UNIT 9 GIFTED AND TALENTED LEARNERS
Key Unit Competence: Identify the characteristics and educational needs
of Gifted and talented Learners
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY
Case study: Deborah
Deborah is a 9-year-old girl, intense, inquisitive, energetic, and imaginative
P3 learner. When you talk to her you mark her potential for performing many
things in unexpected way. She excels in school and enjoys finding solutions
to problems independently. She loves science and enjoys researching topics
and abstract tasks, especially in Sciences and Mathematics. She dislikes
routine mathematics and may make careless computation errors, but she is
always above average in her standardized mathematics tests. Deborah has
few close friends though generally tolerated by her peers.
Tasks:
1. In small group, discuss the learning problems Deborah has.
9.1. Definition, causes and characteristics of gifted and
talented learners
ACTIVITY 9.1
1. What is the difference between a gifted learner and a talented
learner?
2. In your opinion, what are the key promotors of a gifted or talented
behaviour?
3. Suppose that you have probably heard about a gifted/talented
child, what do you think that differentiates them from others?
4. In your opinion, how can you describe a gifted or talented child?
Definition of gifted and talented learners
According to Karnes and Suzanne (1993), gifted and talented children and youth
are those with outstanding talents and who perform or show their potential for
performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with
others of their age, experience or environment.
They exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creative and/or artistic
areas, possess an unusual leadership capacity or excel in specific academic
fields. They require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools.
Here are some differences for those Gifted and Talented learners:
• Gifted learners are those who have superior general ability in academic
performance.
• Genius learners excel in almost all academic domains and with less
effort.
• Talented learners are those who show signs of special aptitude orability in specific areas of the arts, sciences, business, etc.
Causes of giftedness and talented ness
Researchers indicate that genetic factors are known to contribute significantly
to behavioural development, including intelligence and gifted performance. But
also, environmental factors, families, schools and communities are also known
to influence the development of giftedness.
Basing on this argument, giftedness is therefore the result of combined
biological and environmental influences that is therefore the result of combined
biological and environment influences that is nature and nurture. They further
suggest that one’s collection of genes sets limits of performance; the actualperformance within those limits is determined by environment factors.
Classification of learners who are gifted and talented
Children who are gifted and talented are a heterogeneous group. They are
classified into six categories such as:
• General intellectual ability: Learners have excellent memories and ask
many questions. They are able to grasp concepts, generalize, analyse or
synthesize new ideas.
• Specific academic aptitude: Learners with specific aptitude are those
who are high academic achievers, study purposefully and achieve high
academic grades in their work.
• Creative and productive thinking: Creative and productive thinkers
are those learners who develop or come with new ideas, projects and
products (they may involve all spheres like science, medicine, politics
or leadership).
• Leadership ability: Learners with leadership ability are those who
typically display:
a. Well-developed social skills
b. Empathy
c. Ability to motivate others
d. Ability to keep others united
e. Effective communication skills
• Visual and performing arts: learners who are gifted in visual and
performing arts are good in performances that please the eyes and the
ears of their audience (include different arts like dancers, musicians,
actors…)
• Psychomotor ability: Psychomotor means “high coordination of the
mind and muscle for super performance” it is closely related to visual
and performing arts since performance are required in both.
Characteristics of gifted, genius and talented learners
• Learn new material faster, and at an earlier age, than age peers;
• Always remember what has been learned without making revision;
• Is able to deal with concepts that are too complex and abstract for age
peers;
• Has a passionate interest in one or more topics, and would spend all
available time learning more about it if possible;
• Does not need to look at the teacher to hear what is being said;
• Can operate on multiple brain channels simultaneously and process
more than one task at a time.
• Fluent and flexible thinking• Excellent thinking and reasoning
SELF-ASSESSMENT 9.1
1. Discuss three characteristics of gifted and talented learners
2. With clear examples, discuss six categories of gifted and talented
learners
3. What are some of the environmental factors known to influence
the development of giftedness?
