. GUIDANCE OF ’ ‘Twentieth céntury is said country is making attempts te br! personality of children. ‘So all normal cor .sub-normal deserve special instruction and care. letail. fo be an age of children. No ing. about the proper development of 30 EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN every types of children—normal, | super- So we spall study different types of children (or. exceptional childgen) in : | | _/AMEANING OF. EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN | (Exceptional childten are ‘t norinal children either to. the lo oF the following dimeisions, ar 7 se children who deviate from the le or to the upper sidelin any ‘or directions : \ | ) Physical “dimension ike! defects, throat defects, “speech dj illness, psychosomatic diseases, ¢) (2) Mental dimension “ike i / 4 visual defects, hearing, defects, nose isorders, physical deformities, chronic lepsy and superior physique. : | superior intelligence, sub-gormal intelligence or feeble mindedness and brain damage due to, ¢ertain injuries.) abrations and. character irregularities. (3) Emotional dimensions ne psychoneurotics, psycbotics, sexual (4) Social dimension {like leadership, isolates and delinquents. «Thus we can-‘conclud children, thé backward “children, and the handicapped children.) children. “TT. (A) GIFTED CHILOREN QR PRECOCIOUS CHILDREN “Gifte saldre are the backbone of the nation, Potential | of differe: alks. natién depends upon the type of” proper educational arrangements ai made for them, they will 7 fu prove to be boons' to the society. Pstitutions to énsuré their harmonious development. at ee children include the|gifted “Of life befong| To the problem children. the delinquent frst cof all we discuss the jeter if the is group. i thisgroup. If cdo provided to this. 8 Pee ional §o it is the sacred duty of educa| fo 8,in the words of Witty, ‘‘Gifted “children are. those: children whose a worthwhile human exideavour is.consistently remark. able and these who are academically superior.” on hologists aré ofthe view ‘that children ‘Of 1.Q. above ©4120, fe Boel ines or genius. On! the other hard certain other jologists. think only such children who.have 1.Q. 140 or above P40 ‘should be termed'ds gifted. Still some” other psychofogists believe id apg. than 1501.Q.. should be labelled.as ‘ ae of Site d Child (Who fs Gifted Chiid 2): \ if that children with. us children & It-tiust be noted| that gifted children ate superior not only in fgence.but also in physical, emotional, social, academic-and other i _iotellestual characterist 5 of chilren ‘of their age i gE) : ‘a eae Charal 1. Hollingworth, Terman ani his associates believe that gifted children are physically well developed. . They are.not undersized but ma’ intain~ “good health. health. 2 “They Have sharp ‘sense organs.” ede a ‘They teatn sitting, ‘Handing, walking, crawling, cutting the . teeth 1 and talking at‘én earlier age | than the normal children. : ] Mle q t f ~404 \FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATIONAL PsyCHOLoGy | i | * not recognised if got ogee ior “! 2. They bave better, ability to organise, analyse, memorise, imagine, reason, judge, and to reproduce things ecnaately thaa the a children of their age. < & [hey have extensive rapi in learni ni : “Theit self- expression is self-expression is of very good quali cleat. = : i ee have good wocabula : Their general knowledge is 01 6. They have power of sustained attention and feel bored _becau because g id ‘PS, like: photography, chalk- sic, mathe! scientific hobbies. fanguage,. paintin, ty leaves, labels, pictures an: I making, candle-making ‘ete. Te ‘erman,and.. Hallingwidzth.remarked that, gifted children are more interested in abstract than in manual activitiey andun “difficult” than in iz easy subjects:lity.tosorganise, analyse, dge and to satin 7 they ‘become ac srowing ,amotionally.stable. t hat.they are nbt, “aggressive... They hav Mbtal characteristics which! we shall meat eas. ME :But it do : Degative eni under negative character 1 “it ally these children” préve to 'be more inature and popul | inthe group be cause: they are more humorous, cheerful, libere | Senerous, kind, honest etc, Seprncaterne de EE are abt A eeteraly found to have friends who alder the they aré but they play with an equal Tev man: 3. They: are often interested in. activities at. home, schoo! ar SQvieties and love to b ed tasks, ad J © assigned tasks, which they carry out with a scn: of Tesponsibility, ()_ School Characteristics : col. They ate generally high x They Jearn ‘counting 2. may be able to write theirnadies belo 3, in schools, id language very early. The ey are admitted to. School. d ask more curions“questions 4) Character and Persor _, "Aceprding to Terman, in. character ‘Personality majority o sifted children show superiority and they are well adjusted. ative Characteristics : - wow tp ‘They are restless, inattentive aad disturbin, They are indifferent to class-work when ist interested, They are outspokenly critical before themstlves and other, They show egoistic and jealous behaviour, They are careless in hand-writing and pooria spellings’ () Adjustment Problems or Difficulties of Gifted Childre : 1, Being superior in intelligence 1 ey. with. So their social development is. blocked.” ~ 2. A their ‘superiority is not recoguised by parents and téachers there is every danger of perversion. They show egoistic and hostile attitude. The result is that they feel that they are reiected and ub- ‘ot find friends‘to play! | I i | i | | Gr a with eutolorn phos FOUNDATIONS oF EDUCATIONAL Fa¥cHoLocy (© ren. cl . ; . - Pam ses Psy hologically ME aod eu fom’ Op S..