Characteristics of Gifted Learners

Georgia Department of Education Resource Manual for Gifted Education Services          

Advanced curricular needs of highly able learners are based on one or more of the following characteristics of the population:

1. Learn more rapidly, with fewer repetitions and less explanation, than most of their age peers

2. Excellent memory; large storehouse of information on school or non-school topics

3. Inattention to details

4. Easily bored with routine tasks

5. Intensely curious

6. Enthusiastic learner

7. Strong need to know

8. Are highly expressive; effective use of words, numbers or other symbols

9. Demonstrate unusual ability to communicate (verbally, physically, artistically,

symbolically)

10. May use language that is advanced, colorful, and elaborative

11. Use particularly apt examples, illustrations, or elaborations

12. More easily see connections within and across disciplines

13. Perceive more unusual and remote associations

14. Manipulate information

15. Use critical thinking skills and logical approaches to figuring out solutions

16. See and create patterns of meaning

17. Are often intellectually playful

18. Intuitive and/or insightful

19. Demonstrate unusual emotional depth

20. Convey and pick up on humor

21. Are highly imaginative; can generate many unique and different ideas

22. Create new designs; invent

23. Tend to think deeply about what they have learned; sense deeper meanings

24. Grasp complex and abstract concepts

25. Can draw inferences and make generalizations that age peers do not yet recognize

26. Adept at abstract thinking skills

27. Use metaphors and analogies

28. Use effective, often inventive, strategies for recognizing and solving problems

29. Intense (sometimes unusual) interests

30. Are self-starters

31. Intrinsically motivated by a challenge

32. Can be highly focused and extremely goal-directed (particularly with self-selected tasks)

33. Highly energetic and persevering

34. Have longer attention spans

35. Can deal with multifaceted activities or several problems at once

36. Can tolerate ambiguity and/or structure open-ended tasks

37. Thrive on independent learning opportunities