Unlocking Giftedness: An Introduction to Giftedness for Teachers in India

Published in Kapur and Ghose (Editors), Dynamic Learning Spaces in Education 1st ed. 2018 Edition
Inderbir K Sandhu, PhD

Abstract

While research into gifted education in India stretches back to the 1960s, it has been isolated in certain locations and thus, India has been lagging behind other developing nations in this field.  Little is known about the efficacy of application and provision has also been scant. It appears that there has been an over-reliance on learning models and assessment tools transferred wholesale from western contexts, which may not be entirely applicable in the Indian education context. The main concern is a lack of awareness, interest, expertise and funding in this area. Therefore, this paper would attempt to introduce the basics and importance of understanding gifted education specifically for teachers, with emphasis on the scenario in Indian schools. The discussion would include universal definitions, characteristics of the gifted and possible problems associated with it, some misconceptions, identification, awareness in Indian schools, and curriculum for the gifted.  It is expected that this paper will serve as an eye-opener for teachers and educators across all levels.

Keywords: gifted, talented, gifted education, characteristics of gifted, problems of gifted, teacher training, awareness in India

It was found that while Indian gifted education research stretches back to the 1960s, it has been isolated in certain locations (namely Jnana Probhodhini, Pune and initiatives at Delhi University). Little is known about the efficacy of application and provision has also been scant. It appears that there has been an over-reliance on learning models and assessment tools transferred wholesale from western contexts, which is more suited for the western system of education and therefore, not entirely applicable in the Indian education context.

For teachers, at national level the NIAS (National Institute of Advanced Studies) Gifted Education project in Bangalore has been conducting a series of teacher workshops to train teachers in identifying and nurturing gifted children. A number of other training workshops are done privately. Nevertheless, in general it was found that in India, most teachers are not aware of the true meaning of giftedness let alone issues and challenges that come along with it. As crucial as it is for parents to understand giftedness, it is also important that teachers are aware and address the issues and challenges to enable gifted children develop to their full potential.

This paper would attempt introduce the basics and importance of understanding gifted education for teachers, with emphasis on the scenario in Indian schools. The discussion would include universal definitions, characteristics of the gifted and possible problems associated with it, some misconceptions, awareness in India, scenario in schools, and curriculum for the gifted.  It is expected that this paper will serve as an eye-opener for teachers across all grades, including early childhood.

Introduction and Definitions

Before going further, the term “gifted” should be looked into carefully. It is imperative that the term “gifted” is understood well as definitions provide a base for identification and recognition. It also provides the framework for gifted education programmes, and guide key decisions in designing a suitable curriculum for this special population. There is no universally accepted definition of giftedness and some are revised over time to suit the current needs.

A frequently used definition emerged from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). The NAGC in their Position Statement (2010) defined gifted individuals as 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).

One of the earlier definitions that is used as a base in most programmes is by J. R. Renzulli. Renzulli (1978) believed that gifted behaviour occurs when there is an interaction among three basic clusters of human traits: above-average general and/or specific abilities, high levels of task commitment (motivation), and high levels of creativity. Gifted and talented children are those who possess or are capable of developing this composite of traits and applying them to any potentially valuable area of human performance. As noted in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, gifted behaviours can be found “in certain people (not all people), at certain times (not all the time), and under certain circumstances (not all circumstances).”

According to Françoys Gagné (2003) gifted students are those whose potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the following domains of human ability: intellectual, creative, social and physical. Talented students are those whose skills are distinctly above average in one or more areas of human performance. The keyword here is potential. Gagné believes in the power of environmental factors, that being natively intelligent is not sufficient. More importantly, what is required along with the innate gift is support and guidance to achieve her/his gifted potential. This is where the importance of school and home together working to support and encourage gifted children becomes crucial.

Rather than holding strictly to one definition, educators prefer a multi-faceted definition of giftedness that includes children with exceptional capacity in one or more broad areas of skill. As such, some skill areas may present difficult measurement issues, particularly of capacity rather than achievement. Therefore, a good definition that takes into account various factors could conclude gifted children as one who performs, or rather has the capability and capacity to perform, which is clearly at the level significantly beyond his or her chronological aged peers. These individuals have an intellectual ability that is higher than the average. This gift is innate – not acquired or learnt. The abilities and characteristics would require special provisions and at the same time, socio-emotional support from everyone involved especially the family, the school and educational context. Within this constraint the top 2-5% of the population in one of the fields are generally regarded as gifted.

Characteristics of the Gifted

It should be noted that gifted children are so diverse that it is not possible to determine conclusively a set of characteristics that every gifted child would have. Having said that, there are many common characteristics shared by gifted children.

