Gifted children must be indentified early: Experts
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Education experts and psychologists agreed at a conference here yesterday that early identification and proper education are crucial elements in the development process of gifted children.
The Post-Workshop 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Giftedness was held by the Psychology department of the Gadjah Mada University and the Indonesian Foundation for the Education and Development of Gifted Children.
Dorothy Sisk from the U.S.-based Lamar University in Texas proposed the Step Up Project, which aimed to help economically disadvantaged gifted children.
According to Sisk, the project's emphasis is placed on various pretests conducted prior to students' admission, including demography, teacher's assessment and understanding children's parents.
"This project is not only enriching the lives of bright minority students, but these students are also contributing positively to the entire school as role models and enthusiastic learners," Sisk, who had conducted the research project on the native American Navajo tribe, said.
An educator from the Yogyakarta Institute of Art noted the importance of detecting a child's giftedness as early as possible.
"Who knows? We may discover artists with capabilities similar to Beethoven or Mozart," Soedarso S.P. said.
According to Soedarso, participative methods such as field practices can be used to improve the quality of teachers in the region to be better equipped to discover their students' special talents.
Supra Wimbarti from the Child Psychology department of Gadjah Mada University seconded Soedarso's opinion that Indonesian gifted children have not been receiving the attention they deserve.
Obstacles faced in identifying gifted children, according to Supra, include teachers' quality, lack of attention given to gifted children from their parents and society and the scarcity of experts on gifted people.
Supra suggested that an action program based on improving networks between researchers and policymakers be implemented in handling gifted children.
F.J. Monks from the University of Nijmegen contrasted the different education system in China with that of the Netherlands.
In the Netherlands, Monks said, there is no special selection process or separate classes held for gifted students.
"They are all given an equal opportunity," Monks added, referring to the Self Concept Score applied in the Netherlands, which indicates gifted children's different abilities.
The score is a compilation of an intelligence test, personal motivation test, creativity test and a locus of self control scale.
China, on the other hand, differentiates gifted children by providing a special school from kindergarten through university.
In Monks opinion, this differentiation puts gifted children in a high-risk stress position because they would have to work hard to maintain their position in the special classes. (30/14)