Gifted programs and services: what are the nonnegotiables?

Other activities which involve the community include mentorships and internships. The former involves selecting an individual who can serve as a role model to a student and establishing a one-on-one relationship. This connection helps a student understand how an adult mentor experiences and processes the world, with the relationship built on some area of mutual interest. Internships or job-shadowing opportunities involve placements in community settings, usually for a period from 2 weeks to a full term, depending on the situation. The purpose is to help the student explore the real world, and to see the work habits and task demands that accompany certain professions. Both of these alternatives are highly relevant for gifted students, particularly for the extremely gifted child or adolescent who may feel very different from the norm and may have time available to explore different work environments or career options as a result of program or content acceleration. Mentorships and internship opportunities are most common in scientific research settings, although museums and governmental offices are prime placements as well, depending on the interests and aptitudes of students.

Conclusion

All of these nonnegotiable options are crucial to the development of talent, but rarely can be accomplished by the schools alone. An active partnership with families is required to ensure that students receive the right opportunities at the right time in the right degree of intensity. There are no magic rules to assist in this process as it is highly individuated and dependent on the domain of talent, the level of student aptitude and interest, and the developmental stage of the talent itself. The talent development process is vulnerable to being stalled, thwarted, and even shut down at key stages of children lives. Our society cannot afford to neglect its most able students and their potential contributions.

References

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Gallagher, J. J., & Gallagher, S. A. (1994). Teaching the gifted child. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Gentry, M. L. (1999). Promoting student achievement and exemplary classroom practices through cluster grouping: A research-based alternative to heterogeneous elementary classrooms. (Report No. RM9918). Storrs, CT: National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED429389).

Gross, M. (2003). Exceptionally gifted children. London: Taylor & Francis.

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National Education Commission on Time and Learning. (1994). Prisoners of time. Washington, DC: Author.