Characteristic traits are listed by six broad categories of giftedness such as general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative thinking and production, leadership, psychomotor ability, visual and performing arts. No child can possibly be gifted in all the six categories, but some may have gifts in more than one domain. Even within a specific category, they may be extremely capable in one aspect. For instance, within specific academic aptitude, students usually have one or two subjects that they excel in and are very passionate about. There are many lists of characteristics for the gifted but it should be noted that none of them are exhaustive and gifted children may only share some of them. Webb et.al (2007) listed some distinct characteristics that are commonly observed among gifted children such as:

• Unusual alertness, even in infancy
• Rapid learner; puts thoughts together quickly
• Excellent memory
• Unusually large vocabulary and complex sentence structure for age
• Advanced comprehension of word nuances, metaphors and abstract ideas
• Enjoys solving problems, especially with numbers and puzzles
• Often self-taught reading and writing skills as pre-schooler
• Deep, intense feelings and reactions
• Highly sensitive
• Thinking is abstract, complex, logical, and insightful
• Idealism and sense of justice at early age
• Concern with social and political issues and injustices
• Longer attention span and intense concentration
• Preoccupied with own thoughts—daydreamer
• Learn basic skills quickly and with little practice
• Asks probing questions
• Wide range of interests (or extreme focus in one area)
• Highly developed curiosity
• Interest in experimenting and doing things differently
• Puts idea or things together that are not typical
• Keen and/or unusual sense of humour
• Desire to organize people/things through games or complex schemas
• Vivid imaginations (and imaginary playmates when in preschool)

Some of these characteristics are more easily observable by parents as they are present and demonstrated when the child is very young, or before formal school age. In fact, it has been said that parents are best nominators of early giftedness in their child. However, teachers could lookout for a few more easily observable tendencies in the classroom. For instance, teachers would notice that these children tend to have advanced thinking and may see things differently than most their peers – sometimes even to the point of being ridiculous for the common man. When asked to explain (which may or may not happen), teachers would find that their thoughts do reflect deep thinking processes. This goes hand in hand with their unexpected, yet remarkable understanding of things well beyond their years. Unfortunately, this would only be possible if teachers are aware of what to look out for – in other words, if they have has some form of formal training.

Gifted children are also found to be more intense, sensitive, and driven than their peers. This could be explained by their overexcitabilities – a term coined by Dabrowski (1964), which could relate to the intensities faced by gifted individuals. Overexcitabilities (OEs) are inborn, heightened abilities to receive and respond to stimuli. They are expressed in increased sensitivity, awareness, and intensity. Each form of overexcitability points to a higher than average sensitivity of its receptors. As a result, a person endowed with different forms of overexcitability reacts with surprise, puzzlement to many things; he collides with things, persons, and events, which in turn brings him astonishment and disquietude (Dabrowski, 1964: 7).

Dabrowski listed 5 overexcitabilities: intellectual, imaginational, sensual, psychomotor and sensual. Intellectual overexcitability includes having a curious, questioning, and sharp mind. For instance, a child with intellectual overexcitability would ask questions, make the connections and arrives at such deep understanding that it would leave adults totally amazed. Imaginational overexcitability is fuelled by creativity. This child has a vivid imagination, a love of stories and fictional worlds. Teachers may find children with this overexcitability to be daydreaming, doodling, or staring into space (while their imagination is working overtime).

Those with sensual overexcitability would have heightened sensitivities and could receive far more input from their senses than expected. This I usually seen from their strong reactions to sounds, light, textures, or tastes. Reactions could be either positive or negative. With a positive reaction, the child would have a desire to continue experiencing a sensation, and with negative reaction, the child would avoid the stimuli. Children with psychomotor overexcitability are highly energetic and sometimes mistaken for ADHD. It might manifest as fidgety behaviour, rapid, excessive talking, and overactive physical behaviour. And the fifth, emotional overexcitability may appear to teachers as over-dramatization or attention seeking behaviours. These children tend to respond to a situation (be it joy or sadness) with deep intensity as compared to other children. This sensitivity could manifest as a strong compassion, empathy, and caring for others.

Many gifted individuals with intensities appear to have an ability to function as specialised and highly sensitive receptacles for incoming stimuli. They appear to see, hear, sense, feel, think, and imagine everything to a very high degree, which is somewhat almost completely invisible to others. Because of these intensely tuned perceptions, they can then create, innovate, perform, and astound. At the same time they can also suffer, feel pain very deeply and cause many to struggle, sometimes their entire lives, in coming to terms with them. This seems quite specific especially for the ones at the highest levels of ability.

