EN 1

What is Gifted? Definition Essay

In many cases, there comes a time in ones life when he or she realizes that they were
given a special ability to do something. For some, that realization may occur at a young age, such
as by picking up an instrument and playing wonderful compositions of music completely by ear.
It may also come in school, when a student excels at math or has high reading comprehension. It
can even come when a person has immaculate visual-spatial organization skills and becomes a
renowned architect or artist.
In some cases however, educators overlook many students special abilities, or gifts,
because they do not fall under the American education systems definition of gifted. Typically,
it is defined as being smart, capable, skilled, and intelligent. However, being truly gifted goes
beyond all of these definitions. It is more than just being smart. In the words of author Gary
Hopkins, Consider for a moment that when you see someone as being gifted, it is out of a
belief that whatever it is that they do, would be impossible for you to do. You should also
consider that maybe their gift, is nothing more than an undeveloped skill in you. The previous
sentence seems to impose a question: is each person capable of attaining their own level of
giftedness in a way unique to themselves? All children are gifted in their own way, and they each
need to be taught with a learning plan that works for them, but highly gifted individuals have a
different sort of potential that educators need to recognize in order for the individuals to succeed.
Gifted children have different learning needs than other students. Their most obvious
difference is their usage of different language than students at their age level. They may develop
an advanced vocabulary simply from listening to their parents or from reading high-level books.
They are also able to reason abstractly and make broad connections. During a 1993 study
conducted by M.U.M. Gross, an exceptionally gifted 9-year-old child with an identified IQ of
EN 2

over 200 was able to understand and provide an explanation of a complex analogy. In another
study, gifted children also showed that they were able to solve complex problems by taking their
own approach and independently working out a solution rather than being explicitly taught how
to do it with a teacher.
A child will develop in four different areas as they age. These include physical, cognitive,
social, and emotional. While these attributes develop similarly in average students, the rates of
development in a gifted student can differ vastly. The physical and social domains may develop
at the same rate or more slowly, while the cognitive and emotional domains develop much faster.
Their learning needs are different because they think differently than other students, and they are
not challenged by average classroom curriculums. Sometimes gifted children know more than
half the curriculum for their age by the time their school year begins, so it is important for them
to learn in an environment in which they are able to grow intellectually. However, in order for
them to receive this kind of advanced education, they need to be recognized as gifted at an
early age so that their school can formulate an individualized plan.
Before a child is even in school, their parents may begin to notice signs that their child is
gifted. While some educators believe a child is gifted after scoring high in a set of different areas
such as standardized IQ tests; standardized achievement tests; standardized behavioral
checklists; teacher ratings and observations; and grades, (Lewis) they can exhibit signs of
giftedness as early as infancy. They may appear unusually alert or fuss easily, and their attention
shifts quickly due to an innate need to learn new information. This is because they are easily
bored by the same surroundings. They also tend to walk at an early age, and they may speak in
complete sentences shortly after speaking for the first time.
EN 3

When a child reaches school age, they are administered an IQ test. While this method of
testing is not completely flawless, these tests are arguably the best tool schools have to find kids
who learn differently. (Palmer). They measure frequently used abilities in the classroom such as
problem solving and memorization, and kids who score well are thought to be gifted. However,
after this sort of testing, another issue arises. Gifted kids are very different from one another,
being polar opposites in terms of sociality, academics, focus levels, and behavior at school. In
some cases, individuals may be denied access to a gifted and talented program because of their
inattentiveness in class. These children may be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD purely because
they cannot hold their attention for a long time. However, they might excel at something outside
the reach of the schools test and have an exceptional aptitude for something not measured in
standard IQ tests, like computer technology or emotional awareness.
Gifted children are also especially hard to differentiate from students that are simply
bright; however, there are some notable differences between the two. For example, a bright
student may work very hard to achieve and maintain exemplary grades, but a gifted student can
be inattentive in class and still score well on tests. Bright students memorize material, but gifted
students can often infer the correct answer based on information they already know. Finally,
gifted children are very critical of themselves and tend to be perfectionists, while bright children
are content with doing only what the teacher wants, even if they can do better. Grades do not
necessarily distinguish a child because bright children can maintain good grades, while a highly
gifted child can get either very poor grades or very good grades. Oftentimes, the gifted child with
poor grades does not turn in work out of fear of being less than their idea of perfect. Gifted
individuals learn completely differently than average students, and therefore, they need to be
fitted with a curriculum called an Individualized Education Plan.
EN 4

