Dealing With Gifted Students

Gifted children are those who possess abilities that are significantly above the norm for their age. Giftedness may manifest in one or more domains such as; intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, physical or in a specific academic field such as language arts, mathematics or science. Not all gifted students are the same. It is up to us as adults and teachers to know how to deal with gifted individuals to maximize their intellectual abilities. 

Characteristics of Gifted Individuals

 Because gifted children are so diverse, they do not show the same characteristics. But the most common ones are:

1.   Excellent memory and thinking abilities

2.   High curiosity level

3.   Creative with high imagination

4.   Prefer to work independently even being good in leadership  

5.   Enjoys solving problems, especially with numbers and puzzle

6.   Great sense of responsibility and leadership

7.   Longer attention span and intense concentration

8.    Learn basic skills quickly and with little practice

9.    Puts ideas or things together that are not typical

10.               Keen and/or unusual sense of humor

11.                Is easily bored with routine tasks

12.                Is self-motivated (does not need external motivation)

13.               Desire to organize people/things through games or complex schemas

14.               Strive for perfection

15.               Bursting with emotion and sensitivity

16.               Can express him or herself well

17.               Adapts readily to new situations

We often assume that gifted students are perfect and cannot possibly suffer from any behavioral or learning problems. However, we are wrong and gifted students can have these problems but require us to deal with them differently than we would do in regular students. Here are some of the Symptoms of gifted children with behavior problems might show:

-       Easily gets "off task" and "off topic"

-       Is impatient when not called on in class 

-        Is easily bored when they finish an activity

-       Can become disruptive in class (annoying others)

-       Shows strong resistance to repetitive activities and memorization

-       Completes work quickly but sloppily

-       May resist working on activities apart from areas of interest

-       Leaves projects unfinished

-       Takes on too much and becomes overwhelmed

-       Challenges authority

-       Does not handle criticism well

-       Does not work well in groups

-       Tends to be absent-minded regarding practical details

-       Forgets homework assignments

-       Can be very critical of self and others

-       Likes to argue a point

-       Is a perfectionist and expects others to be perfect as well

-       Easily gets carried away with a joke

-       Has a tendency to become the "class clown"

-       Sometimes perceived as a "know-it-all" by peers

-       Is sometimes "bossy" to peers in group situations

Many signs exhibited by gifted kids can be seen as symptoms of a learning or behavior disability. For example, the ability to acquire information quickly can result in a child who is bored, impatient with slower kids and rebellious when it comes to classroom routine and rote drills. A child who is creative and innovative might be seen as disruptive and out of step with his peers. Poor handwriting, for example, often is a sign of a learning disability, but many gifted children who have poor handwriting might just be thinking faster than their hands are getting it all down on paper. Furthermore, some gifted students are face being underachievers.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TEACHERS

1.    Implement a multi-level and multi-dimensional curriculum.

2.    Be flexible with the curriculum.

3.    Make the curriculum student-centered.

4.    Allow students to pursue independent projects based on their own individual interests.

5.    Try to maximize your students’ potential by expecting them to do their best.

6.    Teach interactively. Have students work together, teach one another, and actively participate in their own and their classmates’ education.

7.    Explore many points of view about contemporary topics and allow opportunity to analyze and evaluate material.

8.    Consider team teaching, collaboration, and consultation with other teachers. Use the knowledge, skills, and support of other educators or professionals.

9.    Involve students in academic contests.

10. Consider parental input about the education of their gifted children.

11. Always remember that gifted children are similar in many ways to the average child in the classroom. Do note place unrealistic expectations and pressures on gifted children.

12. Address the counseling needs of each student to support emotional growth, as needed.

13. Do note assign extra work to gifted children who finish assignments early. This is unfair and frustrating to them.

14. Provide plenty of opportunities for gifted children and average children to engage in social activities. Some gifted children may need help in developing social skills.

15. Establish and maintain a warm, accepting classroom. Teach your classroom community to embrace diversity and honor differences.

Remember that implementing some of these strategies will benefit all of the children in the classroom, not just the gifted ones.