Zani Alam

2023

1
Introduction
This booklet serves as a useful summary guide for educators who are beginning to navigate high potential
and gifted education (HPGE).
We will embark on a journey to explore the multifaceted nature of giftedness and equip educators with the
knowledge and tools required to identify high potential and gifted students.
We will delve into the profile of gifted students, the characteristics that define giftedness, and the various
methods and assessments available for identification.
Together, we can empower gifted students to reach their fullest potential.

The booklet includes the following:

 Definition of the high potential and gifted students

 Distinction between the two terms: gift and talent
 Domains of ability
 Differences between bright students and gifted students
 Characteristics of high potential and gifted students
 Profiles of the high potential and gifted students
 Identification methods
 Nomination forms

2
Definition of high potential and gifted students

High potential students are those whose potential exceeds that of students of the same age in one or
more domains: intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical.
Gifted students are those whose potential significantly exceeds that of students of the same age in one or
more domains: intellectual, creative, social-emotional, and physical
Highly gifted students are those whose potential vastly exceeds that of students of the same age in one or
more domains: intellectual, creative, social-emotional, and physical.
NSW Department of Education
Talent development is the process by which a student's potential is developed into high achievement in a
specific domain or field of endeavour.
(Gagné Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent 2009.)

3
Distinction between the two terms: gift and talent
Although a number of different definitions have been proposed over the years, there is no universally
accepted definition of students who would be identified as having particular gifts or talents. However, a
shared understanding of giftedness is important in order to address their needs. In Australia today, Gagné’s
model provides the most generally accepted definition of both giftedness and talent.
According to Gagné, giftedness is a superior natural ability whereas a talent is an ability/skill that has been
developed exceptionally well. From this perspective, a talent implies a gift, but a gift does not
automatically imply a talent.
Gagné claims that a person starts with gifts and has the chance to develop talents through a variety of
“catalysts.” These catalysts include interpersonal factors such as maturity, motivation, interests, chance,
and environmental factors like family and school.

Natural ability

Can be cultivated Must go through a

or catalysed into transformative
talent process

Gift

Potential Aptitude

Developed
ability

Developed
Emerge from
knowledge
and skills
Talent the gift

Demonstration
of the gift

4
Domains of ability
High potential and gifted children and young people may have one or more gifts or talents across a wide
range of domains, including:
 Intellectual or academic disciplines such as mathematics, science, languages or the humanities.
 Physical, artistic or technical ability such as a gift in a sport, the visual and performing arts,
agricultural science or software development.
 Creativity, innovative thinking and problem solving ability
 Social, communicative and leadership ability.

Gagné’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (2008)

5
Difference between bright learners and gifted learners

6
Characteristics of gifted students
Before educators can identify the HPG students, they first have to work out who they are. Looking out for
certain characteristics and behaviours can indicate to look deeper.
Gifted and talented come from all backgrounds and cultural groups. While it is impossible to create a single
image of a gifted student, some common characteristics and intrapersonal traits are common to many
gifted students.

 Reasons well  Judgement mature for age  Perseverant when

 Learn rapidly at times interested
 Has extreme  Is a keen observer  Have a high degree of
vocabulary  Has a vivid imagination energy
 Has an excellent  Is highly creative  Has high degree of energy
memory  Tends to question  Prefer solder companions
 Has a long attention authority or adults
span (if interested)  Has faculty with numbers  Has a wide range of
 Sensitive (feeling hurt  Good at jigsaw puzzles interests
easily)  Morally sensitive  Has a great sense of
 Shows compassion  Has strong curiosity humour
 Perfectionistic  Early or avid reader
 Intense  Concerned with justice,
fairness
Dr Linda Kreger Silverman (Director of the gifted development Centre at the institute for the Study of Advanced development in the United States).

Silverman suggests that if a child demonstrates more than three-quarters of these traits, it is likely that he
or she is gifted.
However, it is very important to remember a few points:
 Gifted students may:
 Show a few characteristics, others show many or all of them.
 Show these characteristics in early stage of life, while others may not become apparent until much later.
 Only reveal these characterises when interested in the topic.