4. How do Karnes and Suzanne (1993) define a gift or talented
learner?
9.2. Effect and teaching approaches of gifted and talented
learners
ACTIVITY 9.2
1. Discuss what you think are the best ways of teaching gifted and
talented learners.
Effects of a gifted and talented learners
Despite general being well adjusted, they experience some emotional and
adjustment problems. They experience intra-psychic conflicts in classrooms
because although they would like to excel academically, at the same time they
are afraid of outperforming their mediocre or less performing classmates since
this would lead to their rejection.
Learners who are gifted and talented often experience conflicts with their
teachers and parents as a result of persistent inquisitiveness which poses a
challenge to those who interact with them. In addition, their independence of
mind, desires to pursue projects of their own, demand for stimulating materials,
books pose a challenge to both parents and teachers.
Strategies of accommodating gifted and talented learners
Learners who are gifted and talented are considered to require special education
in the form of: differentiated teaching strategies, curriculum and services.
Learners who are gifted and talented are just like any others. They have
basic needs like other learners and the teacher needs to be tolerant, loving,
understanding, and flexible. Also, the teacher needs to remember that those
learners are creative, competent, have broad range of interests and skills, and
ready to learn. To help the child who is gifted and talented, the teacher therefore
needs to:
• Recognize and accept the learner’s special abilities
• Encourage the child to explore his fields of interests
• Help the learner to develop or enrich his social confidence
• Avoid imposing expectations and demands that are beyond the
learner’s level of ability
• Avoid having negative attitudes towards the learner
• Positively reinforce learners with SEN.
School management of the gifted and talented involves the provision of an
educational programs that encourages:
Use of special classes: Gifted children are removed from the regular
classroom for special instruction, so they benefit from classes which
are like resources rooms.
Ability grouping: Can be defined as the practice of placing leaners
in groups according to their level of cognitive ability. Children who
are good achievers are put together in one group for the purpose
of providing differentiated learning experiences. Benefit of ability
grouping include learning activities can be accelerated or enriched,
it reduces boredom and frustration, develops creative and thinking
skills among the learners. But also, this technic may lead to elitism in
the class where learners who are gifted and talented may feel superior
to others and this may de-motivate the weak ones.
Acceleration: It is the practice of offering the standard curriculum
to children who are gifted and talented at younger age than usual
or covering the content in less time than as normally prescribed.
Some forms of accelerations include early admission to school, grade
skipping, telescoped programs.
Enrichment: It refers to study, experience or activity which is above
and beyond the normal curriculum followed by other children of the
same age. The learners are given the opportunities to explore the
subjects in-depth.
Curriculum diversification: Considering the curriculum for these
group of learners, one should consider the following: chronological
age of the child, the current class of the child, the child’s mental age.
Guiding and counselling: Gifted and talented learners need
special attention to be able to function normally in the society.
Some supports are very crucial such as: intra and inter-personal
relations, development of communication skills such as turn taking in
conversations and dialogues, development of self-care skills.
Acceleration, accommodation, enrichment and modification are qualities of
differentiated instructions of which should be used for the education for all
exceptional children. The assessment guides the Individualized Education Plan
(IEP). Specific curricula activities and strategies are highly recommended forall learner who are gifted.
SELF-ASSESSMENT 9.2
1. What do you understand by the terms?
a. Acceleration b. Ability grouping
2. Discuss the effect of being genius or talented in the classroom
SKILLS LAB
1. Visit a primary school and identify a child who is expected to be
gifted and talented. Take time and spend three hours with the
child. Write down all the characteristics of the child and suggest
strategies you could use to support that child improve her/ his
studies.
END OF UNIT ASSESSMENT
1. Who are the children referred to as gifted and talented?
2. Discuss the different traits of gifted and talents learners
3. What are the teachers’attitudes towards the gifted and talented
learners ?
4. What strategies should schools use for proper management ofgifted and talented learners