Treating gifted children as individuals using the Individualized Education Plan is very
important. Most classrooms teach classically, which is simply teaching set requirements and
forcing students to regurgitate the information told to them. However, most gifted students will
perform at their pinnacle when taught through a method of self-discovery. This process involves
asking oneself a set of questions until he or she reaches a uniquely personal explanation of the
given topic. This type of learning is important to a gifted child because it allows them to apply
their own thought processes and methods of problem solving. It allows them to think creatively
and identify their own means of finding an answer.
While average students are content with a simple answer given to them, gifted children
are content only when they feel that they have reached their own conclusion that answers all of
their questions. These personal resolutions to problems allow gifted students to receive the kind
of stimulating education they need to ensure that they reach their full potential, allowing them to
make important contributions to their society. Educational psychologist Joyce Juntune says,
Sometimes we forget its our legal duty to find students who have the capability of high
performance. The law does not say they are already high performing when we find them. It says
we need to find the students with the capability for high performance. Gifted students are like
raw ore and we have 12 years to refine them. (Responsive Learning).
As Irving Berger, the chairman of IBM, once said, The emerging era is characterized by
the collaborative innovation of many people working in gifted communities, just as innovation in
the industrial era was characterized by individual genius. Gifted students have an aptitude to
create new technology, and they will be the ones who outline our future. Because of the potential
for gifted students to fill this increasing demand for innovators, educators in the United States
need to emphasize and meet the needs of these students. Instead of focusing their time on
EN 5

insuring that gifted children are being intellectually stimulated, most teachers have to spend extra
time getting the lower-achieving students caught up. Each student needs to be able to reach their
full potential, and truly gifted students need to be taught with an active, engaging curriculum that
will help them to grow as a scholar.
In most cases, gifted students go on to become scientists and engineers because of their
advanced ability to creatively invent new ideas and solve current issues. These people are the
backbones of our society, which is why education systems for gifted students are so important.
However, U.S. students have not been prepared to compete with international students for seats
in our most prestigious universities that produce the future scientists, mathematicians, and
engineers. In order to ensure the pipeline of talent that the U.S. requires in the decades to come,
there must be a renewed commitment to develop and encourage advanced math and science
talent in K-12 classrooms with challenging curriculum taught by teachers who understand the
educational needs of advanced learners and who have backgrounds in the fields they teach.
(NAGC). Those who are gifted need to be stimulated enough and challenged at a young age so
that they are inclined to go on and become important individuals. In order for the United States
to compete with other nations in terms of science and technology, our education system needs to
stress the importance of programs for those who are gifted.

EN 6

Works Cited
Amend Psychological Services. "Characteristics of Gifted Children: A Closer Look." Amend
Psychological Services. Amend Psychological Services, 2008. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Bainbridge, Carol. "The Building Blocks of the Gifted Identity." About.com Gifted Children.
About.com, 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Bainbridge, Carol. "Characteristics of Young Gifted Children." About.com Gifted Children.
About.com, 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Dictionary.com. "Define Gifted at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 2014.
Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Fliess, Sue D. "Bright vs. Gifted: Is There a Difference?" Education.com. Education.com, Inc.,
17 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
Korbey, Holly. "Is It Time to Redefine Gifted and Talented?" MindShift. KQED Inc., 16 Sept.
2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Lewis, Mark, Ph.D. "How Do Schools Test for 'Giftedness?'" Piedmont Parent Magazine.
Carolina Parenting, Inc., 1 Aug. 2006. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Lovecky, Deirdre V. "Exceptionally Gifted Children: Different Minds SENG." SENG.
Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted, 1994. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
NAGC. "Pipeline of STEM Talent." NAGC. National Association for Gifted Children, 2008.
Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
NAGC. "Why We Should Advocate for Gifted and Talented Students." NAGC. National
Association for Gifted Children, 2008. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
NSGT. "Giftedness Defined." NSGT - Giftedness Defined. National Society for the Gifted and
Talented, 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
EN 7

Palmer, David, Ph.D. "How Schools Decide a Kid Is Gifted." MetroKids. MetroKids Magazine,
2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Responsive Learning. "Why Are Gifted Students Different And What Does That Mean For Us
As Educators." Responsive Learning. Responsive Learning, 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Singam, Kumar. "Top Five Facts about Gifted and Talented Education." Examiner.com. Clarity
Digital Group LLC., 28 Nov. 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Swift, Jackie. "Just What Is Gifted and Talented?" TheGuardian.com. Guardian News and
Media, 09 May 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.