FAQs From Parents
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- My child is bright and creative: is he or she gifted?
- What are you going to do for/with my child now that he or she has been identified as "gifted and talented"?
- What are some more things I can do for my G/T child?
- What is the school doing for for my G/T child?
- What is the classroom teacher doing for my G/T child?
- What is the G/T teacher doing for my G/T child?
- What can I do to help the school challenge my G/T child?
My child is bright and creative: is he or she gifted?
Generally this term is used to identify children who show either the potential to perform in the top ten per cent or have actually shown academic performance in the top ten per cent of the population.
There are all kinds of children who stand out from the crowd. Some, particularly in Kindergarten, arrive at school much better prepared than others. The environments, both physical and human, in which children are nurtured during their first five years can make an enormous difference in their school readiness.
Some may already have mastered skills to which others have not even been exposed. This may or may not mean they learn more quickly than their classmates. Often, after a year or two, many of their classmates may have caught up to them academically.
Parents who work with, and play with, and talk with their young children to teach them skills and concepts before the beginning of Kindergarten probably are providing the children with many intellectual gifts:
- the gift of knowing that their ideas are valued
- the gift of being asked questions and having their questions answered
- the gift of having their natural curiosity encouraged
- the gift of a large vocabulary from being read to and read with; talked to and talked with
- the gift of exposure to varieties of places, people, customs, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc.
This wealth of experience sometimes makes the beginning of school a disappointment for children and parents. The young learner may find, for the first time, that he or she will not be getting full-time, one-to-one attention from that irreplaceable caregiver who believes they are the most important person in the universe.
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- Compacting
- Shortening the length of time required to master a body of knowledge
- Identifying specific skills that G/T students may have developed either sooner or to a higher degree than their classmates
- Testing ahead of current classroom instruction
- teaching and learning what is needed
- skipping what is already mastered
- Working with students to set challenging goals for intermediate and long-term completion of prescribed curriculum
- Accelerating
- Increasing the pace of instruction for students capable of "getting it" with less practice
- Half or three-quarters of two homework assignments may be more suitable than all of one each night
- Individualizing
- Students who work at their own pace may need lessons and homework tailored to meet their needs
- Several self-paced students may form a group with similar rates of acceleration
The role of the Gifted and Talented Resource Specialist involves at least three ways of meeting the needs of the students.
- Direct Instruction
- Meeting with small groups of students outside of their regular classrooms
- Individualized lessons
- Opportunities for students to learn with students of similar abilities, with similar issues
- Collaborative Instruction
- Planning and teaching classes together with classroom teachers, addressing the issue of challenging curriculum as a need that is not exclusive to G/T students
- Supporting the work of G/T students in group or individual settings within their regular classrooms
- Consultation
- Lesson and activity planning with teachers to help them provide for the special needs of G/T students
"Appropriate instruction for gifted students consists of opportunities for them to learn at an accelerated pace, work on advanced curriculum and explore the curriculum in a manner that supports abstract thinking, problem-solving, use of higher order thinking skills such as synthesis, analysis and evaluation, critical thinking, and increased complexity though the study of interdisciplinary units. Opportunities for working with a peer group, open-ended learning and the independent study of areas of passionate interest also contribute to effective gifted education."
Source: http://gt.dpsk12.org/elementary.html
What are some more things I can do for my G/T child?
- Be certain that your child knows your love is unconditional
- Ask open-ended questions
- "Why do you think so?" rather than "Are you sure?"
- "What do you think about that?" rather than "Is that right?"
- Don't present false choices: If only one answer is acceptable to you, don't pretend your child has a choice.
- Praise effort more than results
- Encourage intellectual risk-taking
- Remember-your child does not have be right every time
- Allow the risk of failure
- Recognize that challenges may present frustrations
- Encourage perseverance
- Add "...yet" on the end of every "I can't do this"
- Communicate that asking for help is a sign of strength
- Not all problems can be solved individually
- Part of problem-solving involves determining what resources are needed
- Reinforce the belief that "different" does not mean "weird"
What is the school doing for my G/T child?
- Steele is a school where all children will grow
- Steele has many high achieving students
- Steele has many students with high potential
- Significant numbers of children are working above grade level in every classroom.
- A one-quarter-time Gifted and Talented Resource Teacher coordinates opportunities for GT kids to be supported and challenged, in their regular classrooms, in GT group activities outside the classroom, and in extracurricular activities at school and around the metro area.
What is the classroom teacher doing for my G/T child?
- Regular communication between the classroom teacher and the GT Resource teacher helps to identify areas in which extra challenges may be built into classroom lessons and activities.
- High-achieving students are not used to tutor lower-performing classmates.
- Teachers recognize that students with high achievement and high potential are not mini-adults.
- GT students capable of working independently are not expected to teach themselves
- Students with high ability and high potential are subject to high expectations
What is the G/T teacher doing for my G/T child?
- Gather evidence to support identifying the child as a student with extraordinary achievement and/or potential
- Communicate with the child, and his or her teacher(s) and parents about that identification and its implications
- Arrange opportunities to be given appropriately challenging assignments and enrichment activities
- Support the child's efforts to demonstrate his or her learning through a variety of products and performances in different media
What can I do to help the school challenge my G/T child?
- Volunteer your time and expertise in providing enrichment opportunities for your child and his or her peers.
- Communicate with the classroom teacher and the G/T resource teacher about your child's strengths and interests, as well as his or her concerns and frustrations.