- When their superiority jg {00 mich emphasised by pac 18 too 1 . mate teveop tle 9S pag etc maladjustments such ae aggressive behaviour, te touch of egoism ang c! stubborn'habits, Over-attention S always wat the ¢ :, AION Vays ‘Ost Of other.children. wo ley become lealous of the bil un i ii towards Rene deal child and’ form undersirable attitude inter, Classroom work being very casy for them, they do Dot take interest in it and they may become restless, careless, inate ive oe 'SO[pI They may indulge in day-dreaming as average Class-room Witk is Very below from their Standards.” Day-dreaming s< sign. of inade- Qacy of Personatity —— . « _5s.-Not being properly - guided he utilises his superior intelligence Hye pschiels, indiscipline, gang formation,-and revolts against hie che becomes a AUistance, ° Bow to ntify Gifted C ildren 2 . * The wing techniques can “be devised tc identify giftea children : ees Identity characteristics to locate the gifted' children. Opinions ana reports af Parents, friends and teachers : We IS settings and - take into consideration the opinions and reports of parents, friends and teachers, . 3. Achievement tests : Standardized ach; -- Istrumepts for identifying the gifted chil ability “4. Aptitude tests : We also depend Upon aptitude tests in identi- fying the gifted, as the gifted excel in art, drama, music and other non- academic areas, 5. Intelligence tests ; Gifted children can valso be identified by intelligence or miéntal tests, Gifted children score high in intelligence ievement tests are valuable ld with Superior academic mental tests, Educatjof of the Gifted : ‘T..dentifying the gifted: Gifted child is a valuable property of i identi i ich chi ith the ecessary to identify or pick out such children wit) help of opi fond of the aca friends and teachers, intelligence tests, ttugetésts andvachievement tests) : si "3 Segregation (There: should be separate.classes for the gifted children sc ducation: may be given according to their mental level and they may be saved from the idea that the work is not according to their interests, aptitudes:and abilities oe gai ion of” gif ‘hildreh in separate * Arguments o; inst * ‘the Education of the ified Childre classes: (i) When we begin to educate the. gifted children in special classes it creates intellectual aristocracy, 7 . —De cake | ey F EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN ui i | 407 \daferiority fee! ings are developed jniother children. ch a’scheme of education is costly. , *"_ () “Trained and efficient tedchers,are not available. (vi) Only, afew children have the opportunity to assume I¢adership of the society, : a —— ‘ : | . Arguments int favour of the Education of Gifted £ ‘hildnen-in-separate classes ne Cmererey weer beeen de ae : Dare | 5 Od, rit? said that we need| leaders in different fields, apd those ‘leaders ate provided by gifted children and if the countryhas te survive we should. educate’ the gifted children. i j ‘odern world the rule is ‘abiolule. Any intelligence is doomed. any. problems ‘and malad: rts. ifted children should’ be given rapid (ii) | Whitehead said that in Tace which not value‘traine iii) : Gndividual attention should be|paid to hological security. {Diversified courses should be there t take subj 8 to their interests, needs, abilities and aptitudes} ‘ | 6. Ample home task of sufficient difficuly -should be given (o, them so that their idle time aay be fully utilised in edncational and cpnstru- ctive tk i | (K To help th Students: The gifted children should be asked to help’ the ‘weak “students in |the subjects’ in which they are very brilliant.. In this:,way, they wi get social ‘recognition. They will develop socially. . \ 97 Barichmeat in cou icalar activities. . There should be enrich- ment in co-curricular activities i.e, debates, declamations, symposiums, Paper-reading contests, Wariety _programmes, film . shows, ea excursions aarips ete. should be arranged, + A number of hobbies/like Painting, music, photography, stamp ig" alblims | etc. spould be introduced so “that fise their|intellect and energies in these useful | collecting and~ pre superior children may wi activities. } . 10." Joint. enterprise, socialised recitation and project method * According to Hollingworth, there should be joint enterprise, socjalised “recitation and project method so. that children may work togetber and social development of gifted children may: take piace ina ag way. ormal Gitte children should ‘be given hanld be | ocDEFINING THE TERM GIFTED CHILDREN The terms giftedness and gifted children as specified above in its historical evolution, have a quite comprehensive and wide meaning instead of merely confined to the measurement of IQ or achievement in academic subjects. Let us acquaint ourselves with its wider notion through the help of some well acknowledged definitions of the term gifted children. - Havighurst (1958): “The talented or gifted child is one who shows consistent remarkable performance in any worthwhile line of endeavour.” (p. 19) Prem Pasricha (1969): “The gifted child is one who exhibits superiority in general intelligence or the one who is in possession of special abilities of high order in the field which are not necessarily associated with high intelligence quotient.” (p. 301) Sidney Marland (1972): Gifted and talented children are those identified by professionally qualified persons, who by virtue of outstanding abilities are capable of high performance. There are children who require differentiated educationalCHARACTERISTICS OF GIFTED CHILDREN Gifted children as we should know, consist of a widely diversified and scattered group of complex human nature. Each one of them possessing a unique combination of abilities and traits, They come from every segment of the society