However, it is important to emphasise that not all gifted or highly gifted individuals have overexcitabilities. Having said that, these overexcitabilities are found to be more noticeable in the gifted population than in the average population (Piechowski, 1991; Silverman, 1993; Tiller, 1999).

In addition to their intensity, these children often know much, or all of the school work in their grade and beyond. When the ability to master information is at a higher pace, they appear to have a tendency to get bored in the classroom. For the young gifted child, she or he may either manifest boredom by being disruptive or trying hard to fit in with the rest in order to gain acceptance, which may result in underperforming.

Possible Problems Associated with Characteristic Strengths of the Gifted

While the gifted have quite a few characteristics strengths that help them advance intellectually, they may also have potential problems due to those very strengths. Having these strengths can unfortunately make these individuals feel vastly different from others, and thus always in search of a way to fit in, which includes suppressing their gifts.

Some of these particularly common characteristics regarded as strengths but may come with possible problems are shown in the following table (Clark, 1992; Seagoe, 1974):

Adapted from Clark (1992) and Seagoe (1974)

Even though these characteristics are seldom inherently problematic by themselves, more often than not, a combination of these characteristics may lead to certain behavioural patterns such as uneven development, peer relations, excessive self criticism, perfectionism, avoidance of risk taking, multi potentiality and the gifted with disability.

In the classroom, a teacher who is not aware of problems associated with the gifted may simply assume that the child is being disruptive or has a learning disorder. The child may then be sent for counselling. The counsellor who may, again, be ignorant about such problems (and its implications) within the gifted population, would either use inappropriate interventions or label the child as having a pathological concern.

According to Webb et.al (2004), there are many gifted and talented children (and adults) who are being misdiagnosed by psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, and other health care professionals. The most common misdiagnoses are; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (OD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Mood Disorders such as Cyclothymic Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, Depression, and Bi-Polar Disorder. These common misdiagnoses stem from ignorance among professionals about specific social and emotional characteristics of gifted children that are then mistakenly assumed by these professionals to be signs of pathology, which is very unfortunate. Unfortunately, very few psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, or other health care professionals receive any training about characteristics of gifted children and adults, particularly behaviours of bright, creative persons that can sometimes resemble or conceal disorders. In the end of it all, while some gifted children are erroneously labelled and medicated for mental health disorders they do not have, others are unrecognised for learning or mental disorders they may have.

Even in situations where gifted children received a correct diagnosis, giftedness is still a factor that must be considered in the treatment plan. However it is common that teachers and counsellors typically overlook the giftedness component due to the lack of training and understanding.

Some Misconceptions about Gifted Children

One of the most common misconceptions is assuming that the gifted can breeze through the school system on their own and do not need help. However, undoubtedly even the best sportsperson in the world would need a coach to train and guide her or him to perform at their maximum ability. In the same vein, gifted students need guidance from teachers who are trained to handle, challenge and support them to fully develop their potential. The teacher plays a crucial role in supporting and nurturing their gifts and talents.

Another interesting myth about gifted children is the assumption that all children are gifted. It is true that all children have gifts but not all children are gifted. Being gifted does not connote good or better; it is a term used for students who have an advanced ability to retain and apply information in one or more areas based on the six broad category of giftedness. More importantly, it allows students to be identified for services that meet their unique learning needs.

It is also commonly assumed that gifted children are fine placed with others in the regular classroom. Teachers always try to challenge their students but may not understand the needs of gifted students and how best to meet their needs. A national study conducted by the Fordham Institute found that 58% of teachers have received no professional development focused on teaching academically advanced students in the past few years and 73% of teachers are in agreement that too often, the brightest minds are bored and under-challenged in mainstream schools. They are not given sufficient opportunity to thrive. This report confirms what many families have known: not all teachers are able to recognise and support gifted learners (Farkas, & Duffet, 2008).

Some educators wrongly assume that acceleration (such as early entrance to Kindergarten, grade skipping, or early exit) is not an option as it causes social and emotional problems with the gifted. Research has proven that most of these children are more comfortable with mentally similar peers who share their interest than they are with children the same age (Colangelo, et. al., 2004).  Hence, acceleration placement options should be considered for these students with a mentor to support their socio-emotional needs.

More often than not, students with disability (learning or physical) are taught by focussing on their weaknesses rather than their strengths. Therefore, a student who is gifted and has a disability is often assumed to need help with the disability only and the gifts may be ignored. In fact, a good number of these children (termed “twice-exceptional”) go undetected in regular classrooms because their disability and gifts mask each other, making them appear “average.” It is crucial to focus on these students’ abilities and allow them to have challenging curricula in addition to receiving help for their learning disability (Olenchak & Reis, 2002).

