EXCPETIONAL LEARNERS: GIFTED STUDENTS CHALLENGED WITH SPECIAL CLASSES

What is the difference between a superior student and a gifted learner?

Ingenuity, creativity, passion and a need to know.

Students with a "gift" for learning in Cape Girardeau public schools are allowed to participate in Challenge classes from the first through the 12th grades. The students chosen for the gifted learning program are distinguished from superior students through a variety of intelligence, academic and creativity tests.

"We're serving all of the kindergartens and trying to create a site in which we can solicit those natural behaviors that intimate giftedness," said Betty Chong, the school district's director of special services. "All of our classes are pull-out programs except the high school, which is set up with honors classes."

Few people understand what a gifted learner is. A student who is strong in academics is not necessarily gifted. They generally study hard and make excellent grades but don't necessarily show a creative flair in gathering or applying of information. On the other hand, a gifted student might not study as hard and could make high, average or even low grades, Chong said.

"I think a lot of people have difficulty with the difference between a superior student and a gifted student," she said. "We have a lot of 'A' students who learn well, but the difference might be in how they apply information. There are a lot of ways to measure children rather than a lot of testing."

Cape Girardeau has participated in the Seeing Exceptional Ability Recognized in Children (SEARCH) gifted learning project for two years. Unlike the Challenge program that uses standardized tests, SEARCH uses a review of classroom performance to determine gifted students who might be hampered academically by social and economic factors. The school uses the two programs to identify as many gifted learners as possible.

"We're using lessons within the curriculum that we think can be used to solicit those behaviors we think are more common in gifted children," she said. "It's an enrichment program in the sense that they've already shown natural creative ability but it hasn't been developed."

The school looks for possibly gifted learners in kindergarten classes. Students are actually identified beginning in the first grade, and they might begin participating in the program at that point, Chong said. Teachers develop special classes around their students' interests.

Emily Limbaugh, who oversees the program at the junior high, said her students come into classes several hours a week to work on individual goals or special projects, like photography and architecture.

"I fix up a schedule and offer it several hours throughout the week," she said. "The students can work on an individual goal, and some of them have a drama group or a writing group. We also have several students interested in photography, and I have two groups interested in architecture who are designing a house."

Limbaugh said some of the students also attend a special English class she teaches. They have the same curriculum as other students, but they complete the weekly coursework in four days instead of five. The fifth day is spent on projects designed to develop critical thinking.

"It's fun teaching these students because their ideas are so out of the ordinary," Limbaugh said. "The ideas they develop sometimes are extraordinary, and it's interesting watching to see what they'll do with them."

QUALITIES OF A GIFTED STUDENT

A gifted student exhibits one or more of these qualities.

Exceptional Learner:

(acquisition and retention of knowledge)

exceptional memory

learns quickly and easily

advanced understanding

Exceptional User:

(application and comprehension of knowledge)

exceptional use of knowledge

advanced use of symbol systems

demands a reason

reasons well

Exceptional Generator:

(creator of knowledge)

highly creative

atypical thinking

self-expressive

keen sense of humor

curiosity

Exceptional Motivation:

(pursuer of knowledge)

perfectionism

initiation

reflective

long attention span

leadership

intensity

Differences between bright students and gifted students

Bright Child:

Knows the answers, is interested, is attentive, has good ideas, works hard, answers the questions, top group, listens with interest, learns with ease, 6-8 repetitions for mastery, understands ideas, enjoys peers, grasps the meaning, completes assignments, is receptive, copies accurately, enjoys school, absorbs information, technician, good memorizer, enjoys straightforward, sequential presentation, is alert, is pleased with own learning.

Gifted Learner:

Asks the questions, is highly curious, is mentally and physically involved, has wild, silly ideas, plays around, yet tests well, discusses in detail, elaborates, beyond the group, shows strong feelings and opinions, already knows, 1-2 repetitions for mastery, constructs abstractions, prefers adults, draws inferences, initiates projects, is intense, creates a new design, enjoys learning, manipulates information, inventor, good guesser, thrives on complexity, is keenly observant, is highly self-critical.