irrespective of their caste, colour, creed, gender, linguistic and cultural belongingness. Moreover, giftedness is not limited to the able bodied intellectually superior and academically progressive students. It can be equally noticed in many of the disability groups like deaf and dumb, blind, orthopedic and movement impaired, communication and language disordered, etc. It may be also accompanied or many times confused with the symptoms of ADD, ADHD and autism, etc., in many children. Possession of below normal intelligence even sometimes does not seem to be a big barrier for getting one to have a status of talented or genius. We may well cite the example of the eminent Indian classical poet Kalidas who488 © Educating Exceptional Children; An Introduction to Special Education is defective intelligence in his earlier behaviour. As a legend toying fe nee oon by Pandits, cutting the same branch of a tree on which ty Was sitting, in their efforts for finding a Maha Murkha (idiot) to get him married t, Tilotima, the most wise but proud lady of the time. Moreover, can we expect from many of our wrestlers, boxers, sport persons, drum players, rock dancers a display of very high or even above average 1@ in spite of their unmatched performances in the Tespective fields. Therefore, how can we include the possession or demonstration of quite superior intellectual level as one of the charaeteristes of the gifted children? Similarly the things like possession of above average:physical health, acaden ie Superiority, rich language development, emotional stability, social competency, ete can ‘not be necessarily attached to the personality and behavioural characteristies of the gifted children.’ We have many examples in our history of the emineat ities Tl -xander Grahm Bell, (all famous scientists and War Il), ete, who were known for their learning 'S President Bill Clinton’ was also known for his UK during World disabilities, Similarly, the famous Us ‘speech disorders, gifted or genius. Had it been so, then it would not have been possible for the well known geniuses like Rabindranath Tagore, Newton, Einstein and Ramanyjam to make a place for themselves in the history of the world 2s they all were academically failures in their respective school settings. Therefore, it is quite difficult to attribute some or the Personality and behavioural traits to the gifted and talented children for their description and identification, more particularly in the situation when we have a comprehensive coneept-of the term gifted children in our view (by taking into consideration of their performance in any valuable area of the lift), In such a situation, as we may very well conclude every gifted or talented child other necessary 1, Learn rapidly and easily. Retain what they have heard or read without ‘much more drill and are eapable of making use of the learned things. 2 Reason things out, think clearly, recognize relationship, comprehend meanings and possess the ability of making sound judgments and generalizations.Chapter 19. Gifted Children 9 489 3. Possess the ability to acquire and manipulate abstract symbol systems. 4, Demonstrate superiority in terms of language development like (i) having a large vocabulary and getting it used easily and accurately (ii) reading books that are one or two years in advance of the rest of the class. 5. Ask many questions, has a wide range of interests, and knows about many things of which most students of his age and grade are unaware. 4 6. Possess ability to solve problems by reftaming the question and creating novel solutions, seats dis , Possess ability to perceive the operation of large system of knowledg: may not be recognized by the average person. A 8, Feel difficulty in conforming to the ideas and thinking of bias, tua 8. Exhibit tendency towards introversion and early moral and ¢ concern: \ th 10. Demonstrate ability to perform difficult mental task, academic wre ar te activities related to their area of giftedness one or tio years in advai the rest of their age and grade peers, . UL. Are found quite motivated, hard working and persistent in pursuing the activities and goals related to areas of ther giftedness. ; 12. Possess the ability of leadership more particularly in the areas of their 1B, Cite the ability of having logical memory, higher aspiration level, ‘intensive interest and focus on the activities of their choice. ; 14, Demionstrate the potential of high energy level by remaining alert, keenly ‘observant and responding quickly in the class and work situations. WHAT MAKES A CHILD GIFTED OR TALENTED? : Nature vs nurture has been a quite controversial and debatable topic in deciding what makes a child gifted or talented in terms of spreading the fragrance of his giftedness or talent. Actually, it has been made controversial by making the giftedness synonymous ‘0 one’s intellectual potential, ie., IQ measured through one or the other intelligence tests. With the help of the data collected through the administration of these intelligence tests, researchers and scholars have been asserting their on point of views, holding heredity or environment responsible for the giftedness of talent of the individuals. We must not forget that what we test {hrovgh our available intligence isnot by any means, atest for one's innate ability 6 intlletual potential. An intelligence test or battery of intelligence tests, however Seed it may be, tests so many things acquired by the examinee besides his ‘ntellectual funtioning. Therefore, to conclude on behalf of the results derived {krough IQ measurement about the inheritance ar acquirement of giftedness is not az all appropriate, Moreover, giftedness is not merely limited to intellectual or