Customized Learning Theory - Assignment Example

The aim of this study is to examine the characteristics of gifted children in the school environment. The study will also look at the various elements of learning theories that relate to this group of children and further combine these elements to develop a hybrid theory that caters to the needs of gifted children. Characteristics of Gifted Children Gifted children learn faster, broadly and deeply meaning their intellectual ability is higher compared to their peers. Intellectual ability is believed to be innate and is not acquired through personal effort. Further, intellectual ability can be specific or general. An intellectually gifted individual for example maybe strikingly gifted in mathematics but lack the same strong skills in humanities or language. A combination of an adequately challenging curriculum and the necessary diligence to master learned skills often leads to academic success for the intellectually gifted (Eakin, 2007). Although intellectually gifted children are unique, they share some common characteristics within the academic environment. First, they have certain cognitive characteristics including, faster learning of materials, curiosity, widely diverse interest, reasoning ability, creativity, an excellent memory and a large pool of vocabulary. In addition, intellectually gifted students are perfectionists and often fear failure. Their intellectual capability makes them feel different and their superior vocabulary makes it hard to communicate with their peers hence they will have trouble forming social relations with their classmates. Further, gifted children are highly introspective and introverted and hold very high expectations for themselves and for others. Gifted children are also highly sensitive to their environment in terms of emotional and mental over-awareness (Eakin, 2007). The learning environment for gifted children is important as with other special needs students. Gifted students should be provided with opportunities to attempt new learning and develop their strengths in a psychologically safe environment. A modified learning environment provides gifted students with the opportunity for development and optimum growth. The social environment should also be supportive making sure that no one feels out of place and the students can establish trust with the teacher without the fear of being sanctioned. Moreover, gifted students should be provided with an opportunity to function at advanced levels of depth and complexity and their interests tied in with schoolwork. Gifted students tend to decline in performance if not challenged with abstract concepts, or presented with opportunities to go beyond what is offered in the regular classrooms. Gifted students that are rarely challenged lack confidence in their ability to perform well when presented with challenging learning tasks (Eakin, 2007). Learning Theories and Gifted Students Theories dealing with gifted children focus on the ability to adapt successfully to the environment and the ability to solve problems related to particular situations. Under the cognitive trait theories, Galton emphasizes two inherited traits whose abundance makes one intellectually gifted. The first trait is sufficient energy, which increases the capacity for labor. The second trait is sensitivity making the intellectually gi ... Read More