Gifted Education

“I need help too!”

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Pubic Law 94-142

Education for All, Handicapped Children Act

• Provides that all exceptional students with/without disabilities receive free, appropriate public education

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What is giftedness?

• Children with above-average intelligence (IQ of 130 or higher)

• Superior talent in some domain such as art, music, math, etc.

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Characteristics

1. Precocity (advanced or mature in development)

– Master an area earlier than peers

– Learning in their domain is effortless

– Inborn high ability in a particular domain

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2. Marching to their own drummer– Learn in a qualitatively different way than

children who are not gifted.– Require less support from adults – Often resist explicit instruction– Often make discoveries on their own and

solve problems in unique ways– They can be normal or below-normal in other

areas.

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3. A passion to master– Driven to understand the domain in which

they have high ability– Display an intense, obsessive interest– Don’t need to be pushed by parents to learn– Frequently have a high degree of internal

motivation.

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4. Excel in information-processing skills– Learn at a faster pace– Process information more rapidly– Better at reasoning, – Use better strategies,– Monitor their understanding better than non-

gifted students

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Alexandra Nechita – a highly gifted child

• Age 14 • Age 21

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“My Torch Shall Guide Me”• When I was working on this - I

was thinking the Special Olympians have to have something that guides them - their love to compete.

I was thinking the torch is an encouragement for them. The figure is holding the torch - he's looking at it thankfully for what it's done. It's a feeling - It's the same feeling when I paint.

There 's a life in my paintbrush. My paintbrush is my torch."

• Your Price: $1,800.00

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“Skyline”• "After all, a city is not bricks

and mortar, but people.

The strong vibrant colors, plus the complex horizontal composition mean that everyone will enjoy this piece.

It's any city in the world and it's the essence of any city Its People."

• Your Price: $2,950.00

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Think about these questions.

1. Should gifted students be given more work than regular students?

2. How do you think they should be taught?

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Quantity vs. Quality

1. Gifted students should not have any more work than the regular student.

2. Course work should be intellectually challenging, creative and interesting.

3. Mainstreaming vs. pull-out programs (see next slide)

Mainstreaming vs. pull out

• Mainstreaming allows for the gifted student to receive all of their instruction in a regular classroom.

• Pull out programs involve taking the gifted student out of the regular classroom for a specific time period to be with other gifted students to receive qualitatively different instruction.

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