What Is Gifted Education?

Profoundly intelligent children need a special educational setting in which they can thrive. They require a highly specialized group of teachers who can accommodate their needs for advanced learning. Not all schools cater to the needs of gifted, or academically exceptional, young people. Gifted schools offer just such an instructional environment. They provide education that challenges identified gifted kids by meeting them at their educational level and by differentiating their studies so they soar in their unique ways.

Gifted Education Vs. Traditional Classrooms

Children who are academically advanced in comparison to their peers in subjects like math, science, language, or art should be able to grow to reach their highest potential. They should not be held back by instruction that is of a one-size-fits-all nature. Gifted education meets kids’ needs for learning and thinking outside of the box. It supports and encourages students as they develop talents that help them serve society in their own special ways.

In a traditional classroom setting, students are often locked into set curricula, activities, and timetables for learning based on the status quo or an administrator’s idea of what education should be like. A young person attending a traditional school is not typically free to develop individual talents and run with them.

Why Gifted Education?

Gifted education focuses on the strengths, or gifts, of each individual learner. It inspires kids to take their unique skills, which are usually advanced beyond those of other kids their age, and use them creatively. Kids who receive a gifted education are nurtured as they explore what they’re good at and build a solid, core academic foundation.

Schools specializing in gifted education understand the needs of gifted children. These educational institutions tailor instruction so that each student that comes through their doors is appreciated for what he or she possesses and offers to the world. They work to boost confidence in children who learn a different way: a way that unleashes their true potential. Gifted education schools teach young learners to feel good about their advanced achievements and abilities by offering an education based on creating personal value.

Three Benefits of Putting Your Gifted Student in a Special Academy

Whether you realize it or not, your gifted student has abilities that other children do not have, and with those abilities comes some difficulty. Many children that are highly intelligent have a hard time in social aspects of life. It is no fault of their own, but often just because they already know what their teachers are trying to teach them. This makes them bored and possibly disruptive. Anxiety often sets in, and they may feel uneasy in the presence of their peers. An academy set apart for gifted students could benefit your child in the following ways:

• Keeping Up the Pace – Teachers at gifted student academies keep up with the demands of each individual student. If one child learns faster than another, the instructors will adjust the work just a bit for that child. Because gifted children learn rapidly and use more advanced language, the teachers teach more rapidly and use language the children will understand.
•   Allowing Leadership – Many gifted children enjoy and demand leadership roles and responsibilities. Children at a specific academy will be allowed these kinds of opportunities. They will be able to make decisions that a local schoolteacher might not allow them to make.
• Encouraging Creativity – A lot of children with special abilities have a desire to create and express themselves through visual projects. Instructors at a gifted academy often allow students to express themselves in the creative way that they enjoy. From music and dance to painting and drawing, each child is unique and their creative expression is allowed to be also.

If you have a gifted child, you may want to check into an academy set apart for such students. Keeping up with the pace of the child, allowing them leadership roles and encouraging them to be creative are only a few of the benefits that you may notice upon enrollment. With so much to offer, your child could really thrive in that specific environment.

Can Any Child Enroll in a Gifted School?

Children are all unique and carry with them distinct talents and abilities. Some are more gifted than others and may require a special educational plan to help them succeed. Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) is a program that caters to those special needs. Parents often wonder if all of their children can attend such a program, or if only their gifted children can. Beyond gifted programs, there are also gifted schools that focus specifically upon building to address the learning styles and diverse needs of gifted students. There are some things those parents may want to consider.

Speed of Learning

Gifted schools and GATE programs often move at a faster pace than regular schools do. This is because gifted students are sometimes many grade levels ahead of their peers and can think at a faster rate than other children their age. If a child does not fall into the gifted and talented category, they may not be able to keep up with the speed of learning as the other children. Of course, they may be gifted in other ways, which could be highlighted with a special education, so it is best to speak with a guidance counselor.

Qualifications

Most programs will have a list of qualifying factors that you can look at to see if your child meets the requirements. If you are unsure, an administrator at a gifted academy can help you to go over what is required to see if your child is a candidate. There are also tests that can be taken, and with a certain score, you will know whether or not a gifted and talented program is right for your child. An IQ test might be required, with a particular score that is the standard for the institution you are looking into.

As you can see, GATE programs and gifted schools are not for every child, but they might be for yours. If you are interested in learning more, it is a good idea to contact the administration of an academy near you.