What is Gifted?

Perceptions of giftedness vary even among gifted education specialists. At one time "gifted" was the term used to describe those students who learned quickly and obtained high scores on IQ tests. While these abilities still contribute to our understanding of giftedness, the findings of many researchers have given us a deeper understanding of intelligence. Today "giftedness" is generally accepted to include a wide range of attributes, from the traditional intellectual measures to interpersonal abilities. Howard Gardner and Joe Renzulli are among the researchers who have had considerable impact in recent years on our understanding of giftedness. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences and Renzulli's three-ring conception of giftedness are useful starting places for classroom teachers attempting to identify gifted behaviour among their students.
Bright Children vs. Gifted Children There is a difference between being bright and being gifted, and it has to do with the degree of a childs ability and talent. Bright children tends to; know the answers be interested pay attention work hard answer questions enjoy same-age peers learn easily listen well readily take in information seek clear, fast solution like to finish a project be self-satisfied be insightful Gifted Children tends to ask the questions be extremely curious get involved physically and mentally earn high grades and test scores without apparent effort question the answers prefer adults or older children already knows the answers show strong feelings and opinions process information and apply it more broadly, with greater complexity, or in unique ways explore problems in depth enjoy the process more than the end product be highly critical of self (perfectionist) be extraordinarily intuitive

Adapted from Janet Szabos Robbins, The Gifted and Talented (Silver Spring, MD: Maryland Council for Gifted and Talented, Inc.). Children who are bright tend to enjoy and do well in school. These students will often be high achieving and crave challenge, advanced pace and indepth exploration of the curriculum. Children who are gifted often have exceptional needs beyond what the regular classroom programming offers, and require special accommodations and learning opportunities in order to reach their full potential. These students often face special challenges due to the different way they look at the world, and because their needs are so different educationally from their peers.

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1983) Gardner's model of intelligence describes capabilities in seven areas. The following summary of these capabilities is drawn from Thomas Armstrong (1994):

Linguistic: The ability to use words effectively both orally and in writing (e.g., writer, orator). Logical-Mathematical: The ability to use numbers effectively and to see logical relationships and patterns (e.g., mathematician, scientist, computer programmer). Spatial: The ability to visualize and to orient oneself in the world (e.g., guide, hunter, architect, artist). Bodily, Kinesthetic: The ability to use one's body to express ideas; to make things with hands; and to develop physical skills (e.g., actor, craftsperson, athlete). Musical: The capacity to perceive, discriminate, transform and express musical forms (e.g., composer, musician). Interpersonal Intelligence: The ability to perceive and make distinctions in the moods, intentions, motivations and feelings of other people (e.g., counsellor, political leader). Intrapersonal Intelligence: Self-knowledge and the ability to act adaptively on the basis of that knowledge (e.g., psychotherapist, religious leader).

Historically, gifted students have been identified by excellence in linguistic or logicalmathematical realms. Students with outstanding abilities in other areas may not have been identified for gifted programming. A broader search for giftedness and a commitment to its development includes all of the intelligences. According to Gardner, performance within each of the intelligences is developmental. Development may or may not occur at the same rate for all of the intelligences. Gifted students will show patterns of development that exceed their peers in one or several of the intelligences. The Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness (Renzulli, 1986) After an extensive analysis of research studies of gifted individuals, Renzulli concluded that giftedness involves the interaction of three sets of characteristics: above average intellectual ability, creativity and task commitment. This interaction may result in giftedness in general performance areas such as mathematics, philosophy, religion or visual arts, or in the performance areas as specific as cartooning, map-making, play-writing, advertising or agricultural research. Treffinger (1986, p.40) defined the characteristics as follows: Above Average Intelligence

Advanced vocabulary Good memory Learns very quickly and easily Large fund of information Generalizes skilfully

Comprehends new ideas easily Makes abstractions easily Perceives similarities, differences, relationships Makes judgments and decisions

Creativity

Questioning; very curious about many topics Has many ideas (fluent) Sees things in varied ways (flexible) Offers unique or unusual ideas (original) Adds details; makes ideas more interesting (elaborates) Transforms or combines ideas Sees implications or consequences easily Risk-taker; speculates Feels free to disagree Finds subtle humour, paradox or discrepancies

