2010 - booklet about intellectually gifted children

7/31/2019 2010 - Booklet About Intellectually Gifted Children

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Associat ion Suisse pour les Enf ant s Prcoces (ASEP)

Swiss Associat ion f or Gif t ed Childr en

I N T ELLECT UALLY GI FT ED CH I LDREN

I nf or mat ion bookletT his inf ormat ion booklet , as well as a list of r ecommended r eadings and a list of publicat ions

in f r ancophone Swit zer land can also be downloaded on t he ASEP web sit e HHUUwww.asep-

suisse.orgUUHH under publicat ions. I n conf r ences you can also download t he memos of var ious

workshops organised by ASEP.

Tr anslated in Oct ober 2010


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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Gif t ed Childr en: f r om myt h t o r eali t y .................................................................................................. 1How t o ident if y a gif t ed child? ......................................................................................................... 39The disar r ay of t he gif t ed child ....................................................................................................... 4

I Q t est s .................................................................................................................................................... 610B1What does the I Q measur e? ............................................................................................................. 8

Spot t ing a gif t ed chi ld at school .......................................................................................................... 911B11Gif t ed chi ldr en at school.................................................................................................................. 10

A di f f er ent mode of int ellect ual f unct ioning ................................................................................... 1212B1What are t heir needs and how can we help t hem?....................................................................... 13

14B14BUAA need f or r ecognit ion .................................................................................................................. 1315B15BUUA need f or complex it y................................................................................................................... 1416B16BUUA need f or mot ivat ion ................................................................................................................... 14

13B13BSolut ions .............................................................................................................................................. 1517B17BUUAccelerat ion .................................................................................................................................... 1518B18BUUEnrichment ...................................................................................................................................... 1619B19BUUI nt ensif icat ion ............................................................................................................................... 16

Lear ning about met hods; met hods t o learn ....................................................................................... 17As a conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 20 Fur t her r eadings .................................................................................................................................... 21


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1

GI FTED CHI LDREN :

FROM M YTH TO REALI TY

The myth: a young genius, wit h an encyclopedic knowledge of ever yt hing, st udious, quick

wit t ed, always r eady t o show of f at school

T he realit y is in f act a t er rible misunder st anding: childr en wit h an I Q above aver age

(bet ween 100 and 125/ 130) ar e act ive, at t r act ive, wit h good verbal abili t ies. They lear n t o

r ead and wr it e easily ar ound t he age of 7 and ar e somet imes even of t en deemed gif t ed by

t heir t eacher s while t hey ar e j ust good st udent s, dedicated and sociable. Of t en, one assumes

t hat int ellect ual ef f iciency aut omat ically leads t o good academic r esult s.

I n f act , t he gif t ed child (I Q bet ween 125/ 130 and 160) is of t en a dif f icult child who has

f aced int egr at ion problems at schoolver y ear ly in lif e.

At school, she usually t r ies t o avoid being not iced f or f ear of being per ceived as t oo br ight .Awar e of being dif f erent , she t r ies t o hide it by somet imes making mist akes on pur pose.

She does not like t o lear n anyt hing by hear t , and lacks met hod or or ganizat ional skil ls,

however , she can t alk f orever about subj ect s she is passionat e about and of t en changes her

f ocus of int er est . Her motor skills ar e usually not in line wit h her int ellectual development ;

calligr aphy is a problem, so ar e spor t ive or manual act ivit ies. Her school r esult s ar e f ar f r om

sat isf act or y. Her school r epor t s say could do bet t er.

Her t eacher s might consider her lazy, agit at ed, dist ur bing or a daydr eamer .


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9T he disarr ay of t he gif t ed child

Alr eady in kinder gar t en t hese childr en encount er di f f icult ies and some of t hem do not know

wher e t hey st and. For inst ance, t hey can ident if y let t er s and wor ds but t hey ar e t old t hat

t hey ar e t oo young t o lear n how t o read. What people say about t hem neit her cor r esponds

witht he way t hey f eel nor wit hwhat t hey ar e alr eady capable of doing.

They ar e pushed by a f or ce they do not understand but which incit es t hem t o explor e

f ur t her and f ur t her t he wor ld ar ound t hem. This endless cur iosit y makes them ask quest ions

non-st op. I f t his t hir st f or knowledge is denied t hey t ur n t his f or ce inwar ds or suppr ess it

and suf f er t er r ibly.

I n t he f ir st year of pr imar y school, t hey st ar t get t ing bor ed and busy t hemselves t he best

t hey can: some look thr ough t he window, r ef lect ing on t heir univer se, t heir dr eamsWhen

t hey come back t o ear t h, t hey list en once t o the t eacher s explanat ion and have under st ood

everyt hing. I t wor ks OK and t hey get average r esult s. Those who ar e mor e unst able and/ or

less quiet are agit at ed and dist ur b t he classThey even get expelled f r om one school t o t he

next , await ing t he ideal school f or t heir specif icit y!

