Strategies for Nurturing Gifted Individuals
Gifted children are often associated with a high level of intelligence, which leads to a definition that characterizes a gifted child as one possessing exceptional general cognitive abilities and creative skills that set them apart from their peers, with an IQ score of 130 or above.
Parents and society play a crucial role in supporting gifted and talented individuals. To enable these individuals to reach their full potential, it is essential for the community to provide appropriate strategies for their development. Below, we outline the contributions of various community members in nurturing a gifted individual.
Role of Parents
Parents hold a significant responsibility in recognizing and supporting their gifted children at home. This support starts with engaging in interactions with their gifted children and creating a conducive learning environment. Additionally, collaboration with educational institutions to fulfill their specialized educational needs is vital to maximize their talents and abilities.
Role of Teachers
To fully harness the talents of gifted individuals, the community must first provide a quality, specialized educational environment. Teachers are pivotal in this respect, as they assist gifted students in developing their skills and talents in partnership with parents. Due to the advanced cognitive and intellectual capabilities of these children, teaching them can often be challenging. Therefore, teachers need to possess the necessary skills to address the unique needs of gifted students, which may sometimes require employing acceleration strategies.
Effective Approaches for Engaging Gifted Children
There are several methods that parents and educators can utilize to motivate gifted children, helping them focus and remain engaged in the classroom while avoiding boredom. Some of these strategies include:
- Respecting Their Interests: Each gifted child tends to have a specific area of interest. If parents fail to validate this interest, it may dampen the child’s motivation and talent. Thus, encouraging exploration without imposing strict guidelines is essential. For instance, asking the child to learn something new and then teach it back to you fosters creativity and confidence.
- Enhancing Their Talents: When a child shows a keen interest in a particular subject, parents should aid in cultivating their skills. This can be accomplished by introducing them to researchers in their field or encouraging visits to libraries to broaden their knowledge.
- Challenging Them with Advanced Material: One effective method for engaging gifted and advanced children is to introduce them to more challenging content than their peers. For example, teachers might provide these students with unique topics for discussion that differ from those of their classmates, or they may utilize the gifted student’s abilities to assist their peers.
Characteristics of Gifted Employees
Gifted employees often possess several defining characteristics in the workplace, including:
- Eager to Acquire New Skills: Gifted individuals consistently strive to develop themselves by acquiring new skills beneficial to both their organization and personal growth.
- Innovative Thinkers: These employees frequently generate unique and creative ideas, often working on tasks in inventive ways without needing explicit instructions.
- Resilient Under Pressure: Gifted workers can navigate various pressures effectively, occasionally channeling stress into creativity and innovative solutions.
- Positive Outlook: Unlike average employees who may succumb to negative emotions at work, gifted individuals tend to foster a positive environment, enhancing overall workplace morale.
References
- ↑ “Gifted child,” www.britannica.com, Retrieved 13/3/2019. Edited.
- ↑ “Supporting Gifted Children,” www.nagc.org, Retrieved 13/3/2019. Edited.
- ↑ “How to Motivate Gifted Children,” www.wikihow.mom, Retrieved 13/3/2019. Edited.
- ↑ Justin Reynolds (1-03-2017), “20 Characteristics of High-Potential Employees,” www.tinypulse.com, Retrieved 13-03-2019. Edited.