Gifted, Talented and Creative

ASSESSMENTS

Gifted:

School boards use a number of diferent methods for determining students who are candidates for gifted education.  There are various combinations of elements that can be considered, the following is a list of these methods:

IQ TESTS- IQ tests are considered the best method for identifying children with superior cognitive abilities.  IQ tests can reveal a child's present abilities and with ongoing motivation, those that will develop in the future.  They are also able to identify children who are underachieving but are still gifted.  The two most commonly used IQ tests are the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and the Stanford-Binet Individual Intelligence Test.
 

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (ages 6-16) 4th Edition model
Includes 10 core subtests and 5 supplemental subtests

To view or participate in the Stanford-Binet Individual Intelligence Test, click on the link below.

www.stanfordbinet.net/

Achievement Tests- Achievement tests are used to do inital screening for assessment of giftedness in children who are already achieving at a high academic level.  If a student scores well above their grade level (2 grades or higher), they are considered a potential candidate for gifted programming.

Portfolios-  A portfolio is a continual collection of the student's work, which is selected jointly with the child and the teacher.  It would include work samples, projects and possibly, test results.  Portfolios are becoming popular in that they help examine the learning process as well as outcomes of learning.  They also depict more instructional relevance.

Observation-  Observation of children, especially those who are younger, can be a good indicator of potential giftedness.  High verbal abilities combined with early and extensive development of vocabulary, is a good indicator of a childs IQ.

Teacher Nomination-  Teacher nomination is a popular method of screening in early grades.  Many boards require teachers to use rating scales or inventory checklists to make more accurate substantiated assessments of gifted children.

Parent Nomination-  Parent nomination questionnaires are an economical method of identifying gifted children.  With observation and the best knowledge of their children, parents can identify high performance.

Peer Nomination-  Peer nominations are growing in popularity as a means of screening for giftedness.  Students do well in nominating talented and gifted peers.

Self Nomintion- Self nomination is more effective in older students (junior and senior high school), who have strong artistic, creative, scientific or other interests and talents.

Talent:

Talent is best determined by exhibitions, auditions, performances and interviews.

 

Creativity:

Creativity is difficult to measure accurately as there is no one instrument that yields a single score or index of creativity.


PROBLEMS IN IDENTIFICATION

Some factors which may inhibit teachers and administrators from properly identifying a gifted student are:

• language
• culture
• gender
• physical ability
• learning or sensory disabilities
• personality style
• behaviours

Students may have excellent potential that goes unnoticed due to individual characteristics or underachievement.  If the learning environment doesn't offer the student the opportunity to demonstrate or develop a talent, exceptional potential can be missed.
The following is a Youtube clip titled "Misdiagnosis of Gifted Children"

RED FLAGS FOR EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANTS

A student who is gifted may display the following characteristics:

• Boredom in the class
• Difficulty sitting still or focusing on material they already know. (Can be mistaken for ADD, ADHD or Asperger's)
• Task refusal, performance refusal, elective mutism (refusal to participate, talk or both)
• Difficulty making friends

Textbook references:

Bennett,S. (2008). Special education in Ontario schools (6th ed.). St.Davids,    
       Canada: Highland Press.
Winzer,M. (2008). Children with exceptionalities in Canadian classrooms
       (8th ed.). Toronto, Canada:Pearson.

Websites:

BC Ministry of Education-Special Programs: Gifted Education
www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/gifted/
Vancouver Learning Centre
www.vancouverlearningcentre.com/Gifted.html
Youtube clip "The Misdiagnosis of Gifted Children"

Two Sides of the Same Student: Positive and Negative Characteristics of Giftedness

Gifted students possess some common characteristics.  Some characteristics make teaching and interacting with the student rewarding and pleasurable.  Others may cause both parents, peers and educators frustration.  The two sides of each coin are identified below:

The Gifted Student 
...asks many questions, is very curious, possesses a large amount of information & has a good memory
BUT
...easily gets 'off task' and 'off topic'
...is impatient when not called on in class

The Gifted Student
...learns new information quickly, retains information easily and finishes classwork quickly
BUT
...is easily bored
...can become disruptive in the classroom
...shows resistance to repetitive activities and memorization
...completes work quickly and sloppily

The Gifted Student
...is interested in many things, becomes involved in many activities, enjoys a challenge
BUT
...may resist working on activities apart from areas of interest
...leaves projects unfinished
...takes on too much and becomes overwhelmed

The Gifted Student
...thinks independently, expresses unique and original opinions, and is self-motivated
BUT
...challenges authority
...does not handle criticism well
...does not work well in groups

The Gifted Student
...uses higher level thinking skills, makes connections that other students don't see, is a good problem solver
BUT
...tends to be absent minded regarding practical details
...forgets homework assignments

The Gifted Student
...has a strong sense of justice and likes to debate current issues and real life problems
BUT
...can be very critical of self and others
...is a perfectionist and expects others to be perfect as well

The Gifted Student
...has a sophisticated sense of humor, enjoys plays of words and satire
BUT 
...easily gets carried away with a joke
...has a tendency to become the 'class clown'

The Gifted Student
...demonstrates strong expressive skills, is sensitive to the feelings of others, & shows skill in drama, art, music and language
BUT
...sometimes comes across as a 'know it all' by peers
...sometimes is perceived to be bossy by peers

TeachersFirst.com

 

 

Growing Up Gifted: Differences in Gifted Students Observed at Home and at School

 

Cognitive characteristics of the gifted student may include:

·         extraordinary quantity of information;     

·         unusual retentiveness;

·         advanced comprehension;

·         unusually varied interests and curiosity;

·         high level of language development;

·         high level of verbal ability;

·         unusual capacity for processing information;

·         accelerated pace of thought processes;

·         flexible thought processes;

·         heightened capacity for seeing unusual and diverse relationships;

·         ability to generate original ideas and solutions;

·         early ability to use and form conceptual frameworks;

·         persistent goal directed behaviour.

Creative characteristics of the gifted student may include:

·         tries to do things in different, unusual, imaginative ways;

·         has a really zany sense of humour;

·         enjoys new routines or spontaneous activities;

·         loves variety and novelty;

·         creates problems with no apparent solutions and enjoys asking you to solve them;

·         loves controversial and unusual questions;

·         has a vivid imagination;

·         difficulty proceeding in a sequential fashion

 

Affective (or emotional) characteristics of a gifted student might include:

·         large accumulation of information about emotions that has not been brought to awareness;

·         unusual sensitivity to the expectations and feelings of others;

·         keen sense of humour;

·         may be gentle or hostile;

·         heightened self-awareness, accompanied by feelings of being "different;

·         idealism and a sense of justice that appear at an early age;

·         advanced levels of moral judgement;

·         high expectations of self and others, which often lead to high levels of frustration with self, others and situations;

·         unusual emotional depth and intensity;

·         sensitivity to inconsistency between ideals and behaviour. 

 

GROWING UP GIFTED: DEVELOPING THE POTENTIAL OF CHILDREN AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL,  Second edition, by

Barbara Clark, Merrill, 1983