GIFTED CHILDREN

GIFTED CHILDREN

who are gifted children?

       A child whose 1.Q is above 130, is usually considered as a gifted child. It is expected that not more than 2 percent of the school children will belong to this category. Among these 2 percent there will be a few whose 1.Q will be as high as 181 to 190. Gifted children will be much more able than normal children in almost all types of activities.

 Identification of gifted children

       Many studies have been conducted to identify the gifted from the normal. In these studies it was observed that a large number of gifted children belong to families of unusual ability and attainment. The parents of such children do not often recoganise them as possessing superior ability. This is because when compared with the other members of such families they are rated as just a average. Really, they are intellectually far superior to the average of the population. Most of the gifted children have been found to come largely of parents engaged in professional fields or in the management of their own business or in the executive capacity in trade and business. A small percentage however have been found to be children of parents who were working in skilled trades. Occupational groups belonging to lower status have been found to provide practically none of the bright children. No significant sex differences has been noted in the number of gifted children.

       Teacher's judgement for the discovery of such pupils was found to be not very useful. They tried to pick up the ablest pupil in the class irrespective of other significant factors like age difference. Similarly, results of examinations too did not prove helpful. Teachers often do subjective ratings and thus the really gifted have many chances for being neglected. Moreover, scholastic attainment alone is not a foolproof determinent of giftedness. Objective tests for measuring intelligence, scholastic attainment, and a Variety of skills are needed to identify the bright. Efforts towards identifying really gifted pupils have resulted in the development of reliable instruments of mental measurement.  Such tests are now available and the gifted can now be recoganised to a fair degree of certainty.

Characteristics of gifted children

       The following are considered to be the most outstanding characteristics of gifted children, on the basis held so far.

1.    The heredity of the gifted will normally be superior. they usually come from families of higher social and economic status.

2.    In physical features, the gifted are found to be superior to other members of the same age, sex and race. Gifted children are found to be larger at birth;  they will become well behaved at an early age; theit general health        will be superior; and their puberty normally will occur earlier.

3.    Most of them are found to be educationally very advanced than their counterparts belonging to the same age group. They have genuine interest in learning and acquisition of knowledge. Various special talents, such as     music, drawing, art, etc. are frequently noticed in such children.

4.    They are more interested in abstract thinking than in manual activities and in difficult than in easy subjects.

5.    In play their interests are found to be non-competitive. They prefer games involving thinking and choose playmates older than themselves.

6.    They read widely with more inclination towards what is called 'adult'  subject matter.

7.    In tests and ratings for various character and personality traits such children are found to be definitely superior to those belonging to normal groups

4. Education of gifted children

       If  gifted children are neglected, they would become maladjusted and will start creating problems. Hence special care should be given to them. The following plans have been put forward by different thinkers for providing education for the gifted.

1.    Special Schools or Separate Schools: It is often suggested that we must have seperate schools for the gifted children. Adequate facilities should be provided in these schools so that gifted children may be helped in developing their specific abilities and potentialities. But such segregation is often criticised and labeled as undemocratic. The criticism is that education received from these schools would develop an aristocratic attitude which might widen the gulf between the privileged and the unprivileged.

2. Ability Grouping or Seperate Classes: In a hetrogeneous group, there will be bright, dull and average students and usually the teacher proceeds at the pace of the average who form the majority. The result is that the dull cannot catch up with the rest and the bright feel bored. So, these two groups begin to create problem in the class. If on the other hand, pupils are grouped according to their ability, all gifted children constitute a seperate group. Any learning experience can be organised and worked out effectively in accordance with their ability. The teacher can give them advanced subject matter for their study. Here the group becomes homogeneous, and this helps to foster their talents. Delinquency and truancy can be prevented to a great extent by such ability grouping, Boredem too vanishes. But it has certain disadvantages also. It might create a feeling of superiority among the members of the gifted group.

3. Skipping or Double Promotion: Skipping implies double promotion: If a child shows an extra ordinary achievement in one class, he may be given a double promotion. The aim of this promotion is to place the gifted student in a setting more appropriate for his level of attainment. By this, we can save time, cost and

effort and also provide the gifted with challenging tasks. But such promotions can also prove very detrimental to the child. The children who get early promotion to an advanced grade usually do not make themselves adjusted with the children who are senior to them in age. Though intellectually at par with  them they might lag behind in emotional, social and physical dimensions and thus become the victim of adjustment problems.

4. Acceleration or Rapid Advancement: It is early admission to the first grade and or completion of, say, three years of work in two years. The gifted can be promoted to an advanced grade by the middle of the school year. One disadvantage of the programme is that such a student may be otherwise immature as compared to his classmates, and therefore, at a disadvantage in certain other respects.

5. Enrichment Programmes: By enrichment programmes we mean the inclusion of greater variety of learning experiences at a more advanced level of curricular content to the gifted children according to their abilities. This advancement of standard may be not only in the academic content to be learnt but also in the form of comparatively more participation in challenging co-curricular activities. Thus they can be given Sports Club, School Parliament and the like. activities such as gardening, painting, dramatics and music may also be tried. Monitorial system may be tried where the superior pupils give academic subjects. Enrichment programme is the most suitable plan for the education of the gifted children in a democratic country where leadership has to be built up in various domains of activity. Such programmes not only provide facilities for the full development of the special abilities and potentialities of the gifted child but also take care of the development of his total personality.

SAJITHA

SOCIAL SCIENCE