How should we identify gifted students? In 2012, a report showed 48 out of 50 U.S. states had their own definition of giftedness and all were different. Today, even within states, individual districts and individual schools, definitions of giftedness vary. Some districts or schools use specific tests, some use IQ cutoff scores, some rely on teacher observations, and some look at students’ academic grades. Very few ask the art teacher for input or observations. That is a deficit that should be addressed when deciding how students, especially artistically gifted students, should be identified and have their gifted needs addressed.
School decision-makers keep trying to define what exactly comprises a gifted student because giftedness expresses itself in complex ways. Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist and psychotherapist once said, “Every creative person is a duality or a synthesis of contradictory aptitudes.” Many schools fall into the trap of just looking at academic or standardized test scores because it is an easy way to quantify who fits the “gifted” category. Additionally, some simply declare that any possible gifted students will survive just fine on their own. These ideas can be short-sighted.
As we know, all students are unique individuals, and gifted students express their giftedness in many ways. Just as there is a need to identify those who struggle to learn, there is a need to identify those who exceed the norms to reach their potential. To do that, schools need to look at the myriad of different ways a gifted student could be identified. Unfortunately, some districts ignore highly qualified talent scouts, the “specials” teachers – the art, music, and physical education specialists.
As a retired art teacher working at various levels, I have observed much talent in my students. Art teachers often notice students who exceed the norm in how they express themselves through their artwork; they are artistically and/or creatively gifted. These students don’t just complete an assignment in an average way, but automatically kick it up a notch or two, sometimes with guidance, and sometimes on their own. For instance, if asked to draw a picture of an imaginary person, a gifted student doesn’t just draw a basic person. They might make sure their person is wearing certain fashionable clothing and embellish it. They might add earrings or rings. They might create an unusual hairstyle or render a certain facial expression. Their character could be placed in an environment that comes from the artist’s imagination and may or may not be realistic. The artist might deliberately choose to flout convention (think Picasso). And, during the whole process, the student would make full use of color, texture, or brush strokes to make their statement. When done, it would stand out from most students doing the same assignment.
An art teacher will probably also notice that certain students are always drawing in the margins of their work or always carrying a notebook in which to draw and sketch whenever there is time - during their lunch, when bored, when waiting for the teacher to move on. Their minds are always working, always creating.
Artistic giftedness often carries over into academics too. Students can be gifted in more than one area and may choose to use art whenever possible to enhance their learning. Perhaps they take notes with pictures, perhaps they choose artistic endeavors to demonstrate their learning, perhaps they think and talk in visual images. The possibilities are endless!
Art teachers’ observations are important too because not all gifted students excel in academic subjects, even when or if they could. Nonetheless, they are artistically and creatively gifted. These students might rather be doing something else more interesting to them, something more personal. For many gifted students, expressing themselves through their art is much more important than their academics. Art is internal, personal, and reflective – an escape to their internal world. Academics are external, sometimes imposed upon them, and often don’t relate to their personal, internal feelings. Artistically gifted students intrinsically value the act of creation rather than sitting and learning from a teacher or a textbook, and as a result, their academic grades can suffer. Educators may overlook students with poor grades as not being gifted, when these students are pursuing excellence in their own way.
My advice is to talk to art teachers (and music and physical education teachers) when identifying gifted students for services. Cast a wider net and reach many who would not normally qualify.
- Dal Drummer, WATG Board Advisor and Interim Treasurer
Thank you to Kristen Eiswerth for the translation of this article for our Spanish-speaking educators and families.
