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.