Students from low socio-economic backgrounds
Many gifted and talented students come from low socio-economic backgrounds and experience varying degrees and forms of educational disadvantage.
Identification
Early identification may be difficult but is necessary to prevent escalating educational disadvantage. In identifying these students, mainstream checklist items often become irrelevant because students display some of the following characteristics that are typical for their other age mates:
- Learning performance shows weakness in school knowledge and vocabulary
- Interest in, and enjoyment of, a range of reading material may not be evident
- Problem solving activities may indicate a preference for a different learning style
- Students often prefer visual to auditory learning strategies.
- Self-motivation for task completion is less evident.
However, some behaviours that students display may give classroom teachers cues for making further investigations about the ability of students. Students may demonstrate:
- A special talent instead of a general talent.
- Outstanding creativity.
- Curiosity, an ability to generate new ideas or the provision of clever solutions to problems.
- Observation and outstanding memory
- A sense of humour and flexibility in thinking
- Ability to think systematically and logically
- Leadership among their low socio-economic peers outside the classroom and school.
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Provision
Provision of exciting challenging situations in a student's area of interest will assist him or her to display talent.
Provision should also consider:
- encouraging students to value individual differences and accept unique ability;
- enrichment from as early age as possible;
- encouraging student's strengths;
- developing creativity and leadership;
- relating to real needs;
- use of group work;
- use of role models;
- emphasis on steps in problem solving.