Critical Analysis of Issues Surrounding the Inclusion of Gifted and Talented Children

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A critical analysis of the information provided in the ‘Gifted and Talented’ presentation The PowerPoint under discussion provided information regarding the potentially overlooked issue of offering inclusive education for children with gifted and talented attributes. This piece will critically analyse the ways in which authors may define the term ‘gifted and talented’, and the consequent implications on practice. When defining gifted and talented attributes in the context of education, some may suggest that this term encompasses pupils who achieve, or have the potential to achieve, at a significantly advanced level of the average for their year group (DfEE, 1999). The extent to which, and the curriculum areas within which, pupils must excel to achieve gifted and talented status may be disputed, with some arguing that every individual has an area of expertise that they achieve well in. Gardner’s () theory proposed a minimum of seven distinctive types of intelligence, and suggested that gifted and talented people may demonstrate exceptional performance in one or more of these kinds of intellect. Observations from practice have indicated that ‘gifted and talented’ includes a broad spectrum of abilities, within specific and multiple curriculum areas, consequently highlighting the difficulty in defining this term. It may therefore be recommended that educators assess the specific capabilities of highly attaining pupils within their settings, as these can vary significantly. When considering the inclusion of gifted and talented pupils within education, providing appropriate and challenging curriculum content can be problematic. Some may suggest that higher attaining pupils should be placed in accelerated groups, in which they integrate with older and other gifted and talented pupils. This approach should allow excelling individuals to progress through the curriculum at

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