Cognitive and personality characteristics

Cognitive characteristics Personality characteristics
 Reasons well  Sensitive (feeling hurt easily)
 Can Learn rapidly  Compassionate and empathetic
 Has extensive vocabulary  Can be highly perceptive (can read between the lines of
 Has an excellent memory others’ words and actions)
 May possess an unusual vivid  Often has a great sense of humour
imagination  Can persevere and concentrate if interested in the task
 Maybe highly creative  Can possess high energy levels, either physically and
 Has a wide range of interests intellectually
 Usually is an early or avid reader  Can have a very strong sense of justice and fairness
 Often has faculty with numbers  Tend to challenge authority
 Often very good at jigsaw puzzles  Has strong curiosity
 Is a keen observer  May be perfectionist

7
Positive and negative behaviours
Positive behaviours
 Asks lots of questions
 Asks reflective questions
 Explores how and why
 Empathises with those less fortunate
 Wants to save the world
 Stands up for other children
 Enjoys adult humour
 Reads widely
 Advanced vocabulary
 Comes up with original ideas
 see problems a whole
 Connects thoughts and feelings
 Self-directed
 Focuses on tasks in research or study
 Moves beyond content and skills
quickly
 Concentrates on an area of interest for
a long time
 Has a wide range of interest
 Organise time well
 Sets attainable goals
 Learns to accept own limitations
 Aware of others’ feelings
 Listens to others
 Shares information
 Direct and leads
 offers help
 Eager to be involved
 Concentrates, perseveres and Persists
 Task-oriented
 Aware of things that that others are not
 Perceives world differently
 Sensitive to the feelings of others
Negative behaviours
 Asks inappropriate questions
 Asks embarrassing questions
 Frustration when others don't play
exactly by rules
 Asks others to solve issues seen as unfair
 Uses humour at the expense of others
 Reads constantly
 Neglects peer interaction and work-prefer
to read
 Daydreamer
 Asks unrelated questions
 Disorganised
 Reduced involvement in discussion or
group
 Uncooperative in a group work
 Rushes work than disrupts others
 Easily distracted unless the task is an area
of passion
 Often difficult to live with
 May appear hyperactive
 Easily bored so seeks out new things to
explore
 Self-critical
 Perfectionist when completing tasks
 Speaks out
 Confrontational
 Cannot stop thinking
 Work to exhaustion
 Overwhelmed by many interests and
activities
 Sensible to changes in the environment
 Introverted
 Cannot tolerate loud noises, crowded
venues, seams on socks, and labels on
shirts
 Can be easily hurt
Adapted from (Merrick and Target, 2005)
8
 Profiles of gifted and talented students
Betts and Neihart (1988) have catagorised gifted and talented students into six groups. This is really useful
for identifying the high potential and gifted students in secondary schools where their ability may not be
evident in their work.

The successful Type The Underground Type

Achieve high, learns well, conforming, are the
group most likely to be identified as G&T. They are
eager for the approval of others and perfectionistic.
They lack autonomy and assertiveness, and avoid
taking risks.
The Challenging Type
Highly creative but frustrated and bored. They do
not conform to the school system and often
questions school rules.
Deny their abilities in order to fit in, often girls.
They may be shy, quiet, frustrated, resists
challenges, avoid taking risks. Many are
neveridentified as gifted.
The double-labelled Type
Have high potential and learning disabled.
Often their giftedness goes unrecognised
because people fail to see past their disability.
They can become angry and frustrated, and
may feel powerless. They are underachievers.

The Dropout Type The Autonomous Type

Angry because they feel that the system has failed to
meet their needs. Low self-esteem, feels rejected.
They are often perceived as 'rebellious loners and
may be disruptive. They fail to complete schoolwork,
and their levels of achievement fall well below their
ability.
Are confident, independent, and self-directed.
They are intrinsically motivated and willing to
take risks. They set goals for themselves and
take responsibility for their learning. 9
Identification
There is no one method to identify a gifted and talented student. Secondly to this, ‘they differ also in
their patterns of educational needs.’ (Davis & Rimm 2004, p.32)
Identification should be not used just to seek a label, but as a means to implement learning opportunities
and to understand the child better (Mansfield, 2009). It provides a means to create curriculum
differentiation children's strengths and interests depending on their unique needs.
and to build upon
A child may not be gifted in all areas and if a child is gifted in reading and is a self-taught reader, it does not
necessarily mean that they will be a maths or good with fine motor skills (Johnsen, 2011).
Whatever procedures are used to identify gifted children within a school they should :
 be schoolwide
 use more than one criteria
 be inclusive to ensure that children from disadvantaged and minority groups are included such as:

 underachievers
 gifted learning disabled
 children from culturally diverse backgrounds
 socio-economically disadvantaged children
 Aboriginal students
 those from low socio-economic and non-English speaking backgrounds

 allow for children to be identified at any stage

 recognise all domains of giftedness
 utilise information from a variety of sources, including classroom teacher observation and
assessment, as well as knowledge obtained from other people (for example, parents and peers).

Hidden gifts
Special attention should be given to the 'hidden gifted'. These include:
 disadvantaged gifted
 those from low socio-economic and non-English speaking backgrounds
 those form Aboriginal background
 disabled gifted
 those with learning difficulties
 underachieving gifted
 those from minority cultural and ethnic groups

10
Identification Methods
Subjective Measures
 Checklist behaviours
 Teacher Nomination
 Parent Nomination
 Self-nomination
 Peer nomination
 Observation and evaluation of
classroom tasks
 Student interests survey
 Learning style preferences survey
 Teacher observation
 Interviews
 Observation of students in different
learning environments
 Evaluation of student responses to
classroom activities
 The Creative Strengths Profile
 Self-Report (SAM and WKOPYA)
 Something about myself and what
kind of person I am.
Objective Measures
Achievement
 Academic grades
 Assessment of responses to
challenging competitions
 NAPLAN results
 Check in assessment
 PAT testing (reading, mathematics
and science)
 Off-level (above level testing)
Ability
 Middle Years Ability Test (MYAT)
 Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAt)
 Psychometric assessments done by
Ed. Psychologists such as Wechsler
intelligence scale (provides a full
scale IQ score)
11
Teacher nomination form

Please complete the following details:

Student’s Name:_______________________________________ Year: _____________________

School: _____________________________________________
Phone:___________________

Teachers’ Name:______________________________________ Date:___________________

Circle the subject you wish to nominate this student for:

Mathematics English Science History Geography Art Music TAS
Language

Circle each behaviour you observe in the classroom or playground.

Characteristics Positive Behaviours Negative Behaviours

Highly curious
Abstract thinker
Flexible thinker
Independent
Advanced reading
Retention of knowledge;
fast learner
Long attention span
High level of responsibility
and commitment
 Asks lots of questions
 Asks reflective questions
 Explores how and why
 Makes generalizations
 Tests out ideas
 Employs variety of
strategies to work
something out
 Self-directed
 Focuses on tasks in research
or study
 Reads widely
 Advanced vocabulary and
comprehension
 Moves beyond core content
and skills quickly
 Detailed recall of facts
 Concentrates and focuses
on an area of interest for a
long period of time
 Sets attainable goals
 Learns to accept own
limitations
 Asks inappropriate
questions
 Asks embarrassing
questions
 Questions others
 Questions authority
 Manipulates people and
situations by using a variety
of strategies
 Reduced involvement in
discussion or group
 Uncooperative in a group
work
 Reads constantly
 Neglects peer interaction
and work – prefers to read
 Rushes work, then disrupts
others
 Monopolises class
discussion
 Easily distracted unless the
task is an area of passion or
interest
 Self-critical
 Perfectionist when
competing tasks

12

Strong feelings and
opinions
Strong sense of justice
High motivation
Active
Original and creative
Immersion learner
Adapted from Caroline Merrick, 2004, Gross, MacLeod, Drummond & Merrick (2001), Clark (1983) and
Baska (1989).
 Tolerant of peers in a group
 Listens to others
 Shows concern and interest
 Considers other’s point of
view
 Aware of others’ feelings
 Empathises with those less
fortunate
 Wants to ‘save the world’
 Stands up for other children
whom they think have been
poorly treated
 Concentrates, perseveres
and Persists
 Task-oriented
 Shares information
 Directs and leads
 Offers help
 Eager to be involved
 Comes up with ideas ‘out of
the box’
 Sees problems as a whole
 Connects thoughts and
feelings
 Wants to know everything
about a topic
 Becomes an expert on
atopic by reading widely or
talking to people
 Sets unrealistic
expectations for other
group members
 Speaks out and lacks tact
 Over-reacts to others’
comments and reactions
 Confrontational
 Frustration when others
don’t play by rules
 Asks older children or
adults to solve issues seen
as ’unfair’
 Overwhelmed by many
interests and activities
 Cannot stop thinking
 Work to exhaustion
 Absent-minded or
daydreamer
 Asks unrelated questions
 Disorganized
 Focuses on topics of
interest to them, at the
expenses of classroom work
 Shows off knowledge to
prove others wrong