They look very much f or war d t o j oining secondar y school but ar e quickly disappoint ed. I t

appear s t hat t hey do not know how t o st udy. They have no learning t echnique. For instance,

t hey r ar ely know t heir mult iplicat ion t ables since t hey hat e rot e lear ning. So f ar , t hey have

managed because t he exer cises have been r elat ivelysimple: in gr ammar , t hey dont know the

r ules but have always relied on t heir int uit ion which was enough t o answer r elat ively simple

quest ions. Now t hey ar e t old t o st udy but t hey do not know how. Bef or e, t hey j ust needed t o

r ead a lesson once. Now, t hey read and r e-r ead it , t o no avail.

They have hear d t hat an int elligent child always manages: t hey conclude t hat t hey ar e not

int elligent . Somet imes t heir school r esult s even become cat ast r ophic.

They ar e amazed; t hey thought t hey wer e gif t ed, that ever yt hing was easy. They used t o

understand everyt hing and suddenly, t hey have lost t his gif t . These childr en t hink t hat t hey

have lost everyt hing, and t hat t hey have r eached t heir limit . They ar e depr essed.

Their par ent s also suf f er a lot f r om t his sit uat ion. Their child wit h her elegant way of

speaking, wit h her endless cur iosit y, who always had somet hing int erest ing t o say and whom

t hey wer e pr oud of now has t ur ned int o a demot ivat ed or even depr essed t een or preteen

who cant explain what is wr ong wit h her .

This is a t r agic descr ipt ion of t heir school lif e, but it is also unf or t unat ely an all t oo f r equent

occur r ence.

They also encount er dif f icult ies int egr at ing: t hepar ent s usually under stand t heir child butout side the f amily, t he dif f erence is immediat ely per ceived: t he ot her s, somet imes ver y


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subt ly, dont include her. She is never willi ngly chosen asa t eam member or she is obviously

ignor ed, somet imes even mobbed.

Gif t ed childr en of t en display a gr eat sense of humor . This st ar t s very ear ly and t he ot herchildr en do not under st and t hose j okes which make t he adult s laugh; gif t ed childr en do not

r eally enj oy vulgar or simple j okes which appeal t o ot her childr en. They do not enj oy vulgar it y

or violence.

They do not f eel af f ect ively f ulf illed and t he wor st is t hat t hey ar e t old t hat it is t heir f ault

because t hey are t oo demanding.

The most t r agic sit uat ion is when gif t ed childr en do not express t heir needs because t hey

have sensed, t hanks t o t heir int elligence, t hat t heir problems ar e not welcomed in t he f amily.

So t hey keep quiet , t end t o be as invisible and neut r al as possible, so as not t o at t r act

at t ent ion. They have average school r esult s.

When t hey ar e gr own up, t hey will be scar r ed f r om childhood. They will of t en be br illiant ,

wit h a sar cast ic sense of humor , aggr essive in a f unny way so quickly f orgiven: but deep down,

t hey will be f r ust r at ed and miser able.

Gif t ed childr en have two f undament al needs:

To f eel at peace wit h t hemselves and t heir dif f erence (wit h t heir t eacher s and t heirf r iends).

To develop t heir ast onishing pot ent ial.Encour aging t hese childr en t o r each t heir pot ent ial will benef it each and ever y one of us.

Gif t edness is a blessing f or societ y.


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6

I Q T EST S

The t est s invent ed by BI NET in 1904 measure t he childs ment al age wit h r egar ds t o her

act ual age (in year s of li f e). A gif t ed child displays a ment al age of 2 t o 8 year s over t he

chr onological age. An 8 year old wit h a ver y high I Q could have t he ment al age of a 16 year

old.

Cur r ent ly, t he most widely used t est s ar e Wechsler s which enable a stat ist ical compar ison.

The I Q is no longer compar ed t o the chr onological age but is measure d st at ist ically t o a

st andard I Q which def ines t he childs rank in compar ison t o childr en his age. The I Q is no

longer ver y impor t ant , what mat t ers is t he r ank, i.e. t he number of individuals in t he

r ef erence gr oup wit h an ident ical I Q t o t he t est ed individual. Wechler s t est s measur e I Qs

up t o 160, some US t est s go even f ur t her. For inf or mat ion, 1 per son out of 31000 has an I Q

over 160.

Thus, gif t edness is def ined by a st at ist ical nor m of nor mal average development f or one

populat ion. The average I Q i s 100 wit h a standar d deviat ion of 15. The st andar d is t heref or e

bet ween 85 and 115.


