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Defining and Identifying Gifted and Talented
How do we know who is gifted and talented? We have all heard the stories about Albert Einstein who was not seen as gifted by his teachers and had apparent difficulties during his time at school. We know that he left school at the age of 15 and that he failed his entrance exam at Zurich Polytechnic. In many school systems he could have been overlooked and not identified by teachers as gifted.
How do we identify Gifted and Talented students?
“Gifted and talented learners are those with exceptional abilities relative to most other people. These individuals have certain learning characteristics that give them the potential to achieve outstanding performance” (Ministry of Education, 2004).
The identification of gifted and talented children can be difficult for teachers and education systems. The traditional picture of the student who always hands in extraordinary work and is well behaved in the classroom will not fit many many of our gifted students in New Zealand. Some of these students may well be underachieving when measured against their abilities, but are passing all assessments and "flying under the radar". Other students may be labeled as "trouble makers" always causing distractions. This is frequently because of boredom, lack of interest, or perfectionism. Some students may suffer from attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum disorder, may be ESOL students, and others may have undiagnosed sight or hearing problems.
The Papanui High School identification process is in line with the New Zealand Ministry of Education.
Many people think that the terms "gifted" and "talented" are synonyms. This is not true, as will be explained below. Our identification and provision use two highly respected Gifted and Talented models.
Gagné's model
Gagné's model
According to Prof. Françoys Gagné (2004)
Giftedness is the possession and application of your natural untrained and spontaneously natural abilities (called outstanding aptitudes or gifts), in at least one ability domain, at a level that far exceeds the expectation from students at that specific age i.e. POTENTIAL. This usually translates to approximately the top 10% of students in a specific ability domain.
Talent is different to giftedness in that it does not focus on your potential, but on your PERFORMANCE within systematically developed abilities or skills, and in comparison to students of a similar age the Talented student will be in at least the top 10% or they will outperform their peers in this human ability.
This is known as Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT). Giftedness is the potential to achieve and talent. Talent is when you achieve to your identified potential and therefore a product of your learning experience.
Renzulli's model
Renzulli's model
The Three Ring Conception of Giftedness
Developed by Joseph Renzulli, the Three Ring Conception of Giftedness is a developmental approach that has revolutionized gifted and talented identification. The Three Rings include:
Above Average Ability,
Creativity
Task Commitment.
Students who possess the combination of these three traits exhibit gifted behavior. To achieve their full potential, these students require challenges above and beyond those offered in the regular classroom.
Resources
Resources
Further readings and summaries of Renzulli's published articles are available by following the below links:
Renzulli, J. S., & Reis, S. M. (1994). Research related to the schoolwide enrichment triad model. Gifted Child Quarterly, 38(1), 7-20.
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