Scoring the Checklist

How many positive behaviours are being displayed? _______________________________

How many negative behaviours are being displayed? _______________________________

Have you highlighted behaviours in more than five different behaviour boxes? YES / NO

Of which behaviours are you observing more: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE

Conclusion:________________________________________________________________________

13
 ___________

__________________________________________________________________________________
_________

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________

__________________________________________________________________________________
___________

Exemplar
Merrick and Targett (2004) provide the following exemplar of the Merrick (2004) checklist. They begin by
providing a scenario:
Mrs McCarthy would describe 12 year-old William as a dreamer, rather average and not
particularly interested in much that goes on in the classroom. He floats through class and
seems to be miles away, lost in his thoughts most of the time. He usually performs poorly on
his written work and misses instructions, needing these to be given again and again. However,
on weekends, William belongs to the Geologists Society, which is run by Mr Cameron, a
geology teacher from the local high school.
William loves nothing more than spending his weekends digging for fossils and classifying
rocks. He has quite a collection even though he is at least 20 years younger than most other
members of the Society. The adults in the group refer to him as ‘Professor William’ and when
they unearth a new find, ask for his opinion. They describe his level of knowledge as that of an
expert. He dreams of becoming an archaeologist or anthropologist (he is yet to decide!) and
has made some significant finds. William rushes through his homework in order to get on to
more interesting things. He sees school as a waste of time and ‘saves himself’ for his research.
He has a documented journal of his fossicking adventures and records in great detail what he
has discovered each trip. He also enjoys emailing the adults in his fossicking group, asking
questions and planning future trips.
Mrs McCarthy and Mr Cameron would have very different views of William. However, a
checklist of behaviours employed after seeing William engaged in his passion area of geology
and ancient civilisations would elicit a very different profile from his daily class work.
Therefore, it is crucial when using teacher nomination that you give students the opportunity
to engage in an area of advanced and complex content. You can then look for demonstrated
behaviours that indicate gifted characteristics. Students need to engage in challenging and
complex activities in order to demonstrate advanced thinking and complex reasoning. For
example, curiosity may only be evident when there is something to be curious about. Use of
14
 sophisticated humour may only manifest itself when children are given the opportunity to be
‘cleverly’ funny.
Merrick and Targett (2004) then provide an example of Merrick’s checklist completed for William from the
perspective of Mrs McCarthy:

15
Characteristic Positive behaviours Negative behaviours

Highly curious  Asks lots of questions  Asks inappropriate questions

Abstract thinker
Flexible thinker
Clever use of humour
Superior vocabulary
Advance reading
Retention of knowledge; fast
learner
Long attention span
Independent
High level of responsibility and
commitment
Strong feelings and opinions
Strong sense of justice
 Inquisitive
 Remembers details
 Makes generalisations
 Tests out ideas
 Employs a variety of
strategies to work
something out
 Enjoys ‘adult’ humour
 Gets teachers’ jokes
 Heightened involvement in
discussions
 Enjoys adult-like
discussions
 Reads widely
 Advanced vocabulary and
comprehension
 Moves beyond core
content and skills quickly
 Detailed recall of facts
 Concentrates and focuses
on an area of interest for a
long period of time
 Self-directed
 Focused on task in research
of study
 Sets attainable goals
 Learns to accept own
limitations
 Tolerant of peers in a group
 Listens to others
 Shows concern and interest
 Considers others’ points of
view
 Aware of others’ feelings
 empathises with those less
fortunate
 wants to ‘save the world’
 Poor group participant
 Easily diverted from task
 Questions others
 Questions authority
 Manipulates people and situations by
using a variety of strategies
 Uses humour at the expense of
others
 May be bossy or overbearing when
working with others
 Reads constantly
 Neglects peer interaction and work to
read
 Rushes work, then disrupts others
 Monopolises class discussions
 Easily distracted unless the task is an
area of passion or interest
 Reduced involvement in discussion or
group work
 Uncooperative in a group
 Self-critical
 Perfectionist when completing tasks
 Sets unrealistic expectations for other
group members
 Speaks out and lacks tact
 Over-reacts to others; comments and
reactions
 confrontational
 argues the rules in games
 frustration when others don’t play
exactly by the rules

