GT Characteristics

Characteristics of the Gifted

Gifted and Talented children exhibit many varied traits. According to Dr. Linda Silverman's, "Characteristics of the Gifted", these are some of the more important, observable traits of the gifted child.

- Has unique learning styles

- Is a faster learner

- Is developmentally advanced

- Is very curious; asks complex questions

- Gives complicated, detailed explanations

- Is quick to grasp relationships

- Organizes information in new ways

- Often has varied interests

- Has more abstract thought processes

- Sees ambiguity in "factual" information

- Usually has a good memory

- Enjoys working independently

- Has a strong moral character - May be natural leader

- Tends to be expressive

- Is often a perfectionist

- Has a highly developed sense of humor

- Often sees many solutions to a problem

- Has a longer attention span

- May be very intense, sensitive

- Is highly energetic

- Likes to be best in everything

- May prefer company of older children

- Is not necessarily gifted in all areas

- Is committed to many areas of interest

These strategies may be used to meet the gifted students' unique needs:

• Interdisciplinary units:
• These units are often based on one of the gifted models of learning, such as: Bloom's Taxonomy, Renzulli's Enrichment Triad, Barbara Clark's Integrative Education Model, etc.
• Open-ended activities:
• A problem statement is presented with a minimum of clues as to which strategy is needed to attempt a solution. Problems with multiple answers are often used.
• Academic and creative thinking competitions:
• Knowledge Master Open, UIL, Destination Imagination,Future City Engineering, and various writing, art, math, and technology contests.
• Individual, small group, and class projects
• Community resources, such as guest speakers and mentors who share specialized skills
• Varied evaluation methods, including self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and teacher evaluation
• Affective activities, such as boundary breakers, journal writing and role playing
• Field study/mentorships, where the community provides a unique real world classroom to introduce, reinforce or summarize learning