Methodology Assignment

TALENTED CHILDREN

The definition proposed by US commissioner of education in 1972 reads as follows: “Gifted and talented children are those identified by professionally qualified persons who by virtue of outstanding abilities are capable of high performance. These are children who require differentiated educational programmes and services beyond those normally provided by regular programme in order to realise their contribution to self and society.”

Children capable of high performance demonstrate achievement and / or potential in any of the following areas:

1.      General intellectual ability.

2.      Specific academic aptitude.

3.      Creative and productive thinking.

4.      Leadership ability.

5.      Visual and performing arts.

6.      Psychomotor ability.

How to recognize if a student in a class is gifted in language arts?

Identification: Students gifted in the language areas of reading, writing and communication skills demonstrate competencies in:

1.   Awareness of language (rhyme, accent, intonation in spoken language, grammar and relationships with other languages).

2.      Communication skills – tends to write and talk with creative flair exceptional for their age, often using metaphors or poetry; expresses ideas fluently and succinctly.

3.      Reasoning and arguing – reasons at an abstract and hypothetical level in both spoken and written language; can justify opinions convincingly, knows how to use questioning strategies to challenge the points of view of others.

4.       Literacy – reads early and avidly with a wide range of literary interests. Reads for personal pleasure.

Support: High ability learners benefit from language arts curriculum differentiation in the following areas:

Literature: Literature should provide many experiences for students to read quality texts.

·           Students should read broadly across subject matters and this may develop a familiarity with favourite authors and their lives.

·           Emphasis on critical reading and the development of analysis and interpretation skills should be a focal point.

·           Independent identification of connections with self or others, within text and between texts, text to author.

Writing: A writing programme for highly able learners should emphasize the development of skills in expository and persuasive writing.

·           Gifted and talented students also need experience in writing in other forms such as narrative and informative, graphic novel etc. using appropriate models for development.

·           For older students, copying the style of famous authors would be a useful exercise to gain control over written forms.

Language Study: The formal study of grammar and vocabulary might be a component of advanced language study for gifted and talented students.

Major language emphasis should involve:

·           understanding the syntactic structure of the language and its concomitant uses.

·           promoting vocabulary development.

·           fostering an understanding of word relationships (analogies) and origins (etymology).

·           introducing philology – the study of language as it changes in the course of time.

·           investigating coined words and languages.

Oral communication: Talented students can profit from a balanced exposure to oral communication both through listening and speaking. An emphasis on oral interpretation and drama productions provide one of many venues for creative talented learners to develop higher level skills.

Major emphases should include developing the following skills:

·           evaluative thinking.

·           debate, especially for use in formal argument.

·           discussion, particularly question-asking, probing, and building on ideas stated.

·           filming or recording.

·           dramatic exercises such as monologue development and / or performance.

Points to Consider:

1.      Books at a reading level higher than the grade level may be provided  to an individual student provided an adult offers guidance appropriate to the student’s interests, reading ability, and reading background.

2.      Talented writers require a good balance between impressionistic creative writing and analytic expository writing as well as reading a similar variety of texts in fiction or informational books.

3.       Librarians, teachers or volunteers can lead discussions of a book the students have read focusing on main themes and ideas, encouraging high level thinking such as analysis and synthesis rather than plot summaries and statements of fact.

References:

1.      Panda, K.C. Education of Exceptional Children. New Delhi: Vikas Publishing House, 1997.

  2.www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/K12/studensupportservices/publications/teachingstudentsgiftedtalented.pdf