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The I Q is dist r ibut ed f ollowing a bell-shape cur ve:

This cur ve shows t hat 1 in 20 childr en has an I Q over 125 (5 % of t he populat ion), and 1 in

1000 childr en has an I Q over 145 (0.1 % of t he populat ion).

As a summary, t his st at ist ical st udy shows t hat I Q s bet ween 85 and 11 5 a re

deemed normal, I Q s below 70 def ine learning dif f icult ies, and I Q s over

12 5/ 13 0 def ine int ellectual gif t edness. However, a sensit ive zone ex ist s

bet ween 12 5 and 130 ; indeed t hese f igures are not barr iers but ref er ences;

t he global int ellect ual pr of ile is of t en mor e int er est ing t han t he global I Q

f igur e. T he pot ent ial abilit y assessment is an indir ect measurement which

cannot be compared t o height or weight measur ement . T his I Q can t ot ally

cor r espond t o t he childs pot ent ial or can under est imat e it (especially if t he

child is going t hr ough a dif f icult phase). However , it is impossible t o

over est imat e t he pot ent ial and we can t heref ore say wit hout doubt t hat achild wit h an I Q over 1 30 is gif t ed.

T he f urt her t he I Q dif f ers f rom t he norm, t he less t he amount of individuals

in t hat gr oup and t he more obvious t he dif f ere nces, even compared wit h ot her

gif t ed children.

O ne number is clear ly not enough t o descr ibe one child. H er int elligence,

t hough of ut most impor t ance, is only one of t he component s of her

per sonalit y, namely at school.


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10B1W hat does t he I Q measur e?

The I Q is a compar at ive measur ement of int ellect ual abilit ies. I t helps evaluat e t heintellect ual ef f iciency wit h a list of quest ions and st andar dized t asks int ended t o measur e

one individuals abili t ies t o behave in an ef f icient and relevant manner .

However , a child cannot be reduced t o t his number only. The I Q does not measur e t he

globalism of int elligence but only t he individuals int ellect ual ef f iciency at t he t ime t he t est

was t aken.

For example, t he psychological t est WI SC-I V (Wechsler s t est f or children aged 6 t o 16,

lat est 2005 ver sion) det er mines scor es in t he f ollowing f ields:

Verbal: logic, abst r act ion, underst anding of values and social nor ms, deduct ion. Theset est s make up t he ver bal underst anding scor e.

Non-verbal: logic, deduct ion, abst r act ion, visual and spat ial reasoning. These t est s make upt he per cept ive r easoning scor e.

Working memor y (shor t t er m list ening & verbal memor y). Pr ocessing speed: graphic and mot or skill s The global I Q is made up of t hese 4 scor es. The int ellectual prof ile is analyzed in det ail and gives impor t ant inf or mat ion t o assist

t he child in ident if ying her weak and st r ong point s.

The t otal global I Q is made up of t hese 4 scores, and could somet imes, if t hediscr epancies ar e big, give an er r oneous image of t he t est ed subj ect .

Resear ch shows t hat , in 87% of cases, t he I Q is st able. However , f or 13% of cases, a 10

point dif f erence exist s and in 3% of cases, a 15 point s dif f erence was noted (1998, Canivez &

Wat kins, st udy of 667 children who t ook t he WI SC-I I I t wice wit hin 2.87 year s). We can see

t hat usually, t he I Q is st able but it is a stat ist ical aver age t hat is of lit t le meaning wit hout

an accompanying individual analysis.


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9

SPOTT I N G A GI FTED CHI LD AT SCHOOL

Not all gif t ed childr en ar e best in their class. However , among t he best per f or mers t her e ar e

also many gif t ed st udent s, especially among t he gir ls. Gif t ed childr en wit h dif f icult ies ar e

mor e f r equent ly ident if ied and it is of ut most impor t ance that t hey r eceive assist ance so

t hat t hey can make the best use of t heir pot ent ial and int egr at e in our societ y. But gif t ed

childr en wit hout appar ent problems also have dif f erent needs. I t is essent ial t hat t hese

needs be met , t o assist in t he psycho- af f ect ive development and t o prevent f ailur es

which are ver y f r equent dur ing t eenage years.

This t able is ext r act ed f r om Lenf ant sur dou, laider grandir , laider r ussir by

J eanne Siaud-Facchin. These hint s, neit her exhaust ive nor systemat ic, may aler t you and

j ust if y t est ing your chi ld.

W HAT W E OBSERVE W HAT W E UN DERSTAN D

Very ir r egular school r esult s. Excellent in one

subj ect f or one year and disast rous in t he same

subj ect t he year af t er

The chi lds invest ment in school wor k depends on

her level of af f ect ion and respect t owards t he

t eacher. She t est s t he compet ency and abili t ies

of t he teacher. She needs boundaries and t r ust t o

operat e at her best .

She constant ly asks f or proof and j ust if icat ionf rom t he t eachers.

