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Who Are The Gifted? Defining giftedness has
long been a challenge. Historically, the progression of definitions has ranged
from "conservative," which focused on high intelligence and the top 1%
of the population as measured by IQ tests to more "inclusive"
definitions which included multiple abilities, creativity, and contributions to
society; and comprised the top 20 percent of the population. The
literature on giftedness reflects continuous efforts to construct a more
exacting and accepted set of traits that define the constructs of giftedness.
However, the commonalities found among definitions of giftedness can be used to
develop an operational definition of gifted individuals. Generally, giftedness
is defined in terms of a type and a degree of exceptional ability that is
coupled with high levels of motivation and creativity. Quantitatively, the
top 3 to 5 percent of the population are thought to be gifted, although some
suggest as high as 20 percent of the population may be "gifted."
Above average ability is
the first criterion for identifying gifted persons. General intellectual ability
is measured by tests of general aptitude or intelligence with scores ranging in
the 95-98 percentile or two standard deviations above the norm. In terms
of an intelligence quotient, the gifted are those individuals having an IQ of
130 or higher. Sources commonly cite IQ scores and their corresponding
labels as follows:
85-99 Lower normal
100-114 Upper normal
115-129 Bright
130-144 Gifted
145-159 Highly gifted
160-above Profoundly gifted
Traditionally, persons with
general ability are referred to as "intellectually gifted"
individuals. Persons with specific ability, or the capacity to acquire
knowledge and skill of a specialized kind and within a restricted range, are
referred to as "talented" individuals. All individuals who
demonstrate above average general abilities or specific talents, and whose
potential for accomplishment is so exceptional or developmentally advanced,
require special provisions to meet their unique needs.
In order to identify high potential, educators and
parents should be knowledgeable about the characteristics of gifted children.
Many of the characteristics are exhibited at a early age. A gifted child
may manifest many, but not all of the characteristics. Some of the
characteristics, such as task commitment and creativity, are characteristics
that can be developed. Listed below are some of the characteristics of gifted
children (including some of the problems that may be present - in italics).
Learns rapidly
and easily; may resist doing routine work or works in careless
manner
Prefers complex
and challenging tasks rather than basic work; may resist challenging work
for fear his/her struggle will be seen by others
Knows
about many things of which other children are unaware, retains knowledge
Verbally
proficient, exhibits advanced vocabulary for age or grade level
Reads with
comprehension at an early age
Skilled in
problem solving
Recognizes
relationships
Questions
critically
Displays
curiosity about many topics, keenly observant
Transfers learning to new situations
Persistent
in seeking task completion
Prefers to work
independently, requires little direction; may dislike cooperative
learning
Assumes and discharges responsibility; may dominate others
Strong beliefs, opinionated
Has passionate
interests, easily absorbed in activities and thoughts; may
be unwilling to do other activities
Displays
intellectual playfulness; asks many what if questions; may be a nonconformist
Challenged by
new ideas
Enjoys
experimentation; invents new methods or solutions to tasks; may daydream,
be absentminded, loose work
Displays a keen
sense of humor or sees humor in subtle situations; may be the class
clown, make jokes or comments at inappropriate times
Sensitive to the aesthetic characteristics
and value of things
Has
strong sense of justice; may assertively oppose injustices
Self-confident; may
believe he/she is valued for what he/she can do rather than who he/she is;
may fear loss of regard from others if exceptional ability is lost
Prefers older
companions
Tend to be
perfectionists; may be self-critical and critical of others, may
work slowly, procrastinate
Bases
friendships on similarity of interest rather than age
Adjusts easily
to new situations
Is conscientious
and truthful
Friendly, helpful
How can exceptional ability be identified?
Identifying signs of giftedness is not an exact science. Nevertheless, good
identification procedures yield information about students who have needs beyond
the standard curriculum and would benefit from enrichment options.
Multiple criteria should be used for finding
students with special needs. Objective indices such as standardized tests or IQ
tests used in combination with subjective judgments such as teacher observation
and parent nomination provides the best means of developing a talent pool of
potential. Parents, although not always completely object, are adept predictors
of giftedness.
Formal testing was once considered the absolute
measure of giftedness. While IQ tests are only one measure of intellectual
abilities at a given point in time, and they should not be used alone, IQ tests
still remain the single most effective predictor of academic success. Individual
tests rather than group intelligence tests significantly increase the chance of
accurately identifying bright students. Group intelligence tests are not
recommended for screening before the third grade. Testing can be
particularly useful in finding areas of strength. Any intelligence test
should be thought of as assessing a minimal level of ability. Research
indicates, however, that other factors must be considered in the selection
process because gifted behaviors can be developed in persons who are not
necessarily those who earned the highest scores on standardized tests. Today,
testing is considered to be only one way of measuring and verifying giftedness.
