Psychology 4003-63577
Writing Assignment # 4
Throughout centuries, gifted and talented people have been recognized by their societies, however formal education of gifted and talented students did not emerge until the late 19th century. At that time, the educational programs for students who would be considered gifted today were primarily modifications of, or additions to, the existing educational programs. The most recent federal definition of gifted and talented students was proposed in the 1993 report National Excellence: A Case for Developing America’s Talent. The U.S. Department of Education explained that children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment. This definition of giftedness is …show more content…
The prevalence estimate of 3-5% of the school population often is used and has not changed for several years. Gifted and talented students can exhibit a range of characteristics. They are often perfectionists and idealistic, and may experience heightened sensitivity to their own expectations and those of others. They typically show keen powers of observation and sense of the significant; they have an eye for important detail. Gifted students read a great deal on their own, preferring books and magazines written for children older than they are. They often have a large storehouse of information for about a variety of topics, which they can recall quickly. Gifted students generally have unusual talent in one or occasionally two areas. The six areas where they find giftedness is creative thinking, general intellectual ability, specific academic ability, leadership, psychomotor and visual/performing arts. No child will be gifted in all six areas, but some may be in more than one