Identification of Giftedness in Culturally Diverse Groups

Abstract

The literature in gifted education emphasises the importance of early identification and nurturance of children's gifts. However, the means for ready identification of children in early childhood, other than formal testing, have not always been as clearly developed. The problem of identification is exacerbated when the children are from culturally diverse groups and their first language is not that of the school's. Such groups include children from non-English-speaking backgrounds, Aboriginal children and economically disadvantaged children. This paper suggests the ways in which teachers can structure their classrooms, provide a range of challenging activities and develop their observational skills in order to identify the intellectual strengths of their students, particularly through the use of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory as a framework for recognising children's intellectual strengths.

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