16

Original and creative
High energy level
Immersion learner
 stands up for other children
who they think have been
poorly treated
 comes up with ideas ‘out of
the box’
 sees problems a s whole
 connects thoughts and
feelings
 wide variety of interests
 organises time well
 high level of individualised
learning
 wants to know everything
about a topic
 becomes an expert on a
topic by reading widely and
talking to people
 asks older children or adults to solve
issues seen as ‘unfair’
 unaccepting of status quo
 absent-minded or daydreamer
 asks unrelated questions
 disorganised
 often difficult to live with
 may appear hyperactive
 easily bored so seeks out new things
to explore
 focuses on topics of interest to them,
at the expense of classroom work
 shows off knowledge to prove others
wrong

Scoring the checklist:

How many positive behaviours are being displayed? 1
How many negative behaviours are being displayed? 11
Have you observed behaviours in more than 5 different behaviour boxes? YES
Which type of behaviour are you observing more? Positive or Negative? NEGATIVE
Conclusions:
William is displaying a majority of negative behaviours and should be evaluated further using other
identification mechanisms. This example hopefully illustrates how important it is to consider
underachievement in your identification protocols.

17
Nomination by parent or caregiver

Student’s name:___________________________ Year: ____________ Date ______________

Person completing this nomination:______________________ Relationship to student:_____________________

Characteristic Most of the Some of the Rarely

time time
Recalls facts easily

Expresses himself/herself fluently

Is always asking questions

Has a sense of humour

Finds unusual uses for things

Tends to lead/initiate activities

Is curious

Has long attention span

Is easily bored

Is an avid reader

Thinks logically

Mixes with older children and adults

Is impulsive

Is an independent learner

Is concerned about world issues

When did your child first begin to read? Is he/she self-taught?___________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

At what age did your child show an understanding of numbers, puzzles and patterns?________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

How many books and magazines would your child voluntarily read in a month?_____________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Does your child have any unusual interests? If xo, what are they?_________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

18
What types of television programs does our child like to watch?__________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Does your child have in interest in music? If so, what is he or she learning and what level has been attained?______

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

In what activities does your child participate outside school hours?_______________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

What hobbies and interests does your child have?_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Would you consider that your child has a particular problem or need that may affect his or her learning?_________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Please add any other information you may feel relevant to your child’s education.___________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

19
STUDENT: Self-nomination form

Name:___________________________ School: _____________________ Year: ___________ Date: _______

If you were given the chance to meet anyone in the past or present, whom would you like most to meet and
why?_________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your favourite subject?___________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you enjoy about this subject?_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you like to read? E.g. books, magazines, fiction, and non-fiction._________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
About how many books or magazines would you read each week?_______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

When you are not at school, what do you do?________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

What sort of things interest you? Do you know a lot about certain things? What are they?___________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

20
Professor François Gagné
Professor François Gagné is a French Canadian from Montreal, Quebec. He has a Ph.D. in Educational
Psychology. He is best known internationally for his theory of talent development, the Differentiated
Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT).
Professor Gagné has won major awards in the field of gifted education.

21
References

Merrick and Target, 2005. Module 2 – The Identification of Gifted Students

Gagné, F (2008). Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent
Betts and Neihart (1988). Profiles of the Gifted and Talented
Davis, G. A., & Rimm, S. B. (2004). Education of the Gifted and Talented
Gagné, F. (2004b). Transforming gifts into talents: the DMGT as a developmental theory
Linda Kreger Silverman (1993). Characteristics of giftedness
https://www.gigers.com/matthias/gifted/gagne_dmgt.html
https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/high-potential-and-
gifted-education/HPGE_Policy.pdf

22