It is also common to assume that all gifted children thrive and a child that underachieves in school cannot be considered as gifted. Contrary to common stereotypes, giftedness is not synonymous with high academic achievement. The fact is that there may be a number of reasons leading to a gifted child performing poorly. Gifted children, who are usually expected to be the mature classroom leader, may not fit most gifted students. Some are the class clowns, the lonely awkward child in the back row, or even the troublemaker. An unchallenging and dull classroom situation can be very boring and eventually frustrating for a gifted child. This may cause them to lose interest, daydream, or distrust the school environment, which eventually leads to discontentment and negative thoughts toward school. Therefore, it is very important for the teacher to be able to recognise and cater for the needs of these students.

A real case example was found in one of the Indian international schools. Child A is highly above average in Math and performing decently in other areas apart from some social skills concerns. An intelligence test revealed a score of 130 (the cut-off point for gifted children for gifted education programme). Child A was taken seriously and subject acceleration was made possible for the first time in the school (based on a report made during consultation with the author). It was an excellent move as Child A was given an educational match for a subject the child was excelling by far in comparison to peers. Child B, on the other hand, had already skipped a grade and doing well enough but not excelling. However, child B has been very mischievous, gets black stars for behaviour and labelled as a “trouble-maker”. Teachers recognise that Child B is able to discuss issues at a different level but never given due credit. Neither teachers nor the school counsellors were able to understand Child B’s behaviour. Child B has an IQ of 146, much higher than the child that was “recognised”. There are many such examples. This clearly shows the lack of understanding amongst teachers and schools on gifted children. Only children who show excellence in school subjects are considered having high ability – not the underachievers or the ones doing averagely. This is happening in international schools, let alone public and local schools where “gifted children” (if the term is even accepted) are synonymous with high achievers and only then recognised and given attention. The rest would just slip and left to fend for themselves, often feeling dejected.

Other misconceptions are such as assuming gifted children will become eminent adults, one can learn and be trained to be gifted, some children become gifted because their parents push them at an early age, and so on. Most importantly, especially for teachers, it is crucial to be aware that such a population exists in every school. Being ignorant and misguided about this special group would only push them further within the cracks of a whole education system.

Methods of Identification

There is no single method to accurately identify gifted children apart from intelligence test. However, based on some form of objective assessment and by a combination careful, systematic and sensitive observation in the classroom, teachers will be able to build up a detailed picture of a student. From this, an objective judgement can be based upon.

However, various factors should be considered before making an assumption on a child’s gifts. Because giftedness is dynamic and not static, identification needs to occur gradually over time, with multiple opportunities for the child to exhibit gifts. Identification should be inclusive; which means it should be ensured that there is no bias towards the disadvantaged, racial, gender, cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds or even geographic location. It is best to employ a selection process that is flexible and continuous to allow time for recognition of gifts that may not stand out easily (especially in the talent domain). It is also important to have early identification in school as this clearly improves the likelihood that gifts will be nurtured and catered for.

Teachers may use information from various sources, which can help identify a student’s strengths and gifts. These are available from:

• Parents’ nomination especially for early giftedness (as teachers may have little information of the child).
• IQ tests (verbal and non-verbal; group/individual).
• Standardised tests (national assessments).
• School records, achievement tests (e.g. reading, mathematics).
• Anecdotal records – Interviews (parent/child/previous teacher/school counsellor).
• Identification checklists and rating scales.
• Portfolios and performances (collected over time).
• Peer nomination and/or self-nomination.

Nominations (be it teacher, parent, peer or self-nomination), when used with systematically and with care; can contribute to the identification process. However, more objective methods such as standardised tests of ability and achievement can be of greater value in forming a basis for identification. Due to their objective nature, when used together with other data, identification can improve significantly. A combination of methods must be used, as it is possible that some students of high ability may not be achieving to their potential.

In short, it is crucial not to view gifted students as a homogeneous group. These students clearly vary in the range of gifts and talents they exhibit and in their emotional, social and physical development.

Identifying Gifted Students Based On Their Profiles

Another very interesting method that can be employed in determining gifted students is by looking at their profiles and this can be done by teachers. Based on the definition of giftedness today which looks at gifted students in a much broader perspective, determines that there are different types of gifted students, not only high achievers. Therefore, teachers could use a profile called ‘The Profiles of the Gifted and Talented’ developed by Betts and Neihart (1988).  This profile was developed after several years of observations, interviews, and reviews of literature, and enables teachers to understand the cognitive, emotional and social needs of gifted students by looking closely at their feelings, behaviour, and needs.  Gifted students are distinguished by six different profiles that describe and compare the needs, feelings, and behaviour of gifted children.  The division of different types of gifted students enables one to see that gifted students come in various kinds, as opposed to the widely accepted stereotype gifted (the high-flyers and well adjusted).  This may be of help especially for teacher nomination, as teachers are apparently sensitive to multiple intelligences if they are exposed to a sufficient range of information about their students (Guskin, Peng, and Simon, 1992).  Hence, information on the types of gifted students that existed based on the profile would be able to help teachers nominate a wider range of students in the gifted circle, especially the atypically gifted.

