• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

January 7, 2022 Instruction & Curriculum

The Gifted Child Checklist: They Come in All Varieties

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About TER Staff

The Educator's Room is a daily website dedicated to showing that teachers are the experts in education. If you are interested in submitting a piece for publication, please send a draft to info@theeducatorsroom.com.
  • Under a new federal bill, teachers would make a minimum salary of $60,000 - December 17, 2022
  • Redefining in loco parentis: What does it mean to care for Black children? - October 5, 2022
  • Quinta Brunson + ABC Network Sued For Copyright Infringement For Television Show ‘Abbott Elementary’ - July 18, 2022
  • We Crowdsourced What Teachers Said Can Stop Gun Violence in Schools - May 27, 2022
  • Weird News: Why Are People Asking Quinta Brunson To Do a 'School Shooting' Episode? - May 25, 2022
  • After Another School Shooting, No More Words. - May 25, 2022
  • Teacher Appreciation Week Deals 2022 - May 2, 2022
  • Abbott Elementary When Discretionary Funds Are On the Line - April 6, 2022
  • Abbott Elementary Tackles Tik Tok Challenges - April 6, 2022
  • The Dangerous Suppression of “Don’t Say Gay” - March 23, 2022

The common theory is that high achieving students are the students that need the enrichment of gifted education classes.  When, in reality,  gifted kids come in all varieties. 

First, a little background: I was a gifted education kid, my daughter is a gifted education kid, and now I’m earning my certification in gifted education.

I’ve been a teacher for 17 years, and as I studied the traits of a gifted student - beyond academic achievement - it was a wake-up call. These “new to me” traits of a gifted student have now become a checklist for me as a teacher and as a parent for my daughter.

The Gifted Child Checklist: They Come in All Varieties Click To Tweet

Need for Perfection - Check.

The compulsion for a Certain Topic - Check.

Strong Sense of Curiosity - Check. 

This is for all the teachers out there that have never been given a ‘checklist’ of what gifted education actually looks like.

Ability to Comprehend Material Several Grade Levels Above their Age Peers: The ability to work grade levels beyond their current grade level, and their peers of the same age, can be attributed to the student’s ability to make higher-level connections to the subject matter, the students being able to analyze the material at a more advanced level, and the possibility of extra background knowledge. (example: understanding economic decline when talking about 9/11 and the aftereffects)

Enthusiastic About Unique Interests and Topics: Gifted students may exhibit interests in unique or above grade level subjects.  This might be due to their advanced creativity, imagination, level of reading (exposure to more advanced topics), or exposure to enrichment lessons. (example: extremely high interest and knowledge in mythology) 

Creative Problem Solving: Gifted students show more creative ways of problem-solving due to their ability to think “outside the box.” They typically have more creative and unique interests, which means that their exposure to more creative thinking and problem solving is enhanced. (example: creating a roller coaster for engineering, and working from the top down rather than building from the bottom up)

Absorbs Information Quickly: Gifted and High Achieving students rarely need any repetition in their lessons or practice.  These students are able to grasp new concepts quickly, and apply this new knowledge easily. (example: 1st grader overhearing an older grade lesson on area, and applying that knowledge accurately to benchmark testing)

Aware of World Issues: Gifted and High Achieving students typically show more knowledge of world issues including current events, politics and economic issues.  These students also show an interest in expanding their understanding of these subjects.  (example: knowledge of North and South Korea political situation)

Need for Precision: Gifted and High Achieving students tend to show a need for perfection and concern that their best work isn’t good enough.  (example: asking to redo lessons when there is a single mistake in punctuation) 

Emotional Depth: Gifted students may show an advanced level of emotional depth or understanding for others' needs.  They may also exhibit more compassion. (example: recognizing and connecting to a peer when they do not succeed in a task) 

Strong Sense of Curiosity: Gifted students will have a high level of curiosity, and a need to understand the big picture. Or, to know all that is going on around them as a sense of security. (example: hearing part of a conversation and needing to have a summary of what the conversation entailed) 

Quirky Sense of Humor: Gifted students will have a quirky or different sense of humor. Their sense of humor will most likely be more advanced than their peers, or they may struggle to find the humor in more “simple” puns or riddles. 

Divergent Interests: Gifted students tend to have a high interest in similar themes.  For example, they may be fascinated with sea life - and therefore have extended knowledge of the oceans, ocean animals, and the ecosystems of the sea. 

Tendency to Complexity: Gifted students tend to make more out of a simple issue than is necessary.  For example, they may overcomplicate a simple math equation or find themselves overanalyzing a common problem/solution. 

Shelley Kress is in her 17th year teaching.  She taught middle school for 9 years before transitioning to elementary school.  She has been recognized as a Heart of Education nominee and finalist, received the Feature a Teacher Award in 2017, and was profiled on Teacher Tuesday in 2018. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Middle Education, a Masters of Education Degree in Early Childhood Education, a Certification in TESL education, and is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher.  She resides in Las Vegas, NV with her husband and three young children.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

The Dilution of Gifted Programs It Starts at Home:What Parents Can Do to Support Their High School Students in Advanced Mathematics (Part 2: In and Out-of-School Strategies) Default ThumbnailThe Importance of a Strike: The Chicago Edition How to Apply The New American Lecture to Mathematics
« A Teacher Lost in the Dust
We Don't Want Schools Shut Down, But We Can't Solve the COVID Pandemic »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.