The education of children with high mental ability.

Abstract

Bright children are delightful youngsters, fun to be with, and pleasant to have around. If nothing untoward has happened to them in their early years, they respond enthusiastically to normal recognition, attention, and friendliness. These children talk about their interests, activities, and aspirations very much at an adult level. They will even listen sympathetically to teachers and parents discussing their own personal affairs if the adults are genuine and sincere. In this respect, children with high mental ability are surprisingly mature. They take a personal interest in worthy adults and reward them with understanding and loyalty. If teachers and parents are not honest and frank with them, bright children will be quick to recognize the insincerity, although they may never reveal their discovery. Systematic evaluation of adults is characteristic of most children. Among bright children of almost any age the tendency is more highly developed. They view carefully, assess critically, and, if they approve, accept gladly.Bright children are first of all children. They need love, security, companionship, acceptance, motivation, challenge, opportunity for selfexpression, guidance, appreciation, and other fundamental support that fosters the effective development of all children. At home with intelligent, reasonable, understanding parents, these needs generally are satisfied. In neighborhoods and groups where youngsters of similar abilities, interests, and temperaments get together, bright children usually are happy, active, well-adjusted boys and girls. Such homes and neighborhoods are likely to provide opportunities for living, learning, and growing which are compatible with the needs of bright children.

The Cognitive Processing of Gifted, High Average, and Low Average Ability Students

“…It was recognised that these selection procedures were not in any way exhaustive and that some gifted subjects may have been overlooked (Dunlap, 1975;Gear, 1976;Wikoff, 1979;Dirks, el al., 1980). However, exhaustive identification of the gifted was not the major aim of this study.…”