She needs meaning and r eassur ance t o keep going.

Noisy act ive part icipat ion or t ot al wit hdrawal Enthusiasm f or school and int ellect ual curiosit y or

t ot al bor edom

Talkat ive, r owdy, dr eamer, agit at edbut listening Specif ic concent rat ion mechanisms, acute need t o

do several t hings at once t o be able t o

concent rate.

Cannot explain how she f ound a solut ion to a

problem, cannot develop her reasoning

I ntuit ive f unct ioning, analogical t hinking t hrough

t he right hemisphere

Excellent oral skills, appalling wri t t en skil ls Discrepancy between ver bal and wri t t en skills.

Of t en alone and isolat ed in t he playgr ound Rejected by other childr en due t o t he perceived

dif f erence, lonely because she cant f ind children

wit h a similar way of f unct ioning and similar

cent ers of int erest .

I nadequat e answer or no answer f r om an

ot herwise br illiant st udent . I r relevant answer

alt hough she appears t o have underst ood all t hesubt let ies of t he subj ect

Dif f erences of implicit (pr esumed t acit ),

import ance of t he lit eral sense, arborescent way

of t hinking, diver gent way of t hinking


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11B11Gif t ed children at school

Cather ine Leiser, pr of essor of physics in Par is (Fnelon Lyce), has observed st udent s dur ing

11 year s and has list ed t ypical charact er ist ics which she believes can def ine gif t edness in

some of t hem. Negat ives and posit ives ar e combined:

UUPO S I T I V ES

Fast Cur ious Witted I nt uit ive Good memory Real or pot ent ial wor k capacit y I maginat ion Or iginalit y St r ong per sonalit y, st r ong char act er

UUNEGATI VE

Not ver y academic Lack of in-depth t hinking Lack of met hod Lack of mot ivat ion Super f icial or insuf f icient way of st udying I nef f icient in r out ine tasks Lack of f ocus Bad use of int uit ion

As a summar y, by using her good memory, her quick mindedness and her ease t o adapt , t he

st udent makes up f or ir r egular st udying, a f r equent lack of mot ivat ion and lack of met hods

Used t o f inding school easy (good memory, int uit ion), t he st udent is const ant ly under-

st imulat ed and she succeeds wit hout r eally needing t o or ganize her wor k.


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Dur ing pr imar y school, she will not r eally need t o conf r ont a lear ning process ent aili ng ef f ort s

and challenges.

Some will use t heir abilit ies t o avoid making any ef f or t , ot her s will st ay vigilant and willmanage t o adapt when t he level becomes more dif f icult and event ually int erest ing. Academic

f ailur e in gif t ed children is seen in 1 gir l f or 4 boys and in 16% of all childr en all ages and

gender s. However , in childr en aged 12 t o 18, f ailure is much mor e f r equent , up t o 50%, easily

f ixable wit h adequat e assist ance. These stat ist ics r elat e t o gif t ed children ident if ied by

psychomet r ic t est ing.

The lar ge var iet y of f unct ioning modes of gif t ed childr en does not allow us t o descr ibe t he

t ypical child which would be a car icat ur e.

But t hey have point s in common, due t o t he lar ge discr epancy bet ween t heir level ofint elligence and t he schooling level, which somet imes makes t hem f eel inadequat e; t his var ies

wit h age.


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A DI FFEREN T M ODE OF I N T ELLECTUAL FUNCTI ON I N G

Gif t ed childr en process inf ormat ion in a ver y dif f erent way t han t he aver age populat ion.

They have mor e impor t ant capacit ies f or analogical processing, a f ast er pr ocessing speed,

t hey basically under stand f aster . Their shor t t erm memor y is t wice t he nor m and t heir long

t erm memor y is also larger t han the nor m.

I n her book The Gif t ed Child, J eanne Siaud-Facchin explains how st udies on t he br ain have

shown t hat gif t ed childr en use t heir r ight hemispher e (which t r eat s inf or mat ion globally,

simult aneously and manages emot ions) mor e t han t heir lef t hemisphere (which analyses and

br eaks down inf or mat ion sequent ially). I t would also appear t hat t heir br ain can r eceive a

lar ger quant it y of inf or mat ion at t he same t ime and t hat exchanges between bot hhemispher es ar e f ast er.

I n par allel t o psychomet r ic t est ing (I Q t est s), a second cat egor y of t est s has been

developed by Anglo-Saxon r esear ch t o appr eciat e diver gent t hinking, t hat means t he abili t y

of an individual t o f ind or iginal and innovat ive alt er nat ive solut ions t o sit uat ions she may be

f aced wit h.

This resear ch has shed a new light on int uit ion, which was long considered t o be a sixt h sense.