The six types of giftedness includes the successful (Type 1), the challenging (Type 2), the underground (Type 3), the dropouts (Type 4), the double labelled (Type 5) and the autonomous learner (Type 6).  The summary of each of the profile is briefly discussed below.

The Type 1’s are the most easily identifiable, and may account for up to about 90% of the identified gifted students in schools.  They are the students who have learnt the system and are well adjusted to society with a generally high self-concepts.  They are obedient, display appropriate behaviour, and are high achievers, therefore, loved by parents and teachers.  However, they can also get bored at school and learn the system fast enough so as to use the minimum effort to get by.  They are also dependent on the system, thus less creative and imaginative, and lack autonomy.

The Type 2 gifted are the divergently gifted, who possess high levels of creativity.  They do not conform to the system and often have conflicts with teachers and parents.  They get frustrated, as the school system does not recognise their abilities.  They may be seen as disruptive in the classroom and often possess negative self-concepts, even though they are quite creative.  This is the group of gifted students who are at risk of dropping out of schools for unhealthy activities, like getting involved in drugs or exhibiting delinquent behaviour.

The Type 3’s refers to gifted students who deny their talents or hide their giftedness in order to feel more included with a non-gifted peer group.  They are generally middle school females, who are frequently insecure and anxious as their need to belong rise dramatically at that stage.  Their changing needs often conflicts with the expectations of parents and teachers.  These types appear to benefit from being accepted as they are at the time.

The Type 4 gifted are the angry and frustrated students whose needs have not been recognised for many years and they feel rejected in the system.  They express themselves by being depressed or withdrawn and responding defensively.  They are identified very late; therefore, they are bitter and resentful due to feelings of neglect and have very low self-esteem.  For these students, counselling is highly recommended.

Students identified as Type 5 are gifted students who are physically or emotionally handicapped in some way, or have a learning disability.  This group does not show behaviours of giftedness that can identify them in schools.  They show signs of stress, frustration, rejection, helplessness, or isolation.  They are also often impatient and critical with a low self-esteem.  These students are easily ignored as they are seen as average.  School systems seem to focus more on their weaknesses, and therefore fail to nurture their strengths.  In a study by Lafrance (1994), teacher respondents showed an awareness of creative thinking characteristics in children who were gifted but were, however, unaware of creative thinking characteristics in children who were learning disabled.  This shows that the Type 5 gifted students are at risk of not being identified at all.

Finally, the Type 6 gifted are the autonomous learners who have learnt to work effectively in the school system.  Unlike Type 1, they do not work for the system, but rather make the system work for them.  They are very successful, liked by parents, teachers and peers, and have a high self-concept with some leadership capacity within their surroundings.  They accept themselves and are risk takers, which goes well with their independent and self-directed nature.  They are also able to express their feelings, goals, and needs freely and appropriately (Betts & Neihart, 1988).

The reason for using this profile as a guideline to differentiate types of gifted students is to understand the different social and emotional needs of specified types in particular.  This is very helpful for identification purposes.  If teachers could use this profile as a guide when identifying gifted students in a classroom, they would probably not miss out the “at-risk” gifted, such as the challenging, the dropout, and the underground (Kaur, 2000).

The profile should be given out to teachers prior to identification to allow for some time in understanding the diversity of this special population. It is encouraged that teachers should use it as a theoretical base to identify gifted students as a whole.  The application of the approach will provide deeper and greater understanding of gifted students.

Awareness in India

As parents or educators for the very young, one may notice that some young children may have more advanced developmental milestones (e.g., sat, crawled, walked etc. earlier than age mates). They may speak early or when she or he spoke, it was in full, more sophisticated sentence that uses a larger vocabulary. They may be unusually curious, have long attention span, enjoys looking at books or being read to even before turning one. They may be extremely sensitive to the extent of being bothered by textures or clothing or its labels, certain kind of foods, or other tactile sensitivities. Other traits could be a great sense of humour, vivid imagination, uncanny ability with puzzles, may have a facility with numbers, concerned with justice and fairness, and prefer older companions.

