Is My Child Gifted?
Often when you ask someone the characteristics of a gifted child, the person describes a BRIGHT child. Bright students often are students who are successful in the classroom setting. They work hard, follow the teachers’ directions, enjoy school, and find the curriculum neither too hard nor too easy. The gifted child may be the student spending most of his or her day “daydreaming” because he/she is so bored in the classroom. The gifted student may be doing everything except what the teacher wants him/her to do. Gifted children are often not challenged by the work presented to them because the concepts and ideas are below their intellectual prowess in some or all areas. They may even “give up” because of this or show very little work to demonstrate mastery of a subject. These are the students who require gifted education in order to be successful academically.
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A Bright Child...
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A Gifted Child...
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knows the answer
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asks the questions- often deep probing questions of an abstract nature
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is interested
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is highly curious
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is attentive
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is mentally and physically involved
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has good ideas
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has wild, silly ideas
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works hard
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plays around, yet tests well
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answers the questions
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discusses in detail, elaborates
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top group
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beyond the group
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listens with interest
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shows strong feelings and opinions
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learns with ease
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already knows
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6-8 repetitions for mastery
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1-2 repetitions for mastery
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understands ideas
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constructs ideas
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enjoys peers
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prefers company with like-minded ideas usually found in older students or with adults
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grasps the meaning
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draws inferences and opens up new questions
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completes assignments
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initiates projects
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copies accurately
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creates a new design
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enjoys school
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enjoys learning- but may hate school
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absorbs information
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manipulates information
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technician
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inventor-loves construction toys
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good memorizer
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good guesser
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is alert
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is keenly observant- seems to remember fine detail
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is pleased with own learning
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is highly self-critical- can be perfectionistic to the point of tantrums when young
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enjoys straight-forward and/or sequential presentation
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Thrives on complexity- need the whole picture.
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