How to recognize a gifted childBella Kranz is the author of the Kranz Talent Identification Instrument (KTII), a method for identifying gifted and talented students used by school districts across the country. The KTII is based not on standardized testing but on teacher observation, and Kranz contends that once teachers know the tell-tale signs, they can easily recognize the gifted and talented.
"They're the first ones finished with their regular work -- or they don't do any of the regular work, but their achievement scores are in the 90th percentile," she says. "They're always occupied in what might be called 'doodling' -- cartoons, crossword puzzles, mental chess. They daydream. They can operate on two levels at the same time. They may seem to be ignoring you, but later you discover that they've heard every word. Or they concentrate so intensely -- it might look like they're daydreaming -- that they don't notice anything. They may not hand in any of their written work, but when you ask them about the subject, they can deliver a five-minute diatribe. They ask a lot of questions -- questions that may seem irrelevant, but they're not!"
Remember, Kranz concludes, "Not all gifted children are getting good grades or behaving like model students. You're not looking for academic prowess, you're identifying behaviors."
What to Teach and WhenGrades K-3According to Bella Kranz, author of the KTII (Kranz Talent Identification Instrument ), it's usually too early to decide where a child's special gifts lie at this age. So she recommends giving students a wide range of opportunities in art, music, reading, math, and whatever talent or subject area seems to attract them. This is also an important age for teaching social skills. Children of this age may already know more than their teachers about some things -- but they have to learn appropriate ways of offering corrections, making suggestions, and expressing their desires to do it "their way."
Grades 4-6At this age, Kranz says, you can really start teaching skills. Note taking, use of the library, the rules of grammar, how to lay out a math proof -- these are all important learning tools for gifted and talented kids to master. Social skills are also important at this age. Many gifted children have trouble with their peers, and they may need help coping with being teased. They may also need assistance in negotiating the potentially huge differences between their and their classmates' knowledge, interests, intensity, and/or sensitivity.
Grades 6-8Here's where the community can really be a help, Kranz suggests. Children at this age are old enough to engage in mentoring projects, interview local experts, or work with community leaders. They can also take advantage of community resources, such as libraries, universities, historical societies, and museums. At this age, it's also appropriate to demand more research and backup from gifted kids.
RESOURCESBooksTeaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use to Meet the Academic Needs of the Gifted and Talented by Susan Winebrenner (Free Spirit Publishing, updated edition, 2001).
Growing Up Gifted: Developing the Talent and Potential of Children at Home and at School by Barbara Clark (Charles E. Merrill, 1997). Curriculum Compacting: The Complete Guide to Modifying the Regular Curriculum for High Ability Students by Sally Reis, Deborah Burns, and Joseph Renzulli (Creative Learning Press, 1992).
Gifted Children: Myths and Realities by Ellen Winner (Basic Books, 1996).
To Be Gifted & Learning Disabled by S.M. Baum, S.V. Owen, and J. Dixon (Creative Learning, 1991).
The Gifted Learning Disabled Student by the Center for Talented Youth (CTY Publications and Resources, 1994).
VideosChallenging the Gifted in the Regular Classroom (ASCD, 1994). For a copy, call (800) 933-ASCD, ext. 2, or visit www.ascd.org.
Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom by Susan Winebrenner is video support for Winebrenner's book of the same name. For a copy, call (888) ECS-FIRST.
Organizations
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), 1110 North Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22201-5704; Tel: (888) 232-7733; Fax: (703) 264-9494; Web: www.cec.sped.org.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC/EC), 1110 North Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22201-5704; Tel: (800) 328-0272; Web: www.ericec.org; e-mail:
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National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), 1707 L Street N.W., Suite 550, Washington, DC 20036; Tel: (202) 785-4268; Web: www.nagc.org; e-mail:
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Center for Talent Development (CTD), Northwestern University, 617 Dartmouth Place, Evanston, IL 60208. Tel: (847) 491-3782; Fax: (847) 467-4283; Web: www.ctd.nwu.edu, e-mail:
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