academic ‘Superiority, it covers and is defined in terms of a consistent remark. is any worthhile Line or areas of lie. The testing a such perform, ater areas of life is possible only after a reasonable time after ‘n long or experiencing a Tot before the demonstation of ‘able performance anee in one or the e's birth resulting erformance for its eo ———_- a i b I jwey uvercyy: NEEDS AND PROBLEMS OF THE GIFTED CHILDREN Like other children, the gifted children have certain basic needs, for security, for love, for belongingness and the need to be accepted as an individual. In addition to these basic needs, the gifted children may have certain additional specific needs on account of their exceptionality or speciality with regard to the possession of their giftedness or talent. These specific needs may be of the following nature: @ The need for the knowledge and understanding. The need for the creativity and ingenuity. The need for the development of their exceptional ability or abilities. The need for self-actualization or self-expression. The need to fee] comfortable with themselves and with the differences that simultaneously open possibilities and create difficulty. only strive for the satisfaction of his basic 11 as facilities for the realization of the ¢ needs. In case when he feels difficulty in the accomplish- becomes disturbed mentally as well as emotionally. This d he is turned into a problem child. +e In-this way, a gifted child does not needs but also needs the opportunity as we above mentioned specifi ment of these needs, he brings a sort of maladjustment an492 “¥_Educating Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education Gifled child needs a proper environment for his development. He wants to be understood carefully in response to his different needs and problems. The gifted child is exceptionally curious and has a thirst for knowledge, Thereby, he is in the habit of asking the truth searching questions. The parents as well as the teachers, who do not understand the necessity of his urges, usually snub him. Sometimes, he wants Appreciation for his ingenuity in scientific field or creativity in arts, but he does not get it. Consequently, he feels insecure and rejected. A sort of mishandling or carelessness on the part of teachers or parents, further aggravates the situation and he is turned into a nuisance, We can cite some reasons of his maladjustment. Malicious Attitude of Others towards Giftedness While the parents and well behaviour shown by the chil beople may not take it in the same'way. They may have an ‘antagonistic attitude and describe the child’ behaviour as ‘out-of tune’ and child cee ‘phenomenon’, a subject of ridicule and entertainment, Such Perception of others may prove quite disadvant- ageous to the normal development of the child. Social Rejection by Peers In case the gifted child Gets undue attention and appreciation, s he becomes too much conscious of his superiority and devel Classroom Maladjustment There are many possibilities in the usual system of classroom education, for getting the gifted children maladjusted. A few may be perceived as flows * Many of the gifted children | differently. In our normal cl complex subject matter into s ‘earn not only faster than others but also ‘assroom settings, teachers try to break a mall bits of information for being presented complex subject matter not into its pieces but in a single gulp. When subject alter is produced before them-in the form of simple bits ofinformation, it, besides denying them opportunity for stimulating thei brain, may act ike feeding an elephant on blade of grass at a time (making him starved before he even realizes that someone is trying to feed him)Chapter 19. Gifted Chitéren_¢ 493 ¢ Ina situation when the gifted children are forced to work with the methods and pace of an usual classroom set-up, they may not prove themselves as capable as expected from them on account of their being labelled as gifted, It may happen on account of some normal features generally associated with high giftedness. Their handwriting may be quite poor and messy. Usually, this simply represents that their thoughts go so much faster than their hands can move, and that they see little sense in making writing an art from when its primary purpose is to communicate. (Webb and Klein, 1993). Many spell poorly because they read for comprehension and do not see the words as collection heir logical of separate letters. When they try to so spelling of an illogical language results in errors (Webb, et al., 2004). te learning disability in terms of Similarly many of them may demonstrat computation, and problem solving in a because of their unusual haste and disregard fo J solving the problem. In this way, it is not unusual for many of the gifted thildren to cuffer from some or the other types of learning disability and thus face a sort of maladjustment in the typical classroom set-up. From another angle also, in our usual system of classroom education, the gifted children are faced with the problems of adjustment. We, in the classrooms, plan work for an average child. The same task is assigned fo the entire class, For the gifted child, it gives no challenge and he feiches it in no time or takes no genuine interest in it, As a result, he becomes restless, careless, inattentive and idle. He often utilizes his error time and surplus energy in making mischief and creating problems * of discipline in the classroom and outside school. traditional mathematics class rr the established mode of Problems Aroused through the Strengths of One’s Giftedness bed earlier are known for their many distinguished features and characteristics. As a general notion, they are supposed to help