References:

B.C. Ministry of Education

http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/gifted/ref.htm
Hutchinson, N. (2009). 3rd Edition. Inclusion of
Exceptional Learners in Canadian Schools: A Practical
Handbook for Teachers

. Toronto, ON: Pearson Education

Canada, Inc. ISBN 0135085284
Hutchinson, N. (2003). Teaching Exceptional Children and
Adolescents: A Canadian
Casebook, 2nd Edition. Toronto,
ON: Pearson Education Canada Inc.
Kanevsky, L. & Keighley, T. (2003). To produce or not to
produce: Understanding boredom and the honor in
underachievement. Roeper Review, 26(1), 20-28.
Kanevsky, L. (2011). Deferential differentiation: What
types of differentiation do students want? Gifted Child
Quarterly, 55(4), 279-299.
Seven Ways of Knowing: Teaching for Multiple
Intelligences (Lazear, 1991)
Lazear, D. (1991). Seven ways of teaching: The artistry of
teaching with multiple intelligences. Palatine, IL: Skylight
Publishing.
Renzulli, J.S. (1986). The three ring conception of
giftedness: A developmental model for creative
productivity.
In J.S. Renzulli & S.M. Reis (Eds.),The triad reader (pp.
2-19). Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press, Inc.

The Gifted Learner:

A Brief Guide for Schools and
Parents

Definition
A gifted student is defined by the B.C. Ministry of
Education as:
A complex of intelligence(s), aptitudes, talents, skills,
expertise, motivation and creativity that lead the
individual to productive performance in areas or domains
or disciplines valued by the culture and time.
Gifted students have a combination of above average
cognitive abilities, high levels of task commitment, and
high levels of creativity (includes curiosity).

Formal test results including indicators of

cognitive ability, achievement, aptitude and
creativity. In B.C., the CogAT is often used.

Observations of student including anecdotal

records, checklists and inventories.

Records of student achievement including

assignments, portfolios, grades and outstanding
talents and accomplishments.

In addition, the following may contribute to a deeper

understanding of individual student strengths:

Nominations by educators, parents, peers and

self.
Interviews of parents and students.
Language and culture
Gender
Physical ability
Learning or sensory disabilities, and personality
style.

If the student is found to be gifted, the school-based team

and or School Psychologist will submit forms to request
designation. Following a designation of gifted, an
Individualized Education Plan will be created for the
student.
According to Renzulli(1986), the three-ring concept has
helped educators to see beyond just intellectual
capabilities when designating a student as gifted.
Students who are gifted tend to be focused and
passionate in certain areas, but may also have other
exceptionalities present.

Gifted Learner of Highly Motivated?

Identification Procedure
The B.C. Ministry of Education outlines that the
identification of strengths and talents should be ongoing
and should involve using multiple criteria. Several of the
following sources of information should be used as part of
the identification process:

What do Gifted Learners Need?

According to Lannie Kanevsky, best practices for gifted
students include:

Flexible pacing
Learning from peers who share similar ability
and interests
Choice of topics, assignments, group members,
and ways to demonstrate their learning
Be taught by educators who understand them
Motivated identify, study, and solve real
problems using authentic materials and
procedures.

Program Options
Depending on school district, there is a variety of options
to serve students who are gifted.
School Level
At the school level, there are a variety of differentiated
instruction strategies:

Acceleration
Telescoping
Compacting
Independent study
Tiered assignments
Learning centres
Learning from curricular models

District / School Board Level

At this level, there are various programs such as Challenge
programs, as well as multi-level clustering. Depending on
the size of your district or school board, there are
distributed learning programming which allows students
to work on content at their desired pace.
For more information, please visit the B.C. Ministry of
Educations site:
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/gifted/

WHO CAN I CONNECT WITH TO GAIN MORE INFORMATION?

Members of your school based team

school district personnel

Parents and members of the community

with an interest in children and youth.