THE NEEDS OF INTELLECTUALLY GIFTED LEARNERS

In an inclusive educational setting intellectually gifted learners provide just as many challenges to teachers as learners with learning difficulties.

An intellectually gifted child is just as unique as any other child. No two intellectually gifted learners are ever the same. The specific needs of intellectually gifted learners are often not attended to. There is often very little understanding for this specific group of learners. It is, however, important for teachers to serve the strengths and weaknesses of the intellectually gifted learner. Therefore, the Ministry of Education through their Learning Support Program, is urging teaches to give special attention to this much neglected group of learners.

The intellectually gifted learner has the potential to perform at high levels of accomplishment compares to others of the same age, experience and environment.

Intellectually gifted learners require more academic stimulation than that prescribed by grade syllabuses. Intellectual giftedness is found among learners from all cultural groups and across all economic strata. Research indicates that giftedness occurs along a continuum. A teacher will most likely encounter learners who are moderately gifted, highly gifted and, perhaps, even a few who are profoundly gifted during their teaching career.

Characteristics of intellectually gifted learners

It is difficult to define intellectually gifted only through IQ levels, as there are also emotional characteristics that need to be considered. Silverman (1993) mentions several intellectual and emotional characteristic of intellectually gifted learners. Some of these characteristics are:

Perfectionism: “Have you seen the learner in the corner? The one who just crumpled up her math work because she was unhappy with having made a mistake?” Gifted children often develop unrealistic expectations for their own performance.

Emotional sensitivity: Intellectually gifted learners often have intense reactions to their own emotions and the emotions of those around them. The intellectually gifted learner often has an advanced cognitive understanding of the world without having the emotional maturity to handle that understanding.

Intensity of interest: Intellectually gifted individuals will often research a topic in depth. They are often obsessed with a certain topic, like dinosaurs. The intellectually gifted learner will then weave this knowledge into a large web of understanding and will be able to share this information with others. This sharing is sometimes frustrating to fellow learners and teachers.

Sensory sensitivity: The intellectually gifted learner is often very sensitive to sound, color and touch. Although these sensitivities allow the individual to process experiences more intensely, sensory issues can also stand in the way of classroom success. Some intellectually gifted learners are highly sensitive to the daily “noise” in the classroom, like the ringing of bells and the rasping of chairs on the floor.

Behavior differences: Intellectually gifted leaners’ behavior might differ from that of age-mates in the following ways:

·         They easily pick up and interpret non-verbal cues and can draw inferences that other children need to have spelled out to them.

·         They often have boundless energy, which sometimes leads to being labeled as “hyperactive”.

·         They usually respond and relate well to adults, they may prefer the company of older children and adults to that of peers.

·         They are often more responsible than their peers.

·         They are extremely curious about objects, ideas, situations or events.

·         They often disagree with others’ statements. Due to a lack of emotional maturity, intellectually gifted children are often misunderstood when they want to communicate their disagreement to others.

Intellectual abilities: Intellectually gifted learners learn in a natural way and often show the following characteristics:

·         Many intellectually gifted learners learn to read before entering school. Intellectually gifted learners often read widely and have large vocabularies. They read a great deal on their own, preferring books and magazines written for children older than they are.

·         Intellectually gifted learners learn basic skills more quickly and with less practice.

·         They do not take things for granted, they seek answers to “how” and “why” questions. They are good guessers, who can readily construct “what if” questions.

·         They can work independently at an early age and concentrate for long periods.

·         They like to learn new things, are willing to examine the unusual and are very inquisitive.

·         They tackle tasks and problems in a well-organized, goal-directed and efficient manner. They often approach complicated material by separating it into components and analyzing it systematically.

·         They exhibit an intrinsic motivation to learn, find out or explore and are often very persistent. “I’d rather do it myself” is a common attitude.

·         They are good observers and have an eye for important detail.

·         Intellectually gifted learners are fluent thinkers, able to generate possibilities, consequences or related ideas. They can easily see cause-effect relationships.

·         They are often critical and evaluative. They are quick to spot inconsistencies, similarities and differences.

·         They readily grasp underlying principles and can often make valid generalizations about events, people or objects.

·         They are flexible thinkers, able to use many different alternatives and approaches to problem solving.

·         They are creative thinkers, seeking new, unusual or unconventional associations and combinations between items of information. They can see the relationships between seemingly unrelated objects, ideas or facts.

