Definitions
 | What do we mean by the terms giftedness and talent? |  |
There are many definitions of giftedness and talent. Giftedness is a complex concept and definitions are changing as our understanding of the nature of intelligence and brain function is improving. The way that giftedness is defined depends upon what is valued by society and will determine the identification procedures employed and the educational programs that are developed.
The definition that is most widely used and the definition adopted in the New South Wales Policy and implementation strategies for gifted and talented students (revised 2004) is that of Françoys Gagné (2003). Gagné (pdf 25kb) proposes a distinction between giftedness and talent that is well grounded in research on human abilities (Gross, 1993). In Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (a colour graphic illustrating Gagné's differentiated model of giftedness and talent can be viewed here, pdf 73kb), the following definitions apply:
Gifted students are those whose potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the following domains: intellectual, creative, social and physical.
Talented students are those whose skills are distinctly above average in one or more areas of human performance.
What does this mean for parents and teachers?
In Gagné's model, giftedness refers to innate ability in a domain or domains displayed in the left of the diagram. These abilities may combine in different ways to produce one or more specific talents as displayed in the right hand side of the diagram. Therefore high aptitude in the intellectual and creative domains may combine with the right environmental conditions to produce for example, a mathematician or linguist.
The Gagné model illustrates that an aptitude or combination of aptitudes develops into a talent as the result of systematic training and practice. It also shows that individual behaviour and environmental factors may help or hinder the development of talent even though the child is gifted.
At the centre of his model Gagné includes a set of ‘ catalysts' that are important in this regard. These catalysts include environmental factors such as family and school, personality factors (autonomy, self–confidence, self–esteem) and motivation (initiative, interests, persistence). Gagné's thesis is that these catalysts are critical in activating the translation of giftedness into talent and central to this translation as mentioned are the very important mediating effects of training and practice. More information about Gagné's most recent model of giftedness and talent can be found in the file DMGT 2000 (pdf 25kb).
Gagné proposes that about 10% of students will reach the threshold of ability (giftedness) or achievement (talent) to be considered in this group. This is a broad definition and it follows that there are levels of giftedness:
Degree of giftedness | Level of prevalence within the general population |
Mildly | 1: – 1:40 |
Moderately | 1:40 – 1:1000 |
Highly | 1: 1000 – 1: 10 000 |
Exceptionally | 1: 10 000 – 1: 1 million |
Profoundly | Fewer than 1: 1 milllion |
(Feldhusen, 1993, cited in Gross, 2000)
Another useful way to approach the question of who is gifted is to consider Borland's view that giftedness depends upon the nature of the population and that giftedness should be defined more pragmatically (Borland, 1989).‘Giftedness should be defined differently in different settings, but in the manner that is logical and consistent with the realities that obtain in each of those settings'. (Borland, 1989)
This means that the way talent emerges will depend on both cultural and historical conditions. It is important to assess the needs of students in their particular environmental setting. In Borland's view it is very important to evaluate which students are not serviced by current curriculum offerings. Those students who are not serviced by the regular curriculum and would benefit from a more advanced curriculum should receive it to reach their potential. The more gifted the student the more the curriculum needs to be modified to cater for their needs.
References
Borland, J. H. (1989). Planning and implementing programs for the gifted. New York: Teachers College Press.
Feldhusen, J. F. (1993). Levels of giftedness. Handout presented in Certificate of Gifted Education at the University of New South Wales.
Gagné, F. (2003). Transforming gifts into talents: The DMGT as a developmental theory. In N. Colangelo & G. A. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of gifted education (3rd ed., pp. 60-74). Boston, Mass: Allyn & Bacon.
Gross, M. U. M. (1993). Exceptionally gifted children. London: Routledge.
Gross, M. U. M. (2000). Issues in the cognitive development of exceptionally and profoundly gifted individuals. In K. A. Heller, F.J. Monks, R. J. Sternberg & R. F. Subotnik (Eds.), International handbook of research and development of giftedness and talent (2nd ed., pp. 179-192). New York: Pergamon.
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