themselves in tstablishing superiority over their peers and winning appreciation from the elders. However, many times depending upon the situational circumstances and the reactions involved, these very characteristics may put them into great troubles. (Clark, 1999; Seagore, 1974; Swassing, 1980). As a result, they may be misunderstood and their activities may be misinterpreted much in the negative sense: @ Their inquisitive attitude and higher level of curiosity may appear embarrassing to the teachers and elders portraying them trouble maker, aggressive or snoopy as they pursue anything that comes to their attention. Their original and stimulating contributions to discussion may appear as a oe part of disturbance on their part for leading discussions off the track, @ ‘Their competency of requiring little drill for the acquisition of facts and skills may get them engaged in ‘off-the-task” behaviours, causing disciplinary problems. Gifted children as descril‘ducation 494 «Educating Exceptional Ciren: An introduction to Special Educa Their strong sense of humor may not be understood or frist bn classmates and teachers resulting into their nicknaming 28a act such for gaining attention or creating problems in aia, * Their creativity, inventiveness and likeness for new ways of ing things, may disrupt the leadership efforts of the teachers and seniors, os ven tional method of teaching and facts presentation becomes difficult for being adopted in the presence of gifted therefore, the teacher may treat them as the trouble maker . Their ability to acquire and Tetain information quickly may make them impatient with others and the normal speed of class room learning. It may make them bored and ‘impatient and their inattention, then may be taken as problematic behaviour, ‘Their sensitiveness to the feelings and rights of others may be considered as nosy by others, ‘Their high energy tevel, alertness.and eagerness coupled with Periods of intensive efforts on their part, nfl ebPeaF others as symptoms of hyper- activity and oversmartness for influencing others, Problems Arising on Account. of the Misdiagnosis Many of the gifted children may suffer seriou isd 8 Problems on account of their being misidentified or misdiagnosed. The most common misdiagnoses are Attention-Deficit Hyperactivit; Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Mood Disorders, Depression and Bipolar disorders, (Webb, et al., 2004), misdiagnosis or misidentification Senerally lies in the fact that many of the gifted children's Strengths or typical characteristics (described ier) may be mistakenly identified in one or the other situations, as the v symptoms of ADHD, ODD, OCD or other negative behaviours and disorders, It may Seen as follows: * The behaviour involving restlessness, inattention, impulsivity, hi level, day dreaming often demonstrated by gifted children in Years may be mistakenly assumed for being these children affected with “ADHD disorders, . Similarly power Struggling with parents and teachers, intensive questioning, tying to do things always in a different Way on the part of the gifted children may make them mistakenly diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder.i Chapter 19 Gifted Children _@ 495 + etn “e found to be quite rigid in their set principles, orderly nization, and structured frame work. They are also. idealistic, perfectionist and intolerant for mistakes. Their such pattern of behaviour may be mistakenly diagnosed as obsessive compulsive disorder. The misidentifeatin and diagnosis of the gifted children in such a way, may cause 8 great harm to the well-being of these children. Their giftedness thus turned into disabilities and deficiencies may alter their way of living throughout theit lives. Problems Arising Out of the Duel Exceptionality Many of the gifted children may also be found ‘0, posse deviation in terms of positive as well as negative dimensio personality. Accordingly, in spite of their gain’ or superiority’ in terms of intellectual ability, academic soundnoss, or talent related to one oF the other worthwhile field of Tife, they may show significant deficieney or deficits in one or the other areas on account of their disabled conditions. The gifted children in this way MY be seen to be affected with impairments and disabilities like sensory impairment, motor OF orthopedic impairment, autism, ADHD, personality disorders, emotional disturbance tnd delinquency. Once diagnosed with such deficiencies, the gifted children are then tnostly cared for their disabilities or deficiencies without payers ‘minimal or no it also becomes difficult attention towards the fruits of their giftedness. Sometimes, aaaeetd out that particular behaviour of child i, due to his giftedness or the accompanying disorder. In this way, the poor child is caught between the two posite phenomens, the favour gained in terms of giftedness ad loss suffered on servant of his disability, This dual exceptionality thus, may FOve quite costly in see of his welfare and the cautious attention to be paid for’ serving his duel interests. ests is way, the very existence of differont specific needs and problems of varying nature essentially require much attention on the part of parents and Yoachers from the very beginning. The gifted children, on account of sheer ignorance eat the needs, problems, characteristics of these chiléisen may have many chances of being misunderstood and mishandled by the parents and teachers, They also stand chanoee of misidentified and misdiagnosed even by the professionals as suffering from some or the other disorders. Tt is, therefore, essential that earnest efforts eruld be made to have their proper identification and diagnosis for their