All GEP kids have high IQ?

All high IQ kids must get into GEP?

Any relationship between high IQ & GEP?

IQ & GEP (Gifted Education Programme)

If you observe young children, those as young as 2 or 3 years old, it is not difficult to find that most of them exhibit some forms of giftedness as defined by psychologists. Traits such as

• curiosity and an ability to learn more quickly than others
• shows strong feelings and opinions and has a good sense of humour
• a superior memory
• a keen observer
• highly imaginative or creative
• has a passion and intensity for learning
• morally sensitive
• tends to question authority
• shows greater compassion than others

show up in our little ones. Little kids are just like a ‘sponge’ who soak up whatever knowledge and values we teach them. However, over time, these dispositions weaken. It could be due to our negligence or our inability to nurture these traits. It could also be due to our great emphasis on academic achievements. Slowly, we decided that our kids are ‘no longer gifted’. He is just an ordinary child.

I have always chosen to believe that every child is gifted in his or her own way. Every child is born with traits of giftedness, it’s only a matter of degree. Some of them are highly gifted in one way and mildly gifted in other ways. Only a rare few would be extremely gifted or prodigious in their own ways. If only we, as parents, are able to nurture their in-born gifts, they will then be able to remain truly themselves, for life.

All Gifted & Talented Children Get Into GEP?

Gifted children, or sometimes called the high ability learners, are usually, but not always, high achievers. They tend to score high on aptitude/cognitive tests (also called tests of potential), such as IQ tests or General Ability Tests (GAT), even when they don’t achieve good academic scores. They love to learn and their love of learning, strong memories, and ability to learn quickly and easily enable them to succeed, occasionally much later on in life.

In my years of teaching, I have encountered highly or mildly gifted kids who did not qualify for our GEP in Singapore. They simply love learning, not by completing tons of worksheets, but being able to touch, play, talk, hear, and participate actively in learning. They are the ones whom we say ‘can’t sit still’. These students may have problems with attention (which may or may not be related to ADHD), have poor organizational skills, or simply unable to “mesh” with the teaching style in the classroom.

You can feel their enthusiasm in learning a great amount of things, not by doing assessment books but by being able to solve challenging puzzles, reading, playing sports, and simply exploring.

These children may have scored high on aptitude/cognitive tests but their academic scores may not qualify them for a seat in the GEP at this stage.

We must continue to provide this group of children with appropriate strong stimuli to keep them challenged in order to keep the fire of enthusiasm burning.

For a gifted child who has lost the motivation to learn, he or she may not do well in school, and even in life. This is the greatest worry parents have – an underachiever – not so much about being in the programme.

All GEP Students Are Gifted?

Our GEP’s selection test is a mass standard test of potential. It is not designed to test the individual’s giftedness in any particular area. The sole purpose of the test is to select children suitable for the programme that has been designed for general education – to be more specific – a general accelerated programme for the academically-inclined. It is a fair test for a general education as it measures a student’s knowledge and skills in English and Math in relation to a national sample of students at the same grade level. The test is very successful at differentiation as it gives parents accurate information about how their child is performing compared to his or her peers.

However, the selection test does not measure a child’s motivation to understand new knowledge and perform well in school. They also will not measure a child’s creativity or curiosity, persistence or determination, nor the ability to work well in a group, challenge assumptions, or complete in-depth projects. None of these characteristics is tested, yet they are all essential skills for further education, workplace preparation, and life in general. It is important to remember that performance on the selection test is not a complete indication of the full range of a child’s abilities.

Henceforth, you must have seen some children in the programme falter. This small number of children has been consistently taught on a ‘drill-&-practice’ basis. They spent a good amount of time practising on tons of worksheets and assessment books. They have merely become ‘exam-smart’. For a short while, it seems that they are ‘gifted’ as their academic abilities surpassed many of their peers. But without the traits of persistency, determination, and an aptitude to take on challenging tasks, their previous achievements soon give way, and you see only a very unhappy child in the programme.

Conclusion

Not all gifted children enter the programme and they tend to blossom later on in life when we continue to provide them the right rapport. Not all children who made it into the programme are ‘gifted’ in the true sense, but they have done their best! What is of utmost importance is to keep their love of learning ALIVE, and live a rich life – each and everyone of our kids!

What we do

We keep every child’s love of learning ALIVE by providing them the FUN of CHALLENGES – the essence of a true gifted & talented education!

It’s really a BONUS when our students get into the programme and continue to strive for excellence, in academic, in learning, and in life!