ABSTRACT
Based on the data collection of 10 students who have finished high school, the following approaches were most successful in their talent trajectories:
Early intervention. Both parents and students were aware of giftedness before they were aware of a disability or special condition, usually no later than at age 8. This early knowledge provided the basis for parents to intervene positively in the lives of their children to promote their areas of strength. Thus, many of these students remember working with parents on skills and concepts and attending Saturday and summer enrichment programs at local universities as particularly enjoyable educational experiences during their primary years in school.
Acceleration. Most of the cases found acceleration to be the most effective intervention that was provided, as early as elementary school, and found that it continued to be effective all of the way through middle and high school. The acceleration model was typically in a subject area of strength, not whole-grade acceleration. The best outcomes occurred as a result of ongoing content-based acceleration and started well before secondary school. Honors and AP coursework options helped these students continue to experience acceleration at the secondary level. Another advantage of acceleration for these students was that it could be used continuously throughout the schooling process, with little additional effort on the part of the school establishment.
463. Personalization. For most of these students, some degree of personalization was required in order for them to perform at maximal levels throughout their years of schooling. For many of these students, this personalization involved finding the right teacher who could both motivate and support them in their area of interest to reach levels at which they did not think they could perform. In other instances, personalization involved a parent who provided needed support at propitious times. Often clinical support personnel were also crucial at various stages of development.
4. Independent learning. Independent learning was a preferred strategy over all forms of group learning. In fact, a few students rated independent learning as the most effective approach, and group learning as the least effective. Difficulties with finding intellectual peers made group work a source of constant frustration. On the other hand, students who were allowed to work on independent learning projects had more freedom of choice as well as personalized attention and feedback from the instructor that motivated them to do well with a topic of interest.
5. Flexible instruction. A common need among these students was flexibility of instruction. They encountered difficulties when faced with rigid classroom structures or assignments, and a few students reported defiant behavior as their immediate response. However, when given multiple pathways to success or alternatives to support their unique circumstances, these same students could perform at much higher levels of achievement.