These are key traits of a young gifted child (although not exhaustive) that makes them distinctly different from the rest at a very young age (refer to Characteristics of the Gifted). If one compared a child with other children of the same age and find that most of the above is true, one may be dealing with a gifted child. But, is there any preparation to handle such a child? More importantly, is there any awareness? Only with awareness comes understanding and then one can be trained to help these special children.

In India, this group of children has been neglected for years and to some extent parents and teachers are responsible for this due to lack of awareness. They have been left to fend for themselves as they are seen to be smarter than the rest so “they will breeze through or manage on their own”. That only applies to the ones who are achieving academically. The ones who have learnt to hide their gifts or have never had their gifts recognised and nurtured would just slip in the cracks of the system.

The socio-economic environment in India is debilitating for the majority of gifted children who make do within the mediocre school system, which is largely ill equipped to recognise these children, let alone nurture exceptional potential. Yet, some emerged in the previous generations such as tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and Maths prodigies S Ramanujan and Shakuntala Devi among others and today with more current names like Chandra Sekar Subramanian, Tathagat Avtar Tulsi, Sushma Verma, Budhia Singh, Akrit Jaiswal and many more. These are names that are recognised, therefore given the opportunities to shine. Unfortunately, these children were neither identified nor nurtured within the school system. These are just some names that probably made it by accident, rather than nurturance and therefore made headlines to glorify the children of India. What happens in ten to twenty year’s time? Would they make it to the world headlines? Hopefully yes, but probably not. If between 2 to 5 per cent of any given student population is believed to be gifted, imagine the number of brilliant children existing in India.

Gifted children differ from the average child in terms of their needs. Simply put, they are children who are performing beyond their chronological age. An example: Rishi, at 6 explains the differences between how helicopters and airplanes fly in a Show and Tell activity on transportation. At 4, Sara eagerly wants to help victims of a disaster in another country. Lisa, 5 gave up two boxes of her favourite toys to be distributed to underprivileged children in a shelter at Christmas. 5 year-old Amin asks in-depth questions about life and death. These are not common among children of those age groups.

The problem magnifies when these children are educationally treated similar with everyone else in the classroom. For instance, Arun, at 4 has mastered most kindergarten skills, especially reading as he starts kindergarten. While his teacher teaches sounds and pronunciation, he is already reading grade level books. He becomes bored as it is repetition – something gifted children get very frustrated with. He starts being disruptive and not paying attention to the teacher. He may do something else or disrupt other children in the classroom (to feed his hunger for knowledge or to get attention). Teacher gets annoyed, punishes him, calls the parents and labels him as a child with behavioural concerns. What do you think?

It is often assumed that children who are bright would love going to school as they enjoy learning. This is absolutely true; they do enjoy learning but only if learning matches their ability, only if learning stimulates and challenges them and only if learning is meaningful to them. Rick at 7 years of age, hated school and kept complaining about feeling tired all the time. Due to the fact that he is able to learn so quickly and grasp concepts easily, he became bored with rote learning and repetition. It became the case of a bright mind in a dull classroom. This is when he became disruptive (usually for boys due to high energy levels), starts doodling in his work sheets, has verbal outbursts or just sink into his own world and refused to do what others were doing. Teachers accused him of being disobedient, stubborn and spaced-out in class. This becomes a vicious cycle; and such kids will get labelled eventually. For teachers, if a child appears to be good in academics, she or he is expected to be good at everything else, an all-rounder. Unfortunately, this is not true for the case of gifted children – they are not advanced in every aspect.

It becomes harder when a child is gifted and at the same time, also has a disability (learning or physical), which is termed “twice exceptional” (refer to Some Misconceptions about Gifted Children). As discussed earlier, this is very possible – to have a disability and still be gifted. Giftedness can be combined with certain learning disability such as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), difficulties with visual processing, sensory processing disorder, spatial disorientation, dyslexia, and attention deficits. In most cases, their disability masks their ability and the focus is more often than not, on their weaknesses rather than their strengths.

As parents and teachers, we need to recognise these children, only then we are able to advocate for them, get them the necessary help they require. In India, due to the lack of resources this may be hard, but not impossible. Parents and teachers need to be aware if the traits discussed above are seen in children. There are developmental advancements that can be observed in early childhood but bear in mind that the child does not advance equally in all areas. A 6 year-old child who is able to explain aerodynamics to his peers may not even be able to hold a pencil well. Or a 7 year-old who talks about life and death still may have a problem tying her shoelaces. It is apparent that the higher the child’s IQ, the harder it is for the child to conform to the lock-step school curriculum. The larger the gap between the child’s strengths in comparison with peers, the harder it would be for the child to fit in. Children like this best fit in with other children of similar mental age group.

