Gifted education strategies are informed by accelerated progression models. One such model is the developmental concept of giftedness. This model "acknowledges the influence and importance of the environment on a child's performance and stresses the crucial role regular classroom teacher in the development of talented behavior" (Braggett, 1997). This theory is simple, but it has important implications for the early development of gifted students. In many instances, gifted programs are not available until older ages, but it is important for the development of gifted students that they have support in the earlier stages of education. In a first grade classroom, the regular classroom teacher can still play a critical role in the development of talents of gifted children.
Another model that can be applied is Gagne's differentiated model of giftedness and talent. Gagne argues that there is a meaningful difference between "behaviors that appear spontaneously easy and those that require mastery through extensive training" (TIP, 2011). One of the elements of Gagne's model is that there are two types of gifted children, those who excel and those who are underachievers. He argued for different pathways for...
Only achieving children should be included in academic talent development programs, a theory that basically takes those gifted students who are farthest ahead (i.e. bored the most) and holds back their progress to leaving them out of the gifted pathway. There would be significant implications for the early childhood educator here. The first is that students would be "triaged" at a young age in terms of both their giftedness but also their socioemotional state and learning difficulties (Wellisch & Brown, 2012). Embedded here is the distinction between giftedness and talentedness, which is basically the output of giftedness. Those students who are able to reach a high level of achievement in their giftedness are supported in those model, but it seems that those who do not are basically left to their own devices -- to continue to be a squandered resource through inadequate support. This model is really not one that I would want to implement in my classroom, writing off gifted students in Grade One because they are bored or awkward.
Other models also focus on identification of gifted students at this age. The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth model is a good example…
