More Characteristics of Gifted Students
Barbara Parker (1983) outlines some additional characteristics of gifted students that Instructors should consider as they plan their courses for Duke TIP. Gifted students display some, if not all, of the following characteristics:
- Mental flexibility, including a tolerance for ambiguity
- Openness to information
- Capacity to systematize knowledge, so that it is logical, structured, and sequential
- Capacity for abstract thought
- Fluency, the ability to produce new combinations and patterns of ideas
- Sense of humor
- Positive thinking
- Intellectual courage, which translates as high persistence and motivation
- Resistance to enculturation, that is, not forfeiting one's own values in favor of those of society; ability to decide between what can and what cannot be believed and between what is and what is not important
Barbara Parker -- Rabat American School (from studies conducted by Karl Albrecht, 1980; 1983)
The gifted student may become alienated in a regular school setting. He/she may react as a "problem child" or may suffer in silence in a boring classroom where he/she is asked only to scratch the surface. Many students seek the resources of Duke TIP because their schools do not have the available resources to offer appropriate curriculum and/or coursework for gifted children. Therefore, academic challenges may not be readily available unless the student and/or parents advocate for independent study opportunities or for permission to attend classes at a nearby college or university. Some of these students may adopt the attitude that as long as they know the material presented, they can make a good grade and move on to another chapter. However, many curious gifted students desire a more enriched curriculum and often become discouraged when they find that it is unavailable.
Duke TIP's mission is to help these students develop their full potential.