giftedness shetalents including the possibilities of duel exceptionality for taking further steps in helping them in their needed-growth and adjustment. ss dual exceptionality— wns or attributes of their IDENTIFICATION OF GIFTED CHILDREN ing special education for the gifted children is im the average children. In the absence of Hentifcation and adequate provision, many of the gifted children, like the flowers in veenvjesert or diamonds inside the earth, go unnoticed. Proper identification and diagnosis is also needed for the very truth of saving them from being misdiagnosed ‘as the children with behavioural or personality disorder problems. ‘The first step in the direction of planni to identify or separate them out fra496 6 Educating Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education The task of identification or diagnosis of gifted children is not so simple as it ubbears. It needs a quite cautious and multi-dimensional approach demanding the use of various techniques and measures involving parents, teachers, peers, the gifted children themselves and other experts and professionals. The term giftedness and gifted children carrying. a quite wide meaning in their comprehension concept, “A consistent remarkable performance in any worthwhile line of human endeavour” is the criteria which has to be kept in our mind for drawing It has to meet the identification needs of the both so'much pronounced gifted children groups, i.e., (i) the intellectually gifted or academically talented children and Gi) the children having specific giftedness or talent in one or the other area not necessarily associated with high intelligerice, : For the purpose of screening’ and further identification of both these groups of sifted or talented children,’ a compreliensive identification plan may involve the Process of drawinig data fr om a Variety ‘of sources by making use of necessary testing . and non-testing’ devices. for the derivation as well, as interpretation of this data. In General, such a plan may involve the things like the following: Opinion and reporting of the parenié anid members of the family. Opitiion and reporting of thé teachers and other school personnel Opinion and reporting of the peers. Self-evaluation on the part of the child. Cumulative record 6f the child's performance. Making use of observation, sitiational tests and interview. Making use of personality inventories and projective techniques. Use of intelligence tests. A Use of interest inventories and aptitude tests. Use'of achievement and performance tests or measures. Use of the creativity measures. Report of the psychologists, psychiatrists, medical experts and other ‘professionals about some or other accompanying disability or behavioural problems. Sooo ooo eoeeEDUCATION OF THE GIFTED CHILDREN At the present have been experi rr. It ion or keeping well the gifted child within the ions for the measures like (i)' acceleration of chment programmes for the gifted. Let us try to get acquainted with all the above mentioned Measures for the education of the gifted. —— ————_Chapter 9 Gifted Children ¢ 499 separate Schools for the gifted children and itis often suggested that we must have separate schools hat gifted children may be adequate facilities should be provided in these schools so tt helped in ce their specific abilities and potentialities. Such segregation is often ‘criticized and labelled as undemocratic. The products of public schools, where ve have the provision for selected special education, also justify our fears and , Youbts. The students educated from these schools develop an aristocratic and conceited attitude. ‘The another plan causing the segregation of gifted children into a separate section oF group within the same schools forthe testing and other practical activities also arvolves the same danger. Tis plan is Known as ability ‘grouping. Here a given erade an i odtons on Use bass of ability he Tr satively nacrow. The nen-feas by of both vimjian context. Neither we cam is divided into some or the othe of ability within each section being these plans involving segregation is obvious in th : afford such segregation as it involves huge ‘expenditure nor it can bring much fruitful results, The gifted child is gifted or talented in his area of giftedness only. He may or may not possess a° superior genieral intelligence. The children who possess talents in a particular area may be 1 or 2 per cent of the total population of their grade. Therefore, it is unwise to think of having a Bente: ising of these few children. In case if we have segregation on the basis of 1Q, 9 guarantee to maintain homogeneity in grouping. F abil i i ility Grouping and Separate Classes f t i Acceleration ‘Another concept involved in the education of the gifted children is ‘acceleration’. You say be well acquainted with the term Tike ‘acceleration’ and ‘retardation’ being used Fora constant increase ot decrease in the velocity (speed) of a moving obec. You press your accelerator in increasing the spéed of your motor vehicle. The same principle of giving one an opportunity for getting adjusted with his own pace {adjusting the needed pace of Mhe motor vehicle with. the help of accelerator) is applied for making provision for the education of the gifted in the proposal known as SP jeration. In its practical application, the gifted children are thereby presented opportunities for double or triple promotion or skipping one or more grades for keeping pace with their own gifted potential or higher calibre. ‘Acceleration in this way provides opportunity for the ified children to complete a year or mom earlier than the norms for his age or jin the cases of extraordinary giftedness, it may even help in