Task Commitment

Sets own goals, standards Intense involvement in preferred problems and tasks Enthusiastic about interests and activities Needs little external motivation when pursuing tasks Prefers to concentrate on own interest and projects High level of energy Perseveres; does not give up easily when working Completes, shares products Eager for new projects and challenges Assumes responsibility

Renzulli's three-ring concept of giftedness has helped educators to look for more than intellectual ability in identifying students with potential. We now recognize the importance of creativity. When these two factors are combined with task commitment, there is potential for giftedness. Task commitment refers to the passion and the perseverance that follows when students are involved in problems, topics and projects of

their own interest or choosing, in our outside of the classroom. Gifted students are typically committed to task that are personally meaningful. A lack of commitment to a task assigned by someone else does not necessarily mean the student lacks task commitment. For example, failing to complete classroom assignments is not an appropriate reason to exclude a student form gifted programming. Therefore, educators using task commitment as an indicator of giftedness should do so carefully. Renzulli (1986), Treffinger (1986) and Feldhusen (1992) suggest that one goal of education is to identify the exceptional strengths, talents and interest of students and to develop programming to help them optimize their potentials. The intent is to develop programming which reflects a student's uniqueness. Areas within school programs that provide opportunities for talent identification and development are shown in the Feldhusen graphic (1992, p14) on page 10. Gardner's and Renzulli's work illuminates the need to identify student potential in a variety of ways and to develop multiple programming options to meet each student's unique needs.
Characteristics of Gifted Children Characteristics associated with giftedness become apparent early in life. Each child who is gifted has an individual profile of abilities, needs, intelligences and learning styles. Some of the characteristics of giftedness appear in all children, but are more prevalent in children who are gifted. For instance, many children demonstrate sensitivity and/or perfectionism, but in children who are gifted, these tendencies are more predominant and appear at a more extreme level. The characteristics of gifted children can lead to both positive and negative behaviors. CHARACTERISTIC POSITIVE BEHAVIOR NEGATIVE BEHAVOR Learns rapidly/easily Memorizes and masters Gets bored easily, resists basic facts quickly drill, disturbs others, underachieves Reads intensively Reads, uses library on own Neglects other responsibilities Perfectionist Exceptional Intolerant of mistakes accomplishments Retains quantity of Ready recall and responses Resists repetitions, know it information all Long attention span Sticks with task of personal Resists class routine, interest dislikes interruptions Imaginative, curious, many interests Works independently Alert, observant Good sense of humor Asks questions, gets excited about ideas, takes risks Creates and invents beyond assigned tasks Recognizes problems Able to enjoy subtleties of thought Goes on tangents, no followthrough, disorganized Refuses to work with others Impolitely corrects adults Plays cruel jokes or tricks on others

Comprehends, recognizes relationships Aesthetic insight, awareness Highly verbal, extensive vocabulary Individualistic, strongwilled Self-motivated, selfsufficient Prefers older peers Highly sensitive, passionate Views with a different perspective Asynchronous development

Able to solve problems alone Appreciation of the arts Fluent with words, numbers, leads peers in positive ways Asserts self and ideas, has small circle of friends; sense of own uniqueness Requires minimum teacher direction or help Wise beyond years Emphasizes fairness and morality, compassionate Observes across boundaries, makes connections

Interferes in the affairs of others, can be bossy Poses personal values/judgments on others Leads others into negative behaviors, monopolizes discussion Stubborn in beliefs Aggressive, challenges authority Isolated or misunderstood Over-reacts to situations Resists limitations and narrowly focused content

Asynchronous development can be a characteristic of giftedness. Asynchrony is uneven development in the rates of intellectual, emotional and physical development. This can mean that children who are gifted may be significantly out of developmental step with their same-age peers. Children with asynchronous development: may be more complex and intense than same-aged peers may feel out of synch with other children their age and within learning and recreational activities designed for their age group appear to be different ages in different situations, which could result in internal turmoil and external adjustment difficulties.

These tendencies increase with the childs degree of giftedness, and can make children vulnerable. To quote one researcher: To have the intelligence of an adult and emotions of a child combined in a childs body is to encounter certain difficulties. Children who experience asynchronous development will need a sensitive and flexible approach to parenting and teaching in order for them to develop to their full potential. The greatest need of these children is an environment where it is safe to be different.