Some aspects of the gifted child can present a
challenge to the classroom teacher. Finding exceptional abilities can be
especially difficult among very young children, in children who are introverted
or shy and less skilled in revealing their thoughts, or among children from
poverty and minority backgrounds. Identification of young, gifted children
can be further encumbered because of asynchronous development; that is, being
out of sync with what is developmentally expected behavior for their age group.
Generally, asynchronous development is a trait of gifted individuals. In young
children, this trait can be particularly pronounced. Extraordinary
precocity can be couple with gaps in physical, social, and emotional
development. However, being young and gifted does not mean the child is in a
state of "quasi-adulthood." The adult support role for the
gifted child must not wane when child-like behaviors accompany advanced
cognition. These challenges not withstanding, early identification is a
crucial factor in the development of ability.
Most screening processes do not reach into the
primary level and very few actively seek out kindergarten or preschool children.
While gifted children exist within these age groups, they have not yet been able
to take the necessary tests which would allow them to demonstrate achievement
and/or potential ability. Thus, the instrument most often used for
identifying young, gifted children remains the individual IQ test. Some
professionals maintain that a formal identification process would not be
essential for elementary students if:
teachers were
alert to which students were ahead of where the teacher and the curriculum
guide expected the students to be, and then used the information as a
starting point for enrichment; and,
if teachers would set up learning
opportunities that gifted students could gravitate to; thereby allowing
gifted students to identify themselves.
Acceleration:
There are two types of acceleration. The first type is grade skipping or double
promotion; the second type allows the student to complete the normal amount of
work in less than the normal amount of time within a school year (see curriculum
compacting). Acceleration is most effective in subjects that are
linear-sequential in content and which build on previous skills and knowledge.
Consideration should be given to the social implications of grade skipping.
Ability Grouping:
An instructional strategy whereby students of similar ability are placed
together in a setting that offers curriculum and instruction geared to the
abilities of the individuals comprising the group.
Asynchronous Development:
Being out of sync with what is developmentally expected behavior for a
particular age group.
Bloom's Taxonomy:
A classification of thinking organized by level of complexity. Knowledge,
comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation are the six
levels. Knowledge is the lowest level of thinking.
Cluster Grouping:
A group of five to ten gifted students, usually those in the top five percent of
the grade level population, who are clustered together in the classroom with a
teacher, who has had training in how to teach exceptionally capable learners.
Other students in the class are of mixed ability. Students might be further
clustered based ability in specific subjects or areas of strong interest.
Critical Thinking:
A persistent effort to examine evidence that supports any belief, solution, or
conclusion prior to its acceptance. The ability to think clearly, to analyze,
and to reason logically.
Cross Grade Instruction:
The student enrolled at a lower grade level receives instruction in certain
subjects in a higher grade level classroom that is appropriate to the student's
ability.
Curriculum Compacting:
Reducing the amount of time spent on grade level work in a particular subject or
topic because the material is already known or can be learned at a more rapid
pace.
Differentiated Instruction:
A flexible approach to teaching in which the teacher plans and carries out
varied approaches to content, process, and product in anticipation of and in
response to student differences in readiness, interests, and learning needs
(Tomlinson, 1995, p. 10).
The Enrichment Triad/Revolving Door Model: A
comprehensive, flexible plan that was developed by Joseph Renzulli. (1977;
Renzulli & Smith, 1981). The model provides school-wide enrichment options
integrated into the regular classroom for all children. The enrichment triad
describes three different types of enrichment activities: a) type I
enrichment--general exploratory activities; b) type II enrichment--group
training activities; and c) type III enrichment--individual and small group
investigations of real problems. The enrichment triad model is an outgrowth of
Renzulli's Three
Ring Definition of Giftedness.
Precocious Reader: Children who have made
substantial independent progress in reading comprehension before
entering school or who learn to read independently soon after classroom
instruction begins. They read better than their peers and require less drill (if
any) to master each technique of the reading process.
Readiness:
The background of understandings needed to facilitate the learning of a new
concept in any content areas or skill.
Talent Pool: A group of students consisting of the top 15 to 20 percent of the general school population selected because they show potential for developing gifted behavior. Above average ability is the major criterion for identifying these students, but other forms of information may be used to include students in the talent pool.
