness

• The problem faced with identification is finding
  a program that isnt so advanced that it
  overlooks truly gifted students and isnt so
  simplified that it identifies students who are
  not truly gifted.
• There is a difference between high-achieving,
  bright students and gifted students.

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• Identification works best when
• Multiple types of information are considered
  (cognitive abilities, academic achievement,
  individual performance in a variety of settings,
  etc.)
• Multiple sources for information are used (test
  scores, parent and teacher evaluations)
• Multiple time periods are considered (to ensure
  the student is not over looked by one-shot
  identification)

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Points to consider

• Giftedness can be considered the opposite end of
  the spectrum of disabilities but still requires
  individualized planning for each student.
• Some studies show gifted children most benefit
  from being in settings with other gifted
  children, and therefore keeping them in
  mainstream education to help the other students
  can be detrimental.

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• Frequently, gifted children exhibit behaviors of
  fidgeting, calling out answers, disrupting others
  by talking during lessons, or even challenge
  authority, and are consequently diagnosed with
  ADHD.
• Giftedness can be as debilitating as a learning
  disability if not addressed appropriately
  students can become discouraged and frustrated in
  their academics if not stimulated enough.

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How to Cater to Giftedness

• Gifted students can be aided by
• Independent study
• Placement in advanced programs with other gifted
  students
• Separate academic work geared toward the
  students individual interests
• Individualized plans (similar to IEPs) that
  outline a program geared towards the students
  advanced abilities

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Conclusion

• Educators should be aware of students abilities,
  whether they be advanced or restricted by a
  disability, and work either to relate lessons to
  such students or to help those students be placed
  in more apt settings.

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Sources

• http//www.ldonline.org/indepth/gifted
• http//www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/ed.gifted
  .html