Mike Smith:
Joining me this week is Inge Cannon of Education PLUS.
Inge Cannon:
Great to be here, Mike.
Mike:
Is there a difference between giftedness and talent?
Inge:
Giftedness is usually considered to be an aptitude-oriented term. In other words, it refers to abilities, where talent is a term that refers to performance—something that you can actually do. The United States Department of Education defines gifted students as "those who by virtue of outstanding ability are capable of high performance." These are children who have general intellectual ability or specific academic aptitude, they are creative and productive in their thinking, they have leadership ability, they often have talents in the visual or performing arts, and they have unusual psychomotor ability.
Mike:
What challenges do parents of gifted children face when teaching children at home?
Inge:
There are several challenges. One of them is sheer intimidation. Gifted children also are children who will second-guess a lot of what the parent does, and sometimes that can really wear a parent down. Sometimes parents misunderstand that and think it's disrespect coming from the student, and so there can be some real discipline issues and challenges as well, as parents try to reinforce that and satisfy those needs and yet bend that will without killing that spirit.
Mike:
Well, thank you, Inge. And until next time, I'm Mike Smith.
For more information and helpful resources from Inge Cannon, visit us online at www.homeschoolheartbeat.com.
