What is giftedness?
There are many definitions of giftedness. Every gifted student is unique, and it is near impossible to characterize all gifted students together as they tend to differ in more ways than they are similar. They develop intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally in different ways.
Westmount Charter believes that students are considered gifted when they demonstrate or show potential for high levels of accomplishment in learning, depth of knowledge, reasoning, and problem-solving when compared to others in their age, experience and environment. Asynchronous development can also be a characteristic of giftedness. Children who are gifted may significantly be developmentally advanced compared to their same-age peers (Westmount Charter, 2012).
What Are The Signs?
There are three broad categories that can be used to identify gifted students (Alberta Education, 2004):
1. Advanced Intellectual Ability
These students excel in academic skills and subjects including Language Arts, Math, and Science.
2. Abundant Creativity
These students often look for uncommon and diverse ways to solve problems. Their focus is often on questions and processes, rather than answers and solutions.
3. Heightened Emotions and Sensitivities
These students feel more deeply, and react to situations more emotionally than other children. They demonstrate empathetic understanding well beyond what is expected of children their age, and have remarkable intuition.
What is the difference between being bright and being gifted?
Alberta Education (2004) provides a great snapshot of the difference.
A student who is bright tends to... A student who is gifted tends to...
-Know the answers -Ask the questions
-Be interested -Be extremely curious
-Pay attention -Get involved physically and mentally
-Work hard -Earn high grades and test scores without apparent effort
-Answer questions -Question the answers
-Enjoy same-age peers -Prefer adults or older children
-Learn easily -Already knows the answers
-Listen well -Show strong feelings and opinions
-Readily take in information -Process information and applies it more broadly, with greater complexity
-Seek clear, fast solution -Explore problems in depth
-Like to finish a project -Enjoy the process more than the end product
-Be highly critical of self (perfectionist)
-Be extraordinarily intuitive
Developmental Issues
Students who are gifted experience similar developmental issues as typically developing students, however they are often compounded with exceptional learning needs. Students who are gifted often experience challenge with perfectionism, underachievement, asynchronous development and learning difficulties (Alberta Education, 2010).
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is often part of gifted students personalities. Perfectionism is exhibited through compulsive and rigid work habits and routines, extreme attention to detail and unrealistic standards of expectation. These traits are of particular concern if they begin to be barriers for students and they prevent students from achieving success and happiness. If students feel they can not do things well enough, feel inferior or defeated, or are terrified to take risks because of failure, then careful teacher planning is needed and professional support might be warranted (Alberta Education, 2010).
Underachievement
Underachievement is common in students who are gifted. Underachievement means students academic performance falls below their cognitive ability. This may be caused by poor self esteem, desire to fit in, disinterest, desire to rebel, anxiety and work that is too easy, too difficult, repetitive or meaningless. It is important students have meaningful work and appropriate guidance in order to prevent underachievement (Alberta Education, 2010).
Asynchronous development
Asynchronous development refers to uneven intellectual, emotional and physical development (Alberta Education, 2010). These characteristics can cause issues for these children in many ways including (Westmount Charter, 2012):
Learning difficulties
Learning disabilities and giftedness often overlap and mask each other (Silverman, 2012). Giftedness and other learning needs including learning disabilities, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and Asperger's syndrome are seen together. These students are called twice-exceptional students given their dual exceptionality and learning needs (Alberta Education, 2010). If a student is not provided the opportunity to develop or demonstrate their abilities within their learning environment then their exceptional potential if often missed (Silverman, 2012).
Westmount Charter believes that students are considered gifted when they demonstrate or show potential for high levels of accomplishment in learning, depth of knowledge, reasoning, and problem-solving when compared to others in their age, experience and environment. Asynchronous development can also be a characteristic of giftedness. Children who are gifted may significantly be developmentally advanced compared to their same-age peers (Westmount Charter, 2012).
What Are The Signs?
