Historical and Current Trends in Gifted Education
A Declaration of the Educational Rights of the Gifted Child (cont.)
When you read this declaration of rights, you think, as an educator, that all students deserve this attention. All children have the right to a quality education, but our gifted students require the extra mental challenge just as our talented athletes are nurtured and trained based on their gifts.
This week we will investigate how gifted students are identified. Is it Susie, whose hand is up before the teacher finishes the question? Or is it Joey whose papers never have an eraser mark and has only correct answers on his papers when he finally turns them in? What about Michael who is reading and comprehending at a tenth grade level in your third grade classroom but still cannot multiply? Or Jennifer who can’t sit still in her seat for more than thirty seconds?
The reality: each and everyone may be a gifted child or, may not be a gifted child! Depending on the criteria established by national, state, and local agencies, methods to identify gifted children are as diverse as the individuals themselves.
When did this interest in giftedness begin? What world events affected the popularity or lack of interest in the identification of gifted students and/or their specialized education? The article Historical Perspective presents a brief history of gifted education from the national and state perspective. Chapter 1, pages 10-12 provides additional insight into the interest in educating gifted learners.
As you examine the Gifted and Talented Education through the Years timeline, think about what was happening at the time that influenced the mindset towards gifted. Clicking on the icon will launch the In Depth activity. Move your cursor across the screen to view the events that happened in that time period. To close the timeline, click close this window.
As you can see, events in history have always affected the trends in education. Unfortunately, or fortunately, politics also dictates the, “strategy of the month” or the who, what, when, where, and how of educational policies and, the big “F” – funding!
Perceptions vs. Reality
NAGC
The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) takes the position that the method(s) used for identification purposes must, “respect the uniqueness of all individuals, the broad range of cultural diversity present in our society, and the similarities and differences in learning characteristics that can be found within any group of students.”
Many students who don’t fit the stereotype of what exactly indicates giftedness tend to fall through the cracks. Our communities are comprised of many diverse types of families. Children’s backgrounds and experiences are varied and are affected by language, socio-economic challenges, and educational gaps. In addition, learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, and emotional problems hinder identification. However, none of these indicate a lack of intelligence or giftedness. So often gifted children that come from these special populations don't always look and act like the stereotypical gifted student and therefore are typically under-represented in the gifted program.
The question then comes to mind – how do we identify minority, culturally diverse, and/or underserved populations? It is important to learn how to recognize the behaviors and characteristics that children from these populations exhibit. We must go beyond existing barriers using an alternative set of tools: lists of characteristics, assessments designed to measure performance nonverbally, and diverse testing methods. The goal is to guarantee every child his/her right to an equitable, quality education.