T his processing seems par t icularly ef f ect ive wit h gif t ed children who ar e bet t er at

applying solut ions t han at ex plaining t hem. They use f ormal logical t hinking, divergentt hinking and int uit ion wit h a rar e abili t y and ease, in a very speedy way.

J eanne Siaud-Facchin also explains t hat gif t ed childre n use ar bor escent t hinking, while so-

called nor mal childr en think in a sequent ial way. Ar bor escent t hinking can also be

descr ibed as Visual-Spat ial t hinking.

The school syst em is based on the sequent ial way of t hinking. This is why gif t ed childr en f eel

out of place and why t eacher s do not underst and why a child who was of f icially declar ed

int elligent is incapable of applying lear ning met hods or problem r esolut ion st r at egies which

have pr oved adequate wit h so many other children.

For inst ance, if t he t eacher gives a mathemat ical pr oblem wit h addit ions and subt r act ions,

t he gif t ed child will immediat ely give t he cor r ect answer but will be incapable of explaining

how she got t o it . I f we ask her t o explain how she f ound t he solut ion, she wont be capable of

explaining and wil l answer t hat she j ust knew. This probably will l ead t o a bad gr ade and t he

t eacher will conclude t hat t he child has not underst ood anyt hing while she simply has not

under st ood t he sequent ial pr oblem r esolut ion met hod pr oposed by t he school system.

Similar ly, when asked t o wr it e an essay descr ibing her holidays, t he aver age child will t ell a

st ory wit h a beginning, a middle and an end while t he gif t ed child will get lost in her t hought sand souvenir s, each t hought br inging a new idea or r emembr ance and one hour lat er , when she


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not ices t hat her page is st ill blank, she will launch int o a f ur ious bout of wr it ing, most

probably not on t he given subj ect .

The gif t ed child does not nat ur ally possess t he abilit y t o organize her t hought s sequent ially.

12B1W hat ar e t heir needs and how can we help t hem?

14B14BUAA need f or r ecognit ion

I t is impor t ant t hat t he child be detect ed t hrough psychomet r ic t est s and t hen r ecognized

and accept ed f or what she is. Since she f eels dif f ere nt , t he gif t ed child easily loses her

self conf idence; t his phenomenon is of t en seen in subj ect s who ar e out side t he nor m. I t

is also a good idea not t o consider t hat her compet encies ar e nor mal (due t o her high I Q) but

t o congr atulat e and praise her as we do wit h other childr en when t hey have good r esult s.

These sensit ive childr en need t o f eel encour aged and backed up by t heir f amil ies and

t eacher s, like all ot her children. The dif f erence lies in t he f act t hat t he gif t ed child,

considere d highly int elligent , can be mor e easily lef t t o f end f or her self ; t he adult s will

nat ura lly f ocus t heir at t ent ion on childre n wit h lear ning dif f icult ies.


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13B13BSolut ions

Sever al solut ions can be consider ed and they depend on t he childs char acter , per sonali t y andmat ur it y: acceleration, enrichment and int ensif icat ion.

Of t en, t he childs immediat e envir onment will def ine t he best solut ions. There is no

st andar d solut ion and it is of ut most import ance t o analyze t he childs specif ic sit uat ion.

17B17BUUAcceleration

Acceleration means r espect ing t he childs r hyt hm of int ellect ual development and means

j umping one, somet imes t wo (f or chi ldr en wit h an I Q over 145) grades. I n t he classic school

system, it can happen at var ious point s. St ar t ing pr imar y school one year ear ly is quit e wise

f or childr en who ar e mat ur e enough.

For t he childr en who can alr eady r ead in kindergar t en, t hey may j ump t he f ir st year of

pr imar y school and st ar t dir ect ly in second year . Accelerat ion avoids a large discrepancy

between t he childs int ellect ual abilit ies, her lear ning r hyt hm and t he school pr ogr am. The

main dr awback is an even lar ger discr epancy bet ween her and t he ot her childr ens mot or

skills, especially when j umping two gr ades. Accelerat ion is neit her a def init ive nor an ideal

solut ion f or all childr en. Childr en wit h an I Q over 145 will r ar ely be sat isf ied wit h only one

j ump.


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18B18BUUEnrichment

Enrichment gives t he child a wider access t o inf ormat ion, e nabling her t o synt hesize in a

mor e elabor at e way. Her e, we ar e talking about f eeding t he childs int ellect ual cur iosit y.She can pr act ice this enr ichment her self of t hrough t ools supplied t o her .

I n general, a gif t ed child does not need as long as his school f r iends t o go t hr ough t he

schools of f icial progr am. Pra ct icing 100 t imes t o learn how t o add is of ver y lit t le

int er est when she already mast er s t he t echnique af t er 10 addit ions, somet imes even

less.

This is when t he t eacher can supply her wit h enr iching mat er ial (books, dif f er ent exercises,

et c) while t he ot her s f inish t heir wor k.

