Education World- Steve Haberlin
“The U.S. Department of Education has attempted to define “giftedness” as has the National Association for Gifted Children. Individual states have their own definitions. Gifted education researchers have proposed their versions. For example, Dr. Joseph Renzulli broke from the traditional approach of defining gifted merely based on high intelligence scores and defined it as the intersection of task commitment, creativity, and above-average ability. Yet, I never felt satisfied with the majority of these definitions. Most define giftedness based on outstanding ability and/or performance, excellence in particular subjects or areas, or high intellect. They never get to the heart of the matter. Then, I read gifted education pioneer Annemarie Roeper’s definition and it stuck. She described giftedness in a manner that aligned with my experiences with these children (side note: since the quote was published in 1982, I’m very aware my topic is not cutting-edge or breaking news, but I think it’s worth resurfacing since some educators may not be aware of it). They are more aware, more sensitive, and have a greater ability to understand. They are not necessarily math experts or scholars, in fact, many underachieve in school. Rather, I believe gifted individuals are “wired” differently. They think differently; they process the world differently; they experience differently—therefore, they have different needs both inside and outside the classroom.”(more)