Submitted by

Sheeja p.k
Mathematics
Reg. No. 180-14384004

NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF SPECIAL

ATTENTION OF
GIFTED STUDENTS IN MATHETICS

INTRODUCTION
Gifted students are exceptional children. A student is considered as
mathematically gifted student if he shows special abilities,skills,interest and achievement in
mathematics. They show superiority over th average. The number of mathematically gifted
students in a school is generally limited to one or two. However the education for gifted
children are very important because they are the asset of society, cream of population and
potential leaders of different walks of life. Thus such gifted students in mathematics have to
be identified by the teacher.
Carrol and martens defines,The gifted child is one who excels in creative
thinking and abstract reasoning has a wide scope of interests and produces work of super
quality.

CONTENT
IDENTIFICATION OF THE GIFTED IN MATHEMATICS
The identification of the mathematically gifted is an important as nurturing
their mental abilities and skills . A student who is scoring very high in a mathematics test
need not always be mathematically gifted because a student can score high in a
achievement test by role remorisation drill and practice. Ther are many other factors
contributing to the mathematically giftness. The unique characteritics exhibited by the gifted
students will help the teacher in identifying them. The gifted students can be identified on
the basis of the following characteristics
1
2
3
4
5

Physical and Personality Characteristics

Intellectual or mental characteristics
Educational characteristics
Social characreristics
Negative characteristics

NEEDS OF GIFTED STUDENTS

Gifted students learn differently from their classmates in atleast five important ways.
They learn new material in much less time. They tend to remember what they have
learned,making spiral curriculums and reviewing previously mastered concepts a painful

experience. They perceive ideas concepts at more abstract and complex levels than do
their peers. They become passionately interested in specific topics and have difficulty
moving on to other learning tasks until they feel satisfied that they have learned as much
as they possibly can about their passionates interest. Finally, gifted students are able to
operate on many levels of concentration simultaneously, so they can monitor classroom
activities without paying direct or visual attention to them.
Gifted students have already mastered much of the grade level work, so they should have
opportunities to function at more advanced levels of complexity and depth and to tie their
own passsionate interests into their school work.

SPECIAL ATTENTION TO GIFTED CHILDREN

At present all educators, parents and administrators have recognised the
importance of providing special education to gifted children. Keeping in the mind the
need, desire, ability and interests of gifted, many educationalists have given various
programmes and projects to the gifted students. Some of them are given below.

I Enrichment Programmes
Enrichment programmes mean giving additional learning experience at
advanced level to gifted children accrding to their abilities. The enrichment of already
available oppertunities of education not only in the academic content to be learnt but also
in the extent of participation in challenging co-curricular activities. The following are the
enrichment programmmes for mathematically gifted students.

An enriched syllabus to provide for extensive and intensive study

They should be asked to solve more difficult problems
They should be encouraged to enrich their knowledge by the study of
supplimentary readers,reference books and general literature
They should be allowed to write the essay on great mathematician and their
contributions
They should be asked to correlate the learning of mathematics with their daily life
activities.
The gifted students are asked to prepare individual projects in Mathematics.
They should be asked to construct mathematical models,charts, improvised
learning aids.
They should be asked to participate quiz competition.
They can be encouraged to participate in panel discussion on topic in Mathematics.
The gifted students can be involved in the supervised study and tutorial classes
for the slow learners in Mathematics.
Thy should be asked to organize and participate mathematics cub and its activities.
Ask them to prepare special assignment
They sould be encouraged to write good articles on the topics of mathematics.
The gifted students are asked to organize seminar, exhibitions et..
They should be allowed to do independent study in the library.

II Acceleration Or Rapid Advancement

Acceleration offers opertunity for a gifted student to move his own pace and
ability and to complete an educational programme within the short period than the
noemal. The gifted students can be provided acceleration in the following ways;

Giving them admission in school before the required age.

In one academic session only they can allowed to study the syllabus of two or
more classes and promote to the next class.
Allow to finish their course in less time than other average students.

III

Skipping Or Double Promotion

Skipping means more than one promotion during the course of the
year. If a child shows an extraordinary achievement in one class, he may be given
a double promotion.

IV
Homogeneous Grouping or Ability Grouping or Separate
Classes or Segregation
The gifted pupils may be placed in separate class for all or part of the
school day. The purpose of ability grouping is usually tosprovide for enrichment
programmes. By this scheme, studentswith more or less similar background are
grouped together in the same section. It is a common practice in some of the
school to group students into various sections that is A,B,C etc. according to the
intellectual,physical and social interests of the students. This creates healthy
competition and is very useful in a large school where classes can be divided into
different sections. But it has certain disadvantages
also.
It might create
aristocratic attitude on the part of the gifted while members of the average group
might develop jealousy.

Separate School or Special Schools

Gifted children have very sharp mind so,they are not able to taught in
the normal classroom. It is often suggested that we must have separate schools
for the gifted children. Separate schools help the gofted children in following ways.

Get opportunity to work according to their own capacities.

Can do dashing / challenging works.
On the basis of their extra ordinary abilities they can be taught through
special teaching techniques.
They can get various opportunity to develop their leadership qualities.

In India,By the recommendations of NPE(1986) started Navodaya Vidhyalaya all

over India to provide free and quality education to the gifted students.

Objectives of Navodaya Vidhyalaya

VI

To provide education free of cost.

Provide quallity education.
Giving experience to learn in group.
Arrangement of special education for high achievers
Proper organisation of co-curricular activities.
To motivate the child for self-study.
To develop various abilities completely.
To develop self-dependence and self confidence.
To organise debates workshops and ecursions.

Summer Schools

These schools may be planned during summer vacations. These schools are
being successfully tried in the USA. Academically talented students are selected from the
different parts of the country on the basis of psychological tests,interview and previous
school records and are brought together for a special educational programme. Usually
which includes three areas Mathematics,Social Studies and literature.
VII

Scholarship Programmes
The Scholarship should be given to the gifted students to ensure their progress

in study.

VIII

Special Visit

Well planned visits may be arranged to laboratories,meuseum and other

important places.
IX

Contact with Talented People

Gifted students to may be brought into contact with persons engaged in the
type of work for which the students show special abilities or interest. These persons may be
able to provide occasional opportunities for the students to work in their special field.
X

Hostels

Hostels may be arranged for those students whose home environment is not
conductive to proper study.

CONCLUTION
A mathematically gifted student shows special abilities, skills, interest and
achievement in mathematics. They show superiopity over the average. They need special
care and proper education. Enrichment programme provides all the essential facilities for a
gifted child within the same structure of our educational system and does not bring any
extra hardship or financial burden on the shoulders of our educational institutions.
Therefore in any scheme of education for the gifted in our country, adequate provisions

should be made in the school curriculum for enrichment of the learning experiences
according to the needs and requirements of the gifted children.

REFERENCES

S. K .Mangal :Mathematics Education : Methods and Technique

Mathematics Education:Methods an Techniques