Novelt y is at t r act ive and t he possibili t y t o pr act ice mor e challenging act ivit ies will help t he

child not get bored while helping her pract ice her r easoning skil ls. Childr en ar e usually happy

t o use t heir creat ivit y t o pr epar e pr esent at ions or ot her gr oup pr oj ect s. Act ivit ies like

out ings or f ield t r ips ar e especially adapt ed t o t his pedagogical solut ion.

19B19BUUI nt ensif icat ion

I nt ensif icat ion, means acquiring a deeper knowledge of t he of f icial subj ect s of t he

school year. The idea is not , like f or enr ichment , t o mult iply t he subj ect s but t o st udy

specif ic subj ect s in dept h.

Tools used f or enr ichment and f or int ensif icat ion can obviously be combined. I n 1951, De

Cr aecker already explained t hat int ensif icat ion f or gif t ed children cont r ibut ed not only t o

t heir ment al development but also t o t heir mor al and social well -being, enabling t hem, namely,

t o under stand and accept t heir obligat ions t owar ds t he ot her st udent s.


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LEARN I N G ABOUT METH ODS;

METHODS TO LEARNTo reduce t he handicap that r epr esent s her ar bor escent way of t hinking, it is impor t ant t o

help t he child underst and how she f unct ions and t each her how t o use t he classic methods of

learning f r om an ear ly age. We should however not deny her own thinking mechanism but

r at her help her underst and how the met hods used at school will help her succeed not only at

school but in her f utur e j ob. These methods must be applied t o enable her t o be successf ul.

I n t heir book HHLenf ant dou, lint elligence rconcil iHHe Ar ielle Adda and Hlne Cat r oux

pr opose t he use of ment al management (see also UUbooks by Ant oine de la Gar ander ieUUHH) t o assist

gif t ed children t o underst and and analyze t he way t heir br ain wor ks but also t o acquir e

lear ning methods. These methods t each t hem t o organize t heir t hought s, r ecycle inf or mat ion

and explain what t hey have lear nt .

UUOn a pract ical side :

A gif t ed child in class means ext r a wor k f or t he t eacher . S/ he will need t o t hink, invest igat e,

t r ain and innovat e but , if t aken posit ively, t his challenge will be an enr ichment f or t he ent ir e

class.

Her e ar e a f ew suggest ions, coming f r om European and Amer ican specialist s, as well as

solut ions implement ed by t eacher s in f r ancophone Swit zer land.

Anyone can adapt t hem or get inspirat ion f r om t hem. I t depends on t he t eacher s personalit y

and sensit ivit y. I t is of ut most impor t ance t o pr opose a subj ect t hat you like t eaching.

Congr at ulat e and encourage t he child, do not t ake her r esult s f or gr ant ed despit e her

pot ent ial. These childr en ar e very demanding t owar ds t hemselves and ar e quick t o lose self -

conf idence. They need recognit ion f or t heir ef f or t s and per f or mance. I f t hey dont r eceive

t his, t hey f eel like a f ailur e.

Discuss t he globalism of lear ning. The gif t ed child needs t o know where she is headed. I nmathemat ics, it is a good idea t o present t he exer cise globally t hen descr ibe every single

oper at ion necessar y t o solve the pr oblem. I n hist or y, pr esent t he er a t hat will be st udied

t hen discuss t he var ious event s t hat pr oduced t he hist or ical f act .

While it is impor t ant t o sympat hize about her dif f er ences, it is as impor t ant t o help her

acquire met hods t o lear n. Lead her t o r ef lect on her int ellect ual f unct ioning and explain it

t o her . When a child is very good in one subj ect , help her ident if y t he st r ategies used and

encourage her t o use t he same in subject s where she may be st r uggling a lit t le mor e. Help

her st r uct ur e her knowledge because she doesnt li kely know any met hod t o learn.


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Teach her how t o pr esent a pr oj ect or a pr esent at ion. Formalize a pat h t o f ollow, meaning

show her a met hod in a subj ect wher e she is less competent . Give a meaning t o what she is

learning: gif t ed childr en always need t o know the reasons why t hey ar e asked t o do t hings.

I n pr imar y school, f or each class, children ar e supplied wit h exer cise papers. Of t en, only one

exe r cise is enough f or a gif t ed child t o underst and. Having t o do 5 or 6 mor e is close t o

t or t ur e and she f inds it ver y dif f icult t o endlessly pr act ice what she consider s useless.

We can also suggest t hat she creat es exer cises herself f or her f r iends, t hat she helps

t hose who do not underst and or simply t hat she t akes a book and reads. Avoid making her t he

const ant assist ant t o t he t eacher ; t his may ent ail j ealousy f r om her classmat es, which would

be enor mously painf ul f or her .

