Gifted - introduction

Lec 1

Development of gifted programs

Program for gifted children was not very clear since
independent.
There are some related programs:
Express class 1962 (from 6 to 5 years schooling; early 70s
was stopped).
Gifted program BAKA 1985 by Azman Wan Chik: developed
a test BAKA.
Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Bergeliga Malaysia 1987 discussed
on matters related to gifted children.
1990 - A symposium was organized Centre of Child
Development, UM.
1996 2001 - MOE implementation of Ujian Penilaian Tahap

Program Permata Negara

Started 2007.
Berdasarkan program asuhan dan didikan awal kanakkanak di Perancis, Amerika Syarikat, Australia dan New
Zealand.
Kurikulum digubal hasil adaptasi amalan terbaik model
Pen Green Centre dengan pengubahsuaian kepada
masyarakat Malaysia.
Tema Setiap Anak Permata Negara.
Dasar Asuhan dan Didikan Awal Kanak-kanak
Kebangsaan - diluluskan oleh kerajaan ke arah
menyediakan pendidikan yang sempurna, berkualiti dan

Your understanding
What is intelligence?
What is gifted?
What is talented?

What is intelligence
. . . ability to adapt effectively to the environment, either by
making a change in oneself or by changing the environment or
finding a new one . . . intelligence is not a single mental process,
but rather a combination of many mental processes directed
toward effective adaptation to the environment. (Encyclopedia
Britannica, 2006)
Intelligence is a very general mental capability that, among other
things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think
abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn
from experience. Common statement with 52 expert signatories
[13]
((13) L. S. Gottfredson. Mainstream science on intelligence: An editorial with 52 signatories, history, and
bibliography. Intelligence, 24(1):1323, 1997.)

What is gifted?
Giftedness, intelligence, and talent are fluid concepts.
There are some definition based on contexts.
Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of
aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or
competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10%
or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured
area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics,
music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting,
dance, sports). (National association for gifted children, 2016)
Retrieved on 1 Sept 2016 from http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitionsgiftedness

Gagne (2008)
Gagns Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent
(2008) provides research-based definitions of giftedness
and talent that are directly and logically connected to
teaching and learning. According to Gagn, gifted students
are those whose potential is distinctly above average in
one or more of the following domains of human ability:

intellectual
creative
social
physical.

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/studentdiversity/gifted-and-talented-students

 Gifted childrenare, bydefinition, Childrenwho

give evidence of high performance capability in areas
such as intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership
capacity, or specific academic fields, and who require
services or activities not ordinarily provided by the
school in order to fully develop)p such capabilities.
(Gross, 2013).
(Gross, G., Oct 21, 2013. Retrieved on 1 Sept. 2016 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-gailgross/who-is-the-gifted-child_b_4119720.html

Gagne (2008)-talented
Talented students are those whose skills are distinctly above average in
one or more areas of human performance.
Talent emerges from giftedness through a complex developmental
process and via a number of influences, including the teaching and
learning opportunities.
Gagns model recognises that giftedness is a broad concept that
encompasses a range of abilities; it also recognises that giftedness is
only potential and that it must go through a transformative process in
order to become a talent.
As such, Gagn makes it clear that adequate school support is
necessary if students are to develop their gifts or high abilities into
talents or high achievements.
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/studentdiversity/gifted-and-talented-students

 In 1972 Sidney Marland, then the U.S. Commissioner of

Education proposed the following definition:
Kanak-kanak pintar cerdas dan berbakat adalah mereka
yang dikenali oleh para profesional bertauliah sebagai
seseorang yang memiliki kebolehan luar biasa dengan
menunjukkan pencapaian yang tinggi, yang meliputi
perkara berikut sama ada bersendirian atau secara
kombinasi:

general intellectual ability

specific academic aptitude
creative or productive thinking
leadership ability
visual and performance arts
psychomotor ability (later removed in 1997)

Five categories of definition (Davis,

Rimm & Siegle, 2011):
First, after-the-fact: emphasize prominence in one of the
professions- consistence and outstanding achievment in a
valuable area.
Second, IQ: - set a point on the IQ scale. Eg Termans StanfordBinet cutoff point of 135 an above. But ignoring: creativity &
artistic; gifts in particular areas; discriminate against disadvantage
students; and branding the students who score below cutoff point.
Third, percentage: restricted to certain percentage, eg. 1 5%.
Forth, talent: focus on students who are outstanding in art, music,
math, science, or aesthetics or academic areas.
Fifth, creativity: superior in creative abilities.
Davis, G. A., Rimm, S. B. & Siegle, D., (2011). Education of the gifted and talented, 6 Eds..
New Jersey, 2011).

Misconception about gifted

(Brunswick, 2007)
1. Gifted students are high achievers.
Some gifted students are high achievers but not all are
gifted.
One of the biggest issues today in both gifted and
regular education is underachievement (McCoach &
Siegle, 2003).
Stress for high achievers students be labeled as gifted.

2. All children/people are gifted.

Although all students are unique, have a valuable
contribution to make, have relative areas of strengths
and deserve an education that allows them to reach
their potential (whatever that may be), not all students
are gifted (Coleman & Cross, 2005).

3. Gifted students will do fine with or without

special programming.
Some gifted students will do fine in spite of an
unchallenging school experience.
This is particularly true if their parents provide enriching
activities outside of school.
However, some turn off, never develop good work
habits and motivation, and for all intents and purposes
their giftedness dies.

4. Gifted students come from advantaged

homes.
Some gifted students, and many of those who are
identified as such, do come from advantaged homes
but there are many gifted students from less
advantaged backgrounds who do not stand out as
gifted. The challenge is proper and comprehensive
identification (Coleman & Cross, 2005).

5. Co-operative learning or other forms of

group work are an effective way to meet the
needs of gifted students.
The advantages of co-operative learning are well
documented and while it is important for all
students to learn to work with others of differing
abilities, heterogeneous, cooperative learning
should be used sparingly and judiciously with
gifted students.
Often such experiences provide no intellectual
challenge; the gifted student does a
disproportionate, or sometimes no, work; and the
total experience is negative (Robinson, 2003).

6. Gifted students have trouble getting along

with peers.
Often gifted students are leaders, both in and out of
school, and throughout their lives.
The exception may be those who are profoundly
gifted and may have little in common with age
mates in terms of interests (Terman & Oden 1935;
Gross, 1993). However, even with this population this
is not always true.

Group work
What is gifted?

Group works
Discuss about your perception and experience on
students giftedness? How do you teach them?