It may be a
surprise to many people, but often children who are gifted are labeled early on
as underachievers. The story of Albert Einstein, who was considered as a slow
learner by his teachers, is well-known. Sometimes, a child is incorporating
information at a faster pace than his or her peers and is bored in class rather
than confused, and often teachers are missing the signs.
What Sets
a Gifted Child Apart?
Gifted
children may seem unresponsive or disruptive in class. They may be thought to have
behavior or learning problems until it is discovered that they require more
challenging material. Gifted children:
·
Often complain of feeling bored in class
·
Complete their schoolwork quickly and say it was
“too easy.”
·
Are likely to be far advanced in some areas but
behind in others
·
Are thinking about other things besides what is
covered in class
What is a
Gifted Learning Program?
A gifted
learning program addresses issues missed in a regular school. A gifted
education:
·
Zeroes in on the needs of particular children
·
Groups children together according to abilities
·
Compacts learning to move quickly past what
children already know
In addition,
a gifted education incorporates educational subjects that are not part of a
regular curriculum into a learning program. These subjects may include yoga,
chess or practical science topics. Gifted programs take into account not only
the acceleration of some students in certain areas of learning, but different
learning styles. A creative approach to learning is encouraged with a number of
group activities and individual projects.
Feeling
Understood
One of the
chief advantages of gifted learning is that it makes the exceptional child
finally feel as if he or she is understood. The fact that a child is facing a
learning environment in which she or he is no longer misunderstood is another
way in which gifted learning is an improvement for the exceptional child over
conventional schools.
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