Children who have f inished t heir wor k should be proposed wit h at t r act ive a ct ivit ies linkedt o the days lessons. They can be encour aged t o link one lesson wit h another subj ect st udied.

Encour age t hem t o r esear ch mor e inf ormat ion on a subj ect so as t o cr eat e a wri t t en or

ver bal st or y, a t heat er play, a pr esent at ion f or t he class...

W hen t hey use t heir knowledge and t heir hunger t o learn (t heref ore t heir dif f ere nce) t o

help t he remaining st udent s in t he class, t hey f eel ver y usef ul and it helps t hem f eel

comf or t able in t heir class.

To avoid boredom, it is pr ef erable t o enable t hem t o go beyond what t hey alr eady know. I tis good t o suggest an act ivit y linked t o t he lesson but which will be a challenge t o t hem.

Repet it ive exercises hold no int erest what soever t o t hem.

Anot her good idea is t o suggest t hat t hey could managea project ; ask t hem t o t hink about

what t ype of pr oject t hey would be int erest ed in, how t hey can use t he knowledge t hey have

and how they pr ef er t o expr ess it (creat e a game of car ds, a scient if ic exper iment , a t heat er

play, a paint ing, et c). The ot her childr en in t he class ar e usually quit e int erest ed in t hese

individual proj ect s t hat add a lit t le novelt y in the class.

Finally, f or group work, it is pr ef erable, as much as possible, t o let t he child choose t heir

group (and t heir subj ect ) and t o lay t he gr ound r ules:

Tr y mor e t han one idea, Speak in t ur ns, Help each other , do ones best , List en t o t he ot her s,

And ask f or t he t eacher s assist ance in case of a signif icant disagr eement .


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When t he wor k is f inished, childr en must be evaluated on an individual basis, on t heir

individual wor k mor e t han on t he way everybody cont r ibut ed. One of t he reasons gif t ed

children do not like t o wor k in gr oups is t hat t hey f ind it unf air t o shar e a bad gr ade wit h a

group because t he gr oup f ollowed t he major it y vot e and not t heir s, even t hough t hey knew

t heir subj ect per f ect ly. Or t hat t he ent ir e gr oup relied on t hem and t hat t hey wer e the only

ones who cont r ibuted.

When t he gif t ed t eenager i s exper iencing dif f icult ies, or even f ailur e, she mainly needs

people in her sur r oundings t o assist her t o get back on t r ack and r e-ent er t he lear ning

process. Recognizing her ext r aor dinar y abilit ies is f undament al but accept ing and

under standing her disar r ay in f r ont of her unexpect ed f ailur e is indispensable t o assist her

t o r eint egr at e in t he school syst em (School f ailur e of t he gif t ed child, ar t icle by Claudia

J ankech and J ean Claude Ant hamat t en, www.j ankech.ch).

T o summar ize, t hese childre n like st imulat ion and challenges. I maginat ive and cre at ive,

t hey like t o explor e knowledge. W hen a t eacher t akes advant age of t hese

charact er ist ics, it is enriching f or t he ent ire class.

UUThe gif t ed child and associated lear ning disor ders:

When a gif t ed child is f ailing at school, bef or e assuming t hat t he t eaching met hods ar e t he

only r eason f or t he pr oblem, it is wise t o check whether she may suf f er f r om dyslexia-

dysor t hogr aphia (lear ning dif f icult ies f or t he wr it t en language, including r eading and spelling)

and/ or HDD (wit h or wit hout hyperact ivit y). Gif t ed childr en can hide t hese pr oblems t hroughcompensat or y st r at egies. However , f r om t he 5t h, maybe 7 t h year of school, t hese dif f icult ies

will become an immense hur dle and may lead t he gif t ed child t o f ailur e. These dif f icult ies can

only be ident if ied by specialist s. I n t he case of dyslexia, t he ear lier t he child st ar t s

t r eat ment , t he bet t er (see document on t he conf erence I nt elligence and Dyslexia, May

2007).

I n gener al, t he ident if icat ion pr ocess of t hese lear ning dif f icult ies in t he gif t ed child is

dif f erent f r om t he pr ocess wit h a nor mal child. They ar e diagnosed lat er and wit h mor e

dif f icult ies; this can gener at e many misunder standings and give a negat ive image of t he child

whose f amily and t eacher mayper ceive as gif t ed but a low per f or mer.


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AS A CON CLUSI ON

Gif t ed childr en ar e not r eally like t he ot her s but , like the ot her s, t hey ar e children

Dr . Olivier Revol.

Despit e t he myt hs, we shouldnt expect prodigious achievement s or except ional r esult s. Their

dif f erence is of t en a real handicap t o t hem. Gif t ed wit h a r emar kable memor y, t hey can lear n

ef f or t lessly what t hey ar e int er ested in but f ind it ver y har d t o lear n of f by hear t ,

especially what t hey f ind meaningless.

