Page 145 - Kukanja Gabrijelčič, Mojca, and Maruška Seničar Željeznov, eds. 2018. Teaching Gifted and Talented Children in A New Educational Era. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 145
How Kindergarten Teachers Perceive Giftedness
dren, followed by materials, teaching approaches, approaches to identifica-
tion and, in last position, proper legislation. Teachers’ needs were distributed
evenly among the Slovenian respondents, while Croatian teachers expressed
a greater need for teaching materials than did their Slovenian counterparts.
Discussion
The study shows a variety of views regarding giftedness within and between
the two countries, as well as between generations. A qualitative definition of
giftedness was favoured by 30.29 of respondents, meaning that giftedness
was examined from the developmental aspect, the child’s potential to learn,
and the child’s curiosity and level of interest. The multi-category approach,
where children may be gifted in different areas that are difficult to define,
was favoured by 16.6 of respondents. The comparative approach, which
ranks children’s abilities and achievements in comparison with their peers,
was favoured by 13.28 of respondents, and the holistic approach by 11.62
of respondents. The qualitative, multi-category, comparative and holistic ap-
proaches to child giftedness look at a child in developmental terms and not
in terms of ‘uniqueness.’ This awareness is important for introducing con-
cepts of giftedness at the national level and designing teacher training for
work with gifted preschool children. The results show that the development
of approaches to identification has to encompass a child’s whole personality
and not only place it within the context of their future development. The re-
sults point towards the training of teachers to recognise the characteristics of
a potentially gifted preschool child, and the establishment of an education
and teaching environment that enables children to develop their potential,
gifts and talents.
In both countries, teachers perceive the role of parents in identifying gift-
edness as more important than their own. This points towards a more com-
prehensive and inclusive approach to identifying gifted preschool children
and working with them – one that includes the family, the kindergarten and
the wider environment. One of these approaches is the System Approach,
which is deployed in the Dutch system of Leiden.
The study shows that the identification of potentially gifted preschool
children is regarded as important by 95.7 of Croatian teachers and 75
of Slovenian teachers. The process of recognising and identifying giftedness
is a wide concept that should include all children and all possible approaches
to observation with the aim of establishing every child’s educational needs
in relation to their areas of strength, potential or talent. With regard to the
concept of individualisation and differentiation of the curriculum, an individ-
143
dren, followed by materials, teaching approaches, approaches to identifica-
tion and, in last position, proper legislation. Teachers’ needs were distributed
evenly among the Slovenian respondents, while Croatian teachers expressed
a greater need for teaching materials than did their Slovenian counterparts.
Discussion
The study shows a variety of views regarding giftedness within and between
the two countries, as well as between generations. A qualitative definition of
giftedness was favoured by 30.29 of respondents, meaning that giftedness
was examined from the developmental aspect, the child’s potential to learn,
and the child’s curiosity and level of interest. The multi-category approach,
where children may be gifted in different areas that are difficult to define,
was favoured by 16.6 of respondents. The comparative approach, which
ranks children’s abilities and achievements in comparison with their peers,
was favoured by 13.28 of respondents, and the holistic approach by 11.62
of respondents. The qualitative, multi-category, comparative and holistic ap-
proaches to child giftedness look at a child in developmental terms and not
in terms of ‘uniqueness.’ This awareness is important for introducing con-
cepts of giftedness at the national level and designing teacher training for
work with gifted preschool children. The results show that the development
of approaches to identification has to encompass a child’s whole personality
and not only place it within the context of their future development. The re-
sults point towards the training of teachers to recognise the characteristics of
a potentially gifted preschool child, and the establishment of an education
and teaching environment that enables children to develop their potential,
gifts and talents.
In both countries, teachers perceive the role of parents in identifying gift-
edness as more important than their own. This points towards a more com-
prehensive and inclusive approach to identifying gifted preschool children
and working with them – one that includes the family, the kindergarten and
the wider environment. One of these approaches is the System Approach,
which is deployed in the Dutch system of Leiden.
The study shows that the identification of potentially gifted preschool
children is regarded as important by 95.7 of Croatian teachers and 75
of Slovenian teachers. The process of recognising and identifying giftedness
is a wide concept that should include all children and all possible approaches
to observation with the aim of establishing every child’s educational needs
in relation to their areas of strength, potential or talent. With regard to the
concept of individualisation and differentiation of the curriculum, an individ-
143