There are three broad categories that can be used to identify gifted students (Alberta Education, 2004):
1. Advanced Intellectual Ability
These students excel in academic skills and subjects including Language Arts, Math, and Science.
- Learn and analyze information quickly
- Logical
- Learn rapidly
- Excellent memory
- Perseverant in areas of interest
- Early and extensive language development and vocabulary
- Early reader
- Generate explanations, theories, ideas, and solutions
- Enjoyment in problem-solving, and can accomplish this at high-speed
- Early recognition of numbers and counting
- See abstract relationships, patterns, and alternate views
2. Abundant Creativity
These students often look for uncommon and diverse ways to solve problems. Their focus is often on questions and processes, rather than answers and solutions.
- Vivid imagination
- Trouble with tests because there are too many possibilities with each question that may or may not be within the answers or time allotted
- Reveal unusual or unique responses
- Highly creative
3. Heightened Emotions and Sensitivities
These students feel more deeply, and react to situations more emotionally than other children. They demonstrate empathetic understanding well beyond what is expected of children their age, and have remarkable intuition.
- Perfectionistic
- Strong curiosity
- Mature judgement for age
- Keen observer
- Intuitive insights
- Perceptive and sensitive to others feelings and expectations
- Intense in expression or feelings of justice and/or empathy
What is the difference between being bright and being gifted?
Alberta Education (2004) provides a great snapshot of the difference.
A student who is bright tends to... A student who is gifted tends to...
-Know the answers -Ask the questions
-Be interested -Be extremely curious
-Pay attention -Get involved physically and mentally
-Work hard -Earn high grades and test scores without apparent effort
-Answer questions -Question the answers
-Enjoy same-age peers -Prefer adults or older children
-Learn easily -Already knows the answers
-Listen well -Show strong feelings and opinions
-Readily take in information -Process information and applies it more broadly, with greater complexity
-Seek clear, fast solution -Explore problems in depth
-Like to finish a project -Enjoy the process more than the end product
-Be highly critical of self (perfectionist)
-Be extraordinarily intuitive
Developmental Issues
Students who are gifted experience similar developmental issues as typically developing students, however they are often compounded with exceptional learning needs. Students who are gifted often experience challenge with perfectionism, underachievement, asynchronous development and learning difficulties (Alberta Education, 2010).
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is often part of gifted students personalities. Perfectionism is exhibited through compulsive and rigid work habits and routines, extreme attention to detail and unrealistic standards of expectation. These traits are of particular concern if they begin to be barriers for students and they prevent students from achieving success and happiness. If students feel they can not do things well enough, feel inferior or defeated, or are terrified to take risks because of failure, then careful teacher planning is needed and professional support might be warranted (Alberta Education, 2010).
Underachievement
Underachievement is common in students who are gifted. Underachievement means students academic performance falls below their cognitive ability. This may be caused by poor self esteem, desire to fit in, disinterest, desire to rebel, anxiety and work that is too easy, too difficult, repetitive or meaningless. It is important students have meaningful work and appropriate guidance in order to prevent underachievement (Alberta Education, 2010).
Asynchronous development
Asynchronous development refers to uneven intellectual, emotional and physical development (Alberta Education, 2010). These characteristics can cause issues for these children in many ways including (Westmount Charter, 2012):
- Trouble connecting with same-age peers: They may be more complex and intense than their peers. They also may not be able to relate to activities and learning that are designed for children within their age group.
- They can appear to be different ages in different situations. This can result in confusion, frustration and external adjustment difficulties.
Learning difficulties
Learning disabilities and giftedness often overlap and mask each other (Silverman, 2012). Giftedness and other learning needs including learning disabilities, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and Asperger's syndrome are seen together. These students are called twice-exceptional students given their dual exceptionality and learning needs (Alberta Education, 2010). If a student is not provided the opportunity to develop or demonstrate their abilities within their learning environment then their exceptional potential if often missed (Silverman, 2012).