Even if t hey seem gif t ed wit h ser iously above-aver age cognit ive compet encies, these

hyper sensit ive children suf f er f r om st r ess mor e t han t he ot her s. Af f ect ivit y is t heir main

dr iver and t heir behaviour is of t en inf luenced by t heir environment . De-mot ivat ed, t hey willlose t heir int er est and t heir dr ive. Enr ichment and int ensif icat ion of t he school pr ogr am can

par t ially help t hem t o r e-mot ivat e.

Gif t ed childr en need a precise f r ame, even mor e t han other childr en. The school syst em mustallow t hem t o use t heir ext r a int ellect ual abilit ies but also t each t hem lear ning met hods t o

ensur e t hat t hey do not only r ely on t heir compet encies.

I n par allel, it is impor t ant f or t hem t o under st and how they t hink and t o make t he best use

of t heir abilit ies.They also need t o lear n how t o use t he school syst em met hods; t hat s t he

key t o t heir adapt at ion.

These childr en need an adapt ed pedagogy, which t akes int o account not only t heir learning

r hyt hm and t heir pot ent ial, but t heir weaknesses as well.


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Smar t Girls. A N ew Psychology of Girls, W omen and Gif t edness.Keer, B.A. Great Potent ial Press, I nc., Scot t sdale, AZ, 1997

Smart Boys: T alent , M anhood and t he Search f or M eaningKeer, B.A., Cohn, S.J. & Alcorn, A. Gr eat Potent ial Pr ess, I nc., Scot t sdale, AZ 2001

Could Do Bet t er, W hy Children Underachieve and W hat t o Do About I t Mandel, H.P., & Marcus, S.I , Dean, L. J ohn Wiley & Sons, I nc., New York, 1995

FOR TEACHERS EDUCAT ORS HO M ESCHO OLI N G PARENT S:

T he Schoolwide Enr ichment M odel. H ow T o Guide f or Educat ional Excellence (2 nd ed. )Reis, S. M. & Renzulli , J . S. - Creat ive Learning Pr ess, I nc., Connect icut , 1997.

Curr iculum St art er Cards - Developing Dif f erent iat ed Lessons For Gif t ed ChildrenKaplan, S., & Cannon, M. W (2002) -Waco, TX.- Pruf rock Press.

T he Mult iple Me nu M odel. A Pr act ical Guide For D eveloping Dif f er ent iat ed Cur r iculumRenzulli , J . S., Leppien, J . H., & Hays, T. S. (2000) - Mansf ield Cent er , CT. Cr eat ive Learning

Press.

T he Par allel Cur r iculum: A Design To D evelop High Pot ent ial And Challenge High- abilit yLearners - T omlinson, C., Kaplan, S. N., Renzut li , J . S., Purcell , J ., Leppien, J., & Burns, D.

(2002) - Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Pr ess.

Developing Verbal TalentVanTassel-Baska, J., Johnson, D., & Boyce, L. (I 996) - Al lyn & Bacon.

Cont ent - based Cur riculum For Gif t ed LearnersVanTassel-Baska, J ., & Lit t le, C. A. (Eds.). (2003) - Waco, TX: Pr uf rock Press. St udent s And Resear ch: Pr act ical St r at egies For S cience Classrooms And Compet it ions

(3rd ed. )

Cot hr on, J . H., Giese, R. N., & Rezba, R. J . (2000) - Dubuque, I A: Kendall Hunt Publishing Co.

Science Fare- An I llustr at ed Guide And Catalog Of T oys, Books, And Activit ies For KidsSaul, W, & Newman, A. (I 986).New York: Harper & Row.

M ult iple I ntelligences in t he Classroom. Associat ion f or Super vision and Curr iculumDevelopment - Ar mst rong, Th. - Vir ginia, 1994.

T he Survival Guide f or T eacher s of Gif t ed Kids: H ow t o Plan, M anage and Evaluat eProgr ams f or Gif t ed Yout h K- 12

Delisle, J . & Lewis, B. A. - Free Spir it Publishing, Minneapolis, 2003.

T eaching Young Gift ed Kids in t he Regular Classr oom: I dent if ying, N urt uring andChallenging Ages 4 - 9

Smut ny, F.J ., Walker , S.Y., Meckst roth, E. A. - Fr ee Spir it Publishing, Minneapolis, 1997.

T eaching Gif t ed Kids in t he Regular Classr oom: St r at egies and Te chniques Ever y T eacherCan Use to Meet t he Academic N eeds of t he Gif t ed and Talent ed

Winebr enner , S. - Fr ee Spir it Publishing, Minneapolis, 2001.

Cur r iculum Pr ovision f or t he Gif t ed and Talent ed in the S econdar y SchoolEyre, D. & Lowe, H. David Fult on Publisher s, New York, 2002


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