passing students through the educational system as quickly as possible, (sometimes skipping primary or eves secondary classes). ‘Acceleration, thus in its varyinig possibilities may pass procedures. (Love, 1974) 1. Providing early admission to school according fo through the following mental age (helping the gifted to begin school early).mn Introduction to Special Education fter getting rd to 5th class’ a ippit classes jumping from a a aoe att ing the beginner to skip several oxy rm ase i 3. Telescoping grade (covering the standard material of ae . shorter period of time an 500 + Educating Exceptional Children: A thus have probability of ge Jass in the mid of the session.) fee, 4, Advance placement (taking courses’ for college credit, ie * hile studying in high or higher secondary school). _ 5. Barly admission to college (on the basis of his or hel clearing higher secondary examination-earlier). Acceleration in its theory and practice thus may prove quite bene AS eat of the gifted children, to run their eourse according to their stamina, Its logis ae simple, those who have stamina, can dare to run 200 or 300 yards in a specified Hm during which most of their average peers ean hardly run 100 yards. The benefits adopting the procedures of acceleration are quite obvious and also experimentally verified. For the gifted, who are quite fast learner and developmentally too ahead to their age peers, some types of acceleration is quite essential. Let us see what can you conclude from the illustration of the following case of a gifted girl child. degree classes clastic potential! TERRES ETT TTRSTEGER Don’t you feel that putting Rachel into a normal first grade (class I of our primary school education as per her age norms) without paying’ any special attention _ to her giftedness and consequent differences would not be a social, emotional and educational disaster? The best course in ‘such a situation lies in acceleration, icc., putting her in the grade or class which suits her mental age. Placing Rachel with older children of the higher grade or class who are able to share her interests may prove more socially, emotionally and intellectually beneficial and may also surely result in a more appropriate curriculum for her academic advancement and progress in life. Seeing from another angle, in my opinion, it is one of the most workable, simple and economical solution for the placement of the many gifted children in an inclusive set-up of our school system. The fears, however, are expressed by the opponents of this approach in many ways. The most vocal is that, acceleration may place a child with the children of older age which may prove quite detrimental to his emotional ‘and social adjustmentChapter 19 Gifted Children 501 n and Jones, 1991), However, such fears have not much ground. Most rs agree in general that aceleration pays fruitful in so many ways and does Jaimed. Let us reproduce some of their wuthert yosearete reearty such adverse affects as otherwise fonclusions. ¢ Acceleration is a necessary response to a highly gifted stude of learning. (Silverman, 1995, p. 229) Examination of the research literature reveals that acceleration contributes to academic achievement. No negative effects on social and emotional development have been identified. If adjustment problems oot, they tend to be ig and temporary in nature. (Feldhusen, Proctor and Black, 1986, p.2 4 One of the practical benefits of acceleration“is that it is both, time and cost affective for the schoo! personnel to implement. (Swiatek ‘and Benbow, 1991) ‘¢ Researches have shown thgt those children who “have béen accelerated have adjusted as well as or better than the children of similar ability who have riot been accelerated. (Love, Harold, 1974) In-the light-of such research-findings and also. in. viet of the nature of practicability, the proposal related to ingijeration seems quite sound for the ion of the gifts children. For doing away oF ‘minimizing the problem of age ng-on account of this keeping of: grades or ‘classes, we may have certain sur application of the acceleration approach in some of the ways like nt's faster pace the shape of subject matter, ic, @ student i ienguage classes in the same school with 1. We may have acceleration in VIII, physical education with belonging to class V may atten the class VI student, ‘mathematics with class his age peers in class V. 2, For keeping pace with bis rate of learning and giftedness in one or the other For oalum areas, he may be allowed to attend evening classes or weekend carga high schoo or college. In regular days else he may be excused for eovering of these subjects in regular classes. ool with age mates only It may be also'scheduled ‘that a child might go to sch jn the morning or only in the afternoon for making him convenient to have special guidance, traning oF education for the nurturance of his giftedness or talent in one or the other areas. although may ereate some problems on the part of school authorities, parents or the children concerned, but they may prove often “ade or class skipping on the feasibility of allowing the more satisfactory than the gré Thildren to remain associated in one way or the others with their age peers ‘The adoption of such practices, Enrichment other significant proposal other than acceleration, for hildren in an inclusive set-up of the existing school (calling for the placement of the students ahead of Enrichment represents an providing education to the gifted « system. In contrast to acceleration502» & ducating Exceptional Children: An introduction to Special Educ their age peers), enrichment caters to the varying needs of the gifted children by Providing them additional enriched experiences