Parents along with teachers, educators, and counsellors/psychologists need to create an environment in which the gifted child is provided with opportunities that are best suited so their potential can be unleashed. Thus, parent advocacy is critical for gifted children’s emotional and academic development.

The Scenario in Schools

When schools and parents fail to identify and cater for the gifted, there is a risk of damaging individuals who may eventually be turned off by the rigid education they are forced to go through. This may cause some to burnout, opt out, and underachieve to the extent of dropping out. Thus, it would be such a shame to society and the nation as these are the children who could easily add value to society through their exceptional abilities. Unfortunately, they are not even recognised let alone nurtured.

Schools need to be aware that giftedness is not about a steady march in academic achievement through the top of the grade or exam scores. It should be noted that IQ scores do not automatically equate with achievement scores. When there is a clear discrepancy between IQ and achievement scores, the child needs to be given some attention, be it a gifted child or one with a learning disability.

In India, schools may neglect the needs of such students due to the lack of awareness and in a lot of cases, due to pressure on limited resources in terms of finances, time and trained staff. This brings implication for educators. Gifted children in schools are exceptionally capable learners who progress in learning at a significantly faster pace in comparison with their peers, often resulting in high levels of achievement. Such children are found in all walks of life and all segments of society. From early childhood, their optimal development requires differentiated educational experiences. Just as the individualised educational programme (IEP) is required for children with learning concerns, gifted children who are at the other end of the continuum also required such programmes. For the gifted, differentiated educational experiences would need adjustments in the level, depth, and pacing of curriculum and enrichment programmes to match their current levels of achievement and learning pace.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in India due to the diverse spread of population and the disparity in education. Therefore, some of the gifted individuals with exceptional aptitude may not demonstrate outstanding levels of achievement due to environmental circumstances such as limited opportunities to learn as a result of poverty, discrimination, or cultural barriers; due to physical or learning disabilities; or due to motivational or emotional problems. Identification of these students will need to emphasise aptitude rather than relying only on demonstrated achievement. Such students will need challenging programmes and additional support services if they are to develop their ability and realise optimal levels of performance (The National Association for Gifted Children, 2010).

Having said that, as mentioned earlier, it is fair to say that the existence of a gifted-like programme stretches back to the 1960s and has progressed very slowly since. A quick view of the timeline for any initiative in education for the gifted is as follows:

• 1962: Jnana Prabodhini Prashala in Pune (Mensa India was established here in 1976)
• 1963: National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) introduced by NCERT
• 1986: Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) – identifies and develop talented, bright and gifted children predominantly from rural areas
• 1994: Tribal Mensa Nurturing Programme
• 1998: Gifted Children Centre at Col. Satsangi’s Kiran Memorial School (CSKMS) Delhi. Conduct research on giftedness and spread awareness about the need to identify and nurture gifted children countrywide
• 1999: Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)
• 2008: Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)
• 2013: National Association of Gifted Education India (NAGE-India) renamed PRODIGY – Promoting Development of India’s Gifted Young (under the wing of National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)
  • Partners: Delhi University and Agastya Foundation

As seen in the timeline of the development of some initiative for the gifted, there is some progress made in India over the recent years especially by Mensa India with the Tribal Mensa Nurturing Programme that aims to identify, nurture and nourish giftedness among children from all caste, creed and social strata. It started in 1994 and has since expanded in many more tribal areas that are often neglected by the mainstream. Nevertheless, the age group for selection is 10-15 years due to various reasons but as with any other special needs, giftedness should be identified and nurtured as early as possible, preferable in the elementary years.

At the national level, the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) under their Promoting the Development of India’s Gifted Young programme (PRODIGY) established in January 2013, has attempted to develop a National program for identification and mentoring gifted children in science and mathematics (with Delhi University as their partner institute). Many other attempts are mainly made by private educational consultants which may not be accessible to most schools especially government schools.

There have been a lot of talks and debates about the importance of gifted education in India. However, real progress is yet to be seen. Most research in this area leads to more theories and recommendations but proper implementation of all the talk is still far from sight. It is very unfortunate that neither governments nor educationists have developed any formal programmes let alone a policy plan for nurturing this group of children in India. There is a lot of hype in private schools claiming to have programmes for the gifted population; however most are what is seen as “half-baked wholesale versions of Western models”. And with the diversity of the gifted population within a country alone, these programmes may not suit the needs or cater towards the development of gifted children. Not forgetting the effect of untrained teachers trying to deal with gifted children and eventually leading to both parties getting frustrated.

