Gifted Children

Diary - Page2

For Starters

Some schools also arrange enrichment workshops on weekends. These are forthrightly aimed at "gifted and talented students" and, therefore, can be a bit daunting if you're undecided. But if a particular workshop looks interesting to your child, then go for it - if necessary, you can "pretend" your kid is gifted, just for that day. My son attended such a workshop and nobody asked any questions. You don't have to somehow "prove" that your kid belongs there. Interest and passion are the keywords here. If your kid is passionate about dinosaurs, then a paleontological workshop is on.

Another note of caution. It's not uncommon for gifted children to dislike school (OK, that may be the understatement of the year). Certainly, in our case, we passed by opportunities because Theo couldn't stand the thought of going to school on a Saturday. As we were to find out, weekend enrichment workshops don't have the same feel as regular school. They are structured to be more fun, more flexible, etc. You may need to reassure your kid that this won't be just more school, just more of the same old thing. It may turn out to be boring after all, but it's worth a try, at least once. (If you like, check out more details of our experience with an Enrichment Day.)

The other really valuable resource to exploit is the world of contests, competitions, tournaments, etc. Here in Australia, we've gained a good deal from the competitions run by the UNSW-ETC (University of New South Wales, Educational Testing Centre). My son did very well in their Computing Studies competition and this achievement did wonders for his self-confidence. In fact, it was a defining moment. We really accepted the "gifted" label after that, while still having reservations about the full "academically gifted" label (for reasons discussed back at the Distinctions page).

So, do get into these things. They're relatively inexpensive and don't demand any firm commitment to the "gifted" concept. Oh, and they're also a lot of fun.

GERRIC

Last year (1998), GERRIC ran an inaugural Australian Primary Talent Search (or APTS), using an EXPLORE test designed for Year 8 students but converted to an off-level test for gifted students from Years 3 to 6. Theo participated in this and I remember thinking, when he went into the testing centre: "What a joke this is! Theo doesn't belong with all these academic kids. Still, GERRIC let him in, so we might as well see how it goes."

Well, he did very well in the end. So - surprise, surprise - a Talent Search can actually discover talent after all! Cynicism is a healthy sentiment in its place, but it's always a good idea to allow at least a little room for faith in (whatever) the system.

I have to add a bit of criticism here, however. When the APTS-EXPLORE results arrived they were accompanied by an "Interpretation Guide" prepared jointly by GERRIC and the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. At one point (p.6), the Guide offers the following advice:

"Extremely talented students, those who scored above the 50th percentile on EXPLORE, should consider the options at the top of the Pyramid as well as those at the base of the list."
(The Pyramid in question has options at the top like acceleration and early entry to university. Options at the bottom include enrichment and competitions.)

My gripes about the statement quoted above are two-fold:

• There is no distinction made relating to the student's grade or Year at school: it is surely more telling to score over the 50th percentile (in a Year 8 test) if you're currently in Year 4 as compared to being currently in Year 6.

• More importantly, I strongly question the use of the word "extremely" in this context. (See my notes on degrees of giftedness under Distinctions.) The term, if it has any meaning, should relate to the top 0.1% of school students. Given the entry requirements to participate in the APTS-EXPLORE test (top 5% in any one school subject area), I estimate that 10-15% of the school population was eligible. Roughly half of the participants did indeed score over the 50th percentile. My arithmetic suggests that they represent the top 5% of students overall, maybe the top 2% if you really strain credulity. From other sources, I know that my son (who also scored over the 50th percentile) can only be classified as moderately academically gifted. So, I can't help but draw the conclusion that the Guide was grossly exaggerating when using the word "extremely". Such exaggeration is ultimately counter-productive.

For all these gripes about the Guide, the APTS was highly beneficial for my son and led to greater clarity about his academic strengths and weaknesses. Most of all, it led to my son feeling that he definitely belonged with that group of "gifted" kids.

GERRIC also runs holiday workshops which are much in demand. We applied for these twice and were knocked back - sometimes, you do just have to keep on trying. On our third attempt, Theo was accepted and attended a workshop in the July 1999 school holidays. I've reported on this workshop more fully on its own page.

OC classes and selective schools

It's important to understand that these selection processes are fairly specialised. They favour children with well-rounded abilities. In fact, they are very likely to miss the passionate, single-minded proto-genius described by Winner under my Definitions. It is really very important this, to not despair if your kid doesn't get into one of these classes/schools.

The way I look at it is this: the tests provide a particularly shaped sieve that lets some students through and not others. If my child fails to get through, that's fine. (S)he'll stay among kids of like mind. If (s)he succeeds, that's also fine. (S)he'll join others of like mind. In other words, make the most of what's on offer - for now. There isn't time to change the world or the selection system - not in time for this kid's educational progress.

But for all that, it's still worth reflecting on these things, supporting research efforts into giftedness and types of intelligence, and lobbying for more recognition of a wider variety of giftedness. Even a wider variety of so-called "academic" giftedness.

And if your kid doesn't make it into a special class or school, it's even more important to uphold your own authority on your kid's giftedness. It is definitely NOT some sort of "sign" that you were wrong about your kid all along. No humanly designed test or selection process can ever get it right all the time. We're just not made that perfect.

Well, that's it for now. Do please send me an email if you have any comments on these pages. I'll try to post these up on a special page, so please indicate whether you would mind about that.