without placing them in higher Srades/classes. The proposal in fact, stands for seeking full inclusion and integration of the gifted children in the mainstream, without needing much environmental or instrumental alterations in the rogular settings of the classroom or school activities schedules. Tt stands for enriching the curriculum experiences for getting the gifted children richer in terms of gaining more knowledge and skills, satisfying their diversified interests and acquiring necessary attitude, ways of thinking and problem h ‘hment programme for the gifted is aimed by all means, to the nourishment of their giftedness or talent much in the same way as growing Blants are enriched ox nourished through fertilizers. In its all logic, every plant in He Senden needs nourishment oF entichment, therefore, the enrichment of eduica- Mant se of pied ght be ecnsidered. a natural need of all the children, But in the case of gifted childten; it will definitely imply an urgent need of giving them a Greater variety of experientes’ (curricular and extra curricular) probing‘or studying a subject at a greater depth, doing task at a more advanced level then would occur in the regular classroom, : Thus enrichment pro, fe ifted is defini ‘di additional enriched ome ees {0 the gifted is definitely met for providing their talent and th enrichment of curriculum experiences, teacher ean hel as well ag horizentally. ‘The vertical mobilization ms in mind, teachers and school the enrichment proposal by making the provisions of the things like the following for the gifted children of their class/school. do not, in a way, cater to meet the needs of their giftec 1. Asking them to work on some special assignments (falling within or outside their gyllabus), . 2. Making them. work ‘on independent py Purpose, direction and specified outco haphazardness or frustration), Providing them good library references for extra in-depth study of the subject and monitoring their independont library reading. Asking them to prepare aid materials, improvised apparatuses and appro- priate models helpful in proper conceptualization, and application of the facts and principles related to school curriculum, - Encouraging them for their explanation, experimentation and independent research work by providing facilities in laboratories, workshop and other innovative work places. Providing opportunities for the development of their giftedness and talents through the various cocurricular activities, e.g., opportunity for creative and rojects (by clearly. laying down its mes so that it should not result in s = 2fe $$ trate Gilted chiken_» 59) 3 2 Sted ait § 59, nt promotion through the activities in the a, Quiz, sports and games debates and declamay%8 artistic expression and talent of music, dance, drama, etc. . Providing opportunities for them getting first hand information about facts and pressure related to their areas of interests and subjects of ste” 8, Assigning them special responsibilities for playing a leadership role or 4° ability to organize things, helping in the preparation of reports presentation of their outputs before-others. a 9, Making arrangement of various hobbies, classes and specialized courses » the gifted children at the off-hours or in vacation days ve 10, Making it possible for the gifted children to have access of the guidance 4, mentoring of the talented persons in the community settings for developin, their conceptual and performance skills related to their areas of Biftedn se in a real life setting. a. 11. Helping them in the promotion of their ability of analytical thinking originality, proving the facts of the curriculum and independent roby, solving by avoiding rigorous and meaningless memorization. m 12, Getting the gifted children motivated or providing them opportunities 5, . demonstrating their consistent remarkable performance in their areg (7 giftedness by organizing or participating in the competitions, conferen,,. science and technological fairs and exhibitions, at the local, Teint, national and international level. ° way, the learning experiences and opportunities provided to the gi Silden leo 0 carched in terms ofthe contents and methods of datvery ot it may result in (i) finding something new and challenging to them Gi) Pring pportunites for the development of their giftedness and talent (i) meshing the demands of knowing more and going deep in the subject (Gv) providing opportuy, for their inventiveness and creative expression (v) helping them in see IN Drop opportunity for the development of ther total personality without being is ated eet the mainstream of their age peers and over all (vi) evolving 2 school PrOETaM ne Tree Te beneficial to both the average and the gifted without interfering iy 4 if each other. proposal for meeting the noods of gifted children within the same structure of | f ape onal system without involving any extra hardship or financial burden oy gt our educational institutions. caer eee nay feat a lt of difficulty in making use of the P99 ‘enrichment ia the case of highly gifted children especially when they are too fag tums of their learning capacities and are intellectually more superior. They have the capacity of studying two or three years more ahead of their age Deere ‘Therefore, there is no point in holding thom along with their peers simply du i fear oftheir possible social maladjustment with the classmates of relatively high In these eases, the only suitable alternative lies in making use of the strate ‘acceleration’, ue., “taking off the brakes in 2 reasonable moderate degrogs of keeping pace with the abilities and potential of the child ; Tn this way, an ideal edueatinal program for the gifted may consist gp for