The importance of teacher training is crucial in recognising gifted children. A good example was a few training sessions done by the author for a few public schools. Firstly, it was a clear eye opener for teachers and teachers appreciated the knowledge of being aware that such children exist and yet it was not very difficult to recognise them. Secondly, at the end of the session there was hands-on work whereby the next day teachers were asked to present their assignment to recognise and identify if there are any such children in their classroom. They were to indicate the characteristics of the students they suspected might be gifted. It was a real eye opener and somewhat an emotional scene when some of the children identified were actually labelled negatively. Teachers became quite emotional and sensitised to the fact that we, as educators, need to recognise the diversity of children in the classroom and not to merely label them. This shows a pure lack of awareness and ignorance amongst teachers in India which may cause a loss of the brightest minds.

Nevertheless, it is a good sign that few people have started talking about gifted education in India, but when awareness is inadequate, parents unaware, and teachers untrained, the nation is missing out on an overwhelming number of gifted children who need help and have slipped due to focus on certain subjects (namely the sciences), age group, identification methods, lack of expertise, lack of guidance etc. Since teachers are the main contact with students, it is crucial that every teacher should be educated at the very basic level on gifted education and recognising gifted children to start awareness spread. This is only possible with nationwide teacher training.

Curriculum for the Gifted: An Overview

There are some academic challenges that are suitable for the gifted. It should be built on the unique characteristics, interests and needs of this targeted group. Most importantly, it should be differentiated and individualized to meet the needs of the gifted.

Differentiation refers to the preparation that is made for the curriculum to respond to the characteristic needs of gifted learners (for instance, allowing for a faster pace of learning and choosing themes and content that allow for more complex investigation). In short, differentiation allows for acceleration, complexity, depth, challenge and creativity. Individualization is the process of adapting that curriculum to the needs and interests of a particular gifted learner (e.g., compacting).

With the basis of differentiation and individualized curriculum, schools can meet the academic challenges required for gifted students with a number of other programmes. Acceleration is important to enable these students to learn at their own pace. Students can be accelerated across the year of within subjects.

Curriculum compacting especially in mainstream schools has been proven to work well for gifted students. This is a system designed to adapt the regular curriculum to meet the needs of gifted students by eliminating work that has been previously mastered and streamline it at a pace that matches with the student’s abilities. The rationale for using this method is because students experience repetition of content each year and know much of the regular curriculum content before actually learning it. In addition, the quality of textbooks does not drastically improved over the years. Compacting enables differentiation to occur and provides educational accountability for students by allowing modification of the pace of instruction and practice time.

Other effective methods that can be used are enrichment programmes outside school hours that enables students to learn beyond grade level material; mentoring/cross age tutoring where matching younger or older students with similar interests/abilities to enhance learning of both is done; independent negotiated programmes where students’ interest and skills determine the scale and scope of the project and negotiated with staff regarding resources, etc. There are also mentorships summer and Saturday programmes and competitions, gifted resource services (associations, support groups, etc.),

In an interview with NEA Today’s 1999, Howard Gardner (director of the Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, introduced the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983) said: “I don’t care what intelligence people have. I care whether they can do things we value in our culture. What good is it to know if you have an IQ of 90 or 130… if, in the end you can’t do anything?” Therefore, if there are gifted children out there, it must be made sure that they get the chance to do something fabulous simply because they are able to with some guide and nurturance”.

Concluding Note

The only way to get the ball rolling in a nation-wide attempt to identify gifted students in a regular classroom is to train teachers to identify them. In the Indian classroom scenario today, teachers still find it hard to accept students other than the high-achievers as potentially gifted.

In fact, teachers may feel threatened by the challenging behaviours of some of these students. Their reaction to these students may well be negative, for example to discourage questions being asked, especially with the gifted students who are also creative.  In fact, this is a common problem of gifted students, not only in India, but also in other cultures where teachers regard gifted students in classrooms as a threat.  This may eventually lead to frustration and the gifted children would be encouraged to gradually withdraw into a world of their own.

When across the world there has been heightened awareness about the importance of providing special education to gifted children, India should not be lagging behind or giving it any less importance. It is not very difficult to understand and nurture the gifted, nor it is hard to train teachers to help this population in every little way possible. All that is required is some basic awareness, which would lead to some level of understanding of who they are and what they need. Once teachers are able to understand these, they would also be able to look for ways and means to support their needs.

Having said that, understanding the gifted and making provisions for their needs continues to be a challenge for the vast majority of people. It would be even better if universities and colleges have a course that simply introduces gifted education for teachers-to-be as the first step of a nationwide awareness campaign. Every small step counts in a nation where the gifted have very little help. If the gifted population is better understood, it would surely be easier to get them the resources they need to grow, develop, thrive and be an asset to the entire nation.

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