Elizabeth Riker

Reflection on the Characteristics Course

I have learned so much about the characteristics of TAG
students throughout this course! Initially, I was under the belief
that students were accepted into the TAG program simply
because they were academically smart. However, I learned that
there are many cognitive and affective differences within and
outside the gifted population. In addition, diverse populations are
enhanced by understanding how families and cultures may
impact the development of gifted children.
I researched Profoundly Gifted students and discovered that
they have the capacity to learn that is significantly advanced
even beyond the average gifted child. Their IQ range is 180 and
above and their occurrence is less than 1 in a million. I was
intrigued by this special population because I encountered a lot of
students that fit into this description while studying at Vanderbilt
University. In my experience, the profoundly gifted students in my
classes asked complex questions, had an extensive vocabulary,
were able to mentally solve mathematical operations
simultaneously, and were exceptional with numbers and puzzles.

After researching this population, I found that these students

struggled with relating to their peers and making moral decisions
since they were often put with other students beyond their
maturity level. On a personal note, one of my good friends at
Vandy is profoundly gifted. He informed me that he did not
receive appropriate instruction when he was in mainstream public
school because he had already completed the mathematics
courses and the teachers at his school were not certified to teach
to his level/ appropriately challenge him.
If I were to teach profoundly gifted students, then I would
need to create individualized learning plans so that the children
would not grow bored of the curriculum and would be
appropriately challenged/ accelerated. I would offer fast paced
courses so that they could learn at their own paces. I would work
with university based programs, tutors, counselors, and mentors
in order to make learning meaningful, fun, and rigorous. In
addition, I would reach out to the community so that the children
would know that their learning would directly impact the area
around them. It would be my goal for the children to have real
world experiences inside and outside of the classroom.

In conclusion, I have learned so much about the

characteristics of TAG students. I was introduced to the
characteristics, development, and needs of the gifted learner. I
will be mindful of these qualities when I teach my students in the
future.