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Online discussion forums for parents of gifted children.
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Online education programs for parents of gifted children.
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Characteristics & Identification

Public Perceptions of Gifted Education

Opinions on education are as numerous as the people being asked and, emotionally, evoke some of the strongest reaction of any topic of public debate. There tends to be extremely varied opinions pertaining to gifted education, not only in groups outside of the education system, but also within the education system and in fact within the gifted education community. Opinions such as:

  • gifted students will succeed on their own
  • gifted students should be part of the mainstream
  • gifted programs are elitist
  • gifted students enjoy being examples to/or teaching other students

These common misconceptions relate directly to the lack of knowledge about the characteristics and educational needs of the gifted learner. Public sympathy would be unanimous if a disabled child or perhaps a non-English speaking child was denied the proper educational foundation, but program enrichment and acceleration necessary for the gifted is often considered superfluous. "Why give gifts to the gifted?"

Providing appropriate programs for the gifted should not be perceived as elitism, but as necessity. To create an elitist attitude, all we need to do is place a student in a program they find unchallenging and where they are the smartest in the class for twelve years. Never doing homework, and yet acing exams without studying can inflate one's sense of importance. Yet, when children of like ability are grouped together, they are regularly humbled by their peers, since no one individual student is the best in everything. All children, regardless of ability, should experience such competition and be challenged.
Parents of gifted children must be ever vigilant at advocating for their children and discouraging public myths and misconceptions.

DID YOU KNOW? 

 In Alberta, children with special needs including the Gifted and Talented must be identified and "coded" by a Registered Psychologist. Code 80 refers to Gifted and Talented. Gifted children are Special Needs Children.  GATE is not a program of choice; it is a necessity for these children.  Giftedness is truly a “special need”.  School Boards are provided funding to address the needs of children coded as “80” (gifted) above the base rate for students who are not special needs.  The School Board allocates funding to the schools.

Problems May Arise Within the Non-Differentiated Classroom Because Of The Strengths Of The Gifted Child

  • Acquiring and retaining information quickly may result in impatience with the slowness of others.
  • Critical-thinking abilities may lead to critical or intolerant views of others.
  • Love of truth, equity and fair play may result in difficulty in being practical and cause worry about humanitarian concerns.
  • Combinations of characteristics may lead to difficulties with peer relationships, perfectionism, avoidance of risk-taking and excessive self-criticism.
  • Intense focus on areas of interest may lead to difficulty in moving on to new projects and activities.