Investing in Gifted and Talented Children- Resources for Parents and Teachers

By Shailesh Kumar

What do Blaise Pascal, William James Sidis, Mozart, Abdus Salam, Jean Piaget, Karl Benz, Tiger Woods, Shirley Temple, H.P. Lovecraft, Pablo Picasso, Maradona, and Bobby Fisher have in common? They were all gifted and talented children who went on to achieve greatness in their respective fields. Gifted and talented refers to children with the aptitude to progress to a level which is considerably higher than their age group. In a general sense, gifted children are those who exhibit extraordinary aptitude in academic subjects like math, science, and languages. Talented children are those who have great practical skills in music, sports, art, chess, design, dance, and so on.

• The National Association for Gifted Children
• National Society for the Gifted and Talented
• World Council for Gifted and Talented Children

Parenting a Gifted and Talented Child

Bringing up and educating a gifted and talented child presents special challenges for parents and teachers. For parents, it’s important not to put too much pressure on the child. If the child is exceptionally gifted, the parents have to decide if the child is ready to progress to the higher education levels where he or she will be contending with much older kids. There are instances where a gifted child goes to university at the age of 12 or younger. Do they have the maturity to handle life in college? As for parents with talented kids in music, sports or arts, it’s important to nurture their talents without putting too much pressure on them. It’s essential to nurture their talents so that they love what they are doing, rather than forcing them to do it until they are sick of it.

• Parenting Gifted and Talented Children
• Guide for Parents of Gifted and Talented Children
• Information for Parents of G & T Children
• When the Gifted Grow Up

Educating Gifted and Talented Students

For teachers, the challenge is to create a positive environment where the gifted child doesn’t feel ostracized or cut out from the rest of the class. Teachers also have to work with parents in recommending the best path for the child so that he or she will flourish and grow accordingly. Teachers of children who are talented must cultivate a well-rounded education so that they can expand their horizons or views of the world. It’s vital to understand that not every talented child will grow up to become the next LeBron James, Serena Williams, Mozart, Picasso or Sergey Karjakin. In fact, a large number of child prodigies never went on to fulfill their gifts and talents.

• Teaching Able, Gifted & Talented Children
• Teaching Students Who Are Gifted and Talented
• Gifted & Talented Education
• Teaching the Gifted and Talented
• Challenging Gifted Students in the Regular Classroom

Gifted and Talented Characteristics

How do you identify a gifted and talented child? Every gifted and talented child is different but there are some common characteristics. Here’s a list of traits.

• Ability to grasp new concepts quickly
• Excellent memory
• Highly imaginative and creative
• Highly motivated, especially in self-appointed tasks
• Keen sense of humor
• Independent
• Advanced or special interests
• Extraordinary ability to think critically and solve problems
• Advanced reading ability
• Ability to ask in-depth questions, uncommon for kids of his or her age
• Extraordinary insight and capacity to form inferences

Check out these links to find out more about identifying gifted and talented children.

• Characteristics & Behaviors of the Gifted
• A Practical System for Identifying Gifted and Talented Students
• Checklist for Characteristics of Gifted Children
• How to Identify Gifted & Talented Students

Gifted and Talented Curriculum

Instruction for gifted and talented children has to be different from the normal curriculum because they possess higher levels of learning or skills. In modifying the curriculum, teachers have to consider the learning ability of the students, meet the quick learning rates in some or all areas of study, and offer resources and time for the students to explore specific areas of interest. The ways in which the teachers can modify the curriculum include modifying the lessons, modifying the assignments or modifying the schedules.

• Gifted & Talented Teacher Toolkit
• Modifying Regular Classroom Curriculum for G & T Students
• Gifted & Talented Student Program
• Fort Bend Independent School District G/T Program
• Gifted & Talented Program Guide

Here are some resources for parents and teachers of gifted and talented children.

Resources for Learning

• Acceleration of Gifted Students
• Resources for G & T Teachers
• Defining an Appropriate Curriculum
• e-learning Courses for G & T Students
• Challenging High-End Learners
• The Integrated Curriculum Model for Gifted Learners
• Civil War Curriculum for Gifted and Talented Students
• Talented & Gifted Program at Davenport Community Schools
• Academically Gifted & Talented Youth Program
• Effective Curriculums & Instructional Models
• Schoolwide Enrichment Model
• The Enrichment Triad Model
• The Autonomous Learner Model for the G & T
• Learning Domains
• The Affective Domain in the Classroom

Resources for Parents to Help Their G & T Kids at Home

• How to Help Your G & T Child
• What if My Child is Gifted and Talented?
• Council for Exceptional Children
• Some Things Parents Can Do For Their Children
• United States Academic Decathlon
• American Association for Gifted Children
• Destination ImagiNation
• Odyssey of The Mind