Modern psychology understands giftedness as a combination of several parameters: a high level of intelligence, creativity and motivation. All these indicators can be evaluated using special techniques. But this should be done not by a parent, but by a psychologist, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education, Doctor of Pedagogy and Psychological Sciences, Director of the Institute of Pedagogy and Educational Psychology of the Moscow City Pedagogical University, Professor Alexander. Savenkov told socialbites.ca.
Here intelligence is understood as the ability to solve complex problems, which can be measured using IQ tests. The following parameters – a high level of creativity and motivation – can also be determined using special techniques. All parameters should be high, and the higher the better.
It is a psychologist’s job to diagnose giftedness. For example, a specialist can use special tools: this is a technique for the collision and hierarchization of motives. For example, a child is given cards with motifs and must rank them from strongest to weakest.
“This is a soft technique, and the conflict of motives is a difficult technique. The child is then artificially forced into a choice situation – either this or that. The child must choose the most important reason for him/her. There are also many other projective techniques, for example where the child is asked to finish a sentence or story. This way you can also learn how the motivational field of a person’s personality is structured,” the professor explained.
However, there are diagnostic tools specific to parents.
“Parents can find these techniques by reading books specifically written for them about giftedness. For example: “gift card”, “palette of interests”, etc. There are also diagnostic methods specifically for teachers, for example, an intellectual portrait and others, explained Savenkov.
Learn more about how to diagnose giftedness in a child and why you shouldn’t “lock” gifted children into a separate school – report Savenkov “socialbites.ca”.
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