The needs of intellectually gifted learners

As all other children, intellectually gifted learners can also have specific learning needs. They can have hidden learning disabilities that go undiscovered, because they are intellectually strong enough to compensate for them at the beginning of their academic careers. Often intellectually gifted learners have reading disorders, as well as spelling and handwriting difficulties. As the work becomes more challenging, they might find it hard, has they have never faced challenges in this regard before. This can lead to behavior problems and depression.

It often appears to teachers that the intellectually gifted learner in the class is doing fine on his own and the teacher tends to invest more time in the other learners. It is, however, true that an intellectually gifted learner can become bored and unruly without proper challenges.

While all children need to play and interact socially with other children of their age, intellectually gifted children find it difficult to socialize with children of their own age. Children usually struggle to accommodate the intellectually gifted learner in their circle of friends. This often leaves the intellectually gifted child with a feeling of isolation. They might have more mature tastes in music, clothing, reading material and food. These differences might cause the intellectually gifted to be teased and even verbally and/or physically abused by other learners. We all know that intellectually gifted children are often called “nerds”.

As intellectually gifted learners are able to use higher-level thinking skills for problem solving much earlier their age peers, they might become frustrated with the teaching methods of teachers who rely heavily memorization, identification, and the recall of information.

Teaching tips for teachers

There are two types of tasks to support the learning of the intellectually gifted learner:

Enrichment tasks: Deepening the knowledge of the learner by providing more complex tasks, stimulation, additional information, investigations and research activities.

Extension tasks: Expanding the learner’s horizon by excursions, competitions, and clubs and using technology as a tool for locating information.

When a teacher has to cater for an intellectually gifted learner, it is important to realize the importance of a well-planned lesson and differentiated learning activities. Some useful tips this regard is:

·         Instead of merely instructing the intellectually gifted learner to summarize facts, he might be asked to defend, criticize, compare or evaluate facts in order to construct a more complex meaning.

·         Start lessons with open-ended questions that require learners to use their existing knowledge. This will encourage intellectually gifted learners to apply their knowledge and come up with questions of their own.

·         Prepare extra questions for the intellectually gifted learners.

·         The lesson must be challenging and rewarding to the intellectually gifted learner.

·         The instruction of intellectually gifted learners should include minimal memorization and drill activities and provide maximum opportunity for inquiry, scientific investigation and creative production. Self-directed learning activities should be encouraged.

·         The climate created by the teaching style of the teacher should be one of excitement, anticipation and personal satisfaction.

·         Think outside the box when planning activities for the intellectually gifted. It is the business of teachers to help learners to develop their abilities.

·         Just as athletes are good at athletics, gifted learners are good at thinking. You would never dream of holding back a promising athlete, so do not be afraid of encouraging your “thinkers” by providing them with opportunities to soar.

·         All assignments should offer the intellectually gifted the opportunity to utilize higher-level thinking skills like analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

·         Intellectually gifted learners should learn at a rate appropriate to their abilities.  No learner should have limited opportunities because of age. Do not ask intellectually gifted learners to do peer-teaching with learners with learning difficulties. Intellectual gifted learner thinks and learns differently than other learners. Allowing them to be peer-teachers can be a frustrating experience for all parties involved. Imagine choosing a cycling team with a well-known Namibian cyclist as a member and then ask him to help other members, who are still relying on training wheels, to gain their balance. It is unlikely that anyone in this group will have a positive experience.

·         Do not give intellectually gifted learner more work when they finish early. If the learner has completed his work in an efficient manner, it is likely that the work was too easy. Once again think of cyclist, with Namibian colors in cycling. Would you have this cyclist who finished the race first, continue to ride on a stationary bike, until all of the other cyclists have finished the race? Hopefully not! What if that cyclist was given an opportunity to participate in more challenging races - wouldn’t that be a better use of this time?

·         It is important to remember that intellectually gifted learners can be extremely rebellious. No one likes to be bored! Gifted learners, due to their ability, will purposely choose not to do something merely because they “must” do it, particularly if it seems pointless to them. They would rather spend their time thinking or reading than completing worksheets that are too easy. Offer them opportunities that are consistent with their abilities. It is not necessary to turn the world upside down to be an effective teacher for an intellectually gifted learner; you just have to be flexible, knowledgeable and willing to explore new things.

Reference: Silverman, 1993. A Development Module for Counseling the Gifted. Love Publishing Company. Denver

Smith M., August 2012. The Needs of Intellectually Gifted Learner. Edunews, 38-41.