Characteristics of Gifted Students
2008 May 04 by: ScottLower Income
- Children from lower income backgrounds have the most difficulty in being selected for programs for gifted and talented students (Clark, 1997). They may have a family background that is not rich in language and reading or family members who have not had positive experiences with school, who have not attained higher education degrees, or who solve problems using violence (Baldwin, 1973). For these reasons, this group of gifted students is particularly vulnerable to becoming underachievers in school.
- Researchers have identified these characteristics that appear to assist in identifying children from lower income backgrounds (Baldwin, 1973; Clark, 1997; Torrance, 1969):
* Has high mathematical abilities.
* Is curious; has varied interests.
* Is independent.
* Has a good imagination.
* Is fluent in nonverbal communication.
* Improvises when solving problems.
* Learns quickly through experience.
* Retains and uses information well.
* Shows a desire to learn in daily work.
* Is original and creative.
* Uses language rich in imagery.
* Responds well to visual media; concrete activities.
* Shows leadership among peers; is responsible.
* Shows relationships among unrelated ideas.
* Is entrepreneurial.
* Has a keen sense of humor.
Disabled
- It has been estimated that approximately 2% of the disabled population is gifted. Children with disabilities include those with learning disabilities, visual or auditory impairments, physical disabilities, emotional handicaps, or speech delays. Most often, the child may have extreme ability in one or more areas and need remediation in others. The disability may mask the ability or vice versa. For example, a gifted child with a hearing impairment may be delayed in language and may need assistance from a speech therapist. Since special education services often focus on remediation, the gift might go unrecognized. On the other hand, a gifted child with a learning disability may be able to answer comprehension questions on a test by matching words in the passage to the answers even though she doesn’t know how to read. In this case, the gifted student would hide the disability and most likely not be served by special education or the program for gifted and talented students.
Gifted Female Students
- For the most part, boys and girls do not differ significantly in cognitive skills (Kerr, 1991; Linn & Hyde, 1989; Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974). In fact, gifted girls are more similar to gifted boys than to average girls in their interests, attitudes, and aspirations (Kerr, 1991). However, while changing, the culture still tends to encourage more passivity in girls (e.g., playing with dolls, reading) and more spatial and analytic reasoning in boys (e.g., playing video games, using building blocks; Clark, 1997).
- Girls who show talent may be viewed as unfeminine, bossy, and show-offs, thus more girls hide their talents by adolescence. Teachers need to be particularly diligent in identifying girls for programs in mathematics and science. Kitano (1994/1995) and Kerr (1994) suggested that research on mainstream gifted women may not necessarily be generalized to include gifted women from other ethnic and racial groups.
Summary
Gifted and talented students present an array of characteristics in one or more of the areas defined in federal and state definitions. These characteristics may be manifested in both positive and negative ways. In all cases, teachers must provide opportunities for the characteristic to be demonstrated. Directors and coordinators of school districts must provide professional development so that teachers will know how to establish situations for gifts and talents to emerge, how to observe characteristics over time, and how to observe characteristics in groups that are typically underrepresented in programs for gifted and talented students (culturally different, lower income, disabled, and women).
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