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WHAT IS A GIFTED PROGRAM?
Gifted education as a special education need has gradually been
incorporated into the curriculum of
the American school system. The 1990s has seen a critical review
of American education, bringing a
barrage of demands for excellence. This attention has vitalized
development for gifted (academic)
education. The recent growth in national interest in gifted
education involves not only proper
identification methods but also appropriate curriculum and
instruction.
Various criteria have been offered as the qualifying
characteristics for academically gifted students.
Generally accepted descriptors include: "more highly motivated,
persistent, responsible (Dunn, 1970),
and preference for independent study (Renzulli, Smith, 1978)".
Several factors can act as catalysts for
actualization of giftedness, particularly motivation (Renzulli,
1978). Many studies characterize the gifted
student - motivated, socially adept and academically able, i.e.,
the "Terman type" (Gallagher, 1970). In
1972, Federal legislation defined gifted as "potential as well
as demonstrated ability". For the
intellectually gifted, this meant a possession or exceptional
potential as a learner of cognitive tasks.
These traits, however, describe a composite child. Just as there
is no "average child", there is no
"composite gifted child".
ACCELERATION VERSUS ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
Besides the issue of proper identification methods, selection of
appropriate teaching approaches
must also be resolved. One of the basic tenets of education for
the gifted today is to provide the
academically talented student with opportunity for a
qualitatively differentiated education suited to
his/her needs. Most programs are either an acceleration
(advanced studies) style or enrichment.
Acceleration approaches to gifted programming have different
short-term objectives for students.
Enrichment program designers think of gifted children as having
a mix of cognitive strengths and
personality attributes. Therefore the focus of enrichment
programming is on teaching gifted students
how to coordinate and focus their interests and energies into
purposeful research, decision-making
and action. Assessment of learning in an enrichment program is
based more on an evaluation of
products than tests results. This program design involves more
student directed learning and is
based on the assumption that the student can discover which
areas he wants to work on extensively.
The teacher of the gifted is as much a facilitator as an
instructor delivering information for students to
learn.
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