Gifted_and_Talented

Gifted and Talented The term “Gifted and Talented” refers to students who are traditionally identified with a higher-than-average score on an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test. The gifted learner is typically within the top 2% of standardized IQ scores – in other words, possesses an IQ of approximately 130+. Another term for this is “intellectual giftedness” which is usually believed to be an innate, personal aptitude for intellectual activities that cannot be acquired through personal effort. Intellectual giftedness may be general or specific. For example, an intellectually gifted person may have a striking talent for mathematics, but not have equally strong language skills. Intellectual giftedness is not the only form of talent. Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences proposes several kinds of non-intellectual "intelligences", such as bodily-kinesthetic intelligence and interpersonal intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a broad term for one type of non-intellectual intelligence. In an article by Jeremy S. Page entitled “Challenges Faced by ‘Gifted Learners’ in School and Beyond” Page hits on many important issues that students who may be “gifted and talented” face as well as offers many ways that educators and other individuals may be able to assist in the betterment of the “gifted and talented” educational experience. Page states that “gifted learners, although possessing higher levels of intelligence than their peers, are disadvantaged in the sense that they frequently do not, or are not given the opportunity, to reach their full potential”. He continues his argument by stating that many of these gifted students and labeled as “underachievers” because the adults around do not know how to properly cater to these learners. Gifted learners have special educational needs that, if not met, will often manifest themselves through laziness, low self-esteem, or boredom. This issue is worsened by the disagreement over exactly what constitutes ‘gifted’. Many believe that an IQ test alone can identify a gifted learner while Langrehr challenges the ‘higher-intelligence’ method, and he further suggests that there are different categories of ‘Giftedness,’ primarily highlighting the difference between the creative mind and the critical mind. There are also many others that have their own suggestion of how a gifted learner can be identified. Once a student is identified as “gifted” and is moved to a higher streaming class (if the school even has one) then yet another issue can arise. Often, once places in this new atmosphere, a gifted learner may struggle with problems of self-esteem or self-concept. Diezmann, Watters and Fox claim that gifted children experience: “socio-emotional problems that include difficulty with social relationships, isolation from peers, pressures to conform, resistance towards authority, refusal to complete routine and repetitious work, and frustration with every day life”. Page believes that “these feelings can compound in later life beyond school, ranging from underachievement to depression and more serious disorders”. I was identified as “gifted and talented” at the age of 7. I was offered an opportunity to transfer to a private school that was better equipped with classrooms for gifted students. I refused to go and remained in my same elementary school that did not offer any class distinctions between gifted and non gifted students. I was often very bored and complacent in my classes and would be sent home with a note to my mother explaining to her that I was disrupting the class. This is because I would find the work too easy that I would either not do it at all or I would finish it before the rest of the class. I would then carry on conversations with the other students in the class although they were not yet finished with their work. I was often frustrated and did not understand why the class was not moving more quickly. It was not until I reached middle school that I was occasionally challenged by the few honors and advanced classes that they offered. Because of these studies and my own personal experiences, I believe that the Texas education system needs to not only develop a more concrete way of identifying gifted students but also develop